Tuesday, November 17, 2015

1 Thessalonians 4 - The Rapture

The primary objective of this study is to clarify the difference between the rapture and the second coming.

Before beginning the study, I suggest viewing Chuck Missler - The Rapture on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1xoON5GLSw

There are two other videos covering the rapture that I recommend:

  1. "Differences Between the Rapture and Second Coming by Dr. Thomas Ice" at
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NTWbk5yv9E
  2. Chuck Missler's "Harpazo - Rapture - Second Coming" at
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCyzZ_BBpTg


Above image from
www.soniclight.com/constable/notes/htm/NT/1%20Thessalonians/1Thessalonians.htm


Above image from
http://tribulationrisingcom.fatcow.com/matthew-24-and-the-rapture/


Above chart from http://tribulationrisingcom.fatcow.com/matthew-24-and-the-rapture/

NOTE: Chapter 4 verses 13-18 belong much better with chapter 5. Paul will conclude his teaching the rapture and the second coming in 5:11 and then resume the moral parts of instruction in 5:12. Chapter breaks are man-made.

Read 1 Corinthians 15:12-56 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 before beginning.

Ed Hindson observes: "The rapture (or "translation") of the church is often paralleled to the "raptures" of Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:12). In each case, the individual disappeared or was caught up into heaven. At His ascension, our Lord Himself was "taken up" into heaven (Acts 1:9). The biblical description of the rapture involves both the resurrection of deceased believers and the translation of living believers into the air to meet the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52). The movement for the believer at the rapture is from earth to heaven, while it is from heaven to earth at the second advent. At the rapture, the Lord comes for his saints (1 Thessalonians 4:16), while at the second coming the Lord comes with His saints (1Thessalonians 3:13). At the rapture, the Lord comes only for believers, but His return to the earth will impact all people. The rapture is a translation / resurrection event where the Lord takes believers "to the Father's house" in heaven (John 14:3), while at the second coming believers return from heaven to the earth (Matthew 24:30)." - from "The Rapture and the Return: Two Aspects of Christ's Coming" in When The Trumpet Sounds July 1995).

  • Genesis 5:23-24: Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.
  • 2 Kings 2:11-12: As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father! My father! I see the chariots and charioteers of Israel!” And as they disappeared from sight, Elisha tore his clothes in distress.
  • Matthew 24:30: And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
  • John 14:2-3: There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.
  • Acts 1:9: After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him.
  • 1 Corinthians 15:51-52: But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.
  • 1 Thessalonians 3:13: May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen.
  • 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.
Lambert Dolpin: "When an individual dies he or she leaves time and enters eternity. Some scholars think that all believers travel through eternity immediately, "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye," to arrive at the Rapture the next instant in his or her personal experience. If that is the case, all believers arrive in heaven at the same "time." Thus, "to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:8) We may have difficulty picturing this if we do not realize that eternity runs according to an entirely different time than the one-dimensional time frame in which we are constrained to live while in our mortal bodies." http://ldolphin.org/kingdom/ch4.html

The Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ - Is There a Difference?
(excerpted from http://christianity.about.com/od/endtimestopicalstudy/f/secondcomingof.htm)

According to some Bible scholars, prophetic Scriptures seem to speak of two separate events - the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ.

The Rapture will occur when Jesus Christ returns for his church. This is when all true believers in Christ will be taken from the earth by God into heaven (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). The Second Coming is when Jesus Christ returns with the church to defeat the antichrist, overthrow evil and then establish His thousand year reign (Revelation 19:11-16). These two events appear to be similar but separate. Both happen during the end times and both describe a return of Christ. Yet there are key differences. The following is a comparison of the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ, highlighting the key differences noted in Scripture:

1) Meeting in the Air - Versus - Returning with Him

  • In the Rapture, believers meet the Lord in the air.
    • 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.

  • In the Second Coming, believers return with the Lord.
    • Revelation 19:14: The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses.

2) Before Tribulation - Versus - After Tribulation

  • The Rapture will happen BEFORE the Tribulation: 1 Thessalonians 5:9, Revelation 3:10.
  • The Second Coming will happen AT THE END OF the Tribulation: Revelation 6-19

3) Deliverance - Versus - Judgment

  • In the Rapture, believers are taken from the earth by God as an act of deliverance: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, 1 Thessalonians 5:9.
  • In the Second Coming, unbelievers are removed from the earth by God as an act of judgment: Revelation 3:10, Revelation 19:11-21.

