Contents
Introduction 2
Hope and Hopelessness 2
Ignorance and Sorrow 4
Homer and Hesiod 4
Arguments, and the Conclusion 7
Argument 1 - WE DO BELIEVE 7
Argument 2 - The Authority and the Order of the Meeting 8
Argument 3 - Revealing and the Rapture 9
The Conclusion - The rapture of the living and the dead in Christ 10
Close 10
• [John 11:25 NKJV] 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
That’s not my text for today, as we’ll be looking at 1 Thessalonians 4; but this is the message as we celebrate the Lord’s resurrection, death is not the final authority in life, with Christ’s resurrection, all who belong to Him will be made alive.
• [1Co 15:20-22 NKJV] 20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, [and] has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man [came] death, by Man also [came] the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.
I want us to have this on the forefront of our mind as we go through the Thessalonian text…Jesus is the resurrection and the life and in Christ all shall be made alive…in Christ, in Christ! Let’s look at our text…
(1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) 13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15 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 by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
Introduction
I want to start with verse 18; Paul encourages the saints in Thessalonica to comfort one another with these words. Which words? The words that point to eternal realities…but specifically the reality of life, even in death. Often times, thoughts and counsel on eternal things don’t seem to bring much sustained comfort, most of us, when we’re stressing in life are typically more caught up in temporal things, and we have a tendency to look to the right here, and the right now for comfort. We can carry an attitude of “what can someone offer me right now or what can I do right now to bring relief for my present situation.”
Well, the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus points us to greater realities than our right now.
Hope and Hopelessness
First let me say this, there’s nothing wrong with trying to find comfort or finding comfort in immediate times of need. But there is a greater value in finding soul satisfying comfort in eternal things. Why? Because the things of this life are passing, they are temporary
• [1Jo 2:17 NKJV] 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
…there is soul satisfying comfort in the hope of eternal things…
• [Tit 1:2 NKJV] 2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began,
Hope is one of those greater values. Hope is a catalyst that directs our hearts into these soul satisfying comforts in eternal things.
• 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And [why] are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him [For] the help of His countenance. [Psa 42:5 NKJV]
• 7 O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD [there is] mercy, And with Him [is] abundant redemption. [Psa 130:7 NKJV]
• 5 Happy [is he] who [has] the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope [is] in the LORD his God, [Psa 146:5 NKJV]
• 18 For surely there is a hereafter, And your hope will not be cut off. [Pro 23:18 NKJV]
A virtue such as hope is essential as we wait for the Lord’s return. Whenever a person loses hope he loses everything worth living for. The person who commits suicide is one who has lost hope; life, this side of eternity has left him/her disillusioned.
Hopelessness
What does hopelessness look like? One of the attributes of hopelessness is a sense of not belonging. With that feeling can come a sense of abandonment, leaving a person with an overwhelming feeling of aloneness in their time of need. They can feel alienated and consider themselves as being different from mainstream society according to their definition of belonging. This can cause some to feel unworthy of love, unworthy of care or even unworthy of any support, leaving them in a place of hopeless isolation and fear of their world. Crying out in despair like Zion in Isaiah:
• [Isa 49:14 NKJV] 14 But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me, And my Lord has forgotten me.”
Hopelessness can also have a paralyzing effect. People in this condition just give up. They lose motivation and feel powerless.
• [Psa 31:12 NKJV] 12 I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel.
Along with loneliness and powerlessness; hopelessness doesn’t allow people to see the glories of eternal realities. That’s what Paul wanted to help the church to know and to fully understand; that they need not be without hope concerning the dead in Christ. They need not feel that life is over, that the death of their loved ones was final. That’s the negative power of hopelessness.
Hope
But, look what the psalmist writes to oppose this and bring hope:
• I would have despaired, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” (Psalm 27:13)
Did you hear that? His hope is connected to eternal realities…And in the book of Job we see the power of hope:
• (Job 19:25-27) 25 For I know [that] my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; 26 And after my skin is destroyed, this [I know], That in my flesh I shall see God, 27 Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. [How] my heart yearns within me!
The psalmist and Job had an eternal perspective on life which brought them hope for the goodness promised in eternity.
How is this hope generated? Hope is generated by placing one’s faith in what God has said. It must be believed and become an internal part of who we are as people of faith. Faith looks back at the cross and the empty tomb, because none here today has ever seen the things in the past, and says I believe this, but hope born of faith looks forward and is guided by the things God has said.
• [Psa 20:6 NKJV] 6 Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His right hand.
• [Jer 30:11 NKJV] 11 For I [am] with you,’ says the LORD, ‘to save you;
Ignorance and Sorrow
Now let’s go back to the start of our text; verse 13.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:13- 13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
Two points that stand out here.
Their ignorance: What happens to dead believers?
