The Hope of the Resurrection
And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.
We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 New Living Translation (NLT)
She turned her 93 year old face to the wall and gazed at the collage of photographs placed there of all of her loved ones, so many of whom had already gone Home to be with the Lord. Eyes clouded with glaucoma, but her sight made clear by her resolve, she said "I want to be with them." My sister and I immediately rejected this desire and began the work of restoring her strength and will to live because we needed her here. Reluctantly, she agreed to give us more time and then gave us both a hug. God gave us two more birthdays.
My mother got her wings three years ago today. A long life of giving love to all she met, the Lord blessed us with 95 years from this amazing woman. Born into the poverty of this world but rich beyond the wealthiest of those alive, she now waits for God's promise to be fulfilled. And He blesses us with the promise that she is now resting in the arms of Jesus, waiting for those she left behind to live as she did in total faith in Him so that we may join her when our time on earth is done. Deaf from childhood, she will hear me speak and laugh and sing. She waits with those who left before she did to hear that commanding shout and trumpet call of God when we will all be together again in the Kingdom of God. No more struggle. No more sickness or pain. No more dying there.
Rest now, Mother. We keep you in our hearts. We love you but God loves you more. We miss you, but as God loves us too, He has promised that as we follow His Son, Jesus Christ, as you did, we will be with you again.
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