The fountainhead of our hope is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (1 Peter 1:3). We are eternally linked to this precious hope through a simple act of faith and the result is “Christ in you” the “hope of glory” (Col 1:27). This unfailing hope has significant bearing on our future, because in Titus 2:13, the coming of the Lord in the Rapture is referred to as “the blessed Hope,” highlighting the joy giving expectation of future glorification.
The Believers in Thessalonica were broken hearted and concerned about their loved ones who had died. They did not understand what would become of them in light of our Lord’s return. They may have wondered along the following lines. What if the Lord returns? Would their deceased love ones be impeded in any way? Will those who are alive at His coming have an advantage over the Believers who died? In this passage Paul answers their questions and gives them comfort and hope!
I.
How Does the Rapture Give Us Hope and Comfort? (1Thess. 4:13-18)
A. The Rapture is Every Believer’s Hope in Christ (1Thess. 4:13-14).
i.
Death Does Not Cancel the Believer’s Hope in the
Rapture (1Thess. 4:13).
1.
Death is often accompanied with great sorrow, weeping
and deep despair for unsaved individuals.
It is a hopeless situation for them, but not for the saint of God.
2.
Some Christians will sleep in Christ (1Thes 4:13).
a.
Rev 14:13, And I heard
a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in
the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith
the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do
follow them.
b.
The death of a Christian is viewed as a peaceful sleep;
there is no sting or fear in the Believer’s death.
c.
The sleep here refers to the body of the
Christian and not the real or essential person (the spirit and soul).
3.
The sleeping Christian’s hope is still the Rapture.
a.
1 Cor. 15:53-57, For this corruptible must put on incorruption,
and this mortal must put on immortality.
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall
have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is
written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O
grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin
is the law. But thanks be to God, which
giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
b.
The saddest funerals are those where the deceased was
obviously a sinner when he/she died. Let
us labor consistently to win our lost love ones to Christ that they may have
this hope in Christ which will never die!
ii.
The Believer’s Hope is Based on Faith in Christ’s
Resurrection and Return (1Thess. 4:14).
1.
Our Rapture Hope Is As Sure and Certain As Our
Lord’s Resurrection!
a.
1Thes 4:14, For if we believe
that Jesus died and rose again…
b.
1 Pet 1:3, Blessed be
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant
mercy hath begotten us again unto a
lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
c.
Just as the first work of Christ is completely
reliable, so will this finishing work be also. We have every reason to live
each day with great confidence in the certain return of Christ for us in the
Rapture.
d.
Hope grows as we remember the promise of the
Resurrection. Because Jesus Christ came back to life, so will all Believers.
i.
All Christians, including those living when Christ
returns, will live with Christ forever. Therefore, we need not despair when
loved ones die or world events take a tragic turn.
ii.
God will turn our tragedies to triumphs, our poverty to
riches, our pain to glory, and our defeat to victory.
iii.
All believers throughout history will stand reunited in
God's very presence, safe and secure. As Paul comforted the Thessalonians with
the promise of the Resurrection, so we should comfort and reassure each other
with this great hope.
2.
The Christian’s Resurrection at the Time of the
Rapture Was Made Possible By Christ’s Resurrection.
a.
Christ’s Resurrection is the Foundation of all Resurrections.
i.
Our Lord is the Firstborn
from the Dead (Col 1:18); this is a promise of more resurrections.
ii.
Our Lord is the Firstfruits
of them that sleep (1 Cor 15:20-21); First Fruits Always dedicates the entire
harvest and anticipates a complete harvest from the dead!
iii.
Our Lord’s Resurrection is the Basis of All Literal
Physical Resurrections of ALL Men. First Corinthians
15:22, says, “For as in Adam all die
(Physical Death), even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (Physical Life).
b.
There Will Be a Resurrection of Life For Believers and
a Resurrection of Damnation For Nonbelievers.
i.
There is no such creature as a ‘general resurrection’ at the end of the world. Note carefully, John 5:29, which says, “And shall come forth; they that have
done good, unto the resurrection of life;
and they that have done evil, unto the
resurrection of damnation.” (NOTE: The Saints of Israel will be
resurrected after the great Tribulation and before the Millennium. Dan. 12:1-2)
ii.
Rev 20:5-6, But the
rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and
holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they
shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand
years.
iii.
A Second Death
must be preceded by a Second Period of Physical Life—this of course is at the
Great White Throne Judgment of the Sinners of ALL Ages, just before the Eternal
Kingdom.
3.
The Lord Will Return With the Souls of Deceased
Saints in the Rapture.
a.
1Thes 4:14, For if we
believe that Jesus died and rose again, even
so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
b.
The Bible refers to the Christian’s Death as our tired
bodies being put to sleep by Christ.
i.
There is NO terror in Death for the Believer.
ii.
