1) The document discusses how Christianity transformed views of death by teaching that those who die "in Jesus" will be resurrected when He returns, finding comfort in Jesus' own death and resurrection. 2) It provides examples from early Christians who faced death with joy and hope rather than sorrow, assured that their departed loved ones were with God. 3) It argues that believing "Jesus died and rose again" gives victory over death, as evidenced by how Christianity empowered and transfigured its early followers despite their facing death.

1. JESUS WAS THE SAVIOR FROM THE GRAVE
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
But we would not have you ignorant, brethren,
concerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow not,
even as the rest, which have no hope. For if we believe
that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that
are fallenasleepin Jesus will God bring with him.—1
Thessalonians4:13-14.
GreatTexts of the Bible
Asleep in Jesus
But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall
asleep;that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, which have no hope. Forif we
believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep
in Jesus will God bring with him.—1 Thessalonians 4:13-14.
St. Paul, in the early part of his ministry, with all the Christian disciples, was
looking for the speedy return of Jesus. And the question was raised, “If it be
so, if Jesus is coming to establish His Church, and we shall be with Him in His
glory, then what of our brethren who have passedout of the world before us?”
This was the absorbing question. Mothers had losttheir children, brothers
had losttheir brothers. One by one these had passedout of their sight. And
those who remained said, “What is to become of those who are takenaway

2. from us out of this visible world before Christ comes back here?” St. Paul’s
answerwas that they who remained and were alive should not “prevent” (go
before) those who had passedaway. Jesus wouldbring with Him those who
had already died. He would go through the regions of the dead and bring back
the souls that had once belonged to this world, and establish their lives. Thus
those who had died and those whom Christ should find at His coming would
be united and would dwell for ever with God.
The Epistles of St. Paul to the Thessalonians are the epistles of immortality.
They have vibrated with rich assurance in multitudes of sorrowing Christian
hearts, as men have stood on the borders of life and wonderedwhat is to be
their destiny in that state of being towards which their thoughts are so
constantly pressing. The idea of immortality has given rise to the greatest
emotions which it is possible for men to feel. It has causedthe highest hopes
and the most terrible fears. The immortal soul has anticipated its own
immortality, and refusedto believe in any specious argument that tells it life
will end here. Pictures of that future life come floating down into this present
life. Men have lived in that other world years before they went there. Men
have kept company with the souls there in closerassociationthan with those
who were beside them all the time. Multitudes who have doubted the
immortality of the soul in their days of ease have, in days of distress and
strain, by the bedside of dear friends, believed with a deep human belief that
nothing could shake. The heart of man finds its only satisfactionin the
expectationof another life. The reaching after immortality has been the
heart’s deepestunderlying root in all the ages ofmankind. This world is not
enough. We put out our hand, and it falls on one little part of the great
scenery;we listen, and hear but one note out of the greatchorus. The
Thessalonians believedin the other life because they found nothing in this life
to satisfy them. We, too, lay hold on the greathope in order to forget how
cruel, disappointing, and bewildering this life is which we are living here. And
when that impulse rises in our hearts, and we look back amidst our cries and
struggles and see the same impulse flickering or else blazing in lives gone
before, we become strongerby the sight of their faith.1 [Note:Phillips Brooks,
The Spiritual Man, 25.]

3. I
Sorrow for the Dead
1. There are two very different kinds of sorrow. There is, first, the sorrow
which St. Paul here describes as the sorrow of “the rest which have no hope,”
and elsewhere as “the sorrow ofthe world” that “workethdeath.” We may
hear it in the wail of paganismover the departed. It views life as a vast
disorder, a chaos where all is blank, haphazard, meaningless, without a voice
to comfort or a mind to explain. Its characteristic attitude is a surrender to
the inevitable which treads with tight lips on to a silent grave. The first mark
of this sorrow is that it is ignorant; and, as a natural result, its secondmark is
that it is hopeless, it cannotlook forward. This is “the sorrow of the rest,” “the
sorrow of the world.”
“If we believe that Jesus died and rose from the dead.” How much hinges on
this! What step behind the Veil can we take without this? Is it annihilation, or
is it metempsychosis, oris it absorptioninto the Divine Nature, if there be
one? Ask all the ages, andyou have just a dead silence of six thousand years.
You may fancy a ghostly laugh at your perplexity, but it is all fancy. There is
nothing so distinct as laughter. It is all blank and world-wide silence. There is
a little dust before your eyes, and that is all you know of the matter.1 [Note:
Letters of James Smetham, 171.]
2. In strong contrast, overagainstthis sorrow ofignorance and despair,
stands the sorrow that understands. It does not deny itself and affectan
exaltation of spirit which it cannot feel. It is chastenedand humble, accepting
the strokes ofaffliction in patience, because it knows that they must be
allowedby Almighty Love. It is a sorrow which develops sympathy, and

4. sanctifies the affections, and breathes strength and nobility into character. It
prepares the sufferer to minister comfort to others. It does not become
cynical, but all the more tender for its grief, and more kindly in its judgment
of others. Its first mark is that it believes and knows;and its second—andthis
is the result of its knowledge—thatit is strong and joyful as it surveys the
prospectof “the glory that shall be revealed.” This is the “godly sorrow,” the
sorrow which is not as that of “the rest, which have no hope.”
In the catacombs ofRome, that wonderful city of the dead, where several
millions have been laid to rest, there is no sign of mourning; everything—
picture, epitaph, emblem—is bright and joyous. Although an almost countless
number of these early followers of Christ were buried in the periods of bitter
persecution, no hint of vengeance ontheir oppressors is engravedor painted;
all breathes gentleness, forgiveness, immortal life. With calm, unwavering
confidence these early Christians recordedin a few bright words their
assurance thatthe soul of the departed brother or sisterhad been admitted to
the happy lot reserved for the just who leave this world in peace, their
certainty that the soulwas united with the saints, their faith that it was with
God, and in the enjoyment of goodthings. Intensely they realized that all the
faithful, whether in the body or out of the body, were still living members of
one greatfamily, knit togetherin closestbonds of a love strongerthan death.
They believed with an intense faith in the communion of saints. And for the
departed they knew of no break in existence, no long dreamless sleep, no time,
long or short, of waiting for blessedness. The teaching ofour Redeemerwas
remembered well: “To-day,” He said to the dying thief hanging by His side,
“to-day shalt thou be with me in paradise!” This was the steady, unwavering
faith of the Christians whose bodies rest in the vast cemeterywhich lies all
round old Rome.1 [Note:H. D. M. Spence-Jones.]
II

5. The New Aspectof Death
1. There is nothing more marvellous in the history of Christianity than the
change which it wrought in men’s views of death. The change is one stamped
into the very life of humanity, howeverit may be explained. Whereas men had
previously thought of death as only a greatdarkness, or a dreamless and
perpetual sleep, they began to think of it as a change from darkness to light,
and as a sleepwith a glorious awakening. The brightness and joy were no
longerhere. This was not the true life from which men should shrink to part.
All was brighter in the future; the higher life was above. Deathwas not only
welcome, but joyfully welcome. To die was gain. It was “to depart, and be
with Christ; which is far better.” This was not merely the experience of an
enthusiastic Apostle; it became the overwhelming experience of hundreds and
thousands. Death was swallowedup in victory. “O death, where is thy sting?
O grave, where is thy victory?” was the triumphant echo from Jerusalemto
Rome, and from Antioch to Alexandria, in thousands of hearts, that had but
lately known no hope and shared no enthusiasm—not even the enthusiasm of
a common country or common citizenship.
2. What is the explanation of all this? What was it that sent such a thrill of
hopeful anticipation through a world dying of philosophic despair and moral
perplexity and indifference? Was it any higher speculation? any intellectual
discovery? any eclectic accidentor amalgamof Jewishinspiration with
Hellenic thought? Men had everywhere—inGreece and Rome, in Alexandria
and Jerusalem—beentrying such modes of reviving a dead world, of
reawakening spiritual hopefulness;but without success. No mere opinion or
combination of opinions wrought this greatchange. Mendid not learn
anything more of the future than they had formerly known; no philosopher
had discoveredits possibilities or unveiled its secrets.But there had gone forth
from a few simple men, and from one of more learning and powerthan the
others, the faithful saying that “Christ is risen indeed.” “Now is Christ risen
from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.” And it was this

6. suddenly inspired faith that raised the world from its insensibility and
corruption, and kindled it with a new hope—and the joy of a life not meted by
mortal bounds, but “incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away.”
3. It was on the strength of this assurancethat St. Paul soughtto comfort the
Thessalonians. Theyhad been—from what causesare not said—in anxiety as
to the fate of their departed friends. They seemto have doubted whether these
friends would share with them in the resurrectionof the dead and the joy of
the secondcoming of the Lord. The Apostle assuredthem that they had no
need to be in trouble. The departed were safe with God, and the same great
faith in the death and resurrectionof Christ that sustainedthemselves was the
ground of confidence for all.
Jesus Christ, who knew the universe, whose eye penetrated the unseen, who
could not be mistaken, who knew the meaning of every word He spoke and of
everything He did, died—died, committing His personand spirit into the
hands of a PersonalGod, that God being His Father. Here is comfort; I feelit,
I praise God for it; I see light amidst darkness;simplicity amidst confusion, a
path passing through the mysteries of the unseenand going straight up to the
throne of God; midnight and greatdepths are as a wall on either side, but the
path itself is beautiful and safe, for Jesus, the very truth and life, goes before
as my forerunner. Give me grace only to have this mind which was in Jesus—
to be able amidst the agonies ofdeath to see God as my Father, and to know
nothing more than this, that I can commit myself into His hands, then, O
Death, where is thy sting?—O Grave, where is thy victory?1 [Note: Norman
Macleod, Love the Fulfilling of the Law, 219.]
I agree entirely with what you have said of Deathin your lastletter; but at the
same time I know well that the first touch of his hand is cold, and that he
comes to us, as the rest of God’s angels do, in disguise. But we are enabled to
see his face fully at last, and it is that of a seraph. So it is with all. Disease,

7. poverty, death, sorrow, all come to us with unbenign countenances;but from
one after another the mask falls off, and we behold faces which retain the
glory and the calm of having lookedin the face of God. I know that it will
please you if I copy here a little poem which I wrote in April, 1841, and of
which I was reminded by what you said of Deathin your lastletter. It is crude
in as far as its artistic merits are considered, but there is a glimpse of goodin
it.
Sin hath told lies of thee, fair angel Death,
Hath hung a dark veil o’er thy seraph face,
And scaredus babes with tales of how, beneath,
Were features like her own. But I, through grace
Of the dear God by whom I live and move,
Have seenthat gloomy shroud asunder rent,
And in thine eyes, lustrous with sweetintent,
Have read that thou none other wastbut Love.
Thou art the beauteous keeperof that gate

8. Which leadethto the soul’s desired home,
And I would live as one who seems to wait
Until thine eyes shall say, “My brother, come!”
And then haste forward with such gladsome pace
As one who sees a welcoming, sweetface;
For thou dost give us what the soul loves best—
In the eternal soula dwelling-place,
And thy still grave is the unpilfered nest
Of Truth, Love, Peace, andDuty’s perfectrest.1 [Note:Letters of James
RussellLowell, i. 87.]
III
The Victory over Death

9. “This is the victory that overcomeththe world,” says St. John, “evenour
faith.” And this is the victory, says St. Paul, that overcomethdeath. “If we
believe,” he says. A weightof fact lies behind that “if.” St. Paul writes it in no
doubtful mood, as indeed his Greek construction indicates. It is the “if” not of
conjecture but of logic, as when we say that such and such results are certain
if two straight lines cannotenclose a space. He brings the Thessalonians,
anxious about their buried dear ones, back to a certainty of hope by appealing
to this certainty of accomplishedfact. They knew that Jesus had died and
risen. Well then, granting that “if so,” with equal fulness of knowledge were
they to say, “Even so them also that are fallen asleepin Jesus will God bring
with him.” Was it a certainty to them that He had risen? Yes; and why?
Because, onthe one hand, adequate testimony attended the assertion, the
testimony not only of the words of many witnesses, but of the moral miracle
which those witnessesthemselves were;they were transfigured men compared
with what they had been before Jesus rose. On the other hand, the
Thessalonians had themselves made proof of the transforming power of Him
who was presentedto them as risen again;they were themselves transfigured
men, knowing God, loving God, at peace with Him now, and looking with
indescribable assuranceofhope for His glory hereafter.
1. It is plainly suggestedin the text that in the fact that Jesus died there is a
specialconsolationforthose who sorrow for the dead. If Jesus had tastedof
all that life brings to us exceptits close;if through the powers of His Divine
nature He had in some way assertedand won for us eternallife apart from
death, should we not feelthat the darkesttract of human experience was
untouched by His sympathy, even if it were transformed by His power? But
now, is it not written, “Jesus died”? He is no strangerto the terrors of that
mysterious land which one day we all must know. Deathis not “the
undiscovered country” to Him, for He has explored it for us that we should
know no dread. He has stepped into the fast-running waters of that cold river
which severs time and eternity, and lo! “a wayfor the ransomedto pass over”
has marked the passageofHis pierced feet. Christ died, and therefore

10. Christianity is at home with grief for the dead; and the first condition of an
ample comfort is satisfied in the assurance that there is nothing He does not
know concerning death.
2. From the factthat “Jesus died,” the Apostle passes onto the triumphant
sequel: “and rose again.” Here is the secondfactwhich will illuminate sorrow
and rob death of its sting. “We believe that Jesus rose again.”Think what
Christ would have been to us, if our faith had been shut up to a bare
knowledge that He died. If there had been no stone rolled awayon the third
morning would not His sepulchre in Joseph’s gardenhave been, in no small
measure, the sepulchre of comfort too? Christian faith, which suns itself in the
assurance that“now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits
of them that slept,” knows that it will lose all its brightness, its very vital
breath even, if the certainty of that resurrectionis broken, and the light and
the warmth of that revelationare takenaway. In the light of Christ’s
resurrectionalone does death assume or retain for us any higher meaning
than for the ancient world. It is the light of the higher life in Christ which
alone glorifies it. And unless this light has shone into our hearts, who cantell
whence hope can reachus? We may be resignedor peaceful. We may accept
the inevitable with a calm front. We may be even glad to be done with the
struggle of existence, and leave our name to be forgotten and our work to be
done by others. But in such a mood of mind there is no cheerfulness, no spring
of hope. With such a thought St. Paul could comfort neither himself nor the
Thessalonians. Forhimself, indeed, he felt that he would be intensely
miserable if he had only such a thought. “If in this life only we have hope in
Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” Hope in death can spring only from
the principle of personalimmortality; and this principle has no root save in
Christ.
If we quit the living Christ, we quit all hold of the higher life. “If Christ be not
risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.” Heaven becomes
a dumb picture; and death—euphemize it as we may—merely blank

11. annihilation. We may say of our dear ones, as we lay them in the dust, that
they have fallen asleep;but the gentle words have no true meaning. The sleep
is without an awakening. The higher and hopeful side of the image is cut
away. The night becomes a perpetual slumber, on which no morning shall
ever arise. It is only in the light of the resurrection of Christ that the phrase
represents a reality, and the idea of death is transfigured into a nobler life. Let
us believe that behind the veil of physical change there is a spiritual Power
from which we have come—one who is the Resurrectionand the Life—in
whom, if we believe, we shall never die,—and we may wait our change, not
only with resignation, but with hope, and carry our personal affections and
aspirations forward to another and a better state of being, in which they may
be satisfiedand made perfect.1 [Note:Principal Tulloch, Some Facts of
Religionand of Life, 138.]
What do the words “bring with him” signify? Say, if you will, they are too
high for us, we cannot attain to them,—and you speak truly. But do not cast
them aside because they are too high for you. The sun which shows you all
that is at your feet is always too high for you to ascendto it, too bright for you
to gaze upon it. These words may be full of illumination to us, in some of our
dreariestand darkesthours, though they must be fulfilled to us, before the
mists which rise from below to obscure them to us canbe entirely scattered.2
[Note:F. D. Maurice, Christmas Day, 405.]
IV
The Name for Death
1. It is to Jesus primarily that the New Testamentwriters owe their use of
sleepas the gracious emblem of death. The word was twice upon our Lord’s
lips; once when over the twelve-year-oldmaid, from whom life had barely

