CZ Memory Verse “The Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. Fir Christians 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 4:16-18).When Death Comes to the Christian Ecclesiastes 9:5 D you know what | am?" asked the lady who sat before us, attached by tubes to a continuous flow of oxygen. Before we could respond, she continued, “| am a witness! | can’t do much anymore,” Ruth explained to her visitors, “but one thing | can do is be a witness!” Though in her nineties, she still had the same sparkling eyes and smile. "Every night | am so tired. | pray that the Lord will just let me sleep. Just let me sleep until Jesus comes. But each mom- ing when I wake up, I thank Him for not answering my prayer. He has given me one more day to witness for Him. | write letters. | send books to people. | encourage them because | am a witness. As long as the Lord is willing to let me witness for Him, | will keep on telling people how wonderful He is.” Ruth knows what to expect when she finally does die. She knows with confidence that she will sleep until Jesus comes again to take His children home to live with Him forever. Hearing Jesus call her from the grave is something to which she looks forward. The future isn’t mysterious to Ruth. Why do you think God makes what happens after death so plain to us? Death does not come only to people who live for many decades. It comes to people of all ages. Ruth has lived a full, long life. Not everyone does. What happens when death strikes the young child, the tiny infant, the full-of-life teenager, the loving parent? In these instances, death can be so unexpected. The pain of sorrow, loneliness, hurt, and loss can feel overwhelming. Knowing what happens after death doesn’t mean that Christians don’t grieve. Death is, always a time of sorrow. It is recorded that Jesus wept at Lazarus's tomb (John 11:35). Healing takes time. But for those who have learned to trust God, there is a hope, a certainty, a peace. It is the same hope that Jesus gave to Martha and Mary the day He stood with them beside the tomb where they had Unit 5, Lesson 26UNDERSTANDING GOD placed their brother, Lazarus. Itis the same certainty that Stephen expressed when he faced those who were stoning him (Acts 7). It is the same peace that Paul conveyed in Philippians 1:21, 22 when he showed confidence whether he faced life or death. Jesus, who woke Lazarus from the sleep of death, says, "/I am the resurrection, and the life. Anyone who believes in me will ive, even after dying’ (John 11:25). The One who conquered death will someday wake all who died believing in Him. The Creator will re-create each of His faithful children at the resurrection. He knows them all. He remembers everything about them. Their private memories, their personalities, their characters are all preserved in the Creator's mind. No one looks forward to suffering or death, but Christians know that there is something beyond these experiences. They can face eternity with hope and with joy that is founded on confidence in God. Like Paul, they can say, "I know the one in whom I trust, and | am sure that he is able to guard what | have entrusted to him until the day of his return” (2 Timothy 1:12). What a day that will bel Try to imagine Christ calling: "’ Awake, awake, awake, ye that sleep in the dust, and arise!’ Throughout the length and breath of the earth the dead shall hear that voice, and they that hear shall live. From the prison house of death they come, clothed with immortal glory. ‘And the living righteous and the risen saints unite their voices in a long, glad shout of victory. . .. “Little children are borne by holy angels to their mothers’ arms. Friends long separated by death are united, nevermore to part, and with songs of gladness ascend together to the City of God” (The Great Controversy, pp. 644, 645). ? What do you think of when you read this description of the resurrection? Unit 5, Lesson 26