Their potential sorrow: Coming from such ignorance
Thessalonica was a Grecian city that was under Roman authority, as such there is no doubt that the people held some very Grecian/pagan understandings of death and the afterlife. There were numerous philosophies and nuances to these philosophies that existed in their culture; I want to look at a few of the Greek understandings of death and the afterlife that may have had some influence in some of the early Christian’s thinking and that would cause some ignorance; and that might cause a sorrow that was without hope. A Hopelessness…
Homer and Hesiod
Homer was an early Greek philosopher and orator of the Iliad and the Odyssey, during his life he spoke concerning the soul of man and its afterlife, which many Greeks incorporated into their belief system and they held on to. One biography states this about Homer, “Philosophical and learned men, like Homer, were composed in the time of ancient Greece, setting beliefs and systematic ways of thought.. . which can still be used in modern society.” Another quote about Homer, “Homer’s teachings through his writings defined who the Greeks were. Greeks looked to Homer’s writings as a rule of thumb for how they wanted to live their lives.” So, we see that he had great influence in the way people saw and did life.
It was during his time, and most likely under his influence, that the Greeks embraced the belief that the soul, which is the word psyche, was associated with the idea of blowing or breathing.
I’m okay with that, because that’s actually biblical…
• [Genesis 2:7 NKJV] 7 And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
At birth, these ancient Greeks believed the psyche is breathed into the body and at death is breathed out of the body. I would say, ok…I get that too…When we die our breath is breathed out…that’s actually biblical…
• [Mar 15:39 NKJV] 39 So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!”
Here’s the thing that brought hopelessness in their understanding of the soul, along with their belief in the breath of life and life’s last breath, they believed that at death, the psyche (soul) travels directly to Hades where it exists as a shade or a shadow. (The words shade and shadow are used interchangeably). Their understanding of Hades is that Hades is a dull, drab, joyless place where there is no hope for a better day. Shadows (or shades) have no personalities; they don’t talk, are extremely stupid, and sometimes take the form of screeching bats. They cease to exist when they are forgotten by the living. This they believed is every person’s fate. Hades was the common dumping ground for everyone; the righteous, the wicked, the kind-hearted, and the scoundrel. All psyches become shades and that’s the end of it.
Another Greek poet during the days of Homer was Hesiod. He proposed the idea that there’s a place called the Isle of Blest, this sounds so much better than Homer understanding of the soul’s destiny. Hesiod believed that for the “fortunate few, there is an afterlife and it is lived out on the Isles of Blest, a place that pretty much resembles life as it was on mainland temporal Greece with some important exceptions, on these Isles good crops are guaranteed in the lush and fertile fields that are harvested three times a year. Even more enticing than reliable crops is the fact that there is no suffering, no sorrow, and no death. But there is a catch: only people with the right credentials are admitted to this land of paradise. As Hesiod imagined it, the good life was only available to heroes who were “killed” in combat in the wars at Thebes and Troy. But instead of actually dying in the fields of battle and ending up as shadows in Hades as Homer would say, these heroes earned immortality by being transported body and soul to the Isle of Blest.
This is what Plato thinks of Hesiod’s understanding of the afterlife — “Of those who die on campaign, if anyone’s death has been especially glorious, shall we not, to begin with, affirm that he belongs to the Golden Race (genos khryseos)… And shall we not believe Hesiod who tells us that when anyone of this race dies, so it is that they become `Hallowed spirits dwelling on earth, averters of evil, guardians, watchful and good of articulate-speaking mortals”
So, as you can see for the new believer, especially, the Greek new believer, there may have been some lingering superstition that brought anxiety and a hopeless sorrow. So there was a tremendous need for Paul to confront their ignorance with the truth of God. Paul knew that the philosophies and lies of the pagan Greeks only brought hopelessness in their sorrow or grief.
Put yourself in Thessalonica, imagine, you and your family have just come to Christ, you’re now believers…there is a surging love for God and His people that dominates your life and behavior…then, persecution comes, and a loved one is killed or dies during this persecution…the Apostle that has been teaching you all about Christ and His glory is not there with you…you bury your loved one…and in the back of your mind, you recall the testimony presented by the Apostle and you know that Jesus has risen from the dead, and you know that he is coming again…but what about the one I love whom I just buried…where is he, what if Jesus comes, will Jesus go to the Isle of Blest and discover that my loved ones are not there, or will He descend to Hades and bring back a dumb shade or shadow, will my loved one not participate in this glorious event of His coming with Jesus because he’s dead and buried or worse yet what if Jesus has already come and my loved one as well as myself missed His appearing?
Paul dealt with this lie that was being told the Thessalonians he tells them in a second letter;
• [2Th 2:1-2 NKJV] 1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.
That was the issue in verse 13, possible Grecian superstition or some other form of ignorance concerning the afterlife; so now we see in verses 14-16 Paul uses three affirmative particles (for), to form the proper argument that points to a conclusion of this matter, a conclusion that aims at bringing a Spirit filled revelation, that brings hope concerning the dead and the coming of the Lord.