12. ebbed away, He said, “She is not dead, but sleepeth”;and once when in
reference to the man Lazarus, from whom life had removed further, He said,
“Our friend sleepeth, but I go that I may awake him out of sleep.” But Jesus
was not the originator of the expression. We find it in the Old Testament,
where the prophet Daniel, speaking of the end of the days and the bodily
resurrection, designates those who share in it as “them that sleepin the dust of
the earth.” And the Old Testamentwas not the sole origin of the phrase. For it
is too natural, too much in accordance withthe visibilities of death, not to
have suggesteditself to many hearts, and to have been shrined in many
languages. Manyan inscription of Greek and Roman date speaks ofdeath
under this figure; but almost always it is with the added, deepened note of
despair, that it is a sleepwhich knows no waking, but lasts through eternal
night.
2. The expressionin the text “them also that are fallen asleepin Jesus,”
suggestsa very tender and wonderful thought of closeness andunion between
our Lord and the living dead, so close that He is, as it were, the atmosphere in
which they move, or the house in which they dwell. But, tender and wonderful
as the thought is, it is not exactly the Apostle’s idea here. For, accurately
rendered, the words run, “them which sleepthrough Jesus.” They“sleep
through Him.” It is by reasonofChrist and His work, and by reasonof that
alone, that death’s darkness is made beautiful, and death’s grimness is
softeneddown to this. What we calldeath is a complex thing—a bodily
phenomenon plus conscience, the sense of sin, the certainty of retribution in
the dim beyond. The mere physical fact of death is a trifle. Look at it as you
see it in the animals; look at it as you see it in men when they actually come to
it. In ninety-nine casesout of a hundred it is painless and easy, and men sink
into slumber. Strange, is it not, that so small a reality should have power to
castover human life so immense and obscuring a shadow!Why is it? Because,
as St. Paul says, “the sting of death is sin,” and if you can take the sting out of
it then there is very little to fear, and it comes downto be an insignificant and
transient element in our experience. Now, the death of Jesus Christ takes
awaythe nimbus of apprehensionand dread arising from conscienceand sin,
and the forecastofretribution. Jesus Christ has abolished death, leaving the

13. mere shell, but taking all the substance out of it. It has become a different
thing to men, because in that death of His He has exhausted the bitterness,
and has made it possible that we should pass into the shadow, and not fear
either conscienceorsin or judgment.
We may tell the story of the Christian’s burial no longer in that brief hollow
phrase which to the ancients seemedthe tenderestallusion that could be made
to the deceased, “Nonest,” he is not; but in words like those of Bunyan’s, so
fragrant of heart’s-ease andimmortelle,—“The pilgrim they laid in a
chamber whose window openedtowards the sunrising; the name of that
chamber was Peace,where he slept till the break of day.”1 [Note: A. J.
Gordon, In Christ, 189.]
Notice with what a profound meaning the Apostle, in this very verse, uses the
bare, nakedword “died” in reference to Christ, and the softenedone “sleep”
in reference to us. “If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them
also which sleep.” Ah! yes! He died indeed, bearing all that terror with which
men’s consciences have investeddeath. He died indeed, bearing on Himself
the sins of the world. He died that no man henceforwardneedever die in that
same fashion. His death makes our death sleep, and His Resurrectionmakes
our sleepcalmly certain of a waking. It is profoundly significant that
throughout the whole of the New Testamentthe plain, nakedword “death” is
usually applied, not to the physical factwhich we ordinarily designate by the
name, but to the grim thing of which that physical fact is only the emblem and
the parable, viz. the true death which lies in the separationof the soul from
God; whilst predominately the New Testamentusage calls the physical fact by
some other gentler form of expression.1 [Note:Alexander Maclaren.]
V

14. The GreatConsummation
1. The one greatassurance ofthe New Testamentin regard to the eternal
world—an assurance thatought to be satisfactoryand sufficient—is that those
who have gone before are with God. Let that cheerus. Let us restrain our
wondering and curiosity, or be willing that they should not be satisfied, so
long as we know with certainty that every soul passing out of this mortal life
into the immortal is with the great, true, loving, unforgetting Father. Such
souls are in the hands of a mercy that never fails, in the hands of a powerthat
can provide for all the wants of that unknown life. Is there not, in this
teaching which St. Paul sent back by Timothy to the Thessalonians,a kind of
answerto one of the deepestquestions which we ask? We have here the
assurance thatthere shall be no separationof those who have passedbefore
from those who are left behind. God will gather togetherall souls, and they
shall be together through all eternity.
Is it not true that the fact that our beloved are with the Lord is assuredly
meant to develop a new gravitation of the soul towards “that world”? On
earth if a dear friend leaves us for the other hemisphere, for a place perhaps
of which we never heard before, there rises for us a new interestthere, a new
attraction. We busy ourselves to find out all we canabout the locality and the
life, and we supplement information with imagination for very love. “Where
the treasure is, there is the heart also.” We live where our affections are. Even
so, will not thought and aspiration be even unconsciouslymagnetized towards
the Home which now holds our holy ones? Shall we not through them be
drawn anew towards the Lord with whom they now converse face to face.1
[Note:H. C. G. Moule, Concerning Them Which are Asleep, 18.]
2. There are inevitably some perplexities which result from the finiteness of
our nature, and the impossibility of comprehending the infinite. We have
lookedin imagination into the other world, and seenit thronged and crowded

15. with the millions in all the ages sweeping into it, and we have said, “How shall
we find the few scatteredsouls that we have known on earth?” The doubt
comes of finiteness. Those few souls are for us essentiallythe souls of the
everlasting life. Next to the Saviour and the Father and the Holy Spirit, the
souls through whose ministry our soul has been helped are to us the dwellers
in the heavenly world. We shall go to them there as eachsoul goes to its own
degree and place in the life of the New Jerusalem. We come back to the
truthfulness of our first impulse, and know that we are to be not only for ever
with the Lord, but for ever with all those we love. The question, “Shall we
know eachother there?” presses upon the souls of believers in all ages. The
Thessalonians longed, as we long, for the everlasting company of those near
and dear. And St. Paul’s assurance wasthat God would bring them who had
gone before, and fastentheir lives to the lives of those whom Christ should
find here at His coming. They who had gone before should come, with all the
life openedto them in their immortality, and there should be no separation.
We cannotthink of ourselves apartfrom those whom we most intimately love.
But that which has laid hold on the spirit is part of the spirit. We know it by
the wayin which we live continually a part of the life of those who have passed
to the eternalworld. We are not separatedfrom them now. We live in
memory of what we know they once were, and in thought of what they are
now in the eternalworld. We shall not merely be with those with whom we
have had spiritual communion here; we shall be with them as we have never
been with them here. The bodily differences will be takenaway, the prisons
will be broken open, our souls will meet in close union as they have never met
here on earth.
If we think much of those whom we have loved on earth, and who have passed
out of sight, we try to follow them, to be imitators of those who now “inherit
the promises.” Theyare above us, but not too much above us. They are still
branches of the same vine, members of the same Body. The branches of the
tree are equally near to eachother, whether the moonlight shine on all or only
on one branch. The hand in the shadow and the hand in the light are not more
near to eachother, than we are to them. If one hand is in the light and one
hand in the shadow, they are not really more separatedthan when both were

16. in the light or both in the shadow. The union remains, the union with Christ,
and with eachother.1 [Note:G. H. Wilkinson, The Communion of Saints, 25.]
To our child as she approachedeternity, there was given (I cannot use a
weakerwordthan given) a conviction—I may venture to call it an intuition, so
calm and balancedwas the certainty—that in that new life “with the Lord”
she would still be near to us and “know about us.” Of course we do not treat
her expectations as a revelation. But when we put them into context with the
intimations of the written Word, we find in them a gentle light in which to
read those intimations more clearly. That “cloudof witnesses”who are seenin
the glass ofScripture (Hebrews 12:1), watching their successors as they run
the earthly course, are assuredlypermitted to be cognizantof us and of our
path. And the same greatEpistle informs us, on our side, in the same chapter
(Hebrews 12:23), that we, in Christ, “have come,” not only (wonderful fact)
“to an innumerable company of angels,” but also “to the spirits of the just
made perfect.” “In vain our fancy strives to paint” the conditions of contact
and cognizance. Butit is enough to have even the most reservedintimation
from the Divine Book that a contactthere is. And the subordinate evidence of
experience is not wanting. Instances may be few, but instances there are, as
trustworthy as sound evidence can make them, of leave given to mourning
Christians to know, mysteriously but directly, that their beloved have indeed
been near them in full and conscious love.2[Note:H. C. G. Moule,
Concerning Them Which are Asleep, 14.]
Not mine the sad and freezing dreams
Of souls that, with their earthly mould,
Castoff the loves and joys of old.…

17. No! I have Friends in Spirit-land,
Not shadows in a shadowyband,
Not others but themselves are they.
And still I think of them the same
As when the Master’s summons came;
Their change, the holy morn-light breaking
Upon the dream-worn sleeper, waking—
A change from twilight into day.1 [Note: J. G. Whittier.]
Asleep in Jesus
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES

18. Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
ReasonsAgainstSorrow ForThe Dead
1 Thessalonians 4:14, 15
T. Croskery
The apostle gives severalreasonswhy the Thessalonians oughtnot to sorrow
for their dead.
I. THE FUNDAMENTALREASON IS THE DEATH AND
RESURRECTIONOF CHRIST. "If we believe that Jesus died and rose
again." These are the primary facts of Christianity. They are inseparably
linked together, for the resurrectionwas the crownof the redeeming sacrifice;
for if he was delivered for our offences, he was raisedagain for our
justification. Deny either or both, we "are yet in our sins."
II. THE SECOND REASONIS, WHEN CHRIST COMES AGAIN FROM
THE FATHER'S RIGHT HAND, HE WILL BRING WITH HIM THE
SLEEPING SAINTS. "Evenso them also who sleepin Jesus will God bring
with him."
1. The dead saints sleepin Jesus. Theyarc associatedwith him both in life and
in death. They "die in the Lord;" "they are presentwith the Lord."
2. They will accompanyJesus athis secondcoming. This includes
(1) their resurrection from the dead, - for "he who raisedup the Lord Jesus
shall raise up us also by Jesus" (2 Corinthians 4:14);
(2) their joining the retinue of Jesus to share his triumph. As risen from the
dead, he becomes "the Firstfruits of them that slept."
III. THE THIRD REASON IS THAT THE LIVING SAINTS WILL NOT
PRECEDETHE DEAD SAINTS AT THE COMING OF CHRIST. "Forthis
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 precede them which are asleep." This
fact would effectively dissipate their sorrow for their departed friends.

19. 1. It is a fact wade known by specialrevelation. Such revelations were
frequently made to the apostle, as in the case ofhis specialmissionfield (Acts
22:18-21), the position of Gentile saints (Ephesians 3:3), the Lord's Supper (1
Corinthians 11:23), and the reality and proofs of Christ's resurrection(1
Corinthians 15:3).
2. It is a fact that does not imply either the nearness of the secondadvent, or
the apostle's ownshare as a living man in its glories. He says, "We which are
alive and remain to the coming of Christ;" he merely identifies the living
believers of the last age with himself, as if he said, "Those ofus Christians
who may be alive at the advent." He could not have believed that he would not
die before the advent, for
(1) that would imply that "the word of the Lord" had misled him;
(2) he actually preferred to be absentfrom the body, and toward the end of
his life spoke of death as "gain," and of his desiring "to depart and be with
Christ," words quite inconsistentwith this theory;
(3) he virtually declares in the SecondEpistle that the advent could not
happen in his lifetime (2 Thessalonians 2.);
(4) he knew that no man, not even the Son of man, knew the time of the advent
(Mark 13:42).
3. It is a fact that the living saints will not get the start of the dead saints in the
coming of the Lord. This is his express revelationfrom the Lord. "The dead in
Christ shall rise first," or before the living are changed(1 Corinthians 15.).
The Thessalonians neednot, therefore, sorrow for their departed friends,
neither be afraid themselves to die. - T.C.

20. Biblical Illustrator
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, evenso them also which sleep
in Jesus will God bring with Him
1 Thessalonians 4:14
Christ's resurrectionand ours
C. Molyneux, M. A.
I. THE EVENT PREDICTED."WillGod bring with Him."
1. This is affirmed to meet the fear that God could not do so. The ground of
their sorrow was that their departed friends would be deprived of the glories
of Christ's advent, which was thought to be near. Paul now assures them that
the dead will share it as powerfully as the living.
2. The Thessalonians thus believed in Christ's secondcoming. This was a
subject often on our Lord's lips, and is a prominent feature in this Epistle. It is
kept in the backgroundby many Christians to their disadvantage. Frequent
thought about it is requisite to spirituality of mind. Paul says, "Our
conversationis in heaven," and his reasonis "from whence also we look for
the Saviour." Heavenly mindedness is the drawing of self to Christ.
3. If God brings departed saints with Him, they are with Him now, otherwise
He could not bring them. They are "the generalassemblyof the first born;"
"Spirits of just men made perfect;" "Absent from the body, present with the

21. Lord." The New Testamentagainand againasserts thatthe saints after death
go direct into God's presence.
4. When departed spirits are brought by God they will know one another. It is
amazing to suppose that we should know eachother on earth and not in
heaven; that we should have a less amount of perceptionas to eachother's
characterand identity there than here. If this be admitted the passagewhich
was intended to comfort is a mockery. How could the Thessalonians be
comforted by the coming of their deceasedfriends if they were not to know
them? Read 1 Thessalonians 2:19, 20. How could Paul's converts be his crown
of rejoicing if he was not to know them? The same doctrine is proved from the
parable of the rich man and Lazarus and from the appearance ofMoses and
Elias at the Transfiguration.
II. ITS CERTAINTY.
1. If we believe that Christ died and rose againit follows as a necessary
consequence thatthose who sleepin Him He will bring with Him. Observe
how everything is basedon the death and resurrectionof Christ; and in view
of that it is no wonderthat the first preachers were selectedbecausethey were
witnesses ofthe resurrection.(1)The objectof Christ's death was "to redeem
unto Himself a peculiar people." When God speaks ofthe results of that death
as to its primary purpose, He says, "He shall see His seed;" "He shall see of
the travail of His soul and be satisfied."(2)The objectof the resurrectionwas
to be the guarantee that the work of redemption was accomplished, and to be
the first fruits of its accomplishment; to be followedby its proper results, a
harvest. So that if we believe these two facts, i.e., that Christ finished the
whole work that the Father gave Him to do, we must believe that the Father
will fulfil His covenant part of the trans. action and give to Christ the seed,
and that the seedshall be perfected and glorified. To this it is necessarythat
He should bring the spirits of the saints to meet their bodies, which is the
assertionofPaul here.
2. It follows, also, thatthe Church being thus perfectedin herselfmust also be
perfectedin her circumstances. "FatherI will also that those whom Thou
gavestMe be with Me," etc. (ver. 17).

