1 Thessalonians 4:9-18 COMFORT ONE ANOTHER Just because we know and love the Lord doesn't mean we have reached the acme of the Christian faith. There were some things lacking in the faith of the believers at Thessalonica that Paul wanted to help them with and in which to instruct them. The purity of life must be taught over and over to the Lord's people. New believers come among us, and many still have habits from their past that need to be dealt with by the word of God being well-taught them. The love between believers is natural evidence of new life when we pass from death to life. That love implanted by God is as real as breathing to us. We are bound by love to those we have never met, and when we meet them, there is genuine "phileo" love, family love, and affection that is natural to a child of God. Love expresses itself in deeds, mutual affection, and respect, in hospitality, sympathy, friendliness, and in warmth. That love, when nurtured and acted upon, purifies our souls so that we do not fake our affection. That love comes from a pure heart that is fervently linked with brothers and sisters in Christ. That kind of spiritual brotherly love creates an affection evident in service and fervent care.
There is another evidence of spirituality that goes further and deeper than family love. Self-sacrificing love (agape) is the deepest expression of value that we can give toward others. This is the kind of love God has for us. "The Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me." "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." That kind of love is limited only by lack of opportunity as it grows more and more in reaching for Christ-likeness. The believers at Thessalonica had that love toward others, and the charge here is that it would be ongoing and increasing, not just a passing act.
Excitement is not always the best evidence of spiritual interest. There are physical and visible ways this kind of love is demonstrated. In our lives in this world, and in particular in daily living, there are those who are going to need our help. We need to apply ourselves to being quiet and minding our own business, and taking care of our own concerns. Working and walking honestly go together in the view of onlookers. I don't meet their needs by putting my nose into their business, but by tending to my own business in honorable labor, I can provide some benefit for others. It seems like some believers in Thessalonica were not working to even provide for themselves. This may have been because they were expecting the Lord to return momentarily, and they had stopped everything to wait for Him. This was one thing that was lacking there - an understanding of what happens when a believer dies. If a person stops working, they have to depend on others to sustain them. Then there is the tendency to start minding the business of others. Manual labor is dignified work. Adam worked in the Garden of Eden before he sinned. Paul worked with his hands so he would not be a burden on others. It was not uncommon for the Greeks to have slaves to do their work for them. The Jews, on the other hand, historically had learned a trade and were quite astute when it came to personal responsibility for themselves and their families. Working not only makes it possible to provide what we need, but it promotes honesty.
The teaching of the coming of the Lord was introduced in Matthew by the Lord Himself shortly before He died. The general coming that includes the imminent return of the Lord for the church, and the appearing of the Lord in glory to reign as King, was introduced to avoid the deceptive attempts of false messiahs to get a following. When the disciples were troubled the night of His betrayal, the Lord comforted their troubled hearts by promising to return and take them with Him to a prepared place for a prepared people. Some people had said the resurrection had already taken place. To clarify the truth and at the same time not take away the sense of urgency the hope of Christ's return, Paul taught the fact and order of His return in 1st Corinthians 15, and then here to the Thessalonians. That teaching would settle their doubts or any denials that it would even take place. Believers that die before the Lord's return are not lost.
A lack of knowledge of a subject is not sinful. To have the truth taught and deny or reject it is. The ignorance referred to in this passage of scripture was that this purifying hope had not been fully taught before. It had been spoken of in general terms. The Lord's coming is both a personal and public matter. At the coming of the Lord, He is coming to take us to a specific place, heaven; those He will receive to Himself are believers only. This is the first resurrection. Those whose bodies are asleep because of the death of the body will have their spirit and body reunited at this resurrection. Sleeping of bodies is only referred to in regard to believers. The real person is with the Lord presently and will rejoin that changed body that will be like the Lord Jesus Christ's resurrected body. As far as believers are concerned, Christ dealt with our death and judgment when He died for us on the cross. So, the bodies of believers are asleep when they are "present with the Lord." That body will be awakened at the coming of the Lord, and physical personhood will be eternal.
The Greeks of Paul's day had a hopeless religion, as do many today. Fear of death has a strong clamp on the souls of those without hope, without Christ, and without God. Christians have a "blessed hope." Our hope is based on the fact that Jesus died for us and rose again physically. In the same way, it happened to Him; it will happen to us at the rapture of the church. Those who had been in the terrible persecution of the early church, and even today, are put to sleep by Jesus, and through the Lord Jesus will God bring with Him. Sleeping bodies and redeemed living spirits will be brought together - one from the earth and the other from heaven.