4) Hidden - Versus - Seen by All

  • The Rapture, according to Scripture, will be an instantaneous, hidden event: 1 Corinthians 15:50-54.
  • The Second Coming, according to Scripture, will be seen by everyone: Revelation 1:7.

5) At Any Moment - Versus - Only After Certain Events

  • The Rapture could happen at any moment: 1 Corinthians 15:50-54, Titus 2:13, 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18.
  • The Second Coming won't happen until certain events take place.: 2 Thessalonians 2:4, Matthew 24:15-30, Revelation 6-18.

Donald Perkins: "The difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ" (www.according2prophecy.org)

"I believe the reason there are so many views on the Rapture is because many Bible students don't know the difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ. These are two separate and distinct comings of our Lord. At the Rapture of the Church, Christ will not touch the earth, but will be met in the air by the saints. (1 Thessalonians 4:17.) At the Second Coming, He will touch the earth at His coming. (Zechariah 14:4; Acts 1:11.) At the Rapture, He will come as a deliverer of the Church in joyous splendor. In the Second Coming, He will come back to deliver Israel physically and fight against the anti-christ and his fouls. (Revelation 19:11-21.)"

THE RAPTURE:

The definition of the word Rapture: The word "Rapture" is not found in the English Bible. The words "will be caught up" in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 come from the Greek word "harpazo" which is rendered "raptus" in the Latin Bible. "Harpazo" is found 13 times in the Greek Bible and is variously translated "pull," "pluck," "take by force," "catch," "catch away" and "catch up." It literally means "to seize" or "snatch away" as a thief might snatch away a purse from a woman. Those who argue that the term "rapture" does not appear in the Bible are obviously unaware of the prominence of the Latin Vulgate translation in church history.

The word "harpazo" often denotes the emotion of a sudden swoop and usually that of a force which cannot be resisted" (Linguistic Key to Greek New Testament). It means, "to seize, carry off by force" (Grimm-Thayer, Lexicon). "There is often the notion of a sudden swoop, and usually that of a force which cannot be resisted. The application of such a verb to the snatching away (the "rapture') of the saints is obvious" (Morris, p. 145). Bruce says it "implies violent action, sometimes indeed to the benefit of its object, as when the Roman soldiers snatched Paul form the rioters in the Jerusalem council-chamber (Acts 23:10) or when the male child in the apocalyptic vision was caught up to God to preserve him from the great red dragon (Revelation 12:5). It is used in Acts 8:39 for the Spirit's snatching Phillip away after his interview with the Ethiopian chamberlain and (more Emmanuel to the present passage) of Paul's being caught up to the third heaven of paradise (2 Corinthians 12:2, 3)".

The picture of individuals being snatched up and away is seen in four New Testaments uses:

  1. Of the act of the Spirit of the Lord snatching Phillip away:
    Acts 8:39: When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord SNATCHED Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing.
  2. Of Paul being caught up to the third heaven (Paradise):
    2 Corinthians 12:2,4: I was CAUGHT UP to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows. ... that I was CAUGHT UP to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.
  3. Of believers being caught up to be with the Lord:
    1 Thessalonians 4:17: Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be CAUGHT UP in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.
  4. Of the "child" (Jesus) being caught up to God"
    Revelation 12:5: She gave birth to a son who was to rule all nations with an iron rod. And her child was SNATCHED AWAY from the dragon and was caught up to God and to his throne.

No one knows when the Rapture will occur. However, there are a number of signs that will be prevalent as the time draws near. Among these signs will be:

  • Simultaneous increases in false christs, wars, famines, pestilences and earthquakes (Matthew 24:4-7).
  • Christian persecution (Matthew 24:9).
  • Iniquity will be abounding (Matthew 24:10-12; cf. 2 Timothy 3:1, 1 Timothy 4:1-2).
  • The gospel will be preached"throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:14).
  • The Nation of Israel will be back in the Land (Matthew 24:32; cf. Hosea 9:10; Joel 1:6-7).
  • The world will be saying "Everything is peaceful and secure" (1 Thessalonians 5:3).
  • The Bible says, "But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come. ... In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door." (Matthew 24:8, 33)

The Rapture will take place prior to the Tribulation. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, 6-8 states: "Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed - the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God. ... And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming."

