Comfort One Another With These Words

Comfort One Another with These Words

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

This morning’s passage is well known, especially among evangelicals. It is quoted as mentioning an event called the “Rapture.” Other than agreeing on the term, the interpretations of just what the rapture is and when it will happen varies widely as does the other Scriptures used to support the event. This has caused various factions to rise in the Church and has damaged her unity. I am not going to try to add my opinion on this matter. Rather, we need to look at the passage in its own right and see what we can certainly learn from it.

One must first examine any passage of Scripture in its own context and look for clues of what the writer of Scripture, the Holy Spirit through the pen of the Apostle Paul in this case. It begins here with the phrase: “I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren.” In other words, Paul is emphatically affirming that the church needs to know what he is about to teach. Paul uses this phrase elsewhere, stating the negative of what he wants them to be. It is important that the Christian be knowledgeable about Christian truths. There is no room for ignorance of the truth. In this particular context, he wants them to know what happens to those who are Christians and die before the Lord returns. The last verse admonishes us to “comfort one another with these words.” So the purpose is not to cause agitation and fear, but comfort and encouragement. This text is often used at funerals for this very purpose. Since this is the stated purpose for the text, let us examine this passage in this context.

Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church from Athens, which means he wrote it soon after leaving the church. The necessity of his rapid departure meant that he did not have all the time he would have liked to teach Christian truth to them. He did send Timothy back to Thessaloniki to address this deficit. Paul worried that the church might fall apart. When Timothy sent report of their strong faith, he was much encouraged. People around the other churches were boasting about them. This was quite a testimony considering its newness. But this does not mean that there were not certain matters which needed to be addressed. Some of the Thessalonians had quit their jobs and left their masters to wait for the soon-expected return of Jesus. Paul had taught them about the return of Christ as well as other essential doctrines such as the death of Jesus on the cross for our sin, His resurrection on the third day, His ascension to the Father, along with His promise to return. Considering the difficulties which the Thessalonian Church had faced from outside, they were naturally eager to see the Lord return.

Another misconception concerning the return of Christ is addressed in this passage. Apparently, some of the believers had died since Paul had been there. They seem to have believed that only those who were alive at the return of Jesus would be included in the heavenly kingdom which His return would bring. Those who had died were therefore lost. The euphemism here is that the believers had fallen asleep which means that they had died. The use of “sleep” implies that they would wake up, so Paul is skillfully setting up his argument. It is unfortunate that the Church had become a divided camp even over this. Some say the soul sleeps until the resurrection. Others say that one is immediately with the Lord upon death. I will not reproduce the arguments here. The comfort we get is that upon death, our next experience will be in the presence of the Lord. So let people think what they will on this.

Paul tells us that those who have died before the Lord’s return are not without hope. The hope of the kingdom transcends death. Paul states at the end of time the Lord will shout through an archangel, the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall arise first, that is before the living saints rise to meet the Lord in the air. This might have reminded the Thessalonians who had supported Caesar Augustus in his battle for the throne of Rome against Marc Anthony. Augustus won and granted the city of Thessaloniki special privileges of self- government. He came to Thessaloniki personally to thank him.

When word came of the coming visit to Thessaloniki, the entire city was electrified. they made preparations to receive him into their city. Then as he came and the trumpets heralded his soon arrival, the people came out from the city to greet him and escort Augustus back into the city.

When Jesus returns, one far greater than Caesar is coming to visit. The Christian should live in this hope and prepare for His arrival, not just to Thessaloniki in particular, but to the entire earth. Is the Church electrified over this truth. Augustus could only bring the living, but Jesus shall come with ten thousands of His saints. Those who have died will already be part of this triumph be in rank behind them. We shall meet Jesus in the air rather than some earthly road. This may imply that we are escorting the Lord back to earth with the New Jerusalem.