22. III. ITS OBJECT AND PURPOSE.The reunion of the saints —
1. With their bodies.
2. With their friends.
3. With Christ, body and soul.Conclusion:The passageis full of comfort, but
there is a tremendous limitation in it. It refers exclusively to those who sleepin
Christ and those who are living in Him when He comes. Are you "in Christ"?
(C. Molyneux, M. A.)
Christ's resurrectionthe pledge of ours
R. S. Barrett.
At our birth our bodies became a battleground betweenlife and death. During
the first ten years death makes many conquests. At ten years death begins to
fall back. At twenty, life is triumphant. At thirty, life foresees the future. At
forty, the battle is hot. At fifty, death inflicts some wounds, and life begins an
orderly retreat. At sixty, life feels her strength failing. At seventy, the retreat
becomes a rout. At eighty, death waves the black flag and cries, "No quarter!"
This is no fancy picture; it is no preacher's dream; it is a fact undeniable,
inevitable, universal! Indifference cannot affectits certainty, and scepticism
cannot refute its truth. There is only one other fact with which we can
confront this fact of death, and that is the resurrectionof Jesus. Here fact
meets fact. That is what we demand. We want a fact, a case, aninstance, one
single instance of resurrection. Once a sea captainfound his crew on shore
apparently dead. The surgeontook one of the men and applied remedies, and
the poisonedman stoodon his feet. The captain shouted with joy, for in that
one risen man he saw the possibility to save them all. So Christ brings life and
immortality to light. His resurrectionis not metaphysics, but history. Not
speculationfor the future, but a fact of the past. Not a problem to be solved,
but the solution of all problems.
(R. S. Barrett.)

23. The certainty and blessednessofthe resurrectionof true Christians
Abp. Tillotson.
I. WHAT IS MEANT BY THOSE THAT SLEEP IN JESUS.
1. Sleepis a metaphor used by sacredand profane writers. The ancient
Christians calledtheir place of burial Koimetrion "sleeping place." The figure
is applied to the death of the wicked, but more frequently to that of the
righteous (Isaiah 57:2). Fitly is death so called as signifying rest(Revelation
14:13), and as preparatory to waking.
2. Deathis called a sleeping "in Jesus" in conformity with 1 Corinthians
15:18, 23;1 Thessalonians 4:16;Hebrews 11:13. To sleepin Christ, to be
Christ's, to die in Christ, to die in the faith, all mean the same; to die in the
state of true Christians as to be "in Christ" (John 15:4; Romans 13:1), means
to be a Christian. And it is observable that we share all Christ's acts — die,
rise, ascend, etc. with Him.
3. Some think that this is the sleepof the soul, but, on the contrary, Scripture
applies the figure invariably to the body (Daniel 12:2; Matthew 27:52; Acts
13:36); and it is inconsistentwith those passageswhichclearly affirm the soul
to be awake(Luke 16:22, 23; Luke 23:43; Philippians 1:23; 2 Corinthians
5:6).
II. WHAT IS MEANT BY GOD'S BRINGING WITHHIM THEM THAT
SLEEP IN JESUS.
1. The death and resurrectionof Christ are an argument and proof of ours.
Christ's death is mentioned as part of the argument because the truth of the
miracle of the resurrectiondepends upon it. If Christ did not die He could not
have risen. The resurrectionis shownin 1 Corinthians 15:20 to be the pledge
and first fruits of ours. And that Christ intended to lay greatstress upon this
argument, appears in that He foretold it so often as the greatsign He would
give to the Jews to confute their infidelity (John 2:18, 19;Matthew 12:39, 40).
Christ's resurrectiongives us satisfactionin generalof immortality, and then

24. of His powerto raise us because He raised Himself. And then it assures us of
His truth and fidelity that He will perform what He promised. He could not
have promised anything more improbable than His own resurrection; and,
therefore, since He keptHis word in this, there is no reasonto distrust Him in
anything else that He has promised (Revelation1:18; Revelation3:14).
2. Wherein the blessedness ofthe just shall consist.(1)In the mighty change
which shall be made in our bodies and the glorious qualities with which they
shall be invested.(a) "Equal to the angels" in immortal duration, and
"children of God" in the perfectpossessionofHis happiness (Luke 20:35,
36).(b) Fashionedlike unto the glorious body of Christ (Philippians 4:20).(c) (1
Corinthians 15:35, etc.).(2)In the consequenthappiness of the whole man, the
body purified from frailty and corruption, and the soul from sin, and both
admitted to the sight and enjoyment of the ever-blessedGod(Revelation21:2-
4, 27;Revelation22:3, 4).
(Abp. Tillotson.)
The dead Christ and sleeping Christians
A. Lind, D. D.
I. JESUS DIED THAT WE MIGHT SLEEP. The thought is that He, though
sinless, died like a sinner. He took the place of a sinner; was treated as a
sinner as far as possible without sinning. He became what we sinners are, that
we, the sinners, as far as possible, might become what He, the Righteous, is.
Jesus died, then; His disciples sleep. Jesus spakeofLazarus sleeping, but
never referred to His own death as sleep:that was not sleep, but death in its
utter awfulness. The sting of death, He felt it; the victory of death, He yielded
to it; the curse of death, He bore it; the desolationof death, He endured it; the
darkness of death, He dreaded it. "O death! where is thy sting? O grave!
where is thy victory?" were not words of our blessedSaviour, though they
may be of the blesseddead.
II. IF WE BELIEVE THAT JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD, WE MAY
ALSO BELIEVE THAT THOSE WHO SLEEP IN JESUS, GOD WILL

25. BRING WITH HIM. So far as we loved them, we may love them as ever, as
we shall yet behold them perfectin Jesus, withouta semblance of sin, pure as
He is pure. When He died, His sorrows were over, His work was done. And
observe a remarkable fact — the body of the Redeemerwas preservedfrom
every indignity after the spirit had departed. Up to the moment of His death,
He was subjected to every outrage. He was like the sinner; He was acting for
the sinner; He was suffering for the sinner; and, while He was a consenting
party, every indignity was heaped upon Him. But from the moment His spirit
left His body, every honour was done to Him. His body, after His resurrection,
was very unlike His body previously — it was "a spiritual body," invisible,
and passing when and where it would and doing what it would. That body will
be the model of our bodies; and the prime thought of St. Paul is — He will
bring our friends to us again, and we shall know them, and be with them
forever with the Lord.
(A. Lind, D. D.)
Resting on God's Word
A pastor in visiting a member of his church found her very sick, apparently
dying. He said to her: "Mrs. M., you seemto be very sick." "Yes,"saidshe, "I
am dying." "And are you ready to die?" She lifted her eyes upon him with a
solemn and fixed gaze, and, speaking with greatdifficulty, she replied: "Sir,
God knows — I have takenHim — at His word — and — I am not afraid to
die." It was a new definition of faith. "I have takenHim at His word," What a
triumph of faith! What else could she have said that would have expressedso
much in so few words?
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

26. (14) Forif . . .—A reasonfor thinking that if the Thessalonians knew and
believed the truth, they ought not to be so miserable. The “if” implies no
doubt: “if we believe (as we do), then,” &c.—merelyclearing the ground for a
logicaldeduction. The writer does not care to prove so well-knowna fact as
the resurrectionof Christ; he only argues from the clearfaith of the
Thessalonians with regardto it.
Jesus died and rose again.—Notice the human name; for though it is true that
as God He raisedHimself (John 10:18), as man He was no less dependent
upon the Fatherthan we are (Acts 17:31):therefore His resurrectionis a real
argument for ours. And the two verbs are put togetherbecause oftheir
contrariety—“reallydied a human death, and yet rose again.”
Even so.—The structure of the clauses is not quite regular. We should have
expectedeither the omissionof “we believe that” in the first, or the insertion
of it in the second:it makes the statement of the second, however, more direct
or authoritative.
Which sleepin Jesus.—Rather, whichwere laid to sleepthrough Jesus. The
meaning of the preposition, however, is not widely different from “in.” The
simpler words in Revelation14:13 mean “dying in full communion still with
Him.” Our present phrase makes Him, as it were, the way, or door, by which
they journeyed to death: He surrounded them as they sank to rest (Comp.
John 10:9.) Additional sweetnessis imparted to the phrase by the use of the
metaphor of sleep;but it is, perhaps, too much to say, as DeanAlford does,
that “falling asleep” is here contrastedwith “dying,” in this sense:—“Who
through the powerof Jesus fell asleepinsteadof dying”—for the word is even
used of a judicial punishment of death in 1Corinthians 11:30.
Will God bring with him—i.e., with Jesus. In the Greek the word God stands
in an unemphatic position—“Evenso will God bring,” implying that it was
God also who had raised Jesus from the dead. But St. Paul is not content with
saying, “Even so will God raise those who passedthrough Christ to death.”
The thought of the Advent is so supreme with him that he passes atonce to a
moment beyond resurrection. If the question be askedfrom whence God will
bring the dead along with Christ, it must be answered, from Paradise, and the

27. persons brought must be the disembodied spirits; for in 1Thessalonians 4:16
this coming of the Lord with the saints is the signalfor the dead—i.e., the
bodies—to rise. It must be owned, however, that this manner of speaking is
unusual. Jesus is no longer in Paradise, for the spirits to be brought thence
with Him; and one would have expectedsomething more like “bringing up”
(Hebrews 13:20), as it is always considereda descentinto “hell” or Paradise.
Becauseofthis difficulty (which howeveris more in form than reality), some
take the words to mean, “Godwill lead them by the same path with Christ”—
i.e., will make their whole career(including resurrection)conform with His,
comparing the same verb in Romans 8:14; Hebrews 2:10.
MacLaren's Expositions
1 Thessalonians
SLEEPING THROUGHJESUS
1 Thessalonians 4:14.
That expressionis not unusual, in various forms, in the Apostle’s writings. It
suggestsa very tender and wonderful thought of closeness andunion between
our Lord and the living dead, so close as that He is, as it were, the atmosphere
in which they move, or the house in which they dwell. But, tender and
wonderful as the thought is, it is not exactly the Apostle’s idea here. For,
accuratelyrendered--and accuracyin regard to Scripture language is not
pedantry--the words run, ‘Them which sleep through Jesus.’
Now, that is a strange phrase, and, I suppose, its strangenessis the reasonwhy
our translators have softenedit down to the more familiar and obvious ‘in
Jesus.’We canunderstand living through Christ, on being sacredthrough

28. Christ, but what can sleeping through Christ mean? I shall hope to answerthe
question presently, but, in the meantime, I only wish to point out what the
Apostle does say, and to plead for letting him say it, strange though it sounds.
For the strange and the difficult phrases of Scripture are like the hard quartz
reefs in which gold is, and if we slur them over we are likely to loose the
treasure. Let us try if we canfind what the gold here may be.
Now, there are only two thoughts that I wish to dwell upon as suggestedby
these words. One is the softenedaspectof death, and of the state of the
Christian dead; and the other is the ground or cause ofthat softenedaspect.
I. First, then, the softened aspectofdeath, and of the state of the Christian
dead.
It is to Jesus primarily that the New Testamentwriters owe their use of this
gracious emblem of sleep. For, as you remember, the word was twice upon
our Lord’s lips; once when, over the twelve-years-oldmaid from whom life
had barely ebbed away, He said, ‘She is not dead, but sleepeth’;and once
when in regard of the man Lazarus, from whom life had removed further, He
said, ‘Our friend sleepeth, but I go that I may awake him out of sleep.’But
Jesus was not the originator of the expression. You find it in the Old
Testament, where the prophet Daniel, speaking ofthe end of the days and the
bodily Resurrection, designates those who share in it as ‘them that sleepin the
dust of the earth.’ And the Old Testamentwas not the sole origin of the
phrase. For it is too natural, too much in accordance withthe visibilities of
death, not to have suggesteditselfto many hearts, and been shrined in many
languages. Manyan inscription of Greek and Roman date speaks ofdeath
under this figure; but almost always it is with the added, deepened note of
despair, that it is a sleepwhich knows no waking, but lasts through eternal
night.

29. Now, the Christian thought associatedwith this emblem is the precise opposite
of the paganone. The pagan heart shrank from naming the ugly thing because
it was so ugly. So dark and deep a dread coiled round the man, as he
contemplated it, that he sought to drape the dreadfulness in some kind of thin,
transparent veil, and to put the buffer of a word betweenhim and its
hideousness. But the Christian’s motive for the use of the word is the precise
opposite. He uses the gentlerexpressionbecause the thing has become gentler.
It is profoundly significant that throughout the whole of the New Testament
the plain, naked word ‘death’ is usually applied, not to the physical factwhich
we ordinarily designate by the name, but to the grim thing of which that
physical fact is only the emblem and the parable, viz., the true death which
lies in the separationof the soul from God; whilst predominately the New
Testamentusage calls the physical factby some other gentler form of
expression, because,as I say, the gentleness has enfoldedthe thing to be
designated.
For instance, you find one class ofrepresentations whichspeak of death as
being a departing and a being with Christ; or which call it, as one of the
apostles does, an‘exodus,’ where it is softeneddown to be merely a change of
environment, a change of locality. Then anotherclass of representations speak
of it as ‘putting off this my tabernacle,’or, the dissolution of the ‘earthly
house’--where there is a broad, firm line of demarcationdrawn betweenthe
inhabitant and the habitation, and the thing is softeneddown to be a mere
change of dwelling. Again, another class ofexpressions speak ofit as being an
‘offering,’ where the main idea is that of a voluntary surrender, a sacrifice or
libation of myself, and my life poured out upon the altar of God. But sweetest,
deepest, most appealing to all our hearts, is that emblem of my text, ‘them
that sleep.’It is used, if I count rightly, some fourteen times in the New
Testament, and it carries with it large and plain lessons, onwhich I touch but
for a moment. What, then, does this metaphor say to us?

30. Well, it speaks firstof rest. That is not altogetheran attractive conceptionto
some of us. If it be takenexclusively it is by no means wholesome. I suppose
that the young, and the strong, and the eager, and the ambitious, and the
prosperous rather shrink from the notion of their activities being stiffened
into slumber. But, dear friends, there are some of us like tired children in a
fair, who would fain have done with the weariness, who have made experience
of the distractions and bewildering changes, whosebacksare stiffened with
toil, whose hearts are heavy with loss. And to all of us, in some moods, the
prospectof shuffling off this wearycoil of responsibilities and duties and tasks
and sorrows, andof passing into indisturbance and repose, appeals. I believe,
for my part, that, after all, the deepestlonging of men--though they searchfor
it through toil and effort--is for repose. As the poet has taught us, ‘there is no
joy but calm.’ Every heart is wearyenough, and heavy laden, and labouring
enough, to feelthe sweetness ofa promise of rest:--
‘Sleep, full of rest from head to foot, Lie still, dry dust, secure of change.’
Yes! but the rest of which our emblem speaks is, as I believe, only applicable
to the bodily frame. The word ‘sleep’ is a transcript of what sense enlightened
by faith sees in that still form, with the folded hands and the quiet face and the
closedeyes. But let us remember that this repose, deepand blessedas it is, is
not, as some would say, the repose of unconsciousness. I do not believe, and I
would have you not believe, that this emblem refers to the vigorous, spiritual
life, or that the passagefrom out of the toil and moil of earth into the calm of
the darkness beyond has any powerin limiting or suspending the vital force of
the man.
Why, the very metaphor itself tells us that the sleeperis not unconscious. He is
parted from the outer world, he is unaware of externals. When Stephen knelt
below the old wall, and was surrounded by howling fanatics that slew him, one
moment he was gashedwith stones and tortured, and the next ‘he fell on

31. sleep.’They might howl, and the stones fly as they would, and he was all
unaware of it. Like Jonah sleeping in the hold, what mattered the roaring of
the storm to him? But separationfrom externals does not mean suspense of
life or of consciousness, andthe slumberer often dreams, and is aware of
himself persistently throughout his slumber. Nay! some of his faculties are set
at liberty to work more energetically, because his connectionwith the outer
world is for the time suspended.
And so I say that what on the hither side is sleep, on the further side is
awaking, and that the complex whole of the condition of the sainted dead may
be described with equal truth by either metaphor; ‘they sleepin Jesus’;or,
‘when I awake I shall be satisfiedwith Thy likeness.’
Scripture, as it seems to me, distinctly carries this limitation of the emblem.
For what does it mean when the Apostle says that to depart and to be with
Christ is far better? Surely he who thus spoke conceivedthat these two things
were contemporaneous, the departing and the being with Him. And surely he
who thus spoke couldnot have conceivedthat a millennium-long parenthesis
of slumberous unconsciousnesswas to intervene between the moment of his
deceaseand the moment of his fellowship with Jesus. How could a man prefer
that dormant state to the state here, of working for and living with the Lord?
Surely, being with Him must mean that we know where we are, and who is
our companion.
And what does that text mean: ‘Ye are come unto the spirits of just men made
perfect,’ unless it means that of these two classesofpersons who are thus
regardedas brought into living fellowship, eachis aware of the other? Does
perfecting of the spirit mean the smiting of the spirit into unconsciousness?
Surely not, and surely in view of such words as these, we must recognisethe
fact that, howeverlimited and imperfect may be the present connectionof the
disembodied dead, who sleepin Christ, with external things, they know

32. themselves, they know their home and their companion, and they know the
blessednessin which they are lapped.
But another thought which is suggestedby this emblem is, as I have already
said, most certainly the idea of awaking. The pagans said, as indeed one of
their poets has it, ‘Suns can sink and return, but for us, when our brief light
sinks, there is but one perpetual night of slumber.’ The Christian idea of
death is, that it is transitory as a sleepin the morning, and sure to end. As St.
Augustine says somewhere,‘Wherefore are they called sleepers, but because
in the day of the Lord they will be reawakened?’
And so these are the thoughts, very imperfectly spoken, I know, which spring
like flowers from this gracious metaphor ‘them that sleep’--restand awaking;
rest and consciousness.
II. Note the ground of this softenedaspect.
They ‘sleepthrough Him.’ It is by reasonof Christ and His work, and by
reasonof that alone, that death’s darkness is made beautiful, and death’s
grimness is softeneddown to this. Now, in order to graspthe full meaning of
such words as these of the Apostle, we must draw a broad distinction between
the physical factof the ending of corporeallife and the mental condition
which is associatedwith it by us. What we call death, if I may so say, is a
complex thing--a bodily phenomenon plus conscience, the sense ofsin, the
certainty of retribution in the dim beyond. And you have to take these
elements apart. The former remains, but if the others are removed, the whole
has changedits characterand is become another thing, and a very little thing.

