1 THESSALONIANS 4:13-18
MEMORY VERSE: 1 THESSALONIANS 4:16-17
A significant difference exists between a period and a comma. A period represents the ending of a subject matter or a particular event. A comma represents a temporary or slight pause and then a continuation of the subject or event. Paul was concerned about how the Thessalonian believers understood the death of loved ones. We need to see their passing as a comma and not the end. We are able to do this because of the hope we have in the promised return of Christ.
(In PSG, p. 55)
Paul’s heart was filled with hope whenever he thought about the Thessalonians. He found hope in their stand for the gospel amidst persecution and also in their love and affection for him (1 Thess. 1:2-6). He found hope in their witness, which was spreading across Macedonia, Achaia, and other parts of the Roman Empire (1:6-10).
While he had nurtured them like a loving parent (2:7-12), Paul understood the power of the tempter. He knew the damage Satan could do inside a congregation not grounded in their faith. Thankfully, when Timothy returned from a visit to Thessalonica, the news was positive (3:6-10). The Thessalonian church was thriving, and they missed Paul as much as he missed them.
With the questions of their faithfulness settled, Paul could return the hope he experienced by offering hope to his readers. First, he reminded them of his prayers on their behalf (3:11-13). He prayed they would grow in love and would remain faithful and blameless. He also challenged them to please God through personal sanctification and sexual purity (4:1-8). In a sex-saturated culture like Thessalonica, God called His people to live by a different standard, a standard of holiness. Paul also encouraged them to love well (4:9-12) and to love in a way that drew people to Christ, not gave them a reason to reject Him.
While Paul gave the Thessalonians advice about day-to-day living, he knew the true hope of Christianity has nothing to do with this life. He assured them that Jesus was coming back one day (4:13-18). Without this truth, Christians had no hope beyond this world. When death came to their friends and family members, they would have no reason to expect comfort in the midst of their grief. But they could take comfort in knowing Jesus was coming back. One day, they would meet Him in the air. In the meantime, their daily lives needed to reflect that confidence.
EXPLORE THE TEXT
13 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
Paul filtered everything he said and did through the firm conviction that Jesus was coming back. He challenged others to adopt the same mindset. Christians could persevere in this life because they had reason to hope for something greater in the next life.
Paul began this extended discussion of the second coming (also known as the parousia) and bodily resurrection of believers by saying he did not want the Thessalonians to be uninformed about their future. Paul likely was answering a question they had raised. Though they were strong in their faith, a misunderstanding had apparently taken shape that believers who are asleep would not be raised when Christ returned. In other words, some believed that those who lived to see the return of Jesus had an advantage, while any Christian who died before the parousia would not experience the resurrection.
The Greek word used for asleep was a common term related to physical sleep. Christian writers often used it as a metaphor for death. Jesus used the same image when describing Lazarus in John 11:11-15. While some have suggested Paul was referring to a transitional period between life and death, the context makes it clear this was not his intention. He was referring to people who had died.
A false teaching about those who had died would be devastating to members of the congregation who lost loved ones. It also would have shaken confidence in their own resurrection if Christ’s return was delayed. But Paul urged them not to grieve like the rest. It should be noted that Paul was not saying that Christians should not grieve, only that we do not grieve like those outside the faith who have no hope. God created people to experience pain and sadness, especially when they lose someone they love. Jesus wept at the death of Lazarus (John 11:35), and Paul wrote of the terrible sorrow he would have felt if his friend, Epaphroditus, had died of his illness (Phil. 2:27). Grief is a natural human response to loss and death.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
Our confidence in Christ’s return and our bodily resurrection rests on the foundation of His resurrection from the dead. Paul underscored this confidence with the phrase if we believe. Rather than a statement of uncertainty, the if can be translated “since,” highlighting assurance. Christ is the rock believers can trust when stepping into the unknown of eternity.
Paul reminded the Thessalonians that one of the linchpins of our faith is the conviction that Jesus died and rose again. In fact, the phrase here may have been part of an early Christian creed that would have been familiar to the Thessalonians. The death of Jesus on the cross paid the price for sin, while His bodily resurrection defeated death and gives us hope beyond our own graves. In fact, those who died in Christ were already experiencing His presence (2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:21-22).
