Chapter 4
1Thess 4:13-17
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
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.
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:
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.
We touched on verse 13 through 15 already, but provide it here for the continuity and the flow of the passage.
So this is new information Paul is providing to the body of Christ, of which the believers in Thessalonica are a part of.
Paul had apparently touched on some of this while he was there with them, but as I mentioned before, Paul must not have been able to fully expand and answer all their questions while there or they developed more questions and concerns after his departure. The Thessalonians knew the Lord was coming for the body of Christ, and that this was a new and special event, and that they were not going to be subjected to the activity and dealings of “the man of sin, the son of perdition” (the antichrist), or the wrath to come, the persecution of Israel and the believing Jews during the 70th week of Daniel (Dan 9), and the full development and unleashing of the mystery of iniquity upon this world, however, they have had loved ones and other believers that have passed away since hearing the gospel… what is to happen to them at this event? Will they not partake in this coming of the Lord for his “church his body” (1Cor 12:12-13, 27; Eph 1:22-23; 5:23, 29-30, 32; Col 1:18, 24)?
Hence, that is why we are at where we are… and thank you Thessalonians for asking the question!
First, the Lord will descend from heaven, and he will apparently shout: “with a shout”. I assume it is the Lord that is shouting because of how it is written.
[And also notice that in the passage, everything happens in the air or in the atmosphere. The Lord never comes to the ground in this event.]
Second, the archangel is with him and he must shout or say something as well because his voice is referenced: “with the voice of the archangel”. The only archangel referenced in the Bible is Michael who is said to be: “one of the chief princes” (Dan 10:13), “the great prince which standeth for the children of thy (Daniel’s) people (i.e. Israel)” (Dan 12:1), “Michael the archangel” (Jude 1:9), and in Revelation: “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,” (Rev 12:7).
Third, there is a sound of a trumpet; a trumpet is an instrument, and a “trump” is the sound a trumpet makes; and this one is called “the trump of God”.
So a shout from the Lord, the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God… it appears as though it will be quite audible prior to it happening. Whether they happen in succession or all at the same time, I am not sure.
But there will more than likely be two trumpet blasts, or trumps.
So the trump of God sounds and the dead are raised first. They will get their resurrection bodies (you have to die to get resurrected). Remember that when a saint dies, he is absent from the body but present with the Lord, the soul and spirit go to be with the Lord at death. The Lord brings them with him at this event.
So the trumpet sounds the first time, the first trump, and the dead shall rise first, and they get their resurrection bodies.
The second and last trump sounds and we all get caught up together in the air, and we are ‘changed’: we get new bodies.
Why do I say “two” trumps?
1Cor 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.
There is a “last trump”, and so there has to be at least one trump preceding it. Why “two”? In First Corinthians 15, we are contrasted several times with a pattern of first/last, first/second:
1Cor 15:45-47
And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
And then when we look at First Thessalonians, we have two groups, (1) those alive and (2) those who have died.
So I believe it will be two blasts from the trumpet and then at the second, last, trump we are all caught up together in the air, gathered together with new bodies, and forever with the Lord.
We will need new bodies because these bodies will not function outside of this earth environment, it just makes sense. Our destination is not on this earth.
1Cor 15:48-51
As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
Col 3:2, 4
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. …
When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
Phil 3:20-21
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
Rom 8:22-23
For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
So why a body? Why bother? Why does God need the dead to have a body at all? He apparently does things in a certain way – but the only thing I can figure is, in order to ‘change’ the body to be fashioned like his glorious body, he has to have a body to change. And the individuals in the body of Christ that has passed away already have not had their change yet because we will all be gathered and changed at the same time, at the same event, on God’s timing for his purpose, and that purpose must be the displacing whatever that power structure is in the heavens currently. And that is not happening yet, but it will, I hope it will happen soon, but if not, then I will probably be asleep.
One must begin to ask themselves what is the purpose for this group of people, people who have believed in the gospel of Christ and the grace of God? I do not believe the purpose is on this earth. I do not believe heaven is just some state of mind when you die, playing harp on a cloud, or going through some pearly gates and it is whatever you want it to be, playing golf or fishing for eternity because that pleases you. No. There is a reason, there is a function for this body of Christ.
And the members of that body, need bodies, and those bodies are not flesh and blood, they are spiritual bodies (whatever that is) and we will provide a purpose for the Godhead in this universe.
1Cor 15:35-44, 48-51
But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. ...
As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
I have worn out your patience again. I shall discuss “mystery” next time if I remember as well as more on trumpets, and then we can close Chapter 4.
Grace and Peace James
Let us keep ourselves from being a part of the ignorant brethren – I may already be there – but I am working to get out
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