Asleep (2)

Sunday April 11, 2021

Christ was raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who are asleep. 1 Corinthians 15. 20

If we believe that Jesus died and that he was resurrected, so too, with him, God will bring those who fell asleep through Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 4:14

Asleep (2)

Several verses gently evoke the death of believers by saying that they are "asleep". This suggests that death is a temporary state pending resurrection.

When Jesus heard that his friend Lazarus was dead, he simply said : "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going to go and wake him" (John 11:11). The disciples thought it was rest from sleep, so the Lord made it clear that he was dead.

Here is the testimony of a person who was thus comforted :

"My father was the person I loved the most in the world. He was a father in all its meaning. It was on his knees that I fell asleep as a child. It was on his shoulder that as a teenager I him. confided my sorrows, my sorrows... And then, he left... one morning in April, in intensive care, at the hospital He left near God his Father whom he had faithfully served all his life.

For me, everything was falling apart. How to live without him ? For a long time, I have you my pain. And then one day she came out : I cried out to heaven, and consolation came. As I spoke to God about my grief, I read Acts 7. 60 which records the end of Stephen. "He fell asleep," says the biblical text.

This word echoed strongly in my heart, and I hear again the voice of the nurse who telephoned from the hospital : "Your daddy has peacefully fallen asleep". God spoke to me and reminded me, in his love, that he was present during this passage so difficult for humans. The peace of God descended on me... "

Source (The Good Seed)