Since God powerfully raised Christ from the dead, believers should understand that He has promised to do the same for them. Through Jesus, we accept God’s offer of salvation and surrender our lives—and our deaths—to Him. Because He is faithful to keep His promises, we can be assured of two truths related to eternity. First, we know that Christ will return. Second, we know that when He comes back, He will bring with Him those who have died. Those who have been redeemed through Jesus (a confession of His power in us) will be joined with Jesus (a confession of our association to Him) at His return.
Paul wanted the Thessalonians to understand that Christians who pass away before the parousia are not at a disadvantage. God will raise them from the dead just as He raised Christ. This was the hope and comfort Paul offered.
This is an important doctrine for Christians to understand and embrace. As Paul told the Corinthians, the resurrection of Jesus is proof of our resurrection one day (1 Cor. 15:12-19). If His resurrection was a fraud, our faith would be empty and we would be left with nothing to cling to. We would be “pitied more than anyone” (v. 19). But since Christ’s resurrection is real, we don’t grieve without hope.
15 For we say this to you by a word from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
Throughout his letter, Paul emphasized that his words and teachings were not his own. He had spoken to them in the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 1:5) and delivered a message approved by God (2:4). What’s more, the Thessalonians had received the gospel as coming directly from the Lord (2 Thess. 2:13). They knew their faith was rooted in something deeper than Paul’s talent for persuasion.
The Thessalonians would understand when Paul said his teachings about the second coming were a word from the Lord. As with the other things he had shared in the letter, Paul’s teaching about the parousia carried the authority of the Messiah. It was not the result of human speculation but divine revelation. Sharing anything else would have left the Thessalonians “uninformed” about the truth (1 Thess. 4:13) and would have done nothing to calm their fears about the eternal destiny of their deceased loved ones. Christian hope in times of grief must be rooted in the truth of the gospel.
Paul’s explanation of Christ’s return included outlining a sequence of events. The first thing he addressed was the destiny of those who are still alive when Christ comes back. They will not precede those who have fallen asleep. The phrase translated certainly not represents a strong negative in the Greek, emphasizing the impossibility of the situation. The Thessalonians could know without a doubt that the dead will participate in the second coming, and the living would have no advantage.
It is also worth noting that Paul used the first-person we to describe the living. This could mean that he expected to be alive when Christ returned. However, Paul would certainly have understood that the timing of both his own death and Christ’s return rested in God’s hands. As long as he was alive, though, he would assume the parousia was imminent and count himself among the living. Yet he also was content with the idea that he might die before Jesus came back, knowing his relationship with Christ was secure.
16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
For centuries, false teachers and cult leaders have predicted dates for Christ’s return. When those dates come and go, they often suggest that He really did come back quietly in a way that no one noticed. Those heresies contradict Scripture’s teaching about the nature of the parousia. When Jesus comes back, it will be an event that’s impossible to ignore or misunderstand.
Paul explained that the Lord himself will descend from heaven. At His first advent in Bethlehem, Jesus came as an infant in humble, ordinary circumstances. Aside from shepherds (and later a visit from wise men), His birth went mostly unnoticed. But when He comes again, He will come with the power and glory He deserves. When He descends, people will know He has arrived.
Next, the apostle noted that three loud sounds will usher in Christ’s return. First, He will come with a shout. The Greek word here is a military term relating to a loud command. Christ came to earth humbly in Bethlehem but will return as a conquering King. The nature of the command is not given, but it could be an announcement of His return. It also could involve an order for the dead to rise. This would be similar to the command of Jesus when raising Lazarus from the grave (John 11:43).
The next two noises mentioned—the archangel’s voice and the trumpet of God—are closely associated with the shout. It is possible the terms are synonymous, that the voice and trumpet serve to explain the shout. However, the Greek wording also allows for three separate events taking place at roughly the same time. Whatever the case, this will not be a secret event.
New Testament writers identified two angels by name: Michael (Jude 9) and Gabriel (Luke 1:19). It is reasonable to assume they are both archangels. Paul’s reference to the archangel’s presence here implies the involvement of the heavenly host, much like the announcement to the shepherds in Luke 2:8-15. Jesus also referred to angels at the parousia (Mark 8:38; 13:26-27). In the ancient world, trumpets were not used as instruments as much as to announce important news, the arrival of dignitaries, and the start of religious festivals. They also could be used to muster troops for battle.
