Believers Who Have Died.
13 Brothers
and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of
mankind, who have no hope. 14 For
we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with
Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According
to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until
the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have
fallen asleep. 16 For
the Lord himself will come down from heaven,with
a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After
that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will
be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore
encourage one another with these
words.