I did not copy all of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 I left out some words. These; “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

The demonstration of our incomplete understanding of the resurrection was not meant to discourage or confuse anyone. Those comments were given so that we would not be overly confident in what we think.

“The Bible reveals some things to us that are “hard to understand” (2 Peter 3:16). We recognize some of these things in our experience, but when we try to define or explain their essential nature or how they actually work, we find ourselves utterly perplexed.” Quote for Jon Bloom

I quote here the words of Jon Bloom because it is a realist expression of what we might discover during our studies.

Revelation 18:14

And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.

What we know and what we think we know does not matter in the eternal and only has a momentary encouragement in this time of life. We have not entered into His Sabbath Rest.

What we lust after only matters now.

Isaiah 26:9 My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

Why isn’t learning righteousness enough? Why do we think we need to understand everything perfectly?

Perhaps it is hidden in our innermost emotions that says knowing righteousness does not make us righteous.  Or once again is our understanding of righteousness imperfect?

1 Corinthians 7:7 I wish that all were as I myself am.

Who among us has read Paul’s words of his personal desires and made them our own?

We should want what God has made us to be and be encouraged that He is not done yet. What that might be is not for anyone else to say.

What does our soul yearn for in the night?

• Luke 10:1
  Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two
  After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.
• Luke 10:17
  The Return of the Seventy-Two
  The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”

In chapter 9 Jesus sent out the twelve named apostles. Here in chapter 10 he sends out 72 un-named disciples, not the named apostles. These 72 did not receive the same notoriety that was given to the 12 apostles. 

Do we serve the Lord to gain a reputation? Is it important that our names become known to the masses? Do we seek fame? Do we seek followers of our own? Is our hope to turn our home into a place of worship from thousands?

Or is it that we struggle glorifying God without being seen?

John 17:5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

Jesus got to say that because He was with the Father from the beginning. We were not. We came into this world as sinners born of sinners and when we become born again, we become the children of God by adoption.

Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

And yet we find that having the right to call God the Father “Daddy” in the joy that is to be chosen, not birthed, is somehow not enough.

Romans 8:23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

While we have been adopted, we discover that our bodies have not been glorified, to be like the One who saved us. While His Spirit abides in us, we are nothing but empty vessels with no control over where He goes or what He does.

Mark 9:35 And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”