1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 | Session 9
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Comfort Concerning the Dead in Christ (vv. 13–18)
1 Thessalonians 4:15 – Blue
Authority of the message: “by the word of the Lord”
Not speculation, but revelation.
No parallel in Gospels or Israel’s prophecy.
Options: Paul is a fraud, or Paul is entrusted with wholly new revelation.
Scripture itself affirms Paul’s inspiration (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 3:16).
“We which are alive and remain”
Shows Paul did not know the timing.
“And remain” = survival not guaranteed.
Expectation, not prediction.
“The coming of the Lord”
Same “coming” as v. 14.
Cannot be second coming because:
Second coming = judgment on earth (Rev 19:11–16).
Rapture = meeting in the air for comfort.
Second coming = deliverance of Israel and kingdom.
Rapture = reunion of the Body of Christ.
Second coming = judgment on nations.
Rapture = resurrection of dead in Christ first.
“Prevent” = precede
Greek phthanō = come before.
Latin praevenire = come before.
Middle English “prevent” = go in advance of.
Modern shift = hinder/stop.
Meaning here: the living do not go ahead of the dead.
Order is fixed: dead rise first.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 – Blue
“The Lord himself shall descend”
Expected (Acts 1:11; Zech 14:4).
“With a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with the trump of God”
JW error: Jesus = Michael.
Text: Lord descends with the voice, not as the archangel.
Archangel’s voice = accompaniment.
“Trump of God”
Greek en = accompanied by, not possession/identity.
Must not be equated with “last trump” (1 Cor 15:51–52).
“Last” means last, cannot allow another.
Therefore 1 Cor 15 = different event.
This trumpet is unique to 1 Thess 4.
“The dead in Christ shall rise first”
Same group as “asleep in Jesus.”
Does not include pre-Christian saints (they did not believe Jesus died/rose).
Even apostles didn’t believe until after (Mark 16:11; Luke 24:11; John 20:9).
To be “in Christ” = trust in His death, burial, resurrection (1 Cor 15:1–4).
Resurrection order matches v. 15 (“shall not prevent”).
1 Thessalonians 4:17 – Blue
“We which are alive and remain”
Living join raised dead together.
“Caught up”
Greek harpazō = seize/snatch away.
Latin Vulgate rapiemur → raptus → “rapture.”
Related English: “raptor.”
Term not in English Bibles but theological word like “Trinity,” etc.
“In the clouds… meet the Lord in the air”
Only “meeting in the air” in Scripture.
Fits as new revelation to Paul.
“So shall we ever be with the Lord”
“So” = manner of catching up, not “air.”
Permanence of union with Christ.
Answers location (with the Lord).
Does not answer role (left undefined).
1 Thessalonians 4:18 – Blue
Purpose: comfort.
Dead in Christ not lost.
Both dead and living raised/raptured not to judgment but to be with the Lord.
Contrast: second coming.
For survivors: dread, not comfort.
Trib martyrs: raised to judgment (Daniel 12:2; Isaiah 26:21; Zechariah 14).
Comfort of Pauline revelation:
In Christ, we are complete and cared for.
Hope rests not in surviving judgment but in being with Him forever.
The Timing of the Rapture
Central question: when does the rapture occur?
Paul reveals truth never before known.
Cannot be folded into earlier prophecy.
Must be taken in Pauline light.
Is the catching up pre- or post-tribulation?
Distinctions between rapture and second coming:
Rapture = imminent, can happen at any moment (1 Cor 15:52).
Second coming = preceded by definite signs (man of sin, abomination of desolation, mark of the beast, cosmic judgments).
If events can be charted, it is not imminent.
Distinct purposes:
Second coming = judgment, kingdom, wrath, terror.
Rapture = comfort, grace, reunion.
Nature of the Body of Christ:
Body = neither Jew nor Gentile (Ephesians 2:15).
Tribulation = Jewish in character (Jacob’s trouble, covenant curses, kingdom prelude).
Cannot have a single period that both recognizes Israel as covenant nation and does not recognize Jew/Gentile.
Programs are mutually exclusive.
Mid- or post-trib positions create logical impossibility (forcing primary focus on Israel while a secondary focus on the body of Christ).
Conclusion:
Pre-trib rapture preserves integrity of God’s programs.
Israel faces her tribulation.
Nations face judgment.
Body of Christ safely with her Lord.
Blessed hope = caught up before tribulation begins.
Keeping Prophecy Out of Mystery
Common error: dragging prophecy into the mystery age.
Modern examples:
Is politician X the Antichrist?
Is new technology the mark of the beast?
Is global summit the one-world order?
Does birth of red heifer mean the end?
Is Feast of Trumpets the rapture?
Does Hebrew calendar give countdown?
All these speculations = confusion of Israel’s prophetic program with the Body’s mystery program.
Paul’s teaching:
Church lives under revelation of the mystery, not prophecy.
Instructions are Pauline, not prophetic.
Rapture = secret revealed to Paul, not connected to prophetic calendars.
Consequences of dragging prophecy into mystery:
Robs the church of blessed hope.
Substitutes fear and speculation for comfort.
Focus shifts from Christ to Antichrist.
Believers look for signs instead of the Savior.
Answer:
Keep prophecy in Israel’s program.
Keep mystery in the Body of Christ.
Right division removes endless speculation.
Restores true comfort: the rapture is imminent, sign-less, and always possible
