The Coming of the Lord
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Introduction
Continuing to study in 1 Thessalonians, Paul, Silas and Timothy were giving instructions in how the Thessalonians could live to please God. We see in one chapter the need for holiness in our private lives and to love others so that we can be ready for the coming of the Lord. As we come to the end of chapter 4, we will see these men teaching the Thessalonians on doctrine, helping the look for the return of Jesus, being ready to live in eternity and concluding with what to do in the meantime.
13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 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. 15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 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. 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. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.
Learning (vs. 13-14)
Learning (vs. 13-14)
The first thing we see here is that the apostles did not want the Thessalonians to live in ignorance. So the first thing they desire is to teach them so that they could avoid ignorance. The word ignorance means not to know, not to understand, to err or sin through a mistake, or simply to be wrong. You may have heard the saying, “Ignorance is bliss.” It is a phrase coined by Thomas Gray in his 1768 "Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College". It means that sometimes it is best not to know something because you don’t have to worry about it. It is kind of like an “out of sight/out of mind” kind of thing. I have even heard it said that “if ignorance was bliss there sure are lots of blisters.” Paul, Silas and Timothy found it necessary to teach the Thessalonians in a way that they would not be ignorant about believers who had died and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Some seemed to think that the Second Coming of the Lord was take place very soon and they were concerned about those believers that had already passed away. The living believers were concerned that the believers who had passed away would miss out on the Second Coming. Paul, taking advantage of a learning opportunity. We learn in Acts 17:18 there Paul was teaching in the synagogue and there were some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers in the crowd. Paul is teaching about Jesus and the coming resurrection of believers and it stirred a hornet’s nest. The philosophy of the day was that when one died, there was nothing more. Perhaps this can be illustrated with two letters that discovered from this time period. It is an interesting comparison of the non-christian interpretation of death versus the Christian’s interpretation.
“Irene to Taonnophris and Philo, good comfort. I was as sorry and wept over the departed one as I wept for Didymas. And all things fitting, I did, and all mine, Epaphroeditus and Thermuthion and Philion and Apollonius and Plantas. But nevertheless, against such things one can do nothing, Therefore, comfort ye one another.” It goes on to speak of Irene as experiencing the difficulty of those whose business it is to console and have no consolation to offer.”
Key phrases: “One can do nothing.” “No consolation to offer.”
Plutarch wrote: “Indeed, there are many emotions that affect the soul, yet grief, from its nature, is the most cruel of all.”
Now look at the letter from the same time period from a Christian:
“And if righteous man among them passes from the world, they rejoice and offer thanks to God; and they escort the body as if he were setting out from one place to another.”
Key phrases: “They rejoice and offer thanks to God.” “They escort the body as if (it were going somewhere else).”
The difference maker is HOPE.
Paul uses the words of a person that has died as one “who fall asleep.” We will see it again in a similar fashion in verse 15. We will also see the word “dead” in verse 16. What does all this mean? Does this mean the same thing? The phrase “fall asleep” is from the Greek word koimao and it means to still, calm, or to die. This was a common and universal way to speak of those who had died. You might find it interesting to note that the deceased are also referred to as “those who sleep” in Greek and Latin literature and inscriptions of the day. With that is mind, some scholars believe that these two words, asleep and dead, are simply synonomous in this time frame. So what about scripture? Does scripture mean that when a person dies, they are asleep until the resurrection that is talked about later in this passage. There are many New Testament teachings in which there is a sense of awareness after someone passes away and before the resurrection takes place.
We have the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)
The words of Jesus with the criminal on the cross and Jesus saying, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:39-43)
The stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:55-60)
Paul discussing in 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 “as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord”
Paul discussing to live in the body or to die to be with Christ (Philippians 1:20-24)
John in the Book of Revelation sharing his vision of the souls that had been martyred and they cried out, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” (Revelation 6:9-11)
There are also several that indicate the body is sleeping and the souls go to God.
2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.
7 and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
With all this, I think it is safe to say that death is a calm and holy sleep for our bodies and at death, our souls are united with the Lord. It is important not to get caught up in splitting theological hairs about whether your loved one is asleep or with the Lord and miss the point of all of us being caught up as it says in the Second Coming.
