The Hope of the Resurrection

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 NLT

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. 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. 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. 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. So encourage each other with these words.

Introduction

The chronology of the Lord’s return can be a confusing topic with many varying thoughts. I would venture to say that many people don’t understand the difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming. Early in my walk with the Lord, I thought they were the same thing. The early church struggled with the topic and we’ve been studying it ever since.

The first century church expected Jesus’ return immediately and when people began to die, doubts began to surface. The apostle Paul addressed these questions and concerns for the early church. This letter to the Church in Thessalonica has since brought comfort and encouragement to millions of Christians since. Lets break down the short passage today and gain understanding and encouragement from it.

Return

1 Thessalonians 4:16 “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.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16 ESV

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 KJV 1900

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:

The Lord himself will come down or as the ESV and KJV say, He will descend from heaven.

Now here is where we can get confused. Is Paul talking about the Second Coming of Christ?

No. Let me explain (CHART)

Here is the bottom line: Jesus is returning to get His bride, the Church!

Acts 1:10–11 “As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!””

The disciples watched Jesus ascend to heaven

The angels promised his return

The disciples all died for their belief

Do you believe?

He came to the earth as a lamb, He will return in the sky to get His bride, but one day He will come to rule as a king.

Resurrection

1 Thessalonians 4:16 “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.”

First the believers who have died will rise from their graves - in other words they will be resurrected!

The hope of the resurrection has been the hope of Christians from the beginning of the church

Cemeteries have been designed with the resurrection in mind - facing east

1 Thessalonians 4:13 “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.”

The resurrection gives us hope and makes our suffering bearable

1 Corinthians 15:13 “For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either.”

I can’t imagine what the heaviness of this life would be like if Christ had not risen, but take heart, He did!

Since He rose, we will rise also!

Rapture

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.”

Just as soon as the graves open up and the dead rise, we who are still alive will be caught up - this is the rapture (we talked about it last week)

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.”

There will be a rapture! A great catching away of the Saints!

Think about it, the next hand you shake will be that of the Savior!

The next meal you eat will be the marriage supper of the Lamb!

Oh what a day that will be!

Reunion

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.”

There are so many fantastical reunion scenes in movies but this is something promised so long ago

I don’t know exactly what its going to look like, but somewhere in the air, we will “Meet the Lord” together with all those who went before us.

I love that ole song - “I Bowed on My Knees” because it reminds me that we will be greeted by all those who loved Jesus and died ahead of us

There is a reunion that we long for

Reassurance

1 Thessalonians 4:18 “So encourage each other with these words.”

It is reassuring to hear these words

We can make it - stay focused on the truth and be encouraged

Conclusion

While we are here, we wait expectantly for the return, the resurrection, the rapture, and the reunion. We can be reassured today that this is all happening soon. Will you rejoice with me that the Lord will soon redeem His church and we will be with Him forever!