33. The mere physical fact is a trifle. Look at it as you see it in the animals; look
at it as you see it in men when they actually come to it. In ninety-nine cases
out of a hundred it is painless and easy, and men sink into slumber. Strange, is
it not, that so small a reality should have powerto castoverhuman life so
immense and obscuring a shadow!Why? Because, as the Apostle says, ‘the
sting of death is sin,’ and if you cantake the sting out of it, then there is very
little to fear, and it comes downto be an insignificant and transient element in
our experience.
Now, the death of Jesus Christtakes away, if I may so say, the nimbus of
apprehension and dread arising from conscienceand sin, and the forecastof
retribution. There is nothing left for us to face exceptthe physical fact, and
any rough soldier, with a coarse, redcoatupon him, will face that for
eighteenpence a day, and think himself well paid. Jesus Christ has abolished
death, leaving the mere shell, but taking all the substance out of it. It has
become a different thing to men, because in that death of His He has
exhausted the bitterness, and has made it possible that we should pass into the
shadow, and not fear either conscienceorsin or judgment.
In this connectionI cannotbut notice with what a profound meaning the
Apostle, in this very verse, uses the bare, naked word in reference to Him, and
the softenedone in reference to us. ‘If we believe that Jesus Christ died and
rose again, even so them also which sleep.’Ah! yes! He died indeed, bearing
all that terror with which men’s consciences have investeddeath. He died
indeed, bearing on Himself the sins of the world. He died that no man
henceforwardneed ever die in that same fashion. His death makes our deaths
sleep, and His Resurrectionmakes our sleepcalmly certain of a waking.
So, dear ‘brethren, I would not have you ignorant concerning them which are
asleep, that ye sorrow not evenas others which have no hope.’ And I would
have you to remember that, whilst Christ by His work has made it possible

34. that the terror may pass away, and death may be softenedand minimised into
slumber, it will not be so with you--unless you are joined to Him, and by trust
in the powerof His death and the overflowing might of His Resurrection, have
made sure that what He has passedthrough, you will pass through, and where
He is, and what He is, you will be also.
Two men die by one railway accident, sitting side by side upon one seat,
smashedin one collision. But though the outward fact is the same about each,
the reality of their deaths is infinitely different. The one falls asleepthrough
Jesus, in Jesus;the other dies indeed, and the death of his body is only a feeble
shadow of the death of his spirit. Do you knit yourself to the Life, which is
Christ, and then ‘he that believeth on Me shall never die.’
BensonCommentary
1 Thessalonians 4:14. Forif we believe that Jesus died and rose again —
Namely, 1st, In attestationof the truth of his doctrine, in which he taught
expresslythe immortality of the soul, Matthew 10:28;Luke 23:43; and the
resurrectionof the body, John 5:28-29. 2d, For the expiation of sin, and the
procuring of justification and peace with God for the penitent that should
believe in him, howeverguilty they had before been, Hebrews 9:26; Romans
4:24-25. 3d, That he might procure and receive for us the Holy Spirit, to work
that repentance and faith in us, assure us of our justification and of our title to
that future felicity, and to prepare us for it by inward holiness;and, 4th, That
he might ascend, take possessionofit in our name, receive our departing
souls, and raise from the dust our fallen and corrupted bodies, and so exalt us
to that immortal, glorious, and blessedstate;even so them also which sleepin
Jesus — Who die in the Lord, (Revelation14:13,)in union with him, and
possessedof an interest in him; will God bring with him — They will be found
in the train of his magnificent retinue at his final appearance, whenhe comes
to judge the world, and reward his faithful servants.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

35. 4:13-18 Here is comfort for the relations and friends of those who die in the
Lord. Grief for the death of friends is lawful; we may weep for our own loss,
though it may be their gain. Christianity does not forbid, and grace does not
do away, our natural affections. Yetwe must not be excessive inour sorrows;
this is too much like those who have no hope of a better life. Deathis an
unknown thing, and we know little about the state after death; yet the
doctrines of the resurrectionand the secondcoming of Christ, are a remedy
againstthe fear of death, and undue sorrow for the death of our Christian
friends; and of these doctrines we have full assurance. It will be some
happiness that all the saints shall meet, and remain togetherfor ever; but the
principal happiness of heaven is to be with the Lord, to see him, live with him,
and enjoy him for ever. We should support one another in times sorrow;not
deaden one another's spirits, or weakenone another's hands. And this may be
done by the many lessons to be learnedfrom the resurrectionof the dead, and
the secondcoming of Christ. What! comfort a man by telling him he is going
to appear before the judgment-seat of God! Who can feel comfortfrom those
words? That man alone with whose spirit the Spirit of God bears witness that
his sins are blotted out, and the thoughts of whose heartare purified by the
Holy Spirit, so that he canlove God, and worthily magnify his name. We are
not in a safe state unless it is thus with us, or we are desiring to be so.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again - That is, if we believe this, we
ought also to believe that those who have died in. the faith of Jesus willbe
raisedfrom the dead. The meaning is not that the fact of the resurrection
depends on our believing that Jesus rose, but that the death and resurrection
of the Saviour were connectedwith the resurrectionof the saints;that the one
followedfrom the other, and that the one was as certain as the other. The
doctrine of the resurrectionof the saints so certainly follows from that of the
resurrectionof Christ, that, if the one is believed, the other ought to be also;
see the notes on 1 Corinthians 15:12-14.
Which sleepin Jesus - A most beautiful expression. It is not merely that they
have calm repose - like a gentle slumber - in the hope of awaking again, but
that this is "in Jesus" - or "through" (διὰ dia) him; that is, his death and

36. resurrectionare the cause of their quiet and calm repose. Theydo not "sleep"
in paganism, or in infidelity, or in the gloomof atheism - but in the blessed
hope which Jesus has imparted. They lie, as he did, in the tomb - free from
pain and sorrow, and with the certainty of being raised up again.
They sleepin Jesus, and are bless'd,
How kind their slumbers are;
From sufferings and from sin released,
And freed from every snare.
When, therefore, we think of the death of saints, let us think of what Jesus was
in the tomb of Josephof Arimathea. Such is the sleepof our pious friends now
in the grave;such will be our own when we die.
Will God bring with him - This does not mean that God will bring them with
him from heaven when the Saviour comes - though it will be true that their
spirits will descendwith the Saviour; but it means that he will bring them
from their graves, and will conduct them with him to glory, to be with him;
compare notes, John 14:3. The declaration, as it seems to me, is designed to
teachthe generaltruth that the redeemed are so united with Christ that they
shall share the same destiny as he does. As the head was raised, so will all the
members be. As God brought Christ from the grave, so will he bring them;
that is, his resurrectionmade it certainthat they would rise. It is a greatand
universal truth that God will bring all from their graves who "sleepin Jesus;"
or that they shall all rise. The apostle does not, therefore, refer so much to the
time when this would occur - meaning that it would happen when the Lord
Jesus should return - as to the fact that there was an establishedconnection
betweenhim and his people, which made it certain that if they died united
with him by faith, they would be as certainly brought from the grave as he
was.
If, however, it means, as Prof. Bush (Anastasis, pp. 266, 267)supposes, that
they will be brought with him from heaven, or will accompanyhim down, it
does not prove that there must have been a previous resurrection, for the full
force of the language would be met by the supposition that their spirits had

37. ascendedto heaven, and would be brought with him to be united to their
bodies when raised. If this be the correctinterpretation, then there is
probably an allusion to such passagesas the following, representing the
coming of the Lord accompaniedby his saints. "The Lord my God shall come,
and all the saints with thee." Zechariah 14:5. "And Enoch, the seventh from
Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh, with thousand of
his saints;" Jde 1:14. "Who," says PresidentDwight(Serm. 164), "are those
whom God will bring with Him at this time? Certainly not the bodies of his
saints ... The only answeris, he will bring with him 'the spirits of just men
made perfect.'"
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
14. For if—confirmation of his statement, 1Th 4:13, that the removal of
ignorance as to the sleeping believers would remove undue griefrespecting
them. See 1Th4:13, "hope." Hence it appears our hope rests on our faith ("if
we believe"). "As surely as we all believe that Christ died and rose again(the
very doctrine specifiedas taught at Thessalonica, Ac 17:3), so also will God
bring those laid to sleep by Jesus with Him (Jesus)." (So the order and
balance of the members of the Greek sentence require us to translate).
Believers are laid in sleepby Jesus, and so will be brought back from sleep
with Jesus in His train when He comes. The disembodied souls are not here
spokenof; the reference is to the sleeping bodies. The facts of Christ's
experience are repeatedin the believer's. He died and then rose: so believers
shall die and then rise with Him. But in His case deathis the term used, 1Co
15:3, 6, &c.; in theirs, sleep;because His death has takenfor them the sting
from death. The same Hand that shall raise them is that which laid them to
sleep. "Laid to sleepby Jesus,"answersto "dead in Christ" (1Th 4:16).
Matthew Poole's Commentary
As in the former verse the apostle made use of the hope of the resurrection, as
an argument againstimmoderate sorrow, so here he proves the resurrection
by Christ’s rising again, &c.

38. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again;he supposeth they did believe
that Christ died and rose again;it was that which he had taught them, and
which they had received, as being the two first and fundamental points of the
Christian faith, without which they could not have been a church of Christ.
Question. But how doth Christ’s resurrectionprove the resurrectionof the
saints? He being the eternal Sonof God, might have a privilege above all.
Answer. This first shows the thing is possible, Godhath already done it in
Christ.
2. Christ rose for our justification, Romans 4:25; and in justification sin is
pardoned which brought in death, and which alone by its guilt can keepunder
the dominion of death.
3. Christ rose not as a private person, but as the Head of the body, his church,
Ephesians 1:4,20, &c., and so loosedthe bands of death, and conqueredthe
grave, for his people.
4. As the first-fruits, 1 Corinthians 15:20, which was a pledge and assurance
of the whole harvest to follow.
5. God hath predestinatedthe elect, whom he foreknew, to be conformed to
the image of his Son, Romans 8:29.
6. He is not complete without them, Ephesians 1:23.

39. Lastly: They sleepin Jesus, as the text speaks;not only live but die in him,
Revelation14:13, their union remains with Christ even in death.
Even so them also which sleepin Jesus;by which words also the apostle
distinguisheth believers from all others; it is only they shall have the privilege
of this blessedresurrectionwho sleepin Jesus. And perseverance in Christ to
the end is here also intimated.
Will God bring with him; and though their resurrectionis not expressedin
the text, yet it is implied in this saying. By God is meant, as some understand
here, the Son of God, who is to come from heaven, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, and
who will bring the spirits of just men, made perfectin heaven, with him, and
unite them to their bodies, which cannot be done without their resurrection:
whereby the apostle gives anotherargument againstexcessive sorrow forthe
saints departed, they shall return from heavenagain with Christ at his
coming. Others understand it of God the Father, who will raise the dead, and
then bring them to his Son, and bring them with him to heaven. Those that
read the text, those that sleep, or die, for Jesus, andso confine it only to
martyrs, restrain it to too narrow a sense.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
For if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again,.... As every Christian does,
for both the death and resurrectionof Christ are fundamental articles of
faith; nothing is more certain or more comfortable, and more firmly to be
believed, than that Christ died for the sins of his people, and rose againfor
their justification; on these depend the present peace, joy, and comfort of the
saints, and their everlasting salvationand happiness:and no less certainand
comfortable, and as surely to be believed, is what follows,
even so them also which sleepin Jesus will God bring with him. The saints
that are dead are not only representedas asleep, as before, but as "asleepin
Jesus";to distinguish them from the other dead, the wicked;for the phrase of

40. sleeping in death is promiscuously used of goodand bad, though most
commonly applied to goodmen: and so say the Jews (c),
"we used to speak of just men, not as dead, but as sleeping; saying, afterwards
such an one fell asleep, signifying that the death of the righteous is nothing
else than a sleep.''
To represent death as a sleepmakes it very easyand familiar; but it is more
so, when it is consideredas sleeping in Jesus, in the arms of Jesus;and such as
are asleepin him must needs be at rest, and in safety: some join the phrase
"in", or "by Jesus",with the word bring, and read the passagethus, "them
that are asleep, by Jesus will God bring with him"; intimating, that Godwill
raise up the dead bodies of the saints by Christ, as God-man and Mediator;
and through him will bring them to eternal glory, and save them by him, as he
has determined: others render the words, "them which sleep through", or "by
Jesus";or die for his sake, andso restrain them to the martyrs; who they
suppose only will have part in the first resurrection, and whom God will bring
with Jesus athis secondcoming; but the coming of Christ will be "with all his
saints";see 1 Thessalonians 3:13 wherefore they are best rendered, "them
that sleepin Jesus";that is, "in the faith of Jesus", as the Arabic version
renders it: not in the lively exercise offaith on Christ, for this is not the case of
all the saints at death; some of them are in the dark, and go from hence under
a cloud, and yet go safe, and may be said to die, or sleep, in Jesus, andwill be
brought with him; but who have the principle, and hold the doctrine of faith,
are, and live and die, true believers;who die interested in Christ, in union
with him, being chosenand blessed, and preserved in him from everlasting,
and effectuallycalled by his grace in time, and brought to believe in him;
these, both their souls and bodies, are united to Christ, and are his care and
charge;and which union remains in death, and by virtue of it the bodies of the
saints will be raised at the lastday: so that there may be the strongest
assurance, thatsuch will God bring with him; either God the Fatherwill
bring them with his Son, or Jehovahthe Son will bring them with himself; he
will raise them from the dead, and unite them to their souls, or spirits, he will
bring with him; the considerationof which may serve greatly to mitigate and
abate sorrow for deceasedfriends.

