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1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Death and the Rapture Good Morning Church, It Is Wonderful to Be Here with You All. This Morning We

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1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Death and the Rapture Good Morning Church, It Is Wonderful to Be Here with You All. This Morning We P a g e | 1 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Death and the Rapture Good morning Church, it is wonderful to be here with you all. This morning we are going to continue our study of 1 Thessalonians, we will finish chapter 4. Let us pray… Now, chapter 4 has brought a change in direction from the Apostle Paul to the young church in Thessalonica. In the first three chapters, Paul was defending his own character against the accusations being made about him because of his quick departure out of their city. Paul, here in this chapter is now exhorting and correcting the young believers there in the church. Remember, when Paul could take it no longer, wanting to know the state of the church in the upper region of Greece. Paul sent young Timothy to see how they were holding up under such severe persecution. P a g e | 2 Timothy brought back word to Paul, and explained not only was there still a church in Thessalonica, but the church was thriving. Their love was abounding, and in fact, they loved Paul, and still respected his authority. Timothy brought back word that they still were weak in a few areas, regarding their sexual purity, and their idea of how to work as Christians, and we spent the last couple of weeks learning from Paul’s corrective teaching in those two areas. Now, Paul will address another point of confusion for these young believers. They had misunderstood Paul, regarding the return of Jesus, and the rapture of the church, and they had questions regarding those of their brethren who had died. Perhaps the persecution of the Christians in Thessalonica had begun to take the lives of many of their loved ones. P a g e | 3 Paul will now explain to them the hope that the believer in Jesus Christ has. He will present the reality of the resurrection of the saints, and speak of the imminent return of Christ. This next portion of scripture is one of the most important eschatological passages in the New Testament regarding the rapture. All throughout this letter to the Thessalonians Paul has made mention to the Rapture and Christ’s coming, and here Paul will give incredible detail to the pretribulation Rapture of the Church. Now, also remember, these young believers grew up under the Greek philosophies, and all of this would be very new to them, and perhaps that is why it took two letters from Paul to clear up their confusion. Their former pagan worldview had no hope or assurance of the afterlife. So first, Paul will answer their wondering hearts about the death of their loved ones, and if those who died P a g e | 4 before the rapture would be handicapped in anyway when this imminent event would take place… Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4:13… The Comfort of Christ's Coming 4:13 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. Paul not sugar coating his words here, very bluntly he says he does not want them to be ignorant concerning those who had fallen asleep. Now this term or idiom ‘sleep’ is a similar word Jesus used for the death of Lazarus in John 11:11-14 Where Jesus explains…. "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up." 12 Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well." 13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking P a g e | 5 rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.” This sleep does not apply to our spirit or soul, but only these earthy tents, these fleshly vessels. You see it is our body that sleeps in death. Now Paul is assuring the Thessalonians that death is not a concern for sorrow for those in Christ. Christ has defeated death in a great spectacle on the cross, and those who put their faith in Him, have a similar hope of their own resurrection. Paul to the Corinthian church gives much detail into this hope of the resurrection. He explains that because Christ rose again, those who put their faith in Him, will also partake in a resurrection to life. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits 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. P a g e | 6 In this hope, we can understand that our loved ones who have proceeded us in death have this hope as well. You see death for the believer brings sorrow, but it is the sorrow of saying goodbye before a long trip knowing we will see them again, but perhaps not for a long time. Truly, goodbyes still bring grief but our grief is coupled with the hope of a reunion where we will never again say goodbye. Does this mean that those believers who have died are currently in some sort of soul sleep awaiting the resurrection of the saints? Not at all…. 2 Corinthians 5:8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. You see the moment this flesh dies, my brain activity ceases, and my heart no longer beats, my soul then P a g e | 7 departs, and is immediately with Jesus, awaiting my resurrected Body. Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:35-49 explains this first Body, the one through Adam is like a seed. It will one day go down into the ground, and from death, an incorruptible body will bloom forth. Understand when you look at a flower, and all of its beauty and intricate detail, and the wonderful fragrance that comes forth from it, understand that a flower was once was a dead, lifeless seed first. It was not until it was buried in death, that it resurrected into that new glorious flower. That imagery is how Paul describes the hope of the person who has died in Christ. Death is a gateway to a better you, an eternal you, one that is no longer bound to the effects of the curse. Where for all eternity you will bear the beauty and fragrance of Christ. P a g e | 8 Paul said in 1 Cor. 13:12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. Currently, we are only a blurry image of what we will be then, when we are known fully and purely. One day, God will raise up those bodies that sleep and they will wake up in the resurrection. Now, the sad reality of the unbeliever is the Bible never refers to their death as sleep. For the person who dies without knowing Jesus as their Savior, there is no rest, no peace, no comfort, and constant turmoil and anguish. Only those who die in Faith are assured of this rest, and resurrection to life. Jesus Himself separated the two different afterlives when He said in John 5:24-29 "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 P a g e | 9 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. You see the believer’s body will be resurrected into eternal life, and the unbeliever into judgment. Now notice there in verse 14, Paul gives the reality of our loved ones who proceeded us in death, because Jesus died and rose again, those who have died in Christ, will return with Him. Your loved ones who died in Christ are not in a holding place, or a suspended reality until the resurrection, even while waiting for their own resurrection they are present with Jesus, that is their soul. P a g e | 10 Many believe when Christ comes for the church, and we are translated up into the sky, that our loved ones will be there to meet us with Christ. It is in this moment, when our new Bodies will be given to us. Paul speaking about the Rapture in 1 Corinthians explains it like this… 1 Cor. 15:51-55 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.
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