1 Thessalonians 4:15-Christians Alive at the Rapture Will By No Means Receive Their Resurrection Bodies Before the Dead in Christ

1 Thessalonians 4:13 Now we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest who have no hope. 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also we believe that God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep as Christians. 1 Thessalonians 4:15 For we tell you this by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not go ahead of those who have fallen asleep. (NET)

In 1 Thessalonians 4:15, the apostle Paul asserts based upon the teaching originating from the Lord that those Christians who are left alive on the earth until the coming of the Lord will by no means whatsoever enter into the state of preceding those who have fallen asleep.

The coming of the Lord is a reference to the arrival of the Lord Jesus Christ at the rapture or resurrection of the church.

Those who have fallen asleep is a reference to the dead in Christ.

Therefore, the statement in 1 Thessalonians 4:15 is asserting that those Christians who are left alive on the earth at the time of the rapture will by no means whatsoever receive their resurrection bodies before the dead in Christ.

This statement presents the reason for the previous responsive first class conditional statement in 1 Thessalonians 4:14.

Therefore, this would indicate that through the Lord Jesus, God the Father will certainly bring with Jesus at the rapture the dead in Christ because the Lord teaches that those Christians who are alive at the rapture will by no means whatsoever receive their resurrection bodies before the dead in Christ.

“This” is the demonstrative pronoun houtos is pointing forward to the hoti clause that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not go ahead of those who have fallen asleep.”

The noun logos, “the word” refers to 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17.

Therefore, this indicates that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy communicated to each member of the Thessalonian Christian community the teaching originating from Lord that those who are alive on the earth at the rapture will certainly not receive their resurrection bodies before the dead in Christ.

Paul’s teaching in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 elaborates on this hoti clause here in 1 Thessalonians 4:15 in that it explains specifically why those Christians who are alive on the earth at the time of the rapture will by no means whatsoever receive their resurrection bodies before the dead in Christ.

In fact, 1 Thessalonians 4;16-17 presents two reasons why those Christians who are alive on the earth at the time of the rapture will by no means whatsoever receive their resurrection bodies before the dead in Christ.

Therefore, the first reason why those Christians who are alive on the earth at the time of the rapture will by no means whatsoever receive their resurrection bodies before the dead in Christ is that the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first (verse 16).

The second reason is that those Christians who are left alive on the earth at the time of the rapture will be suddenly caught up together with the Lord and the dead in Christ in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

The prepositional phrase en logō kyriou (ἐν λόγῳ κυρίου), “by the word of the Lord” indicates that Paul’s teaching in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 originated from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

Now, interpreters of First Thessalonians 4:15 are divided because of this prepositional phrase en logō kyriou (ἐν λόγῳ κυρίου), “by the word of the Lord” since some propose that Paul is alluding to one of the recorded teachings of Jesus in the Gospels.

However, the gospels were not even written yet when Paul penned First Thessalonians in 49 A.D.

The Synoptic gospels were written in the 60’s of the first century and John’s gospel was penned in the last decade of the first century.

However, Jesus’ teaching which made its way into the gospels, was propagated through His apostles and disciples prior to these gospels being written.

I am of the conviction that when Paul asserts that his teaching in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 originates from the Lord, he means that he received this teaching by direct revelation from the Lord Himself.

Now, in 1 Corinthians 15:51-54, Paul describes the resurrection of the church as a “mystery,” which means that his teaching on this subject was not known to Old Testament prophets.

Therefore, if one compares 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 with 1 Corinthians 15:51-54, it appears Paul is asserting in both passages that he received his teaching on the rapture, the resurrection of the church directly from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and not from any of the Old and New Testament prophets.

Now, 1 Thessalonians 4:15 is the third time in First Thessalonians that the apostle Paul mentions the Lord Jesus Christ’s coming to planet earth at the rapture of the church or resurrection of the church since he does so in 1 Thessalonians 2:19 and 3:13.

Now, notice that Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 does not mention any events which must precede the rapture or resurrection of the church.

Posttribulationalists assert that the events of the seventieth week of Daniel must take place before the Second Advent.

However, Paul does not mention this to be the case in these verses, which speaks in detail of the timing of the rapture.

Thus, we would expect him to mention these events as taking place before the rapture and yet, he doesn’t.

However, in contrast to the rapture, the Scriptures both Old and New Testaments make clear that the Second Advent of Jesus Christ will most definitely be preceded by signs and catastrophic events.

This would indicate that there are two advents.

The first is the rapture and the second is the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

It is important to understand that the Bible teaches that there are distinctions between the rapture and the Second Advent of Christ.

Those who don’t believe in a “pre-tribulation” rapture of the church also fail to see the distinctions between the Second Advent of Christ and the rapture and thus attribute passages dealing with the latter to the former.

For example, the “rapture” precedes the Tribulation whereas the “Second Advent” follows it as indicated by the chronology presented in the book of Revelation.

The “rapture” delivers the church from the Tribulation (1 Thessalonians 1:10; 5:9) while the “Second Advent” delivers Israel from Satan, Antichrist and the Tribulational armies.

Jesus Christ will not judge the inhabitants of the earth at the “rapture” while He will do so at His “Second Advent” (Dan. 12:1-2; Matt. 25:21-36; Ezek. 20:37-38).

The “rapture” is a time of joy (Titus 2:13) whereas the “Second Advent” will be a time of mourning (Zech. 12:10-14; Rev. 1:7).

The “rapture” takes place before the day of wrath or day of the Lord (1 Thess. 5:1-11; Rev. 3:10).

However, the “Second Advent” ends the day of the Lord (Matt. 24:29-36).

The “rapture” is seen only by the church and is therefore invisible to the world while the “Second Advent” is the visible manifestation of Christ on the earth (Revelation 1:7).

The Lord meets the church in the earth’s atmosphere at the “rapture,” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17) whereas the Lord physically lands on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem at His “Second Advent.” (Zechariah 14:4).

When the “rapture” takes place, believers are taken to the Father’s house by the Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:1-3) while during the “Second Advent” resurrected saints do not see the Father’s house.

The Lord claims His Bride at the “rapture” and takes her to heaven (1 Thess. 4:13-17; John 14:1-3).

However, He returns with her at the “Second Advent” (1 Thessalonians 3:13; 2 Thessalonians 1:10; Rev. 19:1-20:6).

The “rapture” results in the resurrection of the church (1 Thess. 4:13-18) while the “Second Advent” results in judgment of the inhabitants of planet earth (Ezek. 20:33-38; Matt. 25:31-46).

Also, notice in 1 Thessalonians 4:15 that Paul employs the nominative first person plural form of the personal pronoun egō means “we” which refers to all those Christians who are alive at the time of the rapture or resurrection of the church.

However, it also includes Paul, Silvanus and Timothy.

This would indicate that these three men believed that the rapture or resurrection of the church was imminent.

Why else would they include themselves in this statement here in verse 15 if this was not the case?

Since Christ’s return at the rapture was imminent and because no Christian knows the exact date and time it will take place, Paul, Silvanus and Timothy included themselves with those who are alive on the earth at the time of the rapture.

Also, Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:15 is making clear that he did not believe in a “partial” rapture since he asserts that both the dead in Christ and those who are alive at the time of the Lord’s arrival at the rapture will receive their resurrection bodies at that time.

The “partial” rapture theory contends that not all believers will be taken off planet earth at the time of the rapture but only those who are “watching” or “waiting” for that event and who have reached some degree of spiritual development that makes them worthy to be included.