1 Thessalonians 4:16-The Lord Jesus Christ Will Raise the Dead in Christ First

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. 4:16 For 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. (NET)

1 Thessalonians 4:16 is composed of a causal clause which is followed by a result clause.

The former asserts that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will for His own benefit as a certainty descend from heaven with a shout of command by means of a voice of an archangel as well as a trumpet blast ordered by God the Father.

The latter asserts that the dead ones in union and fellowship with Christ will for their own benefit as a certainty rise first.

This causal clause presents the reason for the statement in 1 Thessalonians 4:15.

Therefore, 1 Thessalonians 4:16 presents the first reason why those Christians who are alive on the earth at the time of the rapture will absolutely not receive their resurrection bodies before the dead in Christ.

The reason 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).

Notice, the word “heaven” (ouranos) appears in the singular here in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 whereas in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, the word appears in the plural form.

Now, here in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, the noun ouranos, “heaven” refers to the third heaven and the throne room of God since Jesus Christ now sits at the right hand of the Father waiting for His Father to make His enemies a footstool for His feet.

Therefore, when the apostle Paul asserts that the Lord Jesus Christ will as a certainty for His own benefit descend from heaven, he is speaking of the Lord descending from the right hand of the Father in the third heaven.

Now, we must keep in mind that when Paul asserts in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will descend from heaven at the rapture, this does not mean that the Lord will land upon planet earth.

This is indicated by the fact that Paul asserts in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 that the rapture will take place in the earth’s atmosphere.

However, at His Second Advent, the Lord will land bodily on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:4).

1 Thessalonians 4:16 makes a reference to angels and in particular an archangel.

Specifically, it speaks of an elect angel who is a ruler over other angels.

Paul employs the genitive masculine singular form of the noun archangelos which means “archangel.”

This word refers to an angel who possesses a high rank among the angels in the army of God.

Specifically, it refers to an elect angel or an angel who belongs to the army of God.

We don’t know the name of the archangel.

Some have speculated that it is Michael.

However, nowhere does 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 or any other place in Scripture is Michael identified as the archangel who is mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 4:16.

Now, in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, there are three prepositional phrases which describe the actions of this archangel in relation to the rapture or resurrection of the church.

The first prepositional phrase “with a shout of command” indicates the means or instrument by which the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will descend from the right hand of the Father in the third heaven.

Therefore, this prepositional phrase is expressing the idea that the Lord will do so “with a shout of command.”

This command will be issued by an elect angel in the army of God, which is indicated by the prepositional phrase “with the voice of the archangel.”

The second prepositional phrase “with the voice of the archangel” also indicates the means by which the shout of command will be given and is thus expressing the idea that the shout of command will be given “by means of a voice of an archangel.”

In other words, the Lord will descend from heaven with an archangel issuing a shout of command.

The third and final prepositional phrase “with the trumpet of God” also indicates the means by which the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will descend from the right hand of the Father in the third heaven.

Therefore, this prepositional phrase is expressing the idea that the Lord will do so “with God the Father ordering a trumpet blast.”

In other words, the Lord will descend from heaven with God the Father ordering an archangel to sound a trumpet.

This interpretation is indicated by the fact that the noun theos, “God” contains the figure of metonymy which means that God is put for God ordering the sound of a trumpet at the rapture of the church.

This interpretation is indicated by the fact that the Father Himself would never blow the trumpet Himself but rather would have an elect angel in His army do so since He created the angels through His Son and they serve Him.

This is further indicated by the previous two prepositional phrases “with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel” which preceded the prepositional phrase en salpingi theou (ἐν σάλπιγγι θεοῦ), “with the trumpet of God.”

So therefore, it would appear that Paul is asserting in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 that the means by which the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will descend from heaven is three-fold.

However, I am of the conviction that each of these prepositional phrases should be viewed as a whole.

In other words, together, they describe the actions of an archangel responding to the Father’s orders.

Therefore, the idea is that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will for His own benefit as a certainty descend from heaven “with an archangel’s voice shouting a command and blowing a trumpet as a result of being ordered by the Father” to do so.

In other words, the first and third prepositional phrases describe the action of the archangel in relation to the rapture of the church while the second identifies who is shouting a command and blowing a trumpet on the orders of the Father.

So therefore, the elect angels will be involved with the rapture or resurrection of the church.

Now, as we noted, Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 asserts that an archangel of God will sound a trumpet.

We must not confuse this trumpet with the trumpets in the book of Revelation since the latter are related to the nation of Israel exclusively during the seventieth week of Daniel.

However, the same trumpet in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 is mentioned by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:52.

So therefore “the last trumpet” in 1 Corinthians 15:52 corresponds or is the same trumpet mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 since both trumpets are used in relation to the resurrection of the church and the rapture.

Now, as we noted the causal clause in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 is followed by a result clause, which means that the statement “the dead in Christ will rise first” is the direct result of the previous causal clause.

Therefore, this indicates that the dead in Christ rising first is the direct result of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself descending from heaven with a shout of command given by the voice of an archangel as well as God the Father ordering a trumpet blast by this angel.

Now, Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and 17 makes clear that the dead in Christ will rise from the dead first chronologically before those Christians who are left alive on the earth at the time of the rapture or resurrection of the church.

We know that Jesus Christ was the first person in human history to receive a resurrection body.

The next group of people to receive their resurrection bodies are the members of His body, the church.

The chronological order of events in God’s resurrection program: (1) Jesus Christ (Matthew 28; Mark 16:1-14; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-9). (2) The Church at the rapture, which takes place prior to Daniel’s seventieth week (1 Cor. 15:51-58; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Philippians 3:21). (3) Old Testament believers and Tribulation martyrs at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ, which ends Daniels’ seventieth week (Daniel 12:2-3; Revelation 20:4). (4) Every non-believer in human history will be raised from the dead at the Great White Throne Judgment of unbelievers at the end of human history (Daniel 12:2; Revelation 20:11-15).