1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

The Coming of the Lord

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 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. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words. 

My church’s Confession of Faith says this about the Second Coming of Christ:

We believe that the end of the world is approaching; that on the last day Christ will descend from heaven, and raise the dead from the grave to final retribution; that a solemn separation will then take place; that the wicked will be adjudged to endless punishment, and the righteous to endless joy; and that this judgment will fix forever the final state of men in heaven or hell, on principles of righteousness.

In today’s passage, the Apostle Paul is teaching the Thessalonians, through the power of the Holy Spirit, about the “parousia” (the Greek word for the second coming of Christ). There must have been some misunderstanding about this Doctrine of Eschatology, or rather, the end times because Paul addresses this topic in both 1 and 2 Thessalonians, more extensively in 2 Thessalonians.  Here in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Paul begins by speaking about those who are asleep in the Lord Jesus Christ, which is, another way to say, they have died. We must remember that the Jews and the Thessalonians were causing a raucous in the city and when they could not find Paul, Silas, and Timothy, they stormed into Jason’s home and began to persecute the believers. While the text does not mention anything about some brothers becoming martyrs, this may have happened and the Thessalonians would need some encouragement in this matter. Paul gives them the encouragement they needed by explaining fully the events that will happen when Jesus returns. 

At the Parousia, the first event is the sound of the trumpet and the voice of the archangel. This will introduce Jesus, the King of kings and the Lord of lords who will descend from heaven with the cry of His command. Then those are are dead in Christ will first be risen to meet the Lord in the air. Finally, those who remain alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds and then they all will be with the Lord forever! 

Where the “end times” covers a time of tribulation, the rapture of the elect, the imminent return of Christ, and His rule and reign with His saints forever. This text is very important because it explicitly describes those who are dead in Christ; they shall be the first to rise and meet Him in the air. This is comforting to those of us who have lost loved ones who are in Christ. As Paul says in verse 13 of this passage, we do not have to grieve like the pagans who have no hope. However, we will grieve, but in an appropriate way that honors and pleases the Lord. Our rest, joy, peace, and comfort in knowing that our loved ones who are in Christ, are in His presence now, resting in the arms of Jesus. And one day at the sound of the trumpet and the voice of the archangel, when our Lord Jesus Christ returns with those who are dead in Christ, we who are in Christ will also be caught up together with them to be with the Lord forever. 

Christian Hymn, One Day, by J. Wilbur Chapman in 1908

• One day when Heaven was filled with His praises,
  One day when sin was as black as could be,
  Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin,
  Dwelt among men, my example is He!

• Refrain:
  Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
  Buried, He carried my sins far away;
  Rising, He justified freely forever;
  One day He’s coming—oh, glorious day!

• One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain,
  One day they nailed Him to die on the tree;
  Suffering anguish, despised and rejected:
  Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He!
• One day they left Him alone in the garden,
  One day He rested, from suffering free;
  Angels came down o’er His tomb to keep vigil;
  Hope of the hopeless, my Savior is He!
• One day the grave could conceal Him no longer,
  One day the stone rolled away from the door;
  Then He arose, over death He had conquered;
  Now is ascended, my Lord evermore!
• One day the trumpet will sound for His coming,
  One day the skies with His glories will shine;
  Wonderful day, my beloved ones bringing;
  Glorious Savior, this Jesus is mine!