The final sequence Paul revealed was that the dead in Christ will rise first. As he noted in verse 15, living Christians will not have an advantage. Instead, those who had already died will actually ascend before the living to unite their souls with their glorified, resurrection bodies. Readers should note that these deceased Christians remain “in Christ.” That is, even in death, believers are not separated from the love of God (Rom. 8:38-39).
The apostle dug deeper into this resurrection in other letters (1 Cor. 15; 2 Cor. 5), but his purpose here was to comfort the Thessalonians. And his words would have provided tremendous peace for the Thessalonians. The rumors about the dead missing Christ’s return were false, so the eternal destiny of their loved ones was secure. In addition, they could be at peace knowing that their eternity was also secure.
(In PSG, p. 60)
17 Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
Paul had addressed the question of the dead in Christ, but he also noted that those who are still alive won’t miss the parousia either. In fact, they will experience a two-fold reunion that will last for eternity.
First, they will be caught up together with the resurrected believers mentioned in verse 16. The Greek word used here can also mean “to seize” or “carry off.” It is the same word that describes Philip’s miraculous transportation in Acts 8 and Paul’s brief visit to the heavenly realm in 2 Corinthians 12. The wording also indicates a very brief lapse in time between the raising of the dead and the rapture of the living. The implication is that the two events will likely be instantaneous.
Paul pointed out that this reunion will occur in the clouds. In the Old Testament, clouds often signified the presence and glory of God, as exemplified by what the Hebrews saw at Sinai (Ex. 19:16). Jesus also associated His return with clouds (Mark 13:26), just as He ascended into a cloud when going back to the Father (Acts 1:9).
The second reunion will be with Jesus Himself. They will meet the Lord in the air. In first-century secular literature, such wording would refer to welcoming a dignitary. A delegation would meet the official outside the town and escort him into the city. Here, believers meet Jesus by going to Him in the air. This event represents the first-ever gathering of the entire body of Christ. With Jesus as Head, every believer from every nation and every generation will come together as the universal church.
Once united with Christ, His people will never leave His presence. Paul emphasized that they will always be with the Lord. This does not necessarily mean that other events won’t take place between His return and the final culmination of the new heaven and new earth. But a discussion of those events was not the Thessalonians’ immediate need at this point. Therefore, Paul here focused on this one aspect of the parousia.
This truth would have provided comfort to his Thessalonian readers. While Jesus has promised to always walk with His people (Matt. 28:20; Heb. 13:5-6), His coming will mark a new stage in experiencing the Person of Christ—a stage that will last for eternity. Discussions of matters we usually associate with Christian eschatology—final judgment, millennial reign, tribulation, and so forth—were saved for another day.
18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Paul concluded his teaching by returning to the main purpose of his words. As noted, he was not trying to give a detailed timeline of Christ’s return or a full outline of Christian eschatology. He simply wanted to remind the Thessalonians that Jesus was coming back for His people, whether living or dead. He wanted to offer encouragement to those who were struggling with questions and grief.
However, Paul reminded the Thessalonians that the ministry of hope and comfort was not reserved for apostles or church leaders. The Thessalonians should remember these truths and encourage one another with the teachings. In Proverbs, God’s people are challenged to sharpen one another (Prov. 27:17). This sharpening involves reminding one another of the truth and challenging one another to let that truth change their lives for God’s glory.
Christians have a responsibility to remind one another that these words are the true key to dealing with loss and grief. Empathy has its place but must be filtered through the truth of God’s Word. If encouragement is filtered through the gospel, it will provide comfort and hope for those who are hurting from loss.
Last Things
According to His promise,
Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth;
the dead will be raised;
and Christ will judge all men in righteousness.
(See Luke 21:27-28; Jude 14.)
Luke 21:27-28 NASB
27 "Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN A CLOUD with power and great glory.
28 "But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads,
because your redemption is drawing near."Jude 1
14 ¶It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam,
prophesied, saying,
"Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones,
Study other passages to get a deeper understanding of Christ’s return.
Review the passages below and discover what each reveals about Jesus’s return. Compare and contrast them with what Paul shared in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Ask God to give you a fuller understanding of these events.