Paul's Exhortations to the Thessalonian Church Volume 26

Paul Encourages & Comforts them with the Certainty of Christ 2nd Coming Part 2

1 Thessalonians 4:15-16 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: KJV

Paul makes it clear to them that he is not speaking his own ideology, imagination, or idea, but that what he writes here to them is the word he has received directly from their/our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ and so he says, "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep." (1 Thessalonians 4:15) (KJV). The Old Kings English word 'prevent' Paul uses here is translated by the Greek word phthano which is a primary verb meaning to be beforehand, that is, anticipate or precede; by extension to have arrived at already. In other words, Paul makes it clear to them and to us that their/our loved ones who haved died 'in Christ' are already with Christ, that is, their souls are with Him right now in Heaven, but when our Lord Jesus returns to the earth to set up His Eternal Kingdom on the new earth, then He will resurrect our dead loved ones bodies and fashion, forge, and formed them into 'new glorified bodies' for them to live in eternally with Him and then shall the Lord Jesus Christ catch those 'in Him' who are still alive on the earth up in the air to meet Him and likewise fashion, forge, and form for them a 'new glorified body' just as Paul wrote with these words explaining this truth and miraculous work of our Lord Jesus to the Corinthian Church, "But I tell you this, brethren, flesh and blood cannot [become partakers of eternal salvation and] inherit {or} share in the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable (that which is decaying) inherit {or} share in the imperishable (the immortal). Take notice! I tell you a mystery (a secret truth, an event decreed by the hidden purpose or counsel of God). We shall not all fall asleep [in death], but we shall all be changed (transformed). In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the [sound of the] last trumpet call. For a trumpet will sound, and the dead [in Christ] will be raised imperishable (free and immune from decay), and we shall be changed (transformed). For this perishable [part of us] must put on the imperishable [nature], and this mortal [part of us, this nature that is capable of dying] must put on immortality (freedom from death)." (1 Corinthians 15:50-53) (Amplified Bible).

The Apostle Paul lived everyday of his life on the earth as if our Lord Jesus Christ would return at any moment, therefore, it is completely understandable that he would teach those new converts in Thessalonica to believe and live in like manner, but with this in mind, it was also now necessary for Paul to correct them when they had been disturbed by some false teachers or false apostles that had made them think Christ had already returned to the earth the 2nd time. Even the Apostle Paul (as great as we see him) was not given by our Lord Jesus Christ the time table or the agenda of what our Lord Jesus had planned for the future just as our Lord Jesus Himself declared to the first Apostles when they over stepped their boundaries of inquiry concerning His future plans when He said this to them, "So when they were assembled, they asked Him, Lord, is this the time when You will reestablish the kingdom {and} restore it to Israel? He said to them, 'It is not for you to become acquainted with {and} know what time brings [the things and events of time and their definite periods] or fixed years and seasons (their critical niche in time), which the Father has appointed (fixed and reserved) by His own choice {and} authority {and} personal power.'" (Acts 1:6-7) (Amplified Bible). Paul now asserts, affirms, and avows that it will be Christ Jesus Himself who raises the bodies of our loved ones whose souls are with Him in Heaven and it will be Him who calls their bodies out of the graves and forms them into incorruptable eternal bodies fashioned to live with Him forever as he says with these words here, "For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:" (1 Thessalonians 4:16) (KJV). First let us remind ourselves about the English word 'Lord' which is translated by the Greek word kurios meaning supreme in authority, that is, (as noun) controller; In other words, our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ is the One True and Only God who made everything there is visible and invisible and it is He that is Sovereign, that is, the Greatest in status, authority or power and it is He that has determined the time He will end all rebellion here on the earth and establish His Eternal Kingdom, therefore, no medium or witch or wizard or fortune teller or psychic (all satanic and of the devil) knows jack, beacuse the devil knows jack.

The little English phrase 'shall descend' is translated by one Greek word katabaino meaning  to descend (literally or figuratively): - come down. In this case it means a literal coming down from His (Jesus Christ) Throne in Heaven to the earth just as the angels told the first Apostles when they witnessed our Lord Jesus Christ ascent into Heaven from earth, "And when He had said this, even as they were looking [at Him], He was caught up, and a cloud received {and} carried Him away out of their sight. And while they were gazing intently into heaven as He went, behold, two men [dressed] in white robes suddenly stood beside them, Who said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing into heaven? This same Jesus, Who was caught away {and} lifted up from among you into heaven, will return in [just] the same way in which you saw Him go into heaven." (Acts 1:9-11) (Amplified Bible). The sound of our Lord Jesus' voice as He descends will be unlike any sound we have ever heard in our world here on the earth, but we will recognize that it is Christ Jesus our Lord.

"That great hope helps us to bridge the dark gorge of present separation. It leaves unanswered a host of questions which our lonely hearts would fain have cleared up; but it is enough for hope to hold by, and for sorrow to be changed into submission and anticipation. As to the many obscurities that still cling to the future, the meaning and the nature of the accompaniments, the shout, the trumpet, and the like, the way of harmonising the thought that the departed saints attend the descending Lord, with whom they dwell now, with the declaration here that they rise from the earth to meet Him, the question whether these who are thus caught up from earth to meet the Lord in the air come back again with Him to earth,—all these points of curious speculation we may leave. We know enough for comfort, for assurance of the perfect reunion of the saints who sleep in Jesus and of the living, and of the perfect blessedness of both wings of the great army. We may be content with what is clearly revealed, and be sure that, if what is unrevealed would have been helpful to us, He would have told us. We are to use the revelation for comfort and for stimulus, and we are to remember that ‘times and seasons’ are not told us, nor would the knowledge of them profit us." Alexander MacLaren

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...

Sincerely in Christ,

Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…