The Bible does not teach soul sleep—Note how Lazarus and the Rich man were both very conscience after death. (Also
Rev. 7: 9-17 Tribulation Saints)
c.
Some Christians Will Pass Through Death and Enter God’s
Presence Prior to The Rapture, But They Return With Him in the Rapture.
i.
2 Cor. 5:6-8, Therefore we are
always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are
absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I
say, and willing rather to be absent
from the body, and to be present with the Lord. (Also Phil. 1:20-24)
ii.
In the return of Christ for his saints, he will bring
the souls of those who were with him already in a disembodied form to be
reunited with their new and transformed bodies.
a.
Together with the Lord we will all go back to Heaven
and the Judgment Seat of Christ.
b.
It does not matter if our bodies were eaten by beast or
burned and sprinkled across the sea, He will raise our bodies from their
sleep! What a Powerful God!
B. The Rapture is Our Comforting Hope in Christ (1Thess. 4:15-18).
We have the clearest teaching in Scripture in this
passage about the order of the events related to the Rapture and Resurrection
of Saints. Here the Bible spells out for us what will take place and the order
with which it will unfold. Paul gives us the details to comfort and encourage
us with the Rapture.
i.
We are
Comforted by A Revelation: The Living Saints Will Not Have Any Advantage Over
The Sleeping Saint During the Rapture.
1.
1Thes 4:15, For this we say
unto you by the word of the Lord,
(This is the New Revelation) that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the
Lord shall not prevent them which are
asleep.
2.
The Rapture was a hidden truth (1 Cor. 15:51), a “mystery.”
a.
The Thessalonians were informed fully about the Day of the Lord judgment (1Thess. 5:1, 2), but not the preceding event—the
rapture of the church age saints.
b.
Until Paul revealed it as the revelation from God to
him, it had been a secret, with the only prior mention being Jesus’ teaching in
John 14:1–3. This was new revelation of what had
previously been an unrevealed mystery. This separates the Rapture from the
Revelation (Matt. 24 & Luke 21);
Christ taught extensively on the Revelation, His return to the earth to rule
the world, but not the Rapture.
3.
The significance of this is those who have died in
the Lord will not miss the great events of the return of Christ—the rapture
and the Lord’s millennial kingdom.
a.
Paul is not establishing the fact of the resurrection
but clarifying the relationship of the dead and the living to the Rapture. The
living Believers will not have any advantage!
b.
This is more evidence that the Christian will not go
through the Tribulation period. These believers would have been rejoicing over
the deceased and not morning if that were true. Those who sleep in the Lord
will not miss the Lord’s coming! Those alive at the Rapture will follow those
dead who rise first (v. 16).
4.
The Lord’s Return is Also Imminent. He could come at any moment!
a.
1Thes 4:15, For this we
say unto you by the word of the Lord, that
we which are alive and remain
unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
b.
Paul believed the event was near (Rom. 13:11; 1 Cor. 6:14; 10:11; 16:22; Phil. 3:20, 21; 1 Tim.
6:14; Titus 2:13).
c.
Paul fully expected the Rapture in His day, and so much
the more should we! The point is to be READY, RIGHT, RESTING, AND WORKING when
He comes!
d. We
should look for the Lord to come at any moment, yet realize that we may be
called to reach heaven by way of death.
ii.
We are
Comforted by A Return: The Lord Jesus Will Literally Descend From Heaven to
Initiate the Rapture and Resurrection of Believers (1Thess.
4:16).
1Thes 4:16, For the
Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1.
Jesus Himself Will Return.
a.
This is a literal, physical return of the Lord Jesus
Christ to the atmosphere of the earth.
i.
By the coming of Christ is meant the bodily, personal,
and visible coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to receive His saints.
ii.
This is not a spirit or phantom, nor mere angels, but
Jesus Himself! John
14:3, And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and
receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
iii.
Christ’s Return did not take place at Pentecost nor
does it take place when a person is saved, nor does He come at a Believer’s
death.
b.
This is a definite event on God’s prophetic calendar
called the Return of Christ in the Rapture.
2.
The Lord’s Shout
will call the Sleeping Saint to Life Again.
a.
John 5:25-27, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they
that hear shall live. For as the
Father hath life in himself; so hath he
given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is
the Son of man.
b.
John 11:25-26, Jesus said unto her, I am the
resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest
thou this?
c.
The Resurrection of Lazarus in Jn.
11:43-44 “....He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.” The
next time he will call all ‘Christian Saints’ to Himself, the Resurrection and
the Life!
3.
The Archangel, Michael, Will Call God’s Angels
to Service.
a.
This call will summon the angelic host as a Military
Escort to accompany the Lord and His Saints through enemy territory back to
Heaven. (See Luke
16:22; Matt. 24:31; 25:31; 2Thess.1:7; Jude 9).
b.