The Christian has hope. The person that does not know the Lord does not have hope.
2 a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,
This abounding hope that Paul reminds his readers of moves him to give a declaration. Again, listen to 1 Thessalonians 4:14
14 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.
In the verses following, Paul tells the Thessalonians, and us, what to look for the day the Lord returns.
Looking (vs. 15-16)
Looking (vs. 15-16)
First, he reminds us to look into the Word as he states, “According to the Lord’s own Word...”
Don’t miss this. The word for WORD is LOGOS. It is the same word that is in John 1:1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
It is also the same in Hebrews 4:12
12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
We are fortunate that LOGOS, the Word of God, is available to us in the printed form and so many other ways.
Paul is implying that we can look into the Word of the Lord and it can be trusted as we look at the details Christian living and of the Second Coming. An example is found in the prophecy of Zechariah.
5 You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.
Additionally, we have the assurance from the word of Jesus as well.
31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
We can look into the WORD to learn more about the Second Coming. We can be assured that those believers who go before us.
Secondly, we can look up toward Heaven. The Lord Jesus Himself will come down from heaven.
Jesus described it this way in Matthew 16:27
27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.
The purpose of Him coming down from heaven is to redeem those who have believed in Him, just as He has promised He would. We will be looking up physically then but we certainly can be looking up spiritually and mentally for this to happen! When we had all this snow, I would take my dog out so she could go to the bathroom. Because of the weather and the ice and snow on the ground , I could not effectively clean up all the messes. I would walk looking down so I would not step in the previous results of taking my sweet Hershee out. A few days later, I was able to clean up the messes and I walked looking down a little less. One night, being assured that my steps were better, I looked up. Oh my what a beautiful display of the handiwork of our God. I was reminded real quick that the One that made them also named them. It is the same One that made me and through His love has redeemed me and will come back for me soon and very soon!
Glory Hallelujah! You and I need look up to appreciate and trust the handiwork of our God and not just be looking down and at all the messes around us!
When Jesus comes, the Bible says there will be the voice of the archangel and the sound of the trumpet. Jude 9 names the archangel as Michael, the chief of all angels. We also see him referenced in Revelation 12:7 and Daniel 10:13. The sound of the trumpet has long been associated with Divine authority. There are many references listed that may help you with your study about that trumpet sound (Exodus 19:16; Isaiah 27:13; Joel 2:7; Zechariah 9:14). Will it be a trumpet like we know? I am not sure, but I am sure that it will certainly get our attention. Then the Bible tells us that the dead in Christ will rise first out of the grave.
23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.
13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”
Living (vs. 17)
Living (vs. 17)
One might thing that would be the end of it all, but dear friend it is just the beginning. We will move from this world into eternity with God Almighty! Notice what happens as detailed in verse 17:
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.
I love family reunions. I loved the food but most of all I loved all the “catching up” I would be able to do with aunts, uncles, and cousins. If you and I have ever lost a loved one and wanted to tell them what has been going on, hang on! I know this might be a stretch, but can you imagine the opportunity before to catch up when we are caught up! The word for “caught up” in our text means carried away.
52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
Those believers who are alive will be caught up with those who have died. This will be a glorious reunion with Christ and those who have gone on before us. We will be connected with our Lord! We will meet our Lord in the air. I have to show you something about that phrase “in the air.” Ephesians 2:2 tells us that the work of the devil is “in the air.”
2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
Don’t you know that for us to meet the King of Kings in the air shows us His ultimate supremacy in that He should meet us there? In other words, Jesus is showing once and for all that He is the ruler of all things, even in the air where satan thought he could do his business!
Then, He will carry us on the clouds! I have listed several verses on our outline about clouds. Clouds are seen as a celestial vehicle of God. The last sentence in verse 17 is the culmination of what we desire in the Christian life. “And so we will be with the Lord forever.”
Glory Hallelujah! Does that get you excited? So what do we do with this we have learned?
Loving (vs. 18)
Loving (vs. 18)
We keep on loving. 1 Thessalonians 4:18
18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.
We love by encouraging what God has done and sharing the hope we have in His promise.
We love by explaining and utilizing the example of Paul in clearly explaining the truths of scripture.
We love by exalting the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.