OUR HOPE, OUR COMFORT - PART 1 (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
INTRODUCTION:
Next to sharing the way of salvation and preaching and teaching on the gift of God’s grace that is ours through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, my next favorite subject to preach on is this morning’s subject. It is the next big event in world history, it is the event Paul calls the blessed hope in his letter to Titus.
I am talking about the glorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ for His bride, the church, which will include a resurrection and a rapture. This event is often referred to as the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The word imminent means that it could happen at any moment, there is absolutely nothing that must take place before Jesus Christ returns to take the church to be with Him. There is no prophecy of Scripture that needs to be fulfilled, which means that we must be prepared at all times, because it could happen at any time. It could happen before I finish my message this morning, it could happen as we are driving home from church, it could happen before the month is out, it could happen next year, we do not know when it will happen. But because it could happen at any moment, we must be ready and waiting for Him when He comes.
There are several passages which talk about this event. One of them Timothy read to us this morning in our Scripture reading, John 14:1-6. Another is in 1st Corinthians 15, but by far this passage in 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18 gives us very important information and is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. If I should die before the Rapture of the church this is the passage I want preached at my funeral. Paul’s purpose in writing this passage was to give the Thessalonian believers and us hope and comfort and to clear up some misunderstandings about Christ’s coming. In this passage Paul gives a fourfold description of the Rapture: He gives us the building blocks of the Rapture, the beneficiaries of the Rapture, the blueprints of the Rapture and the benefit of the Rapture for us today. Let’s pray and then get into our passage.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles this morning to 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18. Please, if you are able, stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
1st Thessalonians 4:13-18,
“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, NASB95)[1]
THE BACKGROUND TO PAUL’S TEACHING ON THE RAPTURE (1st Thessalonians 4:13)
There is more interest and discussion concerning the Rapture than on any other end-time event. The believers in Thessalonica also had questions about this event, so in this passage Paul addresses those questions but not just from a doctrinal viewpoint, but also from a pastoral perspective as his intent is to not only give the facts, but to encourage and comfort this young church. Remember that this church was not that old depending on how long Paul was with them before being forced to leave. Paul had certainly taught the Thessalonians about end-time events as evidenced by other references he makes in both this letter and in his second letter. Surely in taught them that Jesus would come again to gather the church (all believers) to Himself. They also knew about the Day of the Lord, a time of coming judgment on the ungodly. But there was some confusion concerning the Lord’s return to gather all believers to Himself. The Thessalonian believers were afraid that they had missed the Rapture, this was brought on by the persecution they were suffering which caused them to fear that they were in the Day of the Lord, which obviously they had not expected to experience. We will learn in 2nd Thessalonians that there were some false teachers telling them that the Day of the Lord had come. But the persecution the believers were suffering was not associated with the Tribulation or the Day of the Lord. It was simply the persecution that all believers can expect as Paul had told Timothy in 2nd Timothy 3:12 where he writes, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Timothy 3:12, NASB95)[2] Not only should they expect it but Paul had warned them about it before he left. He referred to this back in chapter three, verses 1-4. Verse 4 says, “For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know.” (1 Thessalonians 3:4, NASB95)[3] The “we” in this verse includes Paul, Silas, and Timothy, but it also includes the Thessalonian believers.
The church’s fear that they were in the Day of the Lord and had missed the Rapture implies that they had been taught by Paul that the Rapture precedes the Tribulation. If they had been taught that the Rapture came at the end of the Tribulation, this persecution they were suffering would not have caused them to fear that they had missed the Rapture. If the Day of the Lord had arrived, and the Rapture was after the Tribulation, then they would not have feared they had missed it but would know it was coming soon.
The second concern and certainly a greater concern for the Thessalonians were for those in the church who had died. What would happen to them at the Rapture, would they miss out? Would they receive their resurrection bodies at the Rapture, or would they have to wait until after the Tribulation? Would they miss the Rapture altogether? Their love for one another was so great that these thoughts concerning their deceased loved ones greatly disturbed them. This concern for those who had died shows that the Thessalonian believers believed that the return of the Lord Jesus to gather them to Himself was imminent and could happen in their lifetime. If they did not believe this there would be no reason for concern. This fear that their fellow believers would miss the Rapture also implies that they believed the Rapture would come before the Tribulation. There would be no confusion if the Rapture followed the Tribulation because all believers from the Old Testament time on would receive their resurrection bodies at the same time. Besides that, if they had been taught that they had to go through the Tribulation, they would not have grieved for those who died, but rather would have been glad to see them spared from the horrible time.
