Neville Goddard on 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read 1 Thessalonians 4 in context

Scripture Focus

13But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

18Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Biblical Context

Paul urges believers not to grieve as those without hope, for Christ died and rose, and those asleep in him will be raised. The living will be gathered with them, and all will meet the Lord, bringing comfort to one another.

Neville's Inner Vision

Viewed through the I AM, these lines reveal that 'asleep' and 'coming' are inner movements of consciousness. The dead rising is the old self waking to Life, the past dissolving in the light of the Life that never dies. To believe that Jesus died and rose again is to affirm that the Self you call I AM is bigger than any body or time, and that the Life within awakens your entire being to unity with the Presence. The 'coming of the Lord' is the inward descent of awareness into your experience, lifting your attention from fear to faith. When the living and the dead are united, it is your present state of consciousness rising above limitation and meeting the Lord in the air. This is not a distant event but a continuous awakening available now to anyone who calls upon the I AM. Let the comfort of these words become a practical memory you hold; you are never apart from the Presence, and your rest is in the Lord, now and forever.

Practice This Now

Imaginative act: Close your eyes and assume you are already in the presence of the Lord. Revise any sorrow as the shedding of old identity and feel the lift of consciousness here and now.