41. (c) Shebet Juda, p. 294. Ed. Gent.
Geneva Study Bible
{12} For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, evenso them also which
sleepin {d} Jesus will God {e} bring with him.
(12) A reasonfor the confirmation, for seeing that the head is risen, the
members also will rise, and that by the powerof God.
(d) The dead in Christ, who continue in faith by which they are ingrafted into
Christ, even to the last breath.
(e) Will call their bodies out of their graves, and join their souls to them again.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary
1 Thessalonians 4:14. Reasonnot of οὐ θέλομενὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, but of ἵνα μὴ
λυπῆσθε. The Thessalonians were notto mourn, for Christ has risen from the
dead; but if this factbe certain, then it follows that they also who are fallen
asleep, aboutwhom the Thessalonians were so troubled, will be raised. There
lies at the foundation of this proof, which Paul uses as a supposition, the idea
that Christ and believers form togetheran organismof indissoluble unity, of
which Christ is the Head and Christians are the members; consequentlywhat
happens to the Head must likewise happen to the members; where that is,
there these must also be. Comp. already Pelagius:Qui caput suscitavit, etiam
caetera membra suscitaturum se promittit. From the nature of this argument
it is evident (1) that those who are asleep, aboutwhom the Thessalonians
grieved, must alreadyhave been Christians; (2) that their complete exclusion
from the blessedfellowshipwith Christ was dreaded.[54]
εἰ γὰρ πιστεύομεν] for if we believe. εἰ is not so much as “quum, since,
because” (Flatt), also not equivalent to quodsi: “foras we believe”
(Baumgarten-Crusius), but is here, as always, hypothetical. But since Paul
from the hypothetical protasis, without further demonstrating it, immediately

42. draws the inference in question, it is clearthat he supposes the factof the
death and resurrectionof Christ as an absolute recognisedtruth, as, indeed,
among the early Christians generallyno doubt was raisedconcerning the
reality of this fact. For even in reference to the Corinthian church, among
whom doubts prevailed concerning the resurrectionof the dead, Paul, in
combating this view, could appeal to the resurrectionof Christ as an actual
recognisedtruth; comp. 1 Corinthians 15:12-23.
The apodosis, 1 Thessalonians 4:14, does not exactly correspondwith the
protasis. Insteadof οὕτως κ.τ.λ. we should expect ΚΑῚ ΠΙΣΤΕΎΕΙΝ ΔΕῖ,
ὍΤΙ ὩΣΑΎΤΩς ΟἹ ἘΝ ΧΡΙΣΤῷ ΚΟΙΜΗΘΈΝΤΕς ἈΝΑΣΤΉΣΟΝΤΑΙ, or
ὍΤΙ ΟὝΤΩς Ὁ ΘΕῸς ΚΑῚ ΤΟῪς ΚΟΙΜΗΘΈΝΤΑς ΔΙᾺ ΤΟῦ ΧΡΙΣΤΟῦ
ἘΓΕΡΕῖ.
ΟὝΤΩς]is not pleonastic as the mere sign of the apodosis (Schott,
Olshausen);also not, with Flatt, to be referred to ἈΝΈΣΤΗ, and then to be
translated “in such a condition, i.e. raised, revived;” or to be interpreted as
“then under these circumstances, i.e. in case we have faith” (Koch, Hofmann),
but denotes “evenso,” and, strengthenedby the following καί, is designed to
bring forward the agreementof the fate of Christians with Christ; comp.
Winer, p. 478 [E. T. 679].
ΔΙᾺ ΤΟῦ ἸΗΣΟῦ] is (by Chry sostom, Ambrosiaster, Calvin, Hemming,
Zanchius, Estius, Balduin, Vorstius, Cornelius a Lapide, Beza, Grotius, Calixt,
Calov, Wolf, Whitby, Benson, Bengel, Macknight, Koppe, Jowett, Hilgenfeld
(Zeitschr. f. wissenschaftl. Theolog.,Halle 1862, p. 239), Riggenbach, and
others) connectedwith τοὺς κοιμηθέντας, andthen the sense is given: “those
who have fallen asleep, in Christ.”[55]But this would be expressedby ἐν τῷ
Ἰησοῦ, as ΟἹ ΔΙᾺ ΤΟῦ ἸΗΣΟῦ ΚΟΙΜΗΘΈΝΤΕς wouldat most containa
designationof those whom Christ had brought to death, consequently of the
Christian martyrs. Salmeron, Hammond, JosephMede, Opp. p. 519, and

43. Thiersch(die Kirche im apostol. Zeitalter, Frankf. u. Erlang. 1852, p. 138)
actually interpret the words in this sense. Yet how contrary to the apostle’s
design such a mention of the martyrs would be is evident, as according to it
the resurrectionand participation in the glory of the returning Christ would
be most inappropriately limited to a very small portion of Christians; not to
mention that, first, the indications in both Epistles do not afford the slightest
justification of the idea of persecutions, whichended in bloody death; and,
secondly, the formula κοιμηθῆναι διὰ τινός would be much too weak to
express the idea of martyrdom. Also in the fact that Paul does not speak of the
dead in general, but specially of the Christian dead, there is no reasonto unite
ΤΟῪς ΚΟΙΜΗΘΈΝΤΑς with ΔΙᾺ ΤΟῦ ἸΗΣΟῦ; for the extent of the idea of
ΟἹ ΚΟΙΜΗΘΈΝΤΕς in our passageis understood from the relation of the
apodosis, 1 Thessalonians 4:14, to the protasis ΕἸ ΠΙΣΤΕΎΟΜΕΝ Κ.Τ.Λ. We
are accordinglyconstrainedto unite ΔΙᾺ ΤΟῦ ἸΗΣΟῦ with ἌΞΕΙ.
Christ is elsewhereby Paul and in the New Testamentgenerallyconsideredas
the instrument by which the almighty act of God, the resurrectionof the dead,
is effected; comp. 1 Corinthians 15:21; John 5:28; John 6:39; John 6:44; John
6:54.
ἌΞΕΙ] will bring with Him, is a pregnant expression, whilst, insteadof the act
of resuscitation, that which follows the actin time is given. And, indeed, the
further clause σὺν αὐτῷ, i.e. σὺν Ἰησοῦ (incorrectly Zacharius and Koppe =
Ὡς ΑὐΤΌΝ), is united in a pregnant form with ἌΞΕΙ. God will through
Christ bring with Him those who are asleep, that is, so that they are then
united with Christ, and have a complete share in the benefits of His
appearance. Hofmann arbitrarily transforms the words into the thought:
“that Jesus will not appear, God will not introduce Him againinto the world,
without their deceasedbrethren coming with Him.” For the words instruct us
not concerning Jesus, but concerning the κοιμηθέντες;it is not expressedin
what manner the return of Christ will take place, but what will be the final
fate of those who have fallen asleep. The apostle selects this pregnant form of

44. expressioninsteadof the simple ἘΓΕΡΕῖ, becausethe thought of a separation
of deceasedChristians from Christ was that which so greatly troubled the
Thessalonians, andtherefore it was his endeavour to remove this anxiety, this
doubting uncertainty, as soonas possible.[56]
[54] Hofmann’s views are very distorted and perverted. He will not
acknowledge thatfrom the fact of the resurrection of Christ, the resurrection
of those fallen asleepin Thessalonicais deduced; and—againstwhich the
οὕτως καί of the apodosis should have guarded him—he deduces the aimless
platitude, that “the apostle with the words: ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς κοιμηθέντας διὰ τοῦ
Ἰησοῦ ἄξει σὺν αὐτῷ, gives an assurance whichavails us in the case ofour
death, if we believe on the death and resurrectionof Jesus.”As Hofmann
misinterprets the words, so also does Luthardt, supra, p. 140 f.
[55] Also Alford connects διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ with κοιμηθέντας;but then
arbitrarily (comp. οἱ νεκροὶ ἐν Χριστῷ, ver. 16) pressing the expression
κοιμηθέντας (οἱ κοιμηθέντες are distinguishedfrom the merely θανόντες.
What makes this distinction? Why are they asleepand not dead? By whom
have they been thus privileged? Certainly διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ), and
inappropriately regarding the constructions εὐχαριστεῖνδιὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ,
Romans 1:8; εἰρήνην ἔχειν διὰ Ἰησοῦ, Romans 5:1, καυχᾶσθαι διὰ Ἰησοῦ,
Romans 5:11, as analogous expressions,he brings out the following
grammatically impossible meaning: If we believe that Jesus died and rose
again, then even thus also those, of whom we saythat they sleepjust because
of Jesus, will God, etc.
[56] The idea of “a generalascensionofall Christians,” which Schraderfinds
in this verse, and in which he perceives a mark of un-Pauline composition,
because Paulthought “only on a kingdom of God on earth,” is, according to
the above, introduced by him into the passage.
Expositor's Greek Testament

45. 1 Thessalonians 4:14. Unlike some of the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 15:17-
18), the Thessalonians did not doubt the factof Christ’s resurrection(εἰ of
course implies no uncertainty). Paul assumes their faith in it and argues from
it. Their vivid and naïve belief in Christ’s advent within their own lifetime was
the very source of their distress. Paul still shares that belief (17).—διὰ τοῦ
Ἰησοῦ is an unusual expressionwhich might, so far as grammar is concerned,
go either with τ. κ. (so. e.g., Ellic., Alford, Kabisch, Lightfoot, Findlay,
Milligan) or ἄξει. The latter is the preferable construction(so most editors).
The phrase is not needed (cf. 15)to limit τ. κ. to Christians (so Chrys.,
Calvin), for the unbelieving dead are not before the writer’s mind, and, even
so, ἐν would have been the natural preposition (cf. 16), nor does it mean
martyrdom. In the light of 1 Thessalonians 5:9 (cf. Romans 5:9; 1 Corinthians
15:21), it seems to connectless awkwardlywith ἄξει, though not = “atthe
intercessionofJesus” (Rutherford). Jesus is God’s agentin the final act,
commissionedto raise and muster the dead (cf. Stähelin, Jahrb. f. deut.
Theol., 1874, 189f., and Schettler, Die paul. Formel, “DurchChristus,” 1997,
57 f.). The divine mission of the Christ, which is to form the climax of things,
involves the resurrectionof the dead who are His (1 Thessalonians 5:10). Any
generalresurrectionis out of the question (so Did., xvi. 6: ἀνάστασις νεκρῶν·
οὐ πάντων δὲ, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἐρρέθη, ἥξει ὁ Κύριος καὶ πάντες οἱ ἅγιοι μετʼ αὐτοῦ).
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again]The faith of a Christian
man in its briefestand simplest form. So in Romans 10:9 the Apostle declares
the faith that “saves” to be the belief of the heart that “God raisedJesus from
the dead.” This involves everything else;it carries with it the convictionthat
Christ is Divine (Romans 1:4), and that His death brings “justificationof life”
for men (Romans 4:25). Such faith St Paul assumes, forhimself and his
readers, as a fundamental fact. He speaks of“Jesus,” thinking of Him in His
human Personand in the analogyof His experience to our own. He is
“Firstborn of many brethren, Firstborn out of the dead” (Romans 8:29;
Colossians 1:18);and what we believe of Jesus, we may expectto see fulfilled
in His brethren.

46. even so them also which sleepin Jesus]Rather, which fell asleep. The verb is
past (historical) in tense. The Apostle is looking back with his readers to the
sorrowfulevent of their friends’ decease, thathe may give them comfort;
comp. 1 Thessalonians 4:15.
in Jesus is in the Greek through Jesus,—ormore strictly, that fell asleep
(possibly, were laid to sleep)through the Jesus just spokenof,—Him “Who
died and rose again.” Forthe force of the preposition, comp. 1 Thessalonians
4:2 and note. The departed ThessalonianChristians had “fallen asleep;” for
them Death was robbed of his terrors and transformed to Sleep. “Through
Jesus” this came to pass—the Jesus oftheir faith, the dying, risen Saviour!
Trusting in His Name, remembering and realising what it meant, they had
met the last enemy, and conquering their fears they “laid them down and
slept.” Such is the powerof this Name in the last conflict:
“Jesus!my only hope Thou art,
Strength of my failing flesh and heart!”
(Chas. Wesley’s Dying Hymn.)
them that fell asleepthrough Jesus, Godwill bring with Him. God (expressed
with emphasis) is the Agent in their restoration, as in ch. 1 Thessalonians 1:10
in the “raising” of“His Son from the dead.” He “Who raisedup the Lord
Jesus, will raise up us also with Jesus” (2 Corinthians 4:14; comp. Ephesians
1:19-20). But the Apostle does not say here “will raise them with Jesus,” itis
not the resurrectionof the dead that is in question, but their relation to the
Parousia, their place in Christ’s approaching kingdom. Therefore he says:

47. “Godwill bring them with Him,”—they will not be forgottenor left behind
when Jesus comes in triumph.
The argument of this verse is condensedand somewhatsubtle. When the
Apostle begins, “If we believe” &c., we expect him to continue, “so we believe
that those who died will, by the power of Christ’s resurrection, be raisedto
life, and will return to share His glory.” But in the eagernessofhis inference
St Paul passes from the certainty of convictionin the first member of the
sentence (“If we believe”)to the certainty of the fact itself (“Godwill bring
them”) in the second. In the same eagerness ofanticipation he blends the final
with the intermediate stage ofrestoration, making the resurrectionof Jesus
the pledge not of the believer’s resurrectionsimply (as in 2 Corinthians 4:14),
but of his participation in Christ’s glorious advent, of which His resurrection
is the prelude (comp. ch. 1 Thessalonians 1:10, “to wait for His Sonfrom the
heavens, Whom He raisedfrom the dead,” and note). The union between
Christ and the Christian, as St Paul conceives it, is such that in whatever
Christ the Head does or experiences,He carries the members of His body with
Him. The Christian dead are “the dead in Christ” (1 Thessalonians 4:16);they
will therefore be in due course the risen and the glorified in Christ (2
Thessalonians 1:12);comp. 2 Timothy 2:11, “If we died with Him, we shall
also live with Him.” The point of the Apostle’s reasoning lies in the connection
of the words “died and rose again.” Jesus has made a pathway through the
grave, and by this passageHis faithful, fallen asleep, still one with the dying,
risen Jesus, will be conducted, to appearwith Him at His return.
Bengel's Gnomen
1 Thessalonians 4:14. Γὰρ, for) The Scripture, from among so many topics of
consolationin regard to death, generallybrings forward this one concerning
the resurrection, as principal and pre-eminent.—ἀπέθανε, died) This word is
usually applied to Christ; whereas to fall asleepis applied to believers, 1
Corinthians 15:3; 1 Corinthians 15:6; 1 Corinthians 15:18;1 Corinthians
15:20;1 Corinthians 15:51.—οὕτω)in like manner, as Jesus Himself rose, so
we believe that we shall be conductedalive by the path of death.—διὰ τοῦ

48. Ἰησοῦ, in Jesus) This is construedwith κοιμηθέντας,[19]who have fallen
asleep. Forthe verb, will lead [bring], which follows, has accordinglythe with
Him standing in apposition, and answering to the words, διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, in
Jesus.
[19] Lit. Those lulled to sleepby Jesus.—ED.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 14. - For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again. The apostle's
argument proceeds on the supposition that Christ and believers are one body,
of which Christ is the Head and believers are the members; and that
consequentlywhat happens to the Head must happen to the members. Our
knowledge and belief of a future state, and especiallyof the resurrection, is
founded on the resurrectionof Christ (comp. 1 Corinthians 15:12-20). Evenso
them also which sleepin Jesus;or more literally, through Jesus. Will God
bring with him; namely, with Jesus. Thesewords are differently construed.
Some read them thus: "Even so them also which sleepwill God through Jesus
bring with him" (De Wette, Lunemann); but this appears to be an awkward
construction;as we must then render the clause, "will God through Jesus
bring with Jesus." It is, therefore, better to refer the words, "through Jesus,"
to the first clause. It is through Jesus that believers fall asleep;it is he who
changes the nature of death, for all his people, from being the king of terrors
into a quiet and gentle sleep, from which they will awakento eternal life.
Vincent's Word Studies
Them also which sleepin Jesus will God bring with him (καὶ ὁ θεὸς τοὺς
κοιμηθέντας διὰ τοῦ Ἱησοῦ ἄξει σὺν αὐτῷ).
(1) Which sleepshould be, which have been laid asleepor have fallen asleep,
giving the force of the passive.
(2) Διὰ τοῦ Ἱησοῦ canby no possibility be rendered in Jesus, whichwould be
ἐν Ἱησοῦ:see 1 Corinthians 15:18; 1 Thessalonians 4:16. It must mean
through or by means of Jesus.