Paul wrote this section in this epistle to relieve the Thessalonians’ fear, and grief, and confusion. Paul begins this passage by stating that he does not want his readers to be uninformed about those who are asleep so that they do not grieve like those who have no hope. Paul uses this phrase to show that he is about to begin a new topic in which he will clear up some faulty thinking concerning the Lord’s return and those who have died before His return. The Greek word translated “uninformed” in my version is a word that means “to be ignorant.” In other words, Paul does not want us to be ignorant, or lacking knowledge about the Lord’s return.
Since their greater concern were for those who had fallen asleep, Paul addresses this concern first. The New Testament often uses this idea of sleep to describe someone who has died in Jesus. The Lord Jesus used this term to describe the death of Lazarus before he raised him back to life in John 11. It is important to remember that in the New Testament, that this term sleep applies only to the body, never to the spirit or soul of the person. “Soul sleep” the false teaching that the souls of the dead are in a state of unconscious existence in the afterlife is not taught in Scripture. In 2nd Corinthians 5:8 Paul wrote that he preferred to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. Implying that at death the physical body sleeps, but the soul/spirit goes immediately to be at home with the Lord. In Philippians 1:23-24 “But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.” (Philippians 1:23–24, NASB95)[4] These verses teach that believers go consciously into the Lord’s presence at death, for how could unconsciousness be “very much better” than conscious communion with Jesus Christ even in this life? Jesus promised the repentant thief on the cross that he would be with Him in Paradise. Moses’ and Elijah’s souls were not asleep since they appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration. The Tribulation martyrs’ souls are not asleep in Revelation 6:9-11 as they speak with God. At death the redeemed go consciously into the presence of the Lord, while the unsaved go into conscious punishment.
Paul wanted them to know the truth concerning those who had fallen asleep in Jesus, so they would not grieve like those who have no hope. Paul is not saying that we should have no sorrow, or that we should not shed tears, or not grieve when a loved one or dear friend dies. I remember when my dad died, I was sorrowful, I shed tears, I grieved that he was gone from us, but I had and have hope that I will see him again, he is not gone we are just separated for a time. There is always sorrow and grief when there is separation, but it does not need to be the sorrow and grief of those who have no hope. Paul described unbelievers in Ephesians 2:12 as “having no hope and without God in the world.” (Ephesians 2:12b, NASB95)[5] For the unbeliever there is an awful, terrifying, hopeless finality when a loved one dies, a sorrow and grief so deep with no hope of a future reunion. Even those unbelievers who believe in life after death do not have that hope confirmed by the Holy Spirit; they have simply hung on to it without God’s affirmation. But as Christians we do not experience this hopeless grief that unbelievers do, for whom death marks the permanent severing of relationships. Unlike them, Christians never say a final farewell to each other, because as Paul says in 2nd Thessalonians 2:1 there will be a “gathering together [of all believers] to Him [the Lord Jesus Christ]. Separation from our loved ones in Jesus is only temporary. Paul now launches into the building blocks that make the foundation of the doctrine of the Rapture.
THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF THE RAPTURE (1st Thessalonians 4:14-15a)
This doctrine of the Rapture is not based on Paul’s own speculations or the speculation of others. Nor is this doctrine some religious story or fable made up by well-meaning people to comfort those who grieve. The wonderful and exciting truth that the Lord Jesus Christ will return to gather all believers to Himself is based or built on a firm foundation of three unshakeable building blocks: the death of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, and the revelation of Christ.
Paul lays the first building block of this sure foundation of hope when he writes, “For if we believe that Jesus died…” (1st Thessalonians 4:14a, NASB95)[6] By using the word “if” Paul is not suggesting uncertainty or doubt, but he is giving us a logical sequence. This word could also be translated as “since” or “because.” Paul is saying, “Based on the fact the we believe that Jesus died certain things logically follow. Paul in very simple terms summarizes for us in this simple phrase the fullness of the atoning work of Christ which provides the necessary foundation for His gathering of the church. The death of the Lord Jesus Christ satisfied the demands of God’s righteousness, His holiness, and His justice by paying the full penalty for man’s sins. God’s Son became our substitute when as Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NASB95)[7] In other words, we who believe in Jesus Christ have been made acceptable to God and are therefore fit to be gathered into His presence.
Paul does not use the metaphor of sleep to refer to Christ’s death. Paul clearly states that Jesus died. Jesus Christ experienced the full fury of God’s wrath in His death, He experienced death in all it dimensions as “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness…” (1 Peter 2:24a, NASB95)[8] as Peter writes in 1st Peter 2:24. Christ’s death transformed death into sleep for Christians. When a Christian dies, their spirit goes immediately into the presence of the Lord, while their physical body temporarily sleeps in the grave, awaiting the Rapture.