The dead will be raised from where those bodies are - in the graves, in the ocean, or wherever they are, by the power of the omnipotent God. The word of the Lord will instantaneously change living Christians because of His cross work, His resurrection, and the words we have of accomplished redemption. It will be the same loud voice that called Lazarus from the dead and announced a finished work at the cross that will call us to Himself. Michael's voice will move back the hosts of darkness in Satan's domain, and the trumpet of God will call us all to move forward to gather unto Him.
The dead shall rise in response to the One who holds the keys to life and death. The resurrection of life will happen as the Lord Jesus said, and God's power will accomplish this first resurrection. He who made man from dust will reassemble that person again in a glorified body that is incorruptible, undefiled, and that will not fade away. That rapture, the catching up, will affect the bodies of the living saints as all the family of God is caught up in fellowship together and joyfully gather unto our Lord and Savior.
Our first physical view of our Lord Jesus Christ will be in the air, and from then on, we will be forever with Him. There will be no separation, and we will share in His likeness and life. By virtue of His righteousness imputed to us, our character and body will be blameless before God. We are comforted and can comfort others when loved ones pass away because we know what is coming. We know now what is the end of the story. Grief is not inconsistent with acceptance of the will of God. There is concern and sorrow because of loss, but hope and rest because the future has been made plain to us by the word of God and the Holy Spirit.
It is going to happen; we just don't know when The Father chooses the time, not angels or men The Son rises from His throne, joined by a holy throng The archangel, the trumpet bearer, and all those saints who have gone.
They all move toward earth where they stop in the clouds The Lord's shout, the archangel's voice, and the trumpet all sound The dead in Christ are raised, leaving graves an empty space Body parts, once scattered, are gathered together from their resting place.
Living saints are changed in an instant of time Darkness they leave, now in His presence they shine With faces reflecting the brightness of His glory And another chapter opens as God unfolds more of His story.
The role we will play and the service we will give Is hard to conceive of, in this scene where we live Here things get worse and worse; there, people are right Here is moral and spiritual darkness; there is moral and spiritual light.
We bore the image of the earthly; then in the image of heaven, we will be Here on earth, I am a unique person; in heaven, I will still be me. But I will be changed to be like the Lord, suited to the environs of heaven And able to do what He wants and accomplish the purposes given.
Fellowship and joy here experienced will then be complete Rejoicing with the Lord and the completed bride as finally, we meet As one purchased possession, He paid for with the "blood of His own" There to share in the blessings of the One who now sits on His throne.
"Father, there are a lot of things about the coming of the Lord that are in my mind at this moment. But I do not want to stray into areas of my imagination as I think of seeing Him. It is just that I am getting anxious to see Him and experience those things that will show the whole universe the glory of the Lord. Amen."
1Thessalonians 5:1-11
BE ALERT There is no question that the coming of the Lord for the church was on the mind of the apostle Paul when he wrote this epistle. Teaching about the coming of the Lord had been given but in the sense of His promise to return. In this book, he begins with salvation and the Lord’s coming. We have been rescued from coming judgment. Service for God in view of His coming will give us the incentive to keep us pressing ahead with the Gospel. The sanctification of believers in light of the Lord's coming motivates believers to live holy lives in purity before God and the world. Sorrow was lifted from the Lord's people when they understood how the coming of the Lord would take place. Now in view of the Lord's coming, the epistle concludes with an effort to stir up the Lord's people first in themselves and then in their calling and relationship with others.
Dates are not given in relation to the coming of the Lord. The fact of it is all we need to know in order to be ready. The commencement of it will be sudden and the time appropriate to God's calendar of events, not ours, nor by our wishful thinking. It is foolish for us to set dates because "a day with the Lord is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day." The people of God should never allow themselves to be misled by those who set dates based on current events in the world or for any other reason. His coming will be unexpected and surprising. "Times" has to do with the length of the interval between His ascension and His coming. "Seasons" have to do with the characteristics of the interval. The Thessalonians, and we, know all we need to know. Avoiding speculation in regard to this event is the attitude we are to have.
They knew the day of the Lord was coming but did not know that the commencement of the day of the Lord would be the rapture of the church. That event will be the first act of the day when the judgment of sin begins on this earth. The punishment of those who rejected their Messiah, the punishment of those who persecuted God's chosen earthly people, and the punishment of those who knowingly and deliberately reject Christ as their personal Savior will begin at the coming of the Lord for His church. It will end when the Lord Jesus Christ reigns as King. This was common knowledge from the scriptures, but the coming of the Lord for those who are His own was not known. This was the first written down message regarding the rapture. The manner of His coming is like "a thief in the night," not the time of His coming. As believers, we should maintain the type of conduct and purity of life so that we will not be ashamed of what we are doing when He calls us to Himself.