49. (3) The attempt to construe διὰ τοῦ Ἱησοῦ with τοὺς κοιμηθένταςthose who
have fallen asleepby means of Jesus, gives anawkwardand forced
interpretation. It has been explained by supposing a reference to martyrs who
have died by Jesus;because oftheir faith in him. In that case we should expect
the accusative, διὰ τὸνἹησοῦν on accountof or for the sake ofJesus.
MoreoverPaulis not accentuating that idea. Κοιμηθέντας would be
universally understood by the church as referring to the death of Christians,
so that by Jesus would be superfluous.
(4) Διὰ τοῦ Ἱησοῦ should be construedwith ἄξει will bring. Rend. the whole:
them also that are fallen asleepwill God through Jesus bring with him. Jesus
is thus representedas the agentof the resurrection. See 1 Corinthians 15:21;
John 5:28; John 6:39, John 6:44, John 6:54. Bring (ἄξει) is used instead of
ἐγειρεῖ shall raise up, because the thought of separationwas prominent in the
minds of the Thessalonians.
STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
Albert Barnes'Notes onthe Whole Bible
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again - That is, if we believe this, we
ought also to believe that those who have died in. the faith of Jesus willbe
raisedfrom the dead. The meaning is not that the fact of the resurrection
depends on our believing that Jesus rose, but that the death and resurrection
of the Saviour were connectedwith the resurrectionof the saints;that the one
followedfrom the other, and that the one was as certain as the other. The
doctrine of the resurrectionof the saints so certainly follows from that of the
resurrectionof Christ, that, if the one is believed, the other ought to be also;
see the notes on 1 Corinthians 15:12-14.
Which sleepin Jesus - A most beautiful expression. It is not merely that they
have calm repose - like a gentle slumber - in the hope of awaking again, but

50. that this is “in Jesus” - or “through” ( διὰ dia) him; that is, his death and
resurrectionare the cause of their quiet and calm repose. Theydo not “sleep”
in paganism, or in infidelity, or in the gloomof atheism - but in the blessed
hope which Jesus has imparted. They lie, as he did, in the tomb - free from
pain and sorrow, and with the certainty of being raised up again.
They sleepin Jesus, and are bless‘d,
How kind their slumbers are;
From sufferings and from sin released,
And freed from every snare.
When, therefore, we think of the death of saints, let us think of what Jesus was
in the tomb of Josephof Arimathea. Such is the sleepof our pious friends now
in the grave;such will be our own when we die.
Will God bring with him - This does not mean that God will bring them with
him from heaven when the Saviour comes - though it will be true that their
spirits will descendwith the Saviour; but it means that he will bring them
from their graves, and will conduct them with him to glory, to be with him;
compare notes, John 14:3. The declaration, as it seems to me, is designed to
teachthe generaltruth that the redeemed are so united with Christ that they
shall share the same destiny as he does. As the head was raised, so will all the
members be. As God brought Christ from the grave, so will he bring them;
that is, his resurrectionmade it certainthat they would rise. It is a greatand
universal truth that God will bring all from their graves who “sleepin Jesus;”
or that they shall all rise. The apostle does not, therefore, refer so much to the
time when this would occur - meaning that it would happen when the Lord
Jesus should return - as to the fact that there was an establishedconnection
betweenhim and his people, which made it certain that if they died united
with him by faith, they would be as certainly brought from the grave as he
was.
If, however, it means, as Prof. Bush (Anastasis, pp. 266,267)supposes, that
they will be brought with him from heaven, or will accompanyhim down, it
does not prove that there must have been a previous resurrection, for the full

51. force of the language would be met by the supposition that their spirits had
ascendedto heaven, and would be brought with him to be united to their
bodies when raised. If this be the correctinterpretation, then there is
probably an allusion to such passagesas the following, representing the
coming of the Lord accompaniedby his saints. “The Lord my God shall come,
and all the saints with thee.” Zechariah 14:5. “And Enoch, the seventh from
Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh, with thousand of
his saints;” Jude 1:14. “Who,” says PresidentDwight (Serm. 164), “are those
whom God will bring with Him at this time? Certainly not the bodies of his
saints … The only answeris, he will bring with him ‹the spirits of just men
made perfect.‘”
PeterPett's Commentary on the Bible
‘For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so those also who are
fallen asleepthrough Jesus will God bring with Him.’
Paul’s solution is simple. Jesus died and rose again. He defeateddeath (1
Corinthians 15:52-55). He has therefore the power to give life to the dead
(John 5:25-29). Thus the dead in Christ will rise prior to His royal visit and
will come with Him (see 1 Thessalonians 3:13).
The ‘if’ does not express doubt about their faith, it distinguishes betweenthem
and the unbelievers among whom they live. It is the equivalent of ‘because’
while also stirring up their faith within them.
Note that Jesus did not ‘sleep’, He ‘died’. It is because Jesus diedthat the
saints only sleep. It was through His death that resurrectionwas made
possible. Jesus’deathwhen spokenof directly is always describedas death.
‘Those who are fallen asleepthrough Jesus will God bring with Him.’ Or
more literally, ‘even so God the fallen asleepones through Jesus will bring
with Him’. To fall asleepin Christ is to be ‘safe in the arms of Jesus’. Because
they are in Him they will rise again. And when He comes againGodwill bring

52. them with Him. The use of the name Jesus without the accompanying Lord
makes it possible to see ‘God’ as signifying the Godhead. All the Godhead
were involved in the first coming of Jesus, andwill be involved with this
coming of the resurrectedsaints (people of God).
‘Through Jesus.’This may be attachedto ‘those who are fallen asleep’or to
‘God’. In the first case it may be confirming the fact that it is through Jesus’
work on the cross that their death is only sleep. In the secondit is signifying
that the resurrectedpeople of God can accompanyJesus atHis coming
because Godwas able to bring it about through what Jesus had done on the
cross and by His resurrection. The former seems more probable because of
the constructionof the sentence, andbecause it is necessaryto distinguish
which sleeping ones are meant, but both are true.
Whedon's Commentary on the Bible
14. Jesus died—Bothhere and in 1 Corinthians 15:3, Paul says died of Christ;
but sleepof the saints. An indication that in accordancewith the spirit of
Christianity he sees in sleepa thought of the waking. Even with hopeful
pagans this emblem was used. A Greek epitaph says, “He sleeps;say not the
goodcan die.” Our Lord in John 11:11, and other places, naturalized this
language in Christianity. The Catacombs, those cities ofthe dead saints of the
first centuries, cut beneath the surface of the earth in the soft rock, are made
morally luminous by the spirit of purity and hopefulness pervading the
epitaphs. The image of hopeful sleepis predominant. “Zoticus hic ad
dormiendum—Zoticus here laid to sleep;Dormitio Elpidis—The sleeping
place of Elpis; Dormivit et Requiescit— He has slept and is at rest.”—
Catacombs, p. 430. The true life and glory of the spirit above, as contrasted
with the corpse and sepulchre, are thus indicated: “She departed, desiring to
ascendto the ethereallight of heaven.” “Here sleeps in the sleepof peace the
sweetand innocent Severianus, whose spirit is receivedinto the light of the
Lord.” “Here rests in the sleepof peace Mala.… Receivedinto the presence of
God.”— Catacombs,pp. 427, 8. These passagesrecordthe testimony of the
early Church. 1. To the essentialdistinction of body and soul; the duality of

53. man’s constituted nature: 2. To the supernal existence ofthe soul above, while
the body lies in the tomb below; a denial of the sleepof the soul: 3.
To the resurrectionof the same body; as the body that wakes is the same body
that sleeps.
Sleepin—Or rather, through Jesus. But how canthe saints be saidto be dead
through Christ. Mostcommentators seemto think it to be too refined to make
Paul say that their death is made to be a sleepthrough Jesus. They, therefore,
connectthrough with bring, and read, God will, through Jesus, bring them
with him; bring them, that is, from the grave into resurrection. But Alford
argues, that inasmuch as sleepis spokenof Christian death alone, Paul truly
means that so blesseda distinction is through Christ. Wordsworth plausibly
renders it, “those who have been laid asleep, sommo compositos,through
Jesus.”
Will… bring— That is, from their graves, back to us, which are alive.
Mark Dunagan Commentary on the Bible
1 Thessalonians 4:14 “Forif we believe that Jesus died and rose again, evenso
them also that are fallen asleepin Jesus will God bring with Him”
“For”:Such ignorance and hopeless is inexcusable, for” (Hendriksen p. 111).
“If we believe that Jesus died and arose again”:This is the fundamental and
foundational stone of Christianity (1 Corinthians ; 17-19). The "if" in the
sentence does not express any doubt, rather Paul is saying that such hopeless
despair is completely incompatible with the personwho believes in the death
and resurrectionof Jesus. Stottnotes, “If God did not abandon Jesus to death,
He will not abandon the Christian dead either” (p. 98). BecauseHis
resurrectionis the proof and promise of our and the resurrectionof every
believer (1 Corinthians 15:23).
The resurrectionof Jesus is not that hard to prove and neither is it difficult to
believe in: The witnesses were credible men, who gainedvery little materially

54. from preaching such a message(2 Corinthians 6:4 ff). Jesus definitely did die
on the cross. Hence there is no room for any kind of "swoontheory" (Mark
15:44-45). The disciples did not see a vision or convince themselves that He
had been raised, because hallucinations do not move bodies (Luke 24:36-39).
The Jewishand Roman authorities had every incentive to keepthe body in the
tomb (Matthew 27:62-66). Nobodycould have stolenthe body, for the tomb
was securelyguarded. Where is the greatand wise Jewishobjectionor
argument againstthe resurrection? All we find is a poor excuse that would not
even hold up in small claims court (Matthew 28:11-15). The very factthat
people today try to explain away "whathappened to the body" is proof that
everyone, believer or unbeliever, Christian or skeptic, disciple and atheist all
believe that on the third day the tomb that Jesus was placedin, was empty!
“Evenso”:The Christian dead will be raisedjust as Jesus was raised. “If this
is what we believe about Jesus, this is what follows from it” (Marshallp. 123).
“Them also that are fallen asleep”:DeceasedChristians. “In Jesus”:Lit.,
through or by means of Jesus. It is "in" or "through" Jesus that one is
delivered from the terror of death (Hebrews 2:14-16;Revelation1:17-18). To
fall asleepin Jesus is to die "in the Lord" (Revelation14:13). It is also through
or by means of Jesus, that our souls will be reunited with our glorified bodies
(John 5:28-29;John 6:44 “and I will raise him up on the last day”).
Morris observes, “Inthis context we are reminded of the historicalfacts of the
death and resurrection. These things really happened. The Christian
confidence is not the result of some philosophicalspeculation, nor the
elaborationof a religious myth. Rather, it rests on a sure historical
foundation” (pp. 140,138).
“Will God bring with Him”: The same God who raisedJesus (Romans 4:24;
Romans 8:11; Romans 10:9; 1 Thessalonians1:10), will also raise all the
Christian dead. I think some writers might be on the right track when they
point out that Paul is saying something more here, than just the fact that
deceasedChristians will be raised. The phrase "bring with Him", may mean
nothing more than the factthat the bodies of deceasedChristians will not be
left behind, but it may mean more. The real concernof the Thessalonians may
have been, no so much the resurrectionof their deceasedfriends, but whether

55. or not deceasedChristians would "miss out" on the glorious events at the
SecondComing. Paul may be saying, that all the deceasedfaithful, will be
present when Jesus comes, thatis Hades will be immediately emptied out, and
the deceasedwillbe reunited with their resurrectedand glorified bodies in the
same realm and time that the living are changed and everyone, living or
deceasedwill share in this greatday. This would mean that when Jesus comes,
we often forgetthat all the departed faithful will be coming with Him, to be
reunited with their resurrectedbodies (4:17). This sectionofScripture offers
absolutely no support for the modern Premillennial idea of a rapture, that is,
a silent and secretcoming of Christ for Christians only, because the “coming”
mentioned in this chapter is loud (4:16); final (4:17); is at the exactsame time
that Jesus comes to punish the wicked(5:1-3); thus it is not merely for the
living Christians (4:14).
The Biblical Illustrator
1 Thessalonians 4:14
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, evenso them also which sleep
in Jesus will God bring with Him
Christ’s resurrectionand ours
I.
The event predicted. “Will God bring with Him.”
1. This is affirmed to meet the fear that God could not do so. The ground of
their sorrow was that their departed friends would be deprived of the glories
of Christ’s advent, which was thought to be near. Paul now assures them that
the dead will share it as powerfully as the living.
2. The Thessalonians thus believed in Christ’s secondcoming. This was a
subject often on our Lord’s lips, and is a prominent feature in this Epistle. It

56. is kept in the backgroundby many Christians to their disadvantage. Frequent
thought about it is requisite to spirituality of mind. Paul says, “Our
conversationis in heaven,” and his reasonis “from whence also we look for
the Saviour.” Heavenly mindedness is the drawing of self to Christ.
3. If God brings departed saints with Him, they are with Him now, otherwise
He could not bring them. They are “the general assemblyof the first born;”
“Spirits of just men made perfect;” “Absent from the body, present with the
Lord.” The New Testamentagainand againasserts thatthe saints after death
go direct into God’s presence.
4. When departed spirits are brought by God they will know one another. It is
amazing to suppose that we should know eachother on earth and not in
heaven; that we should have a less amount of perceptionas to eachother’s
characterand identity there than here. If this be admitted the passagewhich
was intended to comfort is a mockery. How could the Thessalonians be
comforted by the coming of their deceasedfriends if they were not to know
them? Read 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20.How could Paul’s converts be his crown
of rejoicing if he was not to know them? The same doctrine is proved from the
parable of the rich man and Lazarus and from the appearance ofMoses and
Elias at the Transfiguration.
II. Its certainty.
1. If we believe that Christ died and rose againit follows as a necessary
consequence thatthose who sleepin Him He will bring with Him. Observe
how everything is basedon the death and resurrectionof Christ; and in view
of that it is no wonderthat the first preachers were selectedbecausethey were
witnesses ofthe resurrection.
2. It follows, also, thatthe Church being thus perfectedin herselfmust also be
perfectedin her circumstances. “FatherIwill also that those whom Thou
gavestMe be with Me,” etc. (1 Thessalonians2:17).

57. III. Its objectand purpose. The reunion of the saints--
1. With their bodies.
2. With their friends.
3. With Christ, body and soul.
Conclusion:The passageis full of comfort, but there is a tremendous
limitation in it. It refers exclusively to those who sleepin Christ and those who
are living in Him when He comes. Are you “in Christ”? (C. Molyneux, M. A.)
Christ’s resurrectionthe pledge of ours
At our birth our bodies became a battleground betweenlife and death. During
the first ten years death makes many conquests. At ten years death begins to
fall back. At twenty, life is triumphant. At thirty, life foresees the future. At
forty, the battle is hot. At fifty, death inflicts some wounds, and life begins an
orderly retreat. At sixty, life feels her strength failing. At seventy, the retreat
becomes a rout. At eighty, death waves the black flag and cries, “No quarter!”
This is no fancy picture; it is no preacher’s dream; it is a fact undeniable,
inevitable, universal! Indifference cannot affectits certainty, and scepticism
cannot refute its truth. There is only one other fact with which we can
confront this fact of death, and that is the resurrectionof Jesus. Here fact
meets fact. That is what we demand. We want a fact, a case, aninstance, one
single instance of resurrection. Once a sea captainfound his crew on shore
apparently dead. The surgeontook one of the men and applied remedies, and
the poisonedman stoodon his feet. The captain shouted with joy, for in that
one risen man he saw the possibility to save them all. So Christ brings life and
immortality to light. His resurrectionis not metaphysics, but history. Not
speculationfor the future, but a fact of the past. Not a problem to be solved,
but the solution of all problems. (R. S. Barrett.)
The certainty and blessednessofthe resurrectionof true Christians
I. What is meant by those that sleepin Jesus.