In Revelation 4:1, we have a picture of the Rapture at the end of the Church Age. Then, after that in Revelation 6:2, the Antichrist is seen on "a white horse standing there. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out to win many battles and gain the victor." It is therefore apparent that the Antichrist will not be revealed until after all believers, in whom the Holy Spirit dwells, are removed from the Earth.

Clarence Larkin:

"Will the Old Testament saints be raptured too?

"Only Church Age believers will be Raptured. The reason we say that is this: The Tribulation is a continuation of the Old Testament Dispensation of Law (Daniel 9:27). The Dispensation of Law ended and the Church Age began with the establishment of the New Testament Church by the Lord Jesus Christ. This New Testament Dispensation of Grace is like a "time out" between Old Testament times and Tribulation.

"God through the Prophet Daniel described the end of the Tribulation and the beginning of the last dispensation, the Millennium, in these words: "And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days." (Daniel 12:11-13; cf. Job 19:25-27)

"This passage clearly states that Daniel, an Old Testament saint, will not be resurrected until after the Tribulation.

"Church Age believers will be raptured to meet the Lord in the air, but Old Testament believers will be resurrected and see the Lord on the earth. Daniel will "stand in [his] lot at the end of the days" (Daniel 12:11-13). "[Job knew] that [his] redeemer liveth, and that He [would] stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after [his] skin worms destroy [his] body, yet in [his] flesh [he will] see God." (Job 19:25-26)"

Above from http://prophecy.landmarkbiblebaptist.net/rapture.html

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18:

(13) And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.

  • And now (Greek de . . . peri):
    • Introduces a new topic. Nevertheless, this section also continues Paul's last admonition in 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 that Christians behave properly before the unbelieving world in order to be a good witness.
  • Died = Greek koimaomai (are asleep): Translated "them which are asleep" in the KJV. We get our English word cemetery from koimeterion.
    • The death of those who believe in Jesus is like sleep. This sleep is not like normal sleep. They are alive with the Lord Jesus in a different world or dimension. Their spirit has gone from their bodies to be with him.
    • W. E. Vine says, "The object of the metaphor is to suggest that as the sleeper does not cease to exist while his body sleeps, so the dead person continues to exist despite his absence from the region in which those who remain can communicate with him, and that, as sleep is known to be temporary, so the death of the body will be found to be. Sleep has its waking, death will have its resurrection. When the physical frame of the Christian, "this earthly tent we live in,' 2 Corinthians 5:1, is dissolved and returns to the dust, the spiritual part of his highly complex being, the seat of personality, departs to be with Christ, Philippians 1:23. And since that state in which the believer, absent from the body, is at home with the Lord, 2 Corinthians 5:6-9, is described as "very far better' (KJV) than the present state of joy in communion with God and of happy activity in His service. . . . it is not intended to convey the idea that the spirit is unconscious".
    • Sleep is used of Jarius’ daughter (Matthew 9:24) whom Jesus raised from the dead and Stephen who was stoned to death (Acts 7:60; John 11:11; 1 Corinthians 7:39; 15:6, 18, 51; 2 Peter 3:4).
    • My own personal belief about death is, the instant we draw our last breath, our spirit goes to be in heaven (another dimension?) with Jesus. Our body (the house we moved out of) goes to the grave. That body was made from the dust of the earth and it must return to dust. The real me is the spirit that was housed in that body. Many Christians confuse the "soul" with the "spirit". The soul is the life force - even animals have a soul (nephesh - breath - Strong's Hebrew: # 5315) - Genesis 2:19. Only when God breathed into the body of Adam did Adam become a living soul (person) - Genesis 2:7. The soul and spirit are not the same per Hebrews 4:12. Man is composed of spirit, soul and body. Jesus released his spirit. The spirit belongs to God and goes back to Him upon death. The soul is the life force and the body is the physical shell.
  • What will happen to believers who have died: 
    • They probably believed that Christ would come in their lifetime. But, some of their own family and friends had died since Paul had been there preaching and instructing them. They were quite concerned for their loved ones and were afraid their loved ones had somehow missed the rapture.
    • These deceased believers were with the Lord spiritually (2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:20-24), but their bodies were physically "asleep" in the earth. Paul made it very clear that the spirit of the believers went to be with the Lord. It is not the spirit that sleeps; it is the body. The spirit leaves the body at death, and the body goes to sleep and no longer functions. When Christ resurrects our bodies of decay, disease and weakness that plague us now will be stripped away. When He comes we will have Christ-like bodies (1 Corinthians 15:50-55; 1 John 3:2).
    • Psalm 116:15 (KJV): Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
    • Ecclesiastes 12:7: For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.
    • Isaiah 26:19-21: But those who die in the Lord will live; their bodies will rise again! Those who sleep in the earth will rise up and sing for joy! For your life-giving light will fall like dew on your people in the place of the dead! Go home, my people, and lock your doors! Hide yourselves for a little while until the Lord’s anger has passed. Look! The Lord is coming from heaven to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will no longer hide those who have been killed. They will be brought out for all to see.
    • Matthew 27:50: Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit.
    • John 6:47: “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life.
    • John 11:11-14:  Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.” The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!” They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died. So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.
    • John 19:30: When Jesus had tasted it, he said, "It is finished!" Then he bowed his head and released his spirit.
    • Acts 7:59-60: As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.
    • 1 Corinthians 15:44-45: They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies. The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam - that is, Christ - is a life-giving Spirit.
    • 1 Corinthians 15:52-58: It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
    • 2 Corinthians 5:1: For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.
    • 2 Corinthians 5:6-9: So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him.
    • Philippians 1:21-23: For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me.
    • Colossians 3:4: And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
    • 1 Thessalonians 5:23: Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
    • Hebrews 4:12: For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
    • 1 John 3:2: Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.
  • No hope:
    • The typical attitude of the ancient world to death was one of utter hopelessness. They had no consolation to offer. Milligan said, "The general hopelessness of the pagan world in the presence of death is almost too well known to require illustration."
    • Catullus, a Roman poet: "Suns may set and rise again but we, when once our brief light goes down, must sleep an endless night."
    • Aeschylus, a Greek dramatist: "Of a man once dead there is no resurrection."
    • Theocritus, a Greek poet: "Hopes are among the living, the dead are without hope."

