Hope Is Strengthened by Revelation

What Paul is teaching in First Thessalonians 4:15-18 about the Rapture is direct revelation from God. Verse 15a says: "For this we say to you by the word of the Lord." What he has to say about our hope has all the authority of an inspired writer revealing to us what God had given him. In no earlier passage of Scripture is anything like this taught.

Jesus only refers to the Rapture in a general sense in John 14:2-3 where He told His disciples, "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."

Later in First Corinthians 15:51 Paul referred to the Rapture as "a mystery." A mystery is a truth formerly hidden but now revealed. Through a new revelation, God is revealing this mystery to us to strengthen our hope. Note the description given there: "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—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" (vs. 51-52).

The Rapture of the saints, as described in detail in First Thessalonians 4:15-17, is based on the foundation of the death, resurrection, and revelation of Jesus Christ. Paul begins, "We who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep" (v. 15b). There is that word "asleep" again. Those believers who died before the trumpet sounds will not be left out. Two groups of believers are included in the Rapture of the saints: "we who are alive and remain" at "the coming of the Lord" (v. 15b) and "those who are asleep" (v. 15b). Paul's use of the pronoun "we" shows that this event could take place at any time. "Will by no means precede" (v. 15b) tells us not only that no one will be left out, but if anything our departed loved ones in the Lord may even be raised before we are caught up in the air with them.

The key word in verses 15-17 is "coming." This is the translation of a Greek word you may have heard before: parousia. It was used by the Greeks in that day to refer to the arrival of a king, an emperor, or a prince. It specifically refers to both an arrival and a continuing presence with. When used of Christ's "coming" (v. 15b) at the Rapture of the saints, it signifies, not only His coming to gather His people unto Himself, but His continuing presence with them from that moment until His Second Coming when He is revealed to the whole world and sets His feet upon the earth again.

Note Paul's description of Jesus' "coming" in verse 16a: "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God." The "Lord Himself" will come "from heaven" (v. 16a) to gather us unto Himself. He will come "with a shout" (v. 16a) like the command of a military leader calling for his troops to fall in. He will come "with the voice of an archangel" (v. 16a) who adds his voice to the Lord's command. He will come "with the trumpet of God" (v. 16a). In Scripture, whenever a crowd needed to be gathered a trumpet was sounded. And so, "the trumpet of God" (v. 16a) will sound to call us all together with Christ in the air.

Going on, Paul reveals the order of the Rapture in verse 16b: "And the dead in Christ will rise first." As I already pointed out, those saints who have died in Christ will not be inferior to those alive at the Rapture in any way. In fact, we are told that they "will rise first" (v. 16b). Their bodies "will be raised incorruptible" (1 Cor. 15:52) and be joined with their glorified spirits making them into the image of Christ, as the apostle John wrote: "We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is" (1 John 3:2, NASB).

Then those believers who are still living at the time of the Rapture will join them in the air with Jesus. Note verse 17a: "Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air." "Caught up" (v. 17a) refers to a strong, irresistible, even violent act. In Acts 8:39 it speaks of Philip being "snatched away" (NASB) from the Ethiopian Eunuch. It is when the living saints are "caught up… in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" (v. 17a) that they will be transformed "in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Cor. 15:52) and receive their glorified bodies being conformed completely into the image of Christ.

Thus this passage links the resurrection of the saints with the "coming" of the Lord and the rapture of the living saints. These three events will take place in conjunction, with the "coming" of Christ (v. 15b) being the event that triggers the resurrection and the rapture.

Paul concludes verse 17: "And thus we shall always be with the Lord." These concluding remarks are the real words of comfort. After Christ returns to gather us (all His believers) to Himself, "we shall always be with the Lord" (v. 17b). What greater thought can bring such comfort into our lives—spending eternity together with Christ and our dearly departed brethren.

In verse 18 Paul even instructs us to use this passage of Scripture to "comfort one another." He says, "Therefore comfort one another with these words." The word "comfort" (v. 18) is the Greek word parakaleo (paraclete) meaning "to call one alongside." It is the same word used of the Holy Spirit, as I have mentioned before on several occasions. In times of grief we need to come alongside one another and comfort each other with this Scripture. That is Paul’s intent.

That is exactly what Paul intends as part of our ministry to one another. To come alongside each other to counsel and comfort each other with the words of Scripture, so that "rough things become smooth, heavy burdens are lightened, and difficulties vanquished most wonderfully" (Augustine of Hippo, To Proba (Letter CXXX), ccel.org). In this way, sorrow is softened by hope and hope is strengthened by revelation (or Scripture). Amen.