The voice of Michael, the archangel, is also commonly
understood as an assembling command for the OT saints, since he is so closely
associated with Israel (Dan. 12:1; Jude 9; Rev. 12:4–7).
Others think its purpose is to revive Israel nationally.
4.
The Trumpet of God Will Signal the Raising of
the Dead and Changing of Believers Forever.
a.
1 Cor. 15:52, In a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at
the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
b.
Living and Deceased Believers Will Experience a radical
and glorious transformation in a matter of a split second!
i.
Since flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom (1Cor. 15:50), we who are still alive at the Rapture
will not have to die before we get our new glorified bodies.
ii.
When the trumpet sounds and Christ returns, the dead
will be raised imperishable, out of the graves with their new bodies. We who
are still alive will be changed, also receiving our new glorious bodies.
iii.
We will all be changed, transformed immediately, in the
twinkling of an eye. This change will happen instantly for all true Christians,
whether they are dead or alive. All will be made ready to go with Christ.
c.
This is the ‘Last
Trump’ of the Christian Age, which has to do with the resurrection of
believers at the time of the Rapture (1Cor. 15:23).
i.
Perhaps the angel Gabriel is sounding this trumpet
because he is closely associated with the Christian Age.
ii.
This is not the seventh and last trumpet of the
Tribulation period in Revelation 11:15-19. The
Seventh Trumpet of the Tribulation Period is a Trumpet of Judgment not
Rapture. Christians will not go through
the Tribulation period it is for the Lost World and to prepare Israel for her
Messiah! We must realize that God is not
done with Israel! (Dan. 9:24)
iii.
“These three phenomena may all refer to the same
thing, but probably they are three separate almost simultaneous announcements
heralding Christ’s return. Though one’s curiosity about these aspects of the
Rapture is not fully satisfied in this passage, one thing is clear: Christ’s
return for His saints will be announced from heaven forcefully and
dramatically.” ---Walvoord, J. F.
iii.
We are Comforted by A Resurrection: The Dead In
Christ Shall Rise Before the Living Believers Experience the Rapture (1Thess. 4:16).
1.
1Thes 4:16, For the Lord
himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and
the dead in Christ shall rise first:
2.
Only The Dead In Christ Will Be Raised At This Time.
a.
This excludes Old Testament Saints who will be raised
after the Tribulation Period according to Dan. 12:2.
b.
This also disproves the ‘general resurrection’ theory as a Biblical teaching! Not ALL the
dead are raised at this time, ONLY the dead IN CHRIST!
3.
The Christian Deceased will Arise before the
Living Believers are Caught Up!
4.
“How will God raise the bodies of people who were
buried hundreds of years ago? What about the bodies of those Christians who
were burned to death and those whose ashes were thrown to the wind, and
Christians who perished at sea? The resurrection of the dead poses a great
problem to the faith of many. Perhaps that is why Paul stressed that this
revelation came from Jesus Christ Himself and that it is as certain of future
fulfillment as Jesus’ resurrection is a fact of past history. The God who
created the universe out of nothing with a word is fully able to reassemble the
decayed bodies of all His saints in a moment of time (cf. 1 Cor. 15:35-58).”
–John Walvoord
iv.
We are Comforted by A Rapture: The Living Saints
Will Be Caught Up Next (1Thess 4:17).
1.
1Thes 4:17, Then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air:
and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
2.
Living Saints Will Suddenly Disappear in the
Glorious Rapture Experience.
a.
The Phrase “Caught Up” refers to the ‘rapture.’
b.
It is a derivative of the Latin word ‘raptus’
which means to carry off.
Thus the Rapture means snatching away or catching up.
c.
The Greek word is ‘harpazo’ (har-pad'-zo); which means
to seize, catch (away, up), pluck, pull, and take (by force).
d.
The Space Travel of today with all its wonders will not
even compare to the Space traveling we’ll experience in the twinkling of an
eye!
e.
The Word’s (Gr. Harpazo) Usage In Scripture Confirms
Its Meaning. (See Acts 8:39; 2Cor 12:2; Rev 12:5; Jude
1:23).
3.
We Will Meet the Lord Jesus and the Resurrected
Saints in the Air!
a.
The air is
Satan’s sphere (Eph. 2:2), so this is a
triumphal gathering in open defiance of the devil right in the front yard of his
stronghold.
b. Ultimately
we will finally be with Jesus our Lord, Savior, King, and Salvation! The
union with our Lord forever (Body, Soul, and Spirit, this will be a first in
the experience of the Christian. No more
sin nature to contend with!)
i.
From that time on and forever thereafter we will be
with the Lord. The Lord will take us to the place He is presently preparing for
us (John 14:2-3).
ii.
But the place where Christians will be was not so
important to Paul as the Person with whom we will be.
iii.