Arguments, and the Conclusion
In verse 14, Paul says,
• 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again,(that’s the first Argument), even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.(Conclusion)
Argument 1 — WE DO BELIEVE
Let’s look at the first argument that Paul presents. First there is the supposition that there is genuine belief that Jesus died and rose from the dead. Paul speaks to the conditionality of their whole Christian belief system, everything that you are is based upon this central truth, Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead…this must first be believed! Look what Paul tells the Corinthians:
• [1Co 15:1-4 NKJV] 1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
I am hopeful that we all here do believe this argument, and there is no doubt in our hearts…and if you do believe this…the conclusion that you should know is that as certain as Jesus’ death and resurrection are true, even so is the certainty of God bringing with Jesus those who have died as Christians. If you do not believe that Jesus has died and rose from the dead, then the only life that you live now is empty and without hope, again Paul says this to the Corinthians:
• [1Co 15:13-19 NKJV] 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching [is] empty and your faith [is] also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if [the] dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith [is] futile; you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
This conclusion then should bring hope to the saint, for if we die in Christ, we will also be brought back with Christ at His coming…here is our confidence in this conclusion, Jesus speaks in
• Revelation 1:18 “I [am] He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.”
Isaiah says,
• Isaiah 26:19 “Your dead shall live; [Together with] my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; For your dew [is like] the dew of herbs, And the earth shall cast out the dead.”
How encouraging is that?!
The main point in verse 14 is that the dead in Christ are not excluded from the blessings and the glory of Christ’s return.
Argument 2 — The Authority and the Order of the Meeting
The second argument is really a substantiation of his entire argument, everything he is saying comes totally from direct revelation from Christ. Look at verse 15.
• “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 by no means precede those who are asleep.”
There are two parts to this argument; the primary argument; Christ’s authoritative Word and the secondary argument concerning the order of the glorious meeting at Christ’s return. Paul feels compelled to reveal to them that there will be a specific order in this heavenly calling and that it’s all according to the revealed plan of God. This is no mythological superstition, but the very revelation is by the Word of the Lord. This encouragement was meant to meet the need of the saint who remains and his need to know what will happen to the dead in Christ.
The argument and the conclusion is pretty straight forward. If you are alive at this coming of the Lord, you will not rise to meet Him in the air first. The dead in Christ have a slight advantage in this regard. Paul speaks of this procession in a little more detail to the Corinthians.
• 1 Corinthians 15:22-24 NKJV - 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those [who are] Christ’s at His coming. 24 Then [comes] the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.
And still another comforting revelation — (open Bible)
• 21 “For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to [them], even so the Son gives life to whom He will. 22 “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 23 “that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. 24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. 25 “Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. 26 “For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, 27 “and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. 28 “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 “and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. John 5:21-29 NKJV
This glorification of the saints will be the most incredible event in all of history. The number of the dead in Christ must be in the multi-billion while the number of living saints at His coming can also be in the billions…the gathering unto Him will be full, when we all meet Him together as one body…truly the prophetic Word given to Abraham will be seen in all it’s glory when we meet Him…
• 5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” [Gen 15:5 NKJV]
Argument 3 — Revealing and the Rapture
The last argument enlarges the second argument detailing the event of the procession with a glorious vision of what it will look and sound like when the coming occurs: look at verses 16-17
• 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord
There will be no mistaken understanding at His coming. It will be obvious, it will be glorious! This last argument points to the Lord’s coming, the very thing that these saints have been anticipating. If they believed that Christ died and rose again, then they must be convinced that He is coming in great power and glory.
• 26 “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. [Mark 13:26 NKJV]
His coming will be marked with great shouts, and the voice of an archangel and the trumpet of God. We read about the trumpet of God and its powerful effects found in Exodus…
? 16 Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who [were] in the camp trembled. [Exodus 19:16 NKJV]
? 18 Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw [it], they trembled and stood afar off. [Exodus 20:18 NKJV]
The Conclusion — The rapture of the living and the dead in Christ
The “Then” in verse 17 brings the readers to a glorious encouraging conclusion.
• 17 Then we who are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
The rapture of the church; Paul does not give any hint of the possible timing of this event, it almost sounds like he anticipates being part of the living at the coming of the Lord, but he encourages them that this event is an eternal reality that is theirs to have hope in, for the living, but especially for the dead in Christ at His coming.
Close
• 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” [1Co 15:51-54 NKJV]
• 31 “And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. [Mat 24:31 NKJV]
• 1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. … 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. [1Th 5:1-2, 4 NKJV]
I am by no means a scholar, nor do I pretend to be an expert in the resurrection of the dead, but I do know this, God will not allow the dead in Christ to not receive the full blessing of His promises of eternal realities…therefore, I hope in my grief, and I do not sorrow as those who have no hope…If I die before the Lord comes, I have authoritative testimony that I will rise to meet Him in the air…If I am alive at His coming, I will be changed, and given an incorruptible body that rises after my dead brothers/sisters to meet Him in the air…therefore, comfort one another with these words.
Benediction: [1Co 15:54-58 NKJV] 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O Death, where [is] your sting? O Hades, where [is] your victory?” 56 The sting of death [is] sin, and the strength of sin [is] the law. 57 But thanks [be] to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
