WE WILL SEE THEM AGAIN
It won't be long now
My Bible studies are done With the hope that they may be helpful for others.
If I have questions, others may have questions.
If I need to review, study again. Perhaps others do too.
The one year anniversary of the death of my son led to this study on the Hope of the Resurrection. And my desire for this life to end, to be in that great family reunion.
At the end I have included a study for your Home Sabbath Gathering. I end with a prayer, and a poem.
The Hope of the Resurrection
The Bible does show that God’s servants longed for this present age to end and for the resurrection to come. But it also shows something very important: their longing was rooted in hope, not despair — in resurrection, not escape.
Let’s walk through it.
1. The Desire to Be Clothed With Immortality
2 Corinthians 5:1–4
Paul writes:
“We groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven… not that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.”
Notice:
- He says we groan
- He says we earnestly desire
- He wants mortality swallowed up by life
He is not expressing a death wish — he is expressing a resurrection hope.
He does not want to be “unclothed” (dead), but “clothed upon” (changed).
That is resurrection language.
2. Paul’s Tension: To Live or To Depart
Philippians 1:21–23
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain… I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better.”
Paul admits:
- He desired to depart
- He knew being with Christ is “far better”
But he stayed because his work was not finished.
This shows that longing for resurrection life is not sin — it is a natural response when this world feels heavy.
3. Creation Itself Wants This Age to End
Romans 8:18–23
Paul says:
“The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now… we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”
Even creation groans.
We groan.
Why?
Because we are waiting for the redemption of our body — resurrection.
This longing is called hope (verse 24).
4. The Saints Cry for the End
Revelation 6:9–10
Symbolically, the martyrs cry:
“How long, O Lord…?”
And at the very end of Scripture:
Revelation 22:20
“Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
The closing prayer of the Bible is a longing for His return.
That is not abnormal.
That is faithful yearning.
5. Job’s Desire for Release — But With Resurrection Hope
Job 14:14–15
“If a man die, shall he live again? … all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.”
And:
Job 19:25–26
“I know that my redeemer liveth… and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.”
Job wanted relief from suffering.
But he anchored that desire in resurrection.
6. Wanting This Corrupt Age to End
Scripture calls this world:
- “This present evil world” — Galatians 1:4
- A place under the sway of the wicked one — 1 John 5:19
It is not strange for someone who sees deeply to long for the Kingdom.
What Is Biblical — And What Is Not
Biblical longing:
- “Come, Lord.”
- “Redeem this body.”
- “Let mortality be swallowed up.”
- “Establish Your Kingdom.”
Not biblical:
- Self-harm.
- Hopelessness.
- Despair without resurrection hope.
The faithful do not long for annihilation.
They long for transformation.
After the loss of a loved one it is very natural that the resurrection would feel intensely desirable. Scripture affirms that longing. Paul himself tied comfort to this hope:
1 Thessalonians 4:16–18
“The dead in Christ shall rise first… comfort one another with these words.”
The resurrection is presented as comfort for grief.
—————
Longing for the resurrection is faith.
But your appointed time is still in the Father’s hand (Job 14:5).
A Resurrection-Hope Study
(For days when the weight feels heavy)
1. This World Is Not the Final Chapter
Hebrews 13:14
“For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.”
You feel unsettled here because you were not made to stay here.
The ache is evidence of citizenship elsewhere.
2. The Dead Are Asleep — Not Lost
1 Thessalonians 4:13–16
“I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep… The dead in Christ shall rise first.”
Paul calls death sleep.
Sleep implies awakening.
Not disappearance.
Not conscious torment.
Not rapture escape.
But resurrection at His coming.
3. The Promise Is Bodily Resurrection
1 Corinthians 15:51–54
“We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed… this mortal must put on immortality.”
You are not waiting to float away.
You are waiting to be changed.
Mortality swallowed by life.
4. God Has Appointed a Change
Job 14:14–15
“All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee.”
There is an appointed time.
There is a call.
There is an answer.
The grave is not permanent — it is temporary custody.
5. The Kingdom Is Real and Physical
Daniel 2:44
“The God of heaven shall set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed.”