Not only do we believe that Jesus died, but Paul’s second building block for this sure foundation of hope is the resurrection. He writes in verse 14, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 4:14, NASB95)[9] The resurrection of Jesus Christ indicates that God the Father accepted His Son’s sacrifice. Paul taught this truth in Romans 4:25 when he wrote, “He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.” (Romans 4:25, NASB95)[10] The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ proves that He conquered sin, and death, and became the source of resurrection life for every Christian. Paul links the resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Jesus with the resurrection of Christ by the words “even so…” The two can never be separated, because Christ was raised the dead in Christ will be raised. Jesus said in John 14:19, ““After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.” (John 14:19, NASB95)[11] In 1st Corinthians 15 we have Paul’s most detailed defense on the resurrection, and he writes in verse 23, “But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming,” (1 Corinthians 15:23, NASB95)[12] Earlier in the same book Paul had written in chapter 6, verse 14, “Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power.” (1 Corinthians 6:14, NASB95)[13] and then in his second inspired letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote in 2nd Corinthians 4:14, “…knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you.” (2 Corinthians 4:14, NASB95)[14]
Paul seeking to remove their fears, reassures the believers that God will bring with Jesus Christ those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. The Thessalonians fellow believers who had died will not the miss out on the Rapture but will return with Christ when He comes to gather us to Himself. In other words, the spirits of the dead believers that have been in the presence of God since their bodies gave them up in death will accompany the Lord Jesus from heaven to be joined with their resurrected, glorified bodies. They will participate as much in the Rapture as those who are still alive when Christ returns. Just as our Scripture reading said this morning, Jesus promised to take all believers back to heaven with Him when He returns to gather them to Himself. A distinction must be made between the Rapture and the Second coming of Christ. There is a period of time between the two, the Rapture where Christ returns to gather His people, and His return to earth to establish the millennial kingdom. During that interval will be the believers’ judgment, or the Judgment Seat of Christ where our works since salvation will be judged and rewarded.
Paul by demonstrating in this verse God’s acceptance of the atoning sacrifice, seen in the resurrection of Christ which then supports the first building block on which the Rapture is based, the death of Christ.
Paul’s final building block to make this foundation of our hope secure is the revelation of Christ. Paul’s teaching on this subject is not his own speculation, nor was it taught to him by someone else. Paul writes in the beginning of verse 15, “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord…” (1 Thessalonians 4:15a, NASB95)[15] In other words, Paul’s words are not his own, but as an inspired author Paul reveals to us what God has revealed to Him by direct revelation. In 1st Corinthians 15 Paul referred to the Rapture as a mystery, a mystery in Scripture is a truth that was previously hidden but now revealed. Paul’s teaching on the Rapture was a new revelation given directly to Paul from God. What the Thessalonians knew about the Rapture was limited, but this new revelation unveiled the mystery and gave them a greater understanding of the next event in God’s prophetic timetable.
The doctrine of the Rapture does not rest on the shaky foundation of man’s theological speculation. The doctrine of the Rapture sets firmly on the foundation of the death, resurrection, and revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ.
CONCLUSION:
I am going to stop here this morning; we have looked at my first two points of this message. We looked at the background for Paul’s teaching on the Rapture. Why did Paul choose to reveal this new revelation of the Rapture to the Thessalonian believers in this first letter. It was to encourage and comfort them in some fears that they had concerning the end times, a misunderstanding or an ignorance that Paul wanted to clear out of the way and reassure them that they had not missed the Rapture, that the Day of the Lord was yet future and those who were asleep in Jesus would not miss the Rapture either and because of this we do not grieve for those who are asleep in Jesus like the rest who have no hope. Secondly, Paul gave three building blocks that make up the sure foundation on which our hope is established. The three building blocks are the death of the Lord Jesus, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and the revelation of the Lord Jesus. By giving us these three building blocks, Paul is making clear that what he is writing here is not for everyone, it is only written for those who have hope. Paul says the reason we have this hope is faith, our belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our hope is based on our salvation, that we have agreed with God that we are a sinner, acknowledging our own sinfulness and our helplessness to do anything about it, but we believe that Jesus Christ died in our place as our perfect, sinless substitute, and His death paid the full price required for our sin, and we believe that He was buried and on the third day rose from the dead triumphing forever over sin and death for everyone who believes in Him. This is the reason for my hope, this is why I do not grieve for those who are asleep in Jesus like those who have no hope. What about you? Do you possess this same hope? You can have this hope today if you do not have it, and you can know that at the moment that you die, your spirit will go directly into the presence of God in heaven, and you can know that because Jesus Christ rose bodily from the grave that one day you too will have a resurrection body like His own. If you already possess this hope, rejoice in it. Worship the One who died and rose again for you! Never get over your salvation!
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[10]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[11]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[12]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[13]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[14]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[15]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.