(14) For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.

  • Jesus died and was raised to life again:
    • Wil Pounds: "Christ is never said to be sleeping. He died and in His death He bore the wages of our sins. He died the worst death possible. Death has not been final in His case, however. He is alive. He is awake! Jesus took away the horror of death for the Christians. It is because Jesus died that we no longer need to fear death."
    • The certainty of the believer’s hope is based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
      • 1 Corinthians 6:14: And God will raise us from the dead by his power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead.
      • 1 Corinthians 15:20-23: But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.
  • When Jesus returns:
    • The apostle Paul has in mind the Parousia.
  • Bring back with him the believers who have died:
    • Their death does not mean they will not share in His coming. Paul is certain the event will take place. This verse is referring NOT to the rapture - it is referring to the SECOND COMING - because He's bringing back the believers with Him when He returns!

(15) We tell you this directly from the Lord: WE who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.

  • WE:
    • Since Paul didn’t know God’s timing, he lived and spoke as if it could happen in his lifetime because Israel had not yet rejected Christ.
      • Romans 13:11: This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for OUR salvation is nearer now than when WE first believed.
      • 1 Corinthians 15:51: But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. WE will not all die, but WE will all be transformed!
  • Pastor Jimmy Evans (Gateway Church) in the video "Truth at Tipping Point" (http://gatewaypeople.com/ministries/life/events/tipping-point-a-gateway-series-with-pastor-jimmy-evans/session/2015/05/30): "In Verses 15-17, we have clearest description in the Bible of the Rapture of the Church."
  • Directly from the Lord:
    • Galatians 1:1: This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead.

(16) For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves.

  • Thessalonians does not give us all the details, but we find them more fully answered in 1 Corinthians 15. That chapter also informs us of the change that must take place as to the bodies of all saints who are alive when He comes. We must be changed into a spiritual and incorruptible condition before we are raptured.
  • Commanding shout - Greek keleusma:
    • Keleusma is a military word of command always with a ring of authority and note of urgency to it.
    • F. F. Bruce: "Here it is the Lord Himself who shouts the quickening word, which commands a ready and obedient response. Only the voice of the Son of God can awaken the dead and change the living.
    •  John 5:25-28: “And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice - the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live. The Father has life in himself, and he has granted that same life-giving power to his Son. And he has given him authority to judge everyone because he is the Son of Man. Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son,
  • Trumpet call of God:
    • John Calvin said, "As a field marshal gathers his armies to battle by the sound of the trumpet, so Christ will summon all the dead with a voice that rings and resounds throughout the whole world."
    • The trump of God will sound. This blast will sound the alarm of the Rapture. The blowing of the trumpet in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 is a trump of victory and the trumpet of Revelation 8:13 are trumpets of woe and judgment in the Tribulation.
    • Matthew 24:31: And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world - from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
    • 1 Corinthians 15:52: It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.