Revelation 20:4
“They lived and reigned with Christ…”
This is not an escape to heaven.
This is rulership in the Kingdom.
The hope is not departure.
It is restoration.
6. The Closing Prayer of Scripture
Revelation 22:20
“Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
It is biblical to say,
“Come.”
It is faithful to long for that day.
—————
A Short Reading for Hard Moments
When the grief rises, read this slowly:
This life is temporary.
The sleep of death is not the end.
The Father has appointed a day.
The Son will call.
The graves will open.
Mortality will be swallowed up.
The Kingdom will stand.
I will see my loved ones again in the resurrection.
You can even say it aloud.
—————
How the Early Believers Endured While Waiting
They expected the return of Christ soon — yet many died before it happened. So how did they endure?
1. They Lived as Pilgrims
1 Peter 2:11
“Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims…”
They did not try to fix Rome.
They did not merge with the system.
They endured it.
They gathered in homes.
They shared meals.
They prayed.
They watched.
2. They Encouraged One Another Daily
Hebrews 3:13
“Exhort one another daily…”
They survived by fellowship — often small and hidden.
The first-century believers met house to house (Acts 2:46), not in state-sponsored religious structures.
Their strength was shared hope.
3. They Focused on the Resurrection
When persecution came, they did not preach escape — they preached resurrection.
Acts 24:15
“There shall be a resurrection of the dead…”
That was their anchor.
If Rome killed them, resurrection would undo it.
4. They Accepted Suffering as Temporary
Romans 8:18
“The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory…”
They believed suffering had an expiration date.
The Kingdom does not.
5. They Looked for a City Not Yet Seen
Hebrews 11:10
“For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”
Abraham never saw it in his lifetime.
He died waiting.
But not hopelessly.
The Balance They Held
They did not rush death.
They did not despair.
They did not try to build the Kingdom themselves.
They waited faithfully.
They worked.
They gathered.
They endured.
They hoped.
Longing for the resurrection — especially after losing someone — is not weakness. It is covenant hope.
But remember:
Your waiting time is not wasted time.
—————
1) RESURRECTION — ONE PAGE SABBATH READING
Our Anchor
1 Corinthians 15:22–23
“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
But every man in his own order…”
Death is universal.
Resurrection is promised.
Order has been appointed.
The Dead Are Asleep
1 Thessalonians 4:13–16
“Concerning them which are asleep…
The dead in Christ shall rise first.”
Sleep is temporary.
The grave is not the end.
There will be a waking.
The Change
“We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed…
This mortal must put on immortality.”
(1 Corinthians 15:51–53)
We are not waiting to float away.
We are waiting to be changed.
The Appointed Time
Job 14:14–15
“All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.
Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee.”
There is:
- An appointed time
- A divine call
- A personal answer
The Kingdom
Daniel 2:44
“The God of heaven shall set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed.”
The resurrection is not the end of the story.
It is the beginning of the Kingdom.
The Closing Prayer
Revelation 22:20
“Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
This is not impatience.
This is hope.
You can end your Sabbath reading by saying aloud:
The dead sleep.
The trumpet will sound.
The graves will open.
The Kingdom will stand.
The promise cannot fail.
2) A Comfort Reading — Centered on Reunion
This one is written to be read slowly.
The Father does not forget names.
Isaiah 49:16
“I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.”
If He remembers sparrows, He remembers sons.
Jesus said:
John 5:28–29
“All that are in the graves shall hear his voice.”
Not some.
All.
When He calls, it will not be distant or symbolic.
It will be personal.
The same voice that said, “Lazarus, come forth,” will call again.
And resurrection is not strangers meeting.
It is recognition restored.
David, after losing his child, said:
2 Samuel 12:23
“I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”
He expected reunion.
Not as disembodied spirits.
But in God’s appointed time.
The resurrection restores:
- Voice
- Face
- Memory
- Relationship
Love is not erased by sleep.
It waits.
You are not waiting forever.
You are waiting for a morning.
3) What Happens Between Death and Resurrection?
This is important, especially for your peace.
