Transcript 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 The Classic Rapture Passage and a

A Few Historical Facts on
1Thessalonians
 Author: Paul (along with Silas, and Timothy)
 Possibly Paul’s very first epistle (or
Galatians)
 Date: A.D. 50 or 51 from Corinth
 Founding of the church: Acts 16-17
 Second Missionary Journey; arrived after
being imprisoned in Philippi.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
The Classic Rapture Passage
“(13) But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren,
about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as
do the rest who have no hope. (14) For if we believe that
Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with
Him those who have fallen asleep 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 not
precede those who have fallen asleep. (16) For the Lord
Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and
the dead in Christ will rise first. (17) Then we who are
alive and remain will be caught up together with them in
the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall
always be with the Lord. (18) Therefore comfort one
another with these words.” - 1Th 4:13-18 NASB
iºna (hina) meaning “so that, in order
that”
NIV: Brothers, we NASB: But we do
do not want
not want you to
you to be
be uninformed,
ignorant about
brethren, about
those who fall
those who are
asleep, or to
asleep, so that
grieve like the
you will not
rest of men,
grieve as do the
who have no
rest who have
no hope. V. 13
hope. V. 13
The Purpose of the Letter!
V. 13 But we do not want you to
be uninformed, brethren, about
those who are asleep, so that
you will not grieve as do the
rest who have no hope.
But we have a problem…
Though Paul indicates that the
Thessalonians are uninformed about the
future of their dead loved ones, he does
not specifically state what this
ignorance is. This has lead scholars to
come to different conclusions...
What was their defective eschatology?
This is the the sixty-four-thousand-dollar
question….
 Gnosticism?
 Disconnect of Parousia with Millennium?
 No instruction of the Resurrection during Paul’s
1st visit?
 Shaken doubt in a future Parousia?
 The most plausible answer is that they did
not have a proper framework of the connection
of the Parousia and the resurrection. And this is
strongly implied in Paul’s explanation of the
connection of these two events in the following
verses (14-17).
Where is the “then” clause?
V. 14 For if we believe that Jesus
died and rose again, even so God
will bring with Him those who have
fallen asleep in Jesus.
NET: V. 14 “For (ga»r, gar) if we believe that Jesus
died and rose again, so also we believe that God
will bring with him those who have fallen asleep
as Christians.”
 “if this is what we believe about Jesus, this is
what follows from it’; he is drawing out the
implication of belief in the resurrection of Jesus” I. Howard Marshall
 ga»r (gar) “For”
 Verse 14 is the “ground” clause given the basis or
reason for Paul’s exhortation in the previous v.
13, which is found in the purpose clause, “so that
you will not grieve as do the rest who have no
hope.”
V. 15 For (ga»r, gar) this we say to you by the word of
the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the
coming (parousi÷an, parousia) of the Lord, will not
precede those who have fallen asleep.
 The “unpacking gar (for)” = Fact-Interpretation
(“that is, for). Statement (v.14) and clarifying or
explanatory statement (v.15).
 “the word of the Lord”
 “who…remain”(perileipo/menoi, perileipomenoi)
It carries the idea of “survival, and being left
behind”
 There is no “7 year” gap between the rapture and
the Second Coming in this verse!
Excursus on the term “Coming”
(parousi÷a, parousia)
 The Greek term is “parousia.” (parousia). It is
used 17 times prophetically referring to our
Lord’s Second Coming.
 It means “presence” and denotes an arrival and
a continuing presence.
 The term is a noun, not a verb. The Lord's
coming (parousia) is a comprehensive whole. In
other words, it is not an instantaneous event,
such as the rapture will be. Rather, it will cover a
duration of time in which God will fulfill certain
Divine purposes.
For example, when one thinks of the “First
Coming” of Christ, we do not identify it with
only his birth; rather, his first Coming
(parousia) included his birth, childhood,
public teaching ministry, death, resurrection,
etc.
So shall the Second Coming be a duration of
time for God’s purposes to be revealed. It will
be initiated by the resurrection and rapture
(1Thess4:15-17), but it will also be followed
with the Day of the Lord’s wrath, the
salvation of Israel, Armageddon, the
culmination of the kingdom of God, etc.
 There is only one Second Coming
(parousia). In every instance, the word
“Coming” (parousia) is spoken of in the
singular form, not comings, but one
coming. There is not a hint in the Bible
of two future separate comings, or
stages of comings, but only one future
comprehensive Coming of Christ.
Second Coming Examples…
 1 Corinthians 15:23 But each in his own order:
Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's
at His coming,
 1 Thessalonians 3:13 so that He may establish
your hearts without blame in holiness before our God
and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all
His saints.
 2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then the lawless one will
be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow
with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the
splendor of his coming.
 James 5:7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the
Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land
to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for
the autumn and spring rains.
Non-Second Coming Examples
of Parousia…
 2 Corinthians 7:6 But God, who comforts
the downcast, comforted us by the coming of
Titus,
 Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my dear
friends, as you have always obeyed-- not only
in my presence, but now much more in my
absence-- continue to work out your salvation
with fear and trembling,
 2 Thessalonians 2:9 The coming of the
lawless one will be in accordance with the
work of Satan displayed in all kinds of
counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders
(16) For (o¢ti, hoti) the Lord Himself will
descend from heaven with a shout, with
the voice of the archangel and with the
trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ
will rise first.
 “For” (o¢ti, hoti) is functioning as a ground
clause (because, since, for).
 Note that this will be anything but a
“Secret Rapture”!
(17) Then we who are alive and remain will be caught
up together with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the
Lord.
 “Then” (e¶peita, epeita); indicates in this context
chronological sequence.
 “caught up” aJrpa¿zw, harpazoœ, (snatch, sieze,
take away, indicating a suddenness in the action;
and in this context “in such a way that no resistance
is offered.”)
 “together with them” (a‚ma su\n aujtoiß, hama syn
autois); “marker of simultaneous occurrence,
at the same time, denoting the coincidence of
two actions in time”
Excursus on the term “Rapture”
A common objection: “the word ‘rapture’ is not found in the Bible”
 It comes from Jerome’s 4th Century Latin translation the
Vulgate. When translating 1Thess 4:17, he chose the Latin
equivalent rapiemur (in which we get our English word
“rapture”).
 The words “Trinity”, “monotheism”, and many more theological
terms are not found in English Bibles as well but the concepts
are found in Scripture.
 Because the New Testament was written in Greek, technically
we can say that no English words are found in the Bible.
 The term “rapture” has meant “to be caught up in body or
spirit,” which is precisely why English translations render the
term “to be caught up” in 1Thessalonians 4:17
Harpazo is used 4 times in the Bible to refer to
the notion of “rapture” (i.e. caught up and
transported through the air)
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
1 Th. 4:17, "...we which are alive shall be caught
up”
Rev. 12:5, "...her child was caught up unto God.”
2 Cor. 12:2, "...such as one caught up to the third
heaven.
2 Cor.12:4,...that he was caught up into paradise.”
Acts 8:39, "When they came up out of the water, the
Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch
no longer saw him…(v.40 But Philip found himself at
Azotus”)
Enoch (only one never to die!) Gen. 5:24; Wis. 4:11
(18) Therefore comfort one another with these
words.
 “Therefore” (or “For this reason”) (›Wste,
hOŒste); functioning as introducing an
inference statement, or conclusion of a matter.
Inclusio: (13b) so that you will not grieve as do
the rest who have no hope [vv.14-17] (18)
Therefore comfort one another with these
words.
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