“HIMSELF”

F. G. May

Philippians 3: 20, 21; 1 Thessalonians 4: 13–18

I read these well-known passages, dear brethren, that all of us may receive comfort from the word of God; the Scripture itself speaks to us without our needing to say very much; it could not be laid out more clearly. I just wanted to emphasize the word ‘Himself’ in both scriptures. The Lord Jesus is going to subdue all things to Himself, and He is coming again Himself. He is the One who is the centre of everything for the Father’s pleasure and delight.

This first passage refers to our body of humiliation. We have witnessed that with our brother, but it says, “who shall transform our body of humiliation into conformity to his body, of glory”. What a wonderful transformation that will be! How wonderful that the bodies of those who have died in the Lord will be transformed “into conformity to his body of glory”.

In the passage in Thessalonians I was thinking of the verse, “For if we believe that Jesus has died and has risen again, so also God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus”. Well, we know our brother believed in Him; we have had evidence over many years. In recent weeks he has spoken a good deal of the ‘finishing touches’. It is very affecting to think of the way the ‘finishing touches’ were seen in our brother and his service, also in his work amongst us locally. We shall greatly miss him.

Then it says, “For this we say to you in the word of the Lord, that we, the living, who remain to the coming of the Lord, are in no way to anticipate those who have fallen asleep; for the Lord himself, with an assembling shout, with archangel’s voice and with trump of God, shall descend from heaven; and the dead in Christ shall rise first”. If the Lord came now our brother would be the first to rise in this room; it is wonderful to think of the dead in Christ rising first. Then, “then we, the living who remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and thus we shall be always with the Lord”. What a wonderful prospect for all true believers! I trust every one here is a true believer, that everybody knows the Lord Jesus as their own personal Saviour and has received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Then it finishes, “So encourage one another with these words”. May these words encourage us afresh, for His name’s sake.