58. 1. Sleepis a metaphor used by sacredand profane writers. The ancient
Christians calledtheir place of burial Koimetrion “sleeping place.” The figure
is applied to the death of the wicked, but more frequently to that of the
righteous (Isaiah 57:2). Fitly is death so calledas signifying rest(Revelation
14:13), and as preparatory to waking.
2. Deathis called a sleeping “in Jesus” in conformity with 1 Corinthians
15:18;1 Corinthians 15:23;1 Thessalonians4:16;Hebrews 11:13. To sleepin
Christ, to be Christ’s, to die in Christ, to die in the faith, all mean the same;to
die in the state of true Christians as to be “in Christ” (John 15:4; Romans
13:1), means to be a Christian. And it is observable that we share all Christ’s
acts--die, rise, ascend, etc. with Him.
3. Some think that this is the sleepof the soul, but, on the contrary, Scripture
applies the figure invariably to the body (Daniel 12:2; Matthew 27:52; Acts
13:36); and it is inconsistentwith those passageswhichclearly affirm the soul
to be awake(Luke 16:22-23;Luke 23:43;Philippians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:6).
II. What is meant by God’s bringing with Him them that sleepin Jesus.
1. The death and resurrectionof Christ are an argument and proof of ours.
Christ’s death is mentioned as part of the argument because the truth of the
miracle of the resurrectiondepends upon it. If Christ did not die He could not
have risen. The resurrectionis shownin 1 Corinthians 15:20 to be the pledge
and first fruits of ours. And that Christ intended to lay greatstress upon this
argument, appears in that He foretold it so often as the greatsign He would
give to the Jews to confute their infidelity (John 2:18-19;Matthew 12:39-40).
Christ’s resurrectiongives us satisfactionin generalof immortality, and then
of His powerto raise us because He raised Himself. And then it assures us of
His truth and fidelity that He will perform what He promised. He could not
have promised anything more improbable than His own resurrection; and,
therefore, since He keptHis word in this, there is no reasonto distrust Him in
anything else that He has promised (Revelation1:18; Revelation3:14).
2. Wherein the blessedness ofthe just shall consist.

59. (a) “Equal to the angels” in immortal duration, and “children of God” in the
perfect possessionof His happiness (Luke 20:35-36).
(b) Fashionedlike unto the glorious body of Christ (Philippians 4:20).
(c) 1 Corinthians 15:35, etc.).
The dead Christ and sleeping Christians
I. Jesus died that we might sleep. The thought is that He, though sinless, died
like a sinner. He took the place of a sinner; was treatedas a sinner as far as
possible without sinning. He became what we sinners are, that we, the sinners,
as far as possible, might become what He, the Righteous, is. Jesus died, then;
His disciples sleep. Jesus spakeofLazarus sleeping, but never referred to His
own death as sleep: that was not sleep, but death in its utter awfulness. The
sting of death, He felt it; the victory of death, He yielded to it; the curse of
death, He bore it; the desolationof death, He endured it; the darkness of
death, He dreaded it. “O death! where is thy sting? O grave!where is thy
victory?” were not words of our blessedSaviour, though they may be of the
blesseddead.
II. If we believe that Jesus rose from the dead, we may also believe that those
who sleepin Jesus, Godwill bring with Him. So far as we loved them, we may
love them as ever, as we shall yet behold them perfectin Jesus, withouta
semblance of sin, pure as He is pure. When He died, His sorrows were over,
His work was done. And observe a remarkable fact--the body of the Redeemer
was preservedfrom every indignity after the spirit had departed. Up to the
moment of His death, He was subjected to every outrage. He was like the
sinner; He was acting for the sinner; He was suffering for the sinner; and,
while He was a consenting party, every indignity was heapedupon Him. But
from the moment His spirit left His body, every honour was done to Him. His
body, after His resurrection, was very unlike His body previously--it was “a

60. spiritual body,” invisible, and passing when and where it would and doing
what it would. That body will be the model of our bodies; and the prime
thought of St. Paul is--He will bring our friends to us again, and we shall know
them, and be with them forever with the Lord. (A. Lind, D. D.)
Resting on God’s Word
A pastor in visiting a member of his church found her very sick, apparently
dying. He said to her: “Mrs. M., you seemto be very sick.” “Yes,”saidshe, “I
am dying.” “And are you ready to die?” She lifted her eyes upon him with a
solemn and fixed gaze, and, speaking with greatdifficulty, she replied: “Sir,
God knows--Ihave takenHim--at His word--and--I am not afraid to die.” It
was a new definition of faith. “I have taken Him at His word,” What a
triumph of faith! What else could she have said that would have expressedso
much in so few words?
Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible
for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are
fallen asleepin Jesus will God bring with him.
If we believe, .... "There is no uncertainty implied by the use of the
conditional, the same being an idiomatic way of arguing from a certainty, as
when Jesus said, "If I go and prepare a place for you, I come again" (John
14:3).
Asleep in Jesus ... Stibbs construed the prepositional phrase in this passage as
modifying "Godwill bring," rendering it: "Evenso, through Jesus, Godwill
bring with him those who have fallen asleep";[26]but this would seemto be
both arbitrary and awkward. While true enough that the resurrectionshall be
accomplished"through Jesus," the thing in view here is that community of
souls who are "asleepin Jesus."This passagedoes notdeny the general
resurrectionof all the dead, but the generalresurrectionof unbelievers is not

61. mentioned. The glorious promises of this passage are forthem that sleep
Jesus." Thus, again, the supreme importance of being Christ" appears as a
mandatory prerequisite of receiving any Christian blessing. The apostle John
wrote: "Blessedare the dead who die in the Lord (Revelation14:13); and the
same teaching is in Paul's words here.
Before leaving this verse it is important to note the implications that are
inherent in it. Moffatt states them thus:
Since Paul left, some of the ThessalonianChristians had died, and the
survivors were distressedwith the fear that these would have to occupy a
position secondaryto those who lived until the Advent of the Lord, or even
that they had passedbeyond any such participation at all.[27]
To these implications, there is another to be added. The Thessalonianswho
were the objectof Paul's concern were not worried about themselves, but only
about their deceasedmembers, indicating that they fully expectedto live to
the SecondAdvent! Of course, this expectationwas erroneous, andit may not
be inferred that they had receivedany such false impressionfrom what Paul
had actually taught. The appearance of2Thessalonianssucha short time later
to correcttheir false views proves conclusivelythat the false views were not of
apostolic origin, but due only to their improper deductions. It should be
remembered that Paul's instruction of them had been interrupted by
persecutionbefore it was concluded.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
For if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again,.... As every Christian does,
for both the death and resurrectionof Christ are fundamental articles of

62. faith; nothing is more certain or more comfortable, and more firmly to be
believed, than that Christ died for the sins of his people, and rose againfor
their justification; on these depend the present peace, joy, and comfort of the
saints, and their everlasting salvationand happiness:and no less certainand
comfortable, and as surely to be believed, is what follows,
even so them also which sleepin Jesus will God bring with him. The saints
that are dead are not only representedas asleep, as before, but as "asleepin
Jesus";to distinguish them from the other dead, the wicked;for the phrase of
sleeping in death is promiscuously used of goodand bad, though most
commonly applied to goodmen: and so say the JewsF3,
"we used to speak of just men, not as dead, but as sleeping; saying, afterwards
such an one fell asleep, signifying that the death of the righteous is nothing
else than a sleep.'
To represent death as a sleepmakes it very easyand familiar; but it is more
so, when it is consideredas sleeping in Jesus, in the arms of Jesus;and such as
are asleepin him must needs be at rest, and in safety: some join the phrase
"in", or "by Jesus",with the word bring, and read the passagethus, "them
that are asleep, by Jesus will God bring with him"; intimating, that Godwill
raise up the dead bodies of the saints by Christ, as God-man and Mediator;
and through him will bring them to eternal glory, and save them by him, as he
has determined: others render the words, "them which sleep through", or "by
Jesus";or die for his sake, andso restrain them to the martyrs; who they
suppose only will have part in the first resurrection, and whom God will bring
with Jesus athis secondcoming; but the coming of Christ will be "with all his
saints";see 1 Thessalonians 3:13 wherefore they are best rendered, "them
that sleepin Jesus";that is, "in the faith of Jesus", as the Arabic version
renders it: not in the lively exercise offaith on Christ, for this is not the case of
all the saints at death; some of them are in the dark, and go from hence under
a cloud, and yet go safe, and may be said to die, or sleep, in Jesus, andwill be
brought with him; but who have the principle, and hold the doctrine of faith,
are, and live and die, true believers;who die interested in Christ, in union
with him, being chosenand blessed, and preserved in him from everlasting,
and effectuallycalled by his grace in time, and brought to believe in him;

63. these, both their souls and bodies, are united to Christ, and are his care and
charge;and which union remains in death, and by virtue of it the bodies of the
saints will be raised at the lastday: so that there may be the strongest
assurance, thatsuch will God bring with him; either God the Fatherwill
bring them with his Son, or Jehovahthe Son will bring them with himself; he
will raise them from the dead, and unite them to their souls, or spirits, he will
bring with him; the considerationof which may serve greatly to mitigate and
abate sorrow for deceasedfriends.
Calvin's Commentary on the Bible
14Forif we believe. He assumes this axiom of our faith, that Christ was raised
up from the dead, that we might be partakers ofthe same resurrection: from
this he infers, that we shall live with him eternally. This doctrine, however, as
has been statedin 1 Corinthians 15:13, depends on another principle — that it
was not for himself, but for us that Christ died and rose again. Hence those
who have doubts as to the resurrection, do greatinjury to Christ: nay more,
they do in a manner draw him down from heaven, as is saidin Romans 10:6
To sleep in Christ, is to retain in death the connectionthat we have with
Christ, for those that are by faith ingrafted into Christ, have death in common
with him, that they may be partakers with him of life. It is asked, however,
whether unbelievers will not also rise again, for Paul does not affirm that
there will be a resurrection, except in the case ofChrist’s members. I answer,
that Paul does not here touch upon anything but what suited his present
design. For he did not design to terrify the wicked, but to correct(578)the
immoderate grief of the pious, and to cure it, as he does, by the medicine of
consolation.

64. James Nisbet's Church Pulpit Commentary
REUNION IN ETERNITY
‘If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen
asleepin Jesus will God bring with Him.’
1 Thessalonians 4:14
The text disclosesto us two blessedand consolatorytruths, eachcontaining in
regard of those that die in Christ the holiestand deepestconsolation.
I. Those who have loved the Lord, and have departed hence in His faith and
fear, pass into a union with Him that becomes evercloserand closer, and in
specialcasesmay even be crownedwith that first Resurrectionofwhich, in
one well-knownpassagein the last book of Holy Scripture, there is such
precise and definite mention. To those who have loved the Lord on earth and
have loved Him to the last, this text plainly tells us we may confidently believe
there will be this closerunion—the degree of closeness depending on the depth
and reality of the love.… And this, let it be remembered, is no isolatedtext;
this is by no means the only passagein which we have the same great
consolatorytruth, that by the Lord’s Resurrectiondeath has verily been
swallowedup in victory, and is to the believer no longerthe curse, but the
blessedmode of entry into a truer union with the Lord.
II. But the deeper heart-question still remains: Canthere be, will there be,
reunion hereafterwith those we have loved here on earth? Yea, verily, who
can doubt it, for those that die in Christ. If the text tells us that to the faithful
death bears with it a closerunion with Christ, and that to die is gain, it
assuredlyalso tells us that there will be a true, real, and blessedreunion
hereafterwith all that we have loved on earth, and who have died in the faith
of the Lord. When Christ returns, God Himself—such are the plain words of
the text—will bring with the Redeemer, allin one blessedand united
company, the redeemed;and, as another passagestillmore preciselydeclares,
will Himself—Himself, the God of the spirits of all flesh—wipe awayevery
tear in the limitless joy of that last and indissoluble reunion. In Him

65. everything that ministers to the fulness of holy joy will be vouchsafedto us,
every pure sympathy will be respondedto, every longing of holy love will be
tenderly satisfied. If we are truly His, that communion of saints which, in the
Apostles’Creed, we profess as one of the fundamental articles of our faith,
will attain its fullest perfectionand development.
III. Could communion be perfect if souls that had been united by the closest
bond here on earth were to lose all consciousnessofthat bond in the world
beyond, and all that constituted personality were to be forgottenor
obliterated? No, though it be right for us to say, with the Apostle, ‘that it is
not yet made manifest what we shall be,’ and that many things connectedwith
personalidentity here may, by the very assumption of the glorified body,
become modified hereafter, still of this we may feel the most abiding
assurance thatwhatever has constituted the truest communion of souls on this
side the grave will continue when at last all are united—and continue not only
unimpaired but enhanced. Yea, verily, if personalrecognitionand knowledge
be an inseparable element of the truest communion here on earth, so must it
be for ever. If God, who is love, brings againall who have been laid to sleepin
Jesus, will He withhold from them that knowledge and recognitionwithout
which personal love could never be complete and perfected?
—BishopEllicott.
Illustration
‘The inability to be comforted, the unresignedstate of soulthat cannot wipe
awayits tears of bitterness, will ever be found a certain index that true faith in
the factof the Lord’s Resurrectionhas not yet been vouchsafedto the soul. Of
this there are often very sadillustrations. In many of the public comments
that are made on the death of public men, there is a distinct pagan element in
thought, epithet, and expressionthat reveal the utterly imperfect recognition
of the truth and reality of the Resurrectionof the Lord Jesus Christ which, I
fear, is now very unmistakably to be tracedin current literature of the day.
The Lord’s Resurrectionis not exactlydenied exceptby the professed
opponents of Christianity; but it is left as something which lies outside the
sphere of historicalinvestigation, and can never be soberly regardedas

66. ministering any realconsolationon the bitterness of human sorrows and
bereavement. In a word, the powerof the Resurrectionin its holiest
application to the individual soul is deemed to be nothing more than an
innocent illusion; and a distinct statementis put aside as belonging only to the
poetry of religion.’
Sermon Bible Commentary
1 Thessalonians 4:14
The Intermediate State.
I. Where are the saints? and what are they doing? And the Spirit answers,
they "sleepin Jesus."Now you must not for a moment understand this
expressionas though it meant that the spirits of the sainted dead are passing
the interval, till the resurrection, in a state of unconsciousnessorinactivity.
The idea is utterly abhorrent alike to feeling, to reason, and to Scripture. For
we can conceive no idea of soul but in the motion of thought and feeling. A
soul without consciousness is a contradictionin terms. Even here thought
never ceases;nor is it possible that God would have been at such amazing
pains to make and remake a being for His glory and then consignthat being
for thousands, it may be, of years, to a condition in which he cannotglorify
Him. And St. Paul himself speaks conclusively, atthe beginning of his Epistle
to the Philippians, when he compares and balances those two things—to
remain for the Church's sake, orto die and be with Christ. Now it would be
no question of balance at all if he did not expectassuredly to be consciously
happy with Christ; for then to remain and serve the Church, would it not be
unquestionably better than to be passing that same period in a useless and
joyless suspensionof all life and power?
II. Let us follow, if we may catch a glimpse of, the untrammelled spirit. The
word of God is distinct that it is passedinto Paradise—"To-dayshaltthou be

67. with Me in Paradise"—bywhich we are to understand, not heaven—Elijah
only of all the saints is saidto have gone to heaven, and that, it may be,
because his spirit was never separatedfrom his body—but we are to
understand some happy place (the word means garden, and associatesitself
therefore in the mind with the first Eden) where the separate spirits of the just
are with Jesus, awaiting His secondcoming and their bodies, after which they
are to enter into that final and perfect glory, which we callheaven. For
neither they without us, nor we without them, shall be made perfect; but all
the people of God, of every age, will go into heaventogether. Till then, we are
instructed to believe that the souls of the faithful "sleepin Jesus"—the word
may mean with Jesus, ormore strictly, through Jesus—inParadise.
J. Vaughan, Fifty Sermons, 1874, p. 55.
References:1 Thessalonians 4:14.—ChristianWorldPulpit, vol. i., p. 472;
Ibid., vol. xxii., p. 308;Clergyman's Magazine, vol. ii., p. 213;Spurgeon,
Morning by Morning, p. 181. 1 Thessalonians 4:16.—J. Vaughan, Children's
Sermons, vol. vi., p. 106.
Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible
1 Thessalonians 4:14. Which sleepin Jesus— The state of the bodies of the
pious dead in their graves is not only here, but in many other passagesof
scripture, describedas a short sleep, comparedwith that eternal life into
which they shall awake in the morning of the resurrection. This 14th verse
ought to be read in a parenthesis, it being a repetition of what the Apostle had
more fully instructed them in before. The resurrectionof Christ was the
grand fact upon which the whole Christian religiondepended; and with it, the
resurrectionof mankind in general, but more especiallyof the just, was joined
in the closestconnection. This is what the Apostle elsewhere shews atlarge;
here he only reminds the Thessalonians ofit in a short parenthesis, and passes
on to the further discoverymentioned in the preceding note.