    • Is it possible that the rapture will occur on the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh HaShanah) as shown on the above image from www.jesusplusnothing.com/studies/online/FeastOfTrumpets.htm?
  • First:
    • What Paul is now stressing is that the dead in Christ would rise FIRST. It is first Christ, and then those who are "dead in Christ" at His coming and finally those who remain alive at His coming will be snatched away together with them.
  • Rise from their grave:
    • John Walvoord says, "Christians will be resurrected like the resurrected body of Christ and will have a resurrection body which will never wear out, which will never be subject to death or disease or pain a body which will last for all eternity, suited for the glorious presence of the Lord".
    • Spurgeon: "Though the bones be scattered to the four winds of heaven, yet, at the call of the Lord God, they shall come together again, bone to his bone . . . We doubt not that God will guard the dust of the precious sons and daughters of Zion."
    • Romans 6:3-8: Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him.
    • 1 Corinthians 6:14: And God will raise us from the dead by his power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead.
    • 2 Corinthians 4:14: We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you.

(17) Then, TOGETHER with them, WE who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then WE will be with the Lord forever.

  • Together with them:
    • In verse 17 observe the word "together." The Thessalonians grieved for those whom they'd lost and I so well know personally the grief from having lost someone very dear to me and whom I look forward to once again embracing. Yet, we do not grieve as those who have no hope, nor did they. Jesus is going to reunite us. We shall be caught up TOGETHER.
  • WE who are still alive ... on the earth:
    • The living saints will be transformed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and in that instant will be given immortal, incorruptible bodies (1 Corinthians 15:51-53). There will not be an interval between the raising of the dead believers and the change of the living saints. Those rising from the grave and those who are caught up are going to meet the Lord in the air. He will take us to heaven where we are already seated.
    • 1 Corinthians 15:53: For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.
    • 2 Corinthians 5:4: While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life.
    • 1 John 3:2: Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.
  • Caught up in the clouds:
    • Caught up is harpazo in Greek and rapturo in Latin - we get our word "rapture".
    • The specific usage of the verb harpazo in I Thessalonians 4:17 is harpagesometha, the future passive indicative tense - suddenly caught up.
  • Clouds:
    • The Greek word for clouds here is nefelh and is a direct reference to the "angelic clouds" not to meteorological clouds. This is similar to the case of the Angelic Shekinah, which led Israel throughout the Wilderness as a pillar of fire by night and a "cloud" by day.
  • Meet the Lord in the air:
    • The words "to meet the Lord" are used to describe a dignitary paying official visit to a city. The leading citizens of the city would go out to meet him and escort him back on the final stage of his journey. When Julius Caesar went through Italy in 49 B.C., Cicero wrote, "just imagine what meeting he is receiving from the towns, what honors are paid to him!" Also the bridal party goes out to meet the bridegroom in a Jewish wedding and escort him with a procession to the banquet hall (Matthew 25:6). Roman Christians did the same thing for Paul (Acts 28:15). Everything leads up to the great note of triumph, "Then we will be with the Lord forever."
  • In the air:
    • In the air, in another part of our known universe, in another universe or in another dimension entirely? Notice, nothing is said about immediately returning to the earth here.
  • Then WE will be with the Lord forever:
    • This does not mean that they will remain with him in the air - for their final home will be heaven.
    • The Body of Christ remains in heaven forever. While Israel has an Earthly Hope, the Body of Christ has a Heavenly Hope.
    • Yet, Paul also says that we are (present tense) seated with Him in heaven already: Ephesians 2:6: For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.

(18) So encourage each other with these words.

  • Encourage each other:
    • The encouragement here is based on the following:
      1. The dead will be resurrected and will participate in the Lord’s coming for His own.
      2. When Christ comes, the living will be reunited forever with their loved ones.
      3. They all will be with the Lord eternally (verse 17).
      4. The Christian’s hope of the resurrection brings solace in the face of death – in contrast to the hopelessness of the heathen.
    • John Walvoord: "We will love the appearing of the Lord in direct proportion as we love the Lord Himself. If we love Him, if we long to see Him who first loved us, then the truth of the Lord's coming and the fact that He could come today will be a precious truth."

NEXT STUDY: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11: Now concerning how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters, we don’t really need to write you. For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape. But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation. For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

NOTES:

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