Those people who do not know nor acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ have accommodated themselves to the world around them and say, "Peace and Safety." The attitude of those people is to live in tolerance and harmony, in spite of the evil and moral wickedness that is going on around them and in which some of them were engaged. They say to be friendly with everyone and don't cause any stirring up of conscience by preaching the Gospel and warning people of the consequences of sin. Safety to such people is being secure from disturbance by God interfering with their sinful lifestyle. There will be an end to what is happening, no matter what laws are passed by godless legislators. The inevitable effect of ignoring righteousness and justice is that destruction will come suddenly, and the effect of the commencement of the day of the Lord will be felt worldwide as millions of people are suddenly and unexplainably not able to be found.
Christians are not ignorant of this fact and so should not be surprised that it will happen. The return of the Lord will be sudden; even though we don't know when it will take place, we will have no time to make any quick changes. We should be conducting ourselves daily at this present time as if it will happen today. As sons of light, the new birth has given us the capacity to understand the light of the word of God. This is not second- hand reflected light but like from God that is part of our new nature. By not knowing the date of His return, we will keep on with our work here and avoid anything that we know is wrong right up to the time we die or the Lord comes. We do not belong in the position of those in darkness, nor are we in the condition of the unsaved.
It is incumbent upon us to be awake to spiritual things, not insensible to them like those who have no interest in the things of God. They are willfully unaware of God and choose to ignore His word. In contrast, Christians are to be alert mentally and spiritually to all that is going on around us. We are to be stable, and not panic because of all the increasing ungodliness, and what others may say are evidence of Christ's coming. It is right that we should be vigilant in view of the signs of the times and use this awareness as a motivation to pursue and engage in the things of God actively. The common practice of sleeping is used as an illustration of man's indifference to God. People are spiritually asleep because they want to indulge themselves in their own pursuits and pleasures. Therefore, they are spiritually indifferent to all that is important in the future and live only for the present.
God's people, on the other hand, are aware of what is happening around us. We know the consequences of sin from the historical accounts in the scriptures, as well as what has happened in secular history. The learning process has made sense to us, and we live in the light of day, where everything is exposed to the light. There is a real difference between a believer's outlook on events, then that of those who chose to deceive themselves. There is stability, sober, self-controlled conduct in those who understand what God is doing. Faith and love are a shield to our vital life practices in the same way a breastplate is to the body. Faith is our confidence in the Lord, what He is doing and will yet do. We know that whatever is the objective of God's dealings with mankind, it is right. That faith in Him produces in us love toward people that preserves us from compromise and sinning because love wants the best for others.
The principle of cause and effect (faith and love), along with hope, enables us to resist the influence of the ungodly that seeks to claim our thoughts and choices. The "hope of salvation" as a helmet does not refer to our salvation from hell but from the power and presence of sin in this life. Hope keeps us looking ahead. Instead of being asleep, we are alert to spiritual matters. We are mentally alert to all that is going on, so we will not be sidetracked or compromising for the sake of peace and safety that deceives people. The sober, stable people of faith and love also need the helmet of hope because the wrath that inevitably is coming will not overtake us. We have been delivered from that wrath because we have been purchased through the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He died on our behalf, and for that reason, we will be caught up in the Lord's coming for the church before that wrath comes. Whether in the natural state of being awake or asleep, or alive or dead, really doesn't affect that fact. We will be delivered from the coming judgment. The condition of the believer does not affect the fact of our deliverance because of that purchase He made when He paid the price of our sin, and it was ratified when we trusted Him by faith. He died that we might lie with Him and for Him. All of these things are reasons for us to be alert and ready because the coming of the Lord may be very close to happening.
In view of the fact that us being ready for His coming and that we will be living with Him, we need all the benefits of encouragement and challenges now that believers can offer each other. When one comes alongside us, there is given the urge to press forward in the things of God and conduct ourselves appropriately as sons and daughters of God. When we know another person needs our support emotionally and our help physically, we should be there to strengthen and edify one another as believers. Being alert to the fact of the imminent return of the Lord is an important incentive to godly living and conduct consistent with our testimony. Being alert to the needs of others is a practical way to assist them in looking ahead with hope, living in faith, and demonstrating love.