Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Do Not Grieve Over The Dead In Christ. We Will Rise Together To Be With Him Forever

¹³ And we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, concerning the ones falling-asleep^[a], in-order-that you may not grieve as indeed the others— the ones not having a hope. ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose-up, so also^[b] God will bring with Him the ones having fallen asleep through^[c] Jesus. ¹⁵ For we say this to you by the word of the Lord, that we— the ones living, the ones remaining^[d] until the coming of the Lord— will in-no-way precede the ones having fallen asleep. ¹⁶ Because^[e] the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shouted-command^[f], with a voice of an archangel^[g], and with a trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise-up first. ¹⁷ Then we— the ones living, the ones remaining— will be snatched-up^[h] together^[i] with them in the clouds^[j] to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ So then, be encouraging^[k] one another with these words.