“The entire content and worth of heaven, the entire
blessedness of life eternal, is for Paul embraced in the one thought of being
united with Jesus, his Savior and Lord” –Borhemann
iv.
Face to
face with Christ, my Savior, face to face—what will it be? When with rapture I
behold Him, Jesus Christ who died for me!
Only faintly now I see Him, with the darkling
veil between; but a blessed day is coming, when His glory shall be seen.
What rejoicing in His presence, when are
banished grief and pain, when the crooked ways are straightened and the dark
things shall be plain.
Face to face—O blissful moment! Face to
face—to see and know; face to face with my Redeemer, Jesus Christ who loves me
so.
Chorus: Face to face I shall behold Him, far beyond
the starry sky; face to face, in all His glory, I shall see Him by and by!
c. It
Will be a Reunion With Deceased Saints of the Christian Age.
i.
The first Family of God Reunion ever!
a. Who
can describe the combustible, boundless, and spontaneous joy we all will
experience at this grand reunion occasion.
b. We
will see Peter, Paul, James, John. Mary Magdalene, Mary our Lord’s mother,
Barnabas and many others!
c. We
will see our saved love ones again, never to say goodbye or be separated from
them again. The translated bodies of all
Christians will be united with Christ and with each other at the Rapture.
ii.
For all
the saints who from their labors rest, who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest: Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and
their Might; Thou, Lord, their captain in the well-fought fight; and Thou, in
darkness drear, their one true light: Alleluia! Alleluia!
From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s
farthest coast, thru gates of pearl streams in the countless host, singing to
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: Alleluia! Alleluia!
d. Think
of all that is included in these verses!
i.
The earth and the sea yielding up the dust of all the
dead in Christ. Then the transforming miracle by which this dust is formed into
glorified bodies, free forever from sickness, pain, and death.
ii.
Then the space-flight to heaven. And all of this taking
place in the twinkling of an eye (1 Cor. 15:52).
iii.
Men of the world have difficulty believing the account
of the creation of man in Genesis 1 and 2. If they have difficulty with creation, what will
they do with the Rapture—when God will recreate millions of people from the
dust that has been buried, scattered, strewn, or swept up on the beaches of the
world?
iv.
Men of the world are enthusiastic about space travel.
But can their greatest exploits compare with the wonder of traveling to heaven
in a split second without taking our own atmosphere with us, as the space men
have to do when they go on short hops to outer space?
4.
This is a tremendous source of comfort to the
believer!
a.
1Thes 4:18, Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
i.
Learn to encourage yourself with this wonderful hope we have in Christ. Ex. David in
Ziklag---1 Sam. 30:1-10, vs 6 “...but David encouraged himself in the LORD
his God.”
ii.
Determine to encourage other Believers with this hope
in times of difficulty, trials, frustration, suffering, and death.
iii.
Decide to share the hope of Christ with the lost of
your family & community before it is eternally too late for them!
b. “In
connection with Christ’s coming there is a sound to hear, a sight to see, a
miracle to feel, a meeting to enjoy, and a comfort to experience. It is also
good to notice the recurrence of the word Lord in these verses: the word of the
Lord (v. 15), the coming of the Lord (v. 15), the Lord Himself (v. 16), to meet
the Lord (v. 17), to always be with the Lord (v. 17). Forever with the Lord!
Who can tell all the joy and blessedness that is included in these words? …Thoughts of the Lord’s coming do not produce
terror for the believer. It is a hope that thrills and cheers and comforts.”—MacDonald,
W.
c. “The
facts that Christians who have died will be resurrected to join the living saints
with the Lord Jesus when He comes, that they will actually precede those who
are alive in that day, that those who are alive will be united with them, and
that they will all be with the Lord forever, give abundant reasons for
rejoicing. Not only do Christians not grieve like unbelievers, but followers of
Christ can actually look forward eagerly to that great day. This is the great
hope of the church, to see the Lord and be united with Him forever. It is that
which every believer in this Age should anticipate. It is a blessed hope (Titus
2:13) with respect to the dead in Christ as well as for the living!”—Walvoord,
J. F.
In Jesus Christ, every Believer has solid reasons for hope in any
apparently hopeless scenario and comfort regardless of the distressing
developments. Our hope is credible because it is anchored in the resurrection
of Jesus Christ. Comfort is ours because we are roundly assured of being with
Christ, believing love ones, and in heaven. Certainly we will continue to face
some hardness in this life, but never without hope and comfort from our Lord
and this promise of the Rapture. If this is indeed the case for us, let us arm
ourselves with the truths of the Rapture allowing them to free us from
confusion, distress, anxiety, and despair. God’s promises are most valuable to
us when we believe them—when we believe God. Trust Him, cling to Him; find
peace, comfort, and assurance in Him.
