The Thessalonian Epistles
Lesson IX
The Rapture
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Written: May 19, 2004
1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18
(13) But 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.
(14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again,
even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
(15) For 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.
(16) For 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:
(17) Then 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.
(18) Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
The
Coming of Jesus Christ to this world 2000 years ago brought the age of
grace. The age C.H. Spurgeon called “the
age of tolerance.”
The
Coming of Jesus Christ to this earth the next time will bring “the age of
glory.”
Throughout
our life-time, we now realize, many have been mixing the “age of glory” with
the “age of grace” and this has been misleading. A group in
When
we read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, we are caused to realize that there must be
two major aspects to the Second Coming of our Lord.
The
first aspect is that described in these verses: the removal of the whole
Church, as a body, in a moment of time as we learn from 1 Corinthians 15:51-52,
an event commonly identified by the term “Rapture.” Because this is not a Bible word, objection
is made to its use, so we are content with the word “Removal.” The passage foretells the coming of the Lord
to the air, and then, a company of people on earth suddenly going bodily to
Heaven.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52
(51) Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all
sleep, but we shall all be changed,
(52) In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed.
The
second aspect of the Second Coming, is the return of Christ to earth with a
company of redeemed people coming from Heaven to earth. This event we identify as the great
Revelation of Jesus Christ. We insist
that the passage in Thessalonians is not describing the Lord’s Coming to the
earth, but only to the air above the earth.
2 Timothy 3:16
(16) All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and
[is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness:
The
current attack against the doctrine of the Rapture is really against what is
found here in Thessalonians. But more
it is really an attack against the Inspiration of all Scripture (2 Timothy
1 Thessalonians 1:9-10
(9) For they themselves shew of us what manner of
entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the
living and true God;
(10) And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised
from the dead, [even] Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
We
are told that the Thessalonians “turned to God from idols” to “serve the living
and true God” and “to wait for His Son from Heaven.” (1 Thessalonians
1:9-10). And as C.H. MacIntosh has
written: “that God’s Son would come again was as real to them as the fact that
He had come and gone back to Heaven.”
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12
(11) And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own
business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
(12) That ye may walk honestly toward them that are
without, and [that] ye may have lack of nothing.
They
were so sure of His return that some ceased to study; some gave up their
earthly business; and were already in need when the epistle was written (1
Thessalonians 4:11-12). They did thus
because they were expecting the Lord to return in their life-time.
Then,
one or more of their number died. And
having believed that they were all to live until the Lord returned, they
concluded that those who had died were not true believers. That is the background to what is written in
chapter 4:13-18.
So
Paul writes: “But I would not have you
ignorant brethren, concerning them which are asleep…”
We
know from what follows those whom he names as being “asleep” were not asleep in
bed but rather “asleep in Jesus.” (Verse 14).
In
other words they were the “dead in Christ” (verse 16) for to the Philippians
Paul writes of those who depart as being with Christ. (Philippians 1:23).
Philippians 1:23
(23) For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to
depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
Therefore,
although they could and should sorrow, they were not to sorrow as others who
had no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). That
statement introduced the fact that there are two groups of people in this
world. Those who have no hope in the
hour of death and those who have hope in Christ.
In
a cemetery in Italy there are a thousand head stones on which one can find the
words “without hope”, perhaps because they were outside the Roman Catholic Church. Near Cairo, Egypt, one can find the tomb of
Oswald Chambers and on the headstone, his name and the words under it, “a
believer in Jesus Christ.”
Paul
explains the difference in the words in 1 Thessalonians 4:14: “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose
again….” That makes all the difference
between being with hope and being without hope.
He continues: “Even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring
with Him.” As we have stated many times,
“You can’t bring someone with you if they are not already with you.” So Paul does not want these believers to be
ignorant of the fact that those who have died in Christ are at the present time
with Christ.
Then
verse 15: “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord… ”
Not
the word of Michael.
Not
the word of Gabriel.
Not
the word of any other angel.
These
words are from the Lord or they are nothing.
“We
which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord… ”. That statement clearly means that some saints
will still be alive on earth when this event happens. My wife and I often sang together: “O joy, O
delight, should we go without dying.”
But that was not to be, she died.
Of
those who remain on the earth at that time, he writes, “They shall not prevent
them which are asleep.” Here is an
example of the way words can change meaning.
In 1611, the word meant “precede”.
So the meaning is: the living will not be Raptured before the dead in
Christ.
So
more is given in verse 16. “The Lord
Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout.” Emphasis should be on the words, “The Lord
Himself.” He is not sending Michael the
archangel. He is coming Himself.
“He
shall descend with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, (with a chief
messenger’s voice), with the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise
first.”
Said
Lehman Strauss: “I am not looking for the signs, I’m listening for the
sounds.”
For
years I was of the opinion that those who had died had missed the Rapture. Not
so!
There
will not be a Rapture until there has been a resurrection. The dead in Christ shall rise first.
And
since the death of my wife, those words “the dead in Christ shall rise first”
have been very precious to me.
No
one should confuse the trump of God in this verse with the trumpets of
Revelation. For those are all judgment,
while this is a blessed trump.
1 Thessalonians 4:17
(17) Then 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.
For
the very first time the whole Church will be together. Then the real
Notice
further this catching up or snatching away will be to meet the Lord in the
air. So rather than this event being the
Coming of the Lord back to earth, it is really the going of the Church to
Heaven. And that will be permanent. To ever be with the Lord.
Paul
concludes: “Comfort one another with
these words.”
The
whole was written for the saints who had lost loved ones by death. And this revelation was written for their
comfort and encouragement.
When
my father died a brother, Brown, sent a telegram that simply said: “The Rapture
is the answer.” What a day that will be!