1. Death Is Sleep
Ecclesiastes 9:5
“The dead know not any thing.”
No consciousness.
No suffering.
No awareness of passing time.
Jesus said:
John 11:11–14
“Our friend Lazarus sleepeth… Lazarus is dead.”
Death = sleep.
Sleep implies awakening.
2. No Immediate Reward or Punishment
Acts 2:29, 34
David “is both dead and buried…
For David is not ascended into the heavens.”
Even David awaited resurrection.
3. The Next Conscious Moment Is the Call
From the one who dies, there is no awareness of centuries passing.
The next conscious experience is the voice of the Son of Man.
For the faithful:
Sleep → Trumpet → Resurrection → Kingdom.
4. Why This Matters
It means:
- Your son is not suffering.
- He is not lost in space.
- He is not conscious of time passing.
He sleeps in trust.
And the next thing he knows will be the call.
Longing for the resurrection is holy.
But Scripture always pairs longing with endurance.
Hebrews 10:36
“Ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.”
Waiting is part of faith.
—————
SABBATH RESURRECTION LITURGY
(For Home Gathering or Personal Reading)
Opening Declaration
Leader (or read aloud):
This is the Sabbath of the Lord our God.
We remember His creation.
We remember His covenant.
We remember His promise of resurrection.
Call to Hope
Psalm 30:5
“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”
Response:
We wait for the morning of resurrection.
Reading: The Sleep of the Dead
1 Thessalonians 4:13–14
“I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep…
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.”
Pause.
Say together:
They sleep.
They are not forgotten.
They await the call.
Reading: The Trumpet Promise
1 Corinthians 15:51–52
“We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed…
For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible.”
Response:
Mortality will put on immortality.
Reading: The Appointed Time
Job 14:14–15
“All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.
Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee.”
Say slowly:
There is an appointed time.
There will be a call.
There will be an answer.
Kingdom Affirmation
Daniel 2:44
“The God of heaven shall set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed.”
Response:
His Kingdom is sure.
His promise stands.
Closing Hope
Revelation 22:20
“Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
All:
Come, Lord.
Raise the sleeping.
Establish Your Kingdom.
Fulfill Your Word.
Pause in silence.
End with:
Blessed be the God who gives life to the dead.
—————
A Father’s Resurrection Prayer
(For Private Prayer)
Father in heaven,
You are the God who formed man from dust
and who will call him from dust again.
You know the weight I carry.
You know the empty place at my table.
You know the silence where a voice once was.
You are not the God of the dead, but of the living.
You have appointed a day.
You have promised a call.
I trust that my son sleeps in Your keeping.
Guard his rest.
Remember his name.
Hold him until the trumpet sounds.
Strengthen me while I wait.
Do not let grief turn to despair.
Do not let longing outrun patience.
Teach me to endure as the early believers endured —
watching, working, praying, hoping.
When the day comes,
when the voice of Your Son breaks the silence of the grave,
let me stand in that resurrection morning.
Until then,
anchor my heart in Your promise.
Even so, come, Lord.
Amen.
—————
Resurrection Morning
The night is long, the grave is still,
The earth holds those we love;
But God has set His holy will,
And sealed His oath above.
They sleep beneath the quiet sod,
Untroubled by the years;
They rest within the hand of God,
Untouched by pain or tears.
The trumpet waits the Father’s nod,
The hour none can stay;
The voice of Christ, the Son of God,
Will call the dead that day.
The dust shall wake, the eyes shall see,
The silent lips shall raise;
And we shall stand, from sorrow free,
In resurrection praise.
O morning bright, O Kingdom near,
O promise standing fast;
The graves shall yield, the sky shall clear,
And death be crushed at last.
Until that dawn, O Lord, we wait,
In Sabbath rest and trust;
For Thou wilt open every gate,
And lift us from the dust.
Optional Refrain (after each verse)
Rise, O sleepers, hear the call,
The trumpet splits the sky;
The King has come to conquer all,
And death itself shall die.
LINK: Refined by Fire: Faithfulness in the Midst of Suffering
Why Trials May Be the Greatest Gift
