...he fell asleep.

Isn't the hope we have in Christ glorious?

I was pondering this today whilst reading Acts 7 and Stephen being stoned to death.

It concludes with, '...he fell asleep.'

Not that he died. But when he wakes, he will no longer be in this evil world with it's sin, pain and suffering.

No, he will be in the presence of the living God and have eternity to glorify God.

1 Thess 4v13, '..those who have fallen asleep..'

1 Thess 4v14, '...those who sleep in Jesus.'

Those who sleep in Jesus. That sounds so wonderful.

Our hope, trust and confidence is not in this world. It is in Him.

God bless.

Enid,

Thank you very much for reminding me that death is not final! I needed this boost today. We fall asleep in faith to wait until our bodies put on incorruption and immortality!!! Oh happy day!!!

To God be all the Glory!
Lisa

Amen Enid.
I have also been meditating on what it means to sleep in Jesus.

This hymn came to my mind yesterday while at work. It was a very pleasant thinking at the moment. :)

In the rifted Rock I’m resting;
Safely sheltered, I abide.
There no foes nor storms molest me,
While within the cleft I hide.

Refrain

Now I’m resting, sweetly resting,
In the cleft once made for me.
Jesus, blessèd Rock of Ages,
I will hide myself in Thee.

Long pursued by sin and Satan,
Weary, sad, I longed for rest.
Then I found this heav’nly shelter,
Opened in my Savior’s breast.

Refrain

Peace which passeth understanding,
Joy the world can never give,
Now in Jesus I am finding;
In His smiles of love I live.

Refrain

In the rifted Rock I’ll hide me
Till the storms of life are past;
All secure in this blest refuge,
Heeding not the fiercest blast.

Refrain

I love this song, Michelle. Its harmony matches the words, message beautifully. Thanks for reminding us of this song.

Enid, good post.

Sleeping gives one the idea that one will wake up at some point in the future....this came to me more vividly after reading this thread. A body is dead after the heart stops beating for good, but the person is just sleeping...love that.

It was a great comfort that when I saw our daughter's body lying in the casket that she was not there - all we saw was the form that housed her body! This was so sweet - she was with the LORD! and I could never wish her back for this very reason. Now this does not mean I never miss her - I still have to deal with self-pity that I do not have any daughters to relate to, but God saw fit to give me only one and I must now be content with the four boys we do have, plus all the grands.

Have a blessed day, y'all!

ginnyrose

PS: Actually, in rereading my post I get the feeling that some of our understanding of 'sleeping' and being with the LORD (after death) appears contradictory. And it may be...in any case I know the LORD has all the dead in Christ in safe keeping...this is good enough for me.

Death is synonomous with sleep in scripture, a potent spiritual reality for those who are dead in Christ: hence the "rest" we read about in the letter to the Hebrews. R.I.P. is the famously engraved acronym we read on old tombstones; the same is spiritually-engraved on our hearts by the Holy Spirit once we take our moribund recline and reckon ourselves dead in Christ. We rest in peace.

Observe that Jesus fell asleep in the storm-assaulted boat. An amazing picture of what it means to be blissfully dead-in-God in the midst of life's worst and most stressful emergencies. No earthly alarm should ever be able to awaken the dead who are asleep in Christ. In the same way an object which goes up must come down, those who are asleep must at some point awaken. It is a divine law of God.

"The girl is not dead, but sleeping." (Matthew 9:24)

Brother Paul