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Lesson 9 ... Anticipating the Rapture
(1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
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.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 4:13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.
4:14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
4:15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
4:16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
4:17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
4:18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
One thing that is discouraging the new believers at Thessalonica is not knowing the fate of believers who have died before Jesus’ return. The Thessalonian believers know Jesus is coming back, but apparently Paul was forced to leave before he finished teaching about Christ’s return. Therefore, to clear up the confusion about believers who have died, Paul writes this passage about the Rapture—the first in a series of events that will occur when Christ returns. These verses can be divided into three parts: the return, the resurrection, and the Rapture. To anticipate these events with hope, let’s first look at ...
#1 The Return (4:13-16d)
#1 The Return (4:13-16d)
It seems some believers at Thessalonica think their loved ones and fellow believers who have died will miss Christ’s return. Therefore, Paul writes: But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep (4:13a-b). The word asleep, or “sleep,” is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for believers who have died. For example, when Jesus hears his dear friend Lazarus has died, what does He say to His disciples in John 11:11 ?
Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”
The word asleep indicates there will be an awakening and expresses the temporary nature of death. Therefore, believers should sorrow not, even as others which have no hope (4:13c). Knowing about Christ’s return gives us hope in the midst of our grief. For a Christian, death is not a period; it is a comma, because there is more to come. We should still sorrow because it is an important part of the emotional healing process. Grief doesn’t reveal a lack of faith or emotional weakness; instead, it shows we love as God would have us love. However, in the midst of our grief, we are to have hope. What is our blessed hope, according to Titus 2:13 ?
while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.
We have hope because of what happened to Jesus. Paul explains: For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him (4:14). The fact that Jesus died and rose again is our guarantee of our future resurrection.
Believers who have died are in heaven already because, at the Rapture, Jesus will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. How does 2 Corinthians 5:8b express this truth ?
Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.
Also, remember what Jesus says to the dying thief on the cross: Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise (Lk 23:43). The word translated paradise (paradeisos, par-ad´-i-sos) is of Oriental origin, referring to the parks of Persian kings and nobles. It expresses the sum total of blessedness and is a synonym for heaven (Rev. 2:7). When Jesus tells the thief on the cross he will be with Him in paradise, He is referring to the thief’s spirit, not his body. This reminds us of what fact about death found in Ecclesiastes 12:7 ?
And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.
For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.
Paul received his information about the order of events when the Lord returns through the word of the Lord (4:15a). This probably means it is something the Lord Jesus revealed directly to Paul (Gal. 1:12).
I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.
Paul continues: we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord (4:15b). Paul uses the plural pronoun we because he expects the Lord to return during his lifetime (1 Cor. 15:51-52). Paul never said Christ would return during his lifetime, but he certainly welcomed the possibility. We should live in anticipation of the Lord’s return at any time, but we must never be deceived by those who predict a specific time. Why, according to Jesus in Matthew 24:36 ?
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.
“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.
Paul explains that living believers will have no advantage over the dead in Christ at the Rapture because the living shall not prevent them which are asleep (4:15). This makes it clear those who are living will not meet the Lord before those who have died, or are asleep.
Paul now explains the sequence of events at the Rapture. First, the Lord himself shall descend from heaven (4:16a), where He has been since His ascension. Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God in heaven (Eph. 1:20), but one day He is coming back. When He does, there will be a shout (keleusma, kel´-you-mah), which means “call of command,” like an officer to his soldiers. Paul doesn’t tell us what Jesus will shout, but a passage from John 11 gives us a very good idea. When Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, what does He cry out with a loud voice (Jn 11:43c) ?
that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.
Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!”
At the Rapture, Jesus could simply shout “Come out,” and the bodies of all dead believers will be raised. Then, their spirits, which are in heaven, will be reunited with their resurrected, earthly bodies that Jesus will transform to be like His glorified body (Philip. 3:21).
Associated with the Lord’s command is the voice of the archangel (4:16), who is Michael (Jude 9). So, Michael will be giving orders to the angels at the Rapture. There will also be the sound of the trump of God (4:16d). In the Old Testament, trumpets were used for many purposes, but only one connects with the Rapture. In Numbers 10:2, God tells Moses to make two trumpets of silver. Then, in the last phrase of that verse, for what purpose does God tell Moses to use them (Numbers 10:2c) ?
“Make two trumpets of hammered silver for calling the community to assemble and for signaling the breaking of camp.
The sounding of God’s trumpet will call God’s people to “break camp” on earth and “set up camp” with the Lord in heaven.
So, the return will begin with a shout from Christ, the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God. These sounds will signal the next event ...
#2 The Resurrection (4:16)
#2 The Resurrection (4:16)
This resurrection is not a general resurrection, because the dead in Christ shall rise first (4:16e). The Bible teaches there are two resurrections and two deaths. For example, what does Revelation 20:6a-b declare ?
Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.
If we have been born twice, we will die only once, but if we have only been born once, we will die twice. Those who are part of the first resurrection are exclusively those who are in Christ, those who have been born again. The second death refers to those who will be cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14-15).
Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Many question how God will raise the bodies of people who have been dead and buried for hundreds or thousands of years. Some have been burned at the stake, some buried at sea, and others cremated. We must remember God created the universe out of nothing with His spoken Word. Therefore, the reassembling of bodies in an instant is no problem for God. How does Jesus explain this principle in Matthew 19:26b ?
Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”
After the return and the resurrection comes ...
#3 The Rapture (4:17-18)
#3 The Rapture (4:17-18)
After the resurrection, we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air (4:17a). The word “rapture” does not appear in the Bible, but don’t let that concern you because neither do the words “trinity” nor “missionary.” The word translated caught up (harpazō, har-pad´-zo) means “to snatch” or “to pluck”—literally to “rapture.” How does our Lord describe the Rapture in Luke 17:34 ?
That night two people will be asleep in one bed; one will be taken, the other left.
Our Lord also says that at the Rapture, then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left (Mt 24:40). Why will the Rapture happen at night for some and during the day for others ? Because the Rapture will be worldwide! After the Rapture, we will ever be with the Lord (4:17).
The purpose for understanding the Rapture is not to explain all the details about Christ’s second coming or to set up detailed charts and timelines. God wants us to know about the Rapture so we can comfort, or encourage, one another with these words of hopeful anticipation (4:18). There is no need for us to worry about believers who have died. We can comfort one another because, whether living or dead, not one believer will be left out at the Rapture. The Rapture is the beginning of the fulfillment of what promise of our Lord in John 14:3 ?
When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.
Anticipating the Rapture requires considering the return, the resurrection, and the Rapture. (For a more detailed study of Christ’s second coming, which includes the Rapture, the tribulation, etc., see Journey To The New Jerusalem.)