68. Expository Notes with PracticalObservations onthe New Testament
St. Paul having, in the foregoing verse, dissuadedfrom immoderate grief and
sorrow for the death of relations, comes now to lay down several
considerations orconsolatoryarguments in order to it.
The first word of comfort is this, that our relations over whom we mourn, are
but fallen asleep;the grave is a bed, in which the saint is laid to rest, his body
rests in a bed of dust, as in a safe and consecrateddormitory, till the morning
of the resurrection:and, if the night be long, the morning will be the more
joyous.
The secondcomfortis, they sleepin Jesus, that is, in union with Jesus, as
members of his body; in the faith of Jesus, that is, in such a belief of the
doctrine of Christ, as is accompaniedwith a holy obedience to the commands
of Christ.
The third consolatorywordis this, God will come, that is, to judgment, and
when he cometh, will bring his sleeping saints with him, that is, he will bring
their souls from heaven, their bodies from the grave. Body and soul united he
shall take up to himself into the clouds, and then carry all his saints back with
him into heaven.
A fourth, is this, our relations are not alone in death; Jesus died; the Captain
of our salvationmarched before us through the black regions of death and the
grave, and has perfumed the bed of the grave, by his own lying in it.
Note here, the apostle says Jesus died, the saints sleep; a believer's death is
calleda sleep. I do not find that Christ's death is calleda sleep; no, his death
was death indeed, death with a curse in it: but the believers'death is turned
by Christ into a sweetand silent sleep.
Again, Jesus died and rose again, that is a comforting consideration, he was
laid, but not lostin the grave: he rose by his own power, he rose as our Head
and representative, and accordingly, all his saints are risen in him, and shall
rise after him. Because Ilive, says Christ, you shall live also.

69. PRECEPT AUSTIN RESOURCES
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 Commentary
1 Thessalonians 4 Resources
Updated: Fri, 06/07/2019 -11:01 By admin
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1 Thessalonians 4:13 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. (NASB: Lockman)
Greek:Ou thelomen (1PPAI) de humas agnoein, (PAN) adelphoi, peri ton
koimomenon, (PPPMPG)ina me lupesthe (2PPPS)kathos kaioi loipoi oi me
echontes (PAPMPN)elpida.
Amplified: Now also we would not have you ignorant, brethren, about those
who fall asleep[in death], that you may not grieve [for them] as the rest do
who have no hope [beyond the grave]. (Amplified Bible - Lockman)
NLT: And now, brothers and sisters, I want you to know what will happen to
the Christians who have died so you will not be full of sorrow like people who
have no hope. (NLT - Tyndale House)
Phillips: Now we don't want you, my brothers, to be in any doubt about those
who "fall asleep" in death, or to grieve over them like men who have no hope.
(Phillips: Touchstone)

70. Wuest: Now, we do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those
who from time to time are falling asleep [dying], in order that you may not be
mourning in the same manner as the rest who do not have a hope. (Eerdmans)
Young's Literal: And I do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning
those who have fallen asleep, that ye may not sorrow, as also the rest who have
not hope,
BUT WE DO NOT WANT YOU TO BE UNINFORMED BRETHREN
ABOUT THOSE WHO ARE ASLEEP:Ou thelomen (1PPAI) de humas
agnoein, (PAN) adelphoi peri ton koimomenon, (PPPMPG):
we do not want you to be uninformed Romans 1:13; 1Corinthians 10:1; 12:1;
2Corinthians 1:8; 2Peter3:8
about those who are asleep1Th4:15; 5:10; 1Ki 1:21; 2:10; Da 12:2; Mt 27:52;
Lk 8:52,53;Jn 11:11, 12, 13; Acts 7:60; 13:36;1Co 15:6,18;2Pe 3:4
1 Thessalonians 4 Resources -Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
PAUL INFORMS US ABOUT FATE
OF THOSE WHO ARE ASLEEP IN JESUS
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 is the classic New Testamentpassage onthe rapture
of the church. The Thessalonians’ignorance aboutthe Rapture causedthem
to grieve. It was to give them hope and to comfort them that Paul discussed
that momentous event.
Frame writes that "Since Paul’s departure, one or more of the Thessalonian
Christians had died. The brethren were in grief not because they did not
believe in the resurrection of the saints, but because they fearedthat their
dead would not have the same advantages as the survivors when the Lord
came. Their perplexity was due not simply to the Gentile difficulty of
apprehending the meaning of resurrection, but also to the fact that Paul had
not when he was with them discussedexplicitly the problem of the relation of
survivors to dead at the Parousia. (Frame, J. E.. A Critical and Exegetical
Commentary on the Epistles of St. Paul to the Thessalonians. New York:C.
Scribner's Sons. 1912)

71. Spurgeonwrote "Tears are permitted to us, but they must glisten in the light
of faith and hope. Jesus wept, but Jesus never repined (to be fretful or low-
spirited through discontent). We, too, may weep, but not as those who are
without hope, nor yet as though forgetful that there is greatercause for joy
than for sorrow in the departure of our brethren
But (de) introduces a transition to a new subject.
Richisoncomments that "The restlessnessofdisorderly believers
(1Thessalonians 4:11, 12)was, in part, causedby an incomplete understanding
of the Rapture of the church. They rightly understood that the coming of
Christ was imminent, that is, no sign needed fulfillment before He came again.
However, they had not consideredthe possibility that some of their friends
would die before it occurred. They, therefore, plunged into deep grief. Doubts
filled their minds as to the status of these prematurely deceasedbelievers.
(1Thessalonians 4:13;13b; 13c;4:14; 14b)
Ray Stedman says that to help understand this accountwe must remember
that "the Thessalonians hadclearly been expecting the return of Jesus before
any of them died. This was a moment-by-moment expectancyin the early
church. First century Christians never entertained the thought that death
would occur for them. They believed the Lord was coming within days, or
weeks atthe most. In the first chapter of this letter Paul commends the
Thessalonians for"waiting for God's Son from heaven," {cf, note 1Th 1:10-
note}. That is what they were looking for. (See his sermonComfort at the
Grave)
Not (3756)(ou) means absolutely"never"!
The Pauline phrase "not want you to be unaware (ignorant)" although
negative in form is positive in meaning. Milligan adds that this phrase is
commonly used by Paul to introduce a new, important topic (eg, see cf. Ro
1:13 [note], Ro 11:25 [note - God's plan for Israel], 1Cor10:1, 12:1 [spiritual
gifts], 2Cor1:8 [afflictions and comfort]).
Want (2309)(thelo) speaks ofa desire that comes from one’s emotions and
represents an active decisionof the will (implying volition and purpose). Thelo

72. is a conscious willing and denotes a more active resolution urging one on to
action.
Vincent commenting on the phrase I would not have you to be ignorant writes
that the introductory phrase "we would not, etc. (was)a formula often used
by Paul to callspecialattention to what he is about to say. See Ro 1:13-note;
Ro 11:25-note;1Cor 10:1, etc.
Richisoncomments that "This phrase, expressing that Paul does not want
them to be ignorant is a formula customarily used to discuss difficult
problems and correctfalse ideas (Ro 1:13 [note], Ro 11:25 [note]; 1Co 10:1;
12:1). Usually, whenever the Bible warns us that we are ignorant about
something, it is warranted. The topic of Christians dying is so important to the
Thessalonians that it requires an explanation from the apostle Paul. The only
way we can know about the afterlife is through the revelationfound in the
Bible. If we have adequate knowledge ofwhat the Bible teaches aboutthis
subject, then it will dispel excessive griefin our souls. We can only resolve our
ignorance by reading the Bible. We will rid ourselves of excessive griefby
eliminating our ignorance aboutthe future. The Thessalonians were clearly
looking for the Lord’s return at the rapture, but they did not know the state
of their dead loved ones until that point. They thought that those who died
would miss the Rapture. (1Thessalonians4:13;13b; 13c;4:14; 14b)
Uniformed (50) (agnoeo [wordstudy] from a = not + noéo = perceive with the
mind, to understand) (See study of noun agnoia)means to be ignorant, to not
have information about, to not know, to be unaware of.
Ignorance is not bliss in regardto what happens when a believer dies!
MacArthur explains that "Their concernfor those who had died shows that
the Thessalonians believedthe return of Christ was imminent and could
happen in their lifetime. Otherwise, there would have been no reasonfor their
concern. The Thessalonians’fearthat their fellow believers who had died
might miss the Rapture also implies that they believed in a pretribulational
Rapture. If the Rapture precedes the Tribulation, they might have wondered
when believers who died would receive their resurrection bodies. But there
would have been no such confusionif the Rapture follows the Tribulation; all

73. believers would then receive their resurrectionbodies at the same time.
Further, if they had been taught that they would go through the Tribulation,
they would not have grieved for those who died, but rather would have been
glad to see them sparedfrom that horrible time. (MacArthur, John: 1 & 2
Thessalonians. MoodyPress)
Brethren (80) (adelphos from collative a = copulative prefix {joining together
coordinate words} or connective particle serving to join or unite + delphús =
womb) is literally one born from same womb and literally identifies a male
having the same father and mother. Figuratively as used throughout this
epistle adelphos refers to a close associate ofa group of persons having well-
defined membership, specificallyidentifying fellow believers in Christ united
by the bond of affection. In chapter 4 Paul repeatedly (1Th 4:1, 6, 8-see notes
1Th 4:1; 4:6; 4:9) appeals to the relationship the Thessalonians have with Paul
in Christ. In short, the truth that Paul is about to revealis strictly for those
who know Christ as their Savior and Lord.
About (4012)(peri) means around and here conveys the sense ofconcerning
or regarding.
Are asleep(2837)(koimao relatedto keímai= to lie outstretched, to lie down)
literally refers to normal sleepbut is used figuratively in the present context
referring to those who are dead and specificallythose who are "dead in
Christ" ("those also who have fallen asleepin Christ")
Robertsoncomments that the "Presenttense (ofkoimao)gives idea of
repetition, from time to time fall asleep. GreeksandRomans used this figure
of sleepfor death
In other words Paul is referring to those are continually falling asleepas a
regular course of life in the church. The believers in Thessalonicahad grown
increasinglyconcernedas their fellow believers continued to die.
Here are other uses of koimao which help us understand that it was a
"euphemistic" reference to death in certain contexts..

74. (After Stephen had been stoned Luke records)And (Stephen) falling on his
knees, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against
them!" And having said this, he fell asleep(koimao)(Acts 7:60)
For David, after he had servedthe purpose of God in his own generation, fell
asleep, and was laid among his fathers, and underwent decay (Acts 13:36)
1 Corinthians 7:39 A wife is bound as long as her husband lives; but if her
husband is dead (koimao), she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only
in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 11:30 For this reasonmany among you are weak and sick, and
a number sleep(have died)
1 Corinthians 15:6 After that He appearedto more than five hundred
brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen
asleep… 18 Then (if Christ was not resurrected)those also who have fallen
asleepin Christ have perished… 20 But now Christ has been raised from the
dead, the first fruits (see Christ the First Fruits) of those who are asleep… 51
Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, (not all believers will die -
specificallythose who alive when the Lord returns will not die a physical
death) but we shall all be changed,
2Peter3:4 (note) and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever
since the fathers fell asleep, allcontinues just as it was from the beginning of
creation.
Hiebert notes that sleepwas a well knowneuphemism for death and "did not
originate with Christianity. It was a common metaphor among the Jews and
was current even among pagans. The figure was apparently suggestedby the
stillness of the body and its apparent restfulness upon death; it was used even
where there was no hope of resurrection. Having been used by the Master
Himself (Mark 5:39; John 11:11), Christians readily acceptedthe term as a
witness to their faith concerning death. The figure is not distinctively
Christian, yet, as Morris well remarks, it is "much more at home in a
Christian context than elsewhere."(Hiebert, D. Edmond: 1 & 2
Thessalonians:BMH Book. 1996)

75. Sleepwas used as a euphemism for death in Homer’s poem The Iliad, when at
the death of a young warriorthe lament sounds forth…
So there he fell, and slept a sleepof bronze, unhappy youth, far from his
wedded wife. (Iliad 11.241-243)
The Roman poetCatullus appeals for the devotion of his lover by reminding
her that life is short and that an unending night follows
Suns may setand rise again. For us, when the short light has once set, remains
to be slept the sleepof one unbroken night. (Poems 5)
Jacobas he anticipates his own death makes this requestof Joseph…
When I lie down with my ancestors, carryme out of Egypt and bury me in
their burial place. (Ge 47:30)
The death of King David is describedas sleep…
Then David slept with his ancestors (1Kings 2:10)
Stedman adds that koimao "is never used in the New Testamentof anyone but
believers. It never says of a non-believer when he died that he "fell asleep."
There is a wonderful lessonin that. It shows that death, for the believer, is
nothing more than sleep. When your loved ones fall asleepyou do not run to
the phone and dial 911 for emergencyservice for them. You know that they
are quietly resting, that they will awakenagain, and that you will have contact
with them againsoon. That is why the New Testamentregards the death of
believers as nothing but sleep. (See his sermon Comfort at the Grave)
Koimao is the rootof our English word cemetery (koimeterion)which was
adopted by the early Christians as their optimistic name for the graveyard,
being used this way first in Christian burials in the Roman Catacombs. The
Koimeterion literally meant "a sleeping place" and was used by Greeks to
describe a place of rest, a room for sleeping (bedroom), or a rest house for
strangers. Koimeterionwas also a synonym for a dormitory or place where
people sleep.

76. Deathfor a Christian is consideredmerely being asleep. Jesus evenhad to
explain this greattruth to His disciples.
This He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen
asleep(koimao);but I go, that I may awakenhim out of sleep." The disciples
therefore said to Him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep(koimao), he will
recover." Now Jesushad spokenof his death, but they thought that He was
speaking ofliteral sleep. Then Jesus therefore saidto them plainly, "Lazarus
is dead, (John 11:11, 12, 13, 14)
The sleep, however, applies only to the body, for the souland spirit are with
the Lord
we are of goodcourage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body
and to be at home with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8).
The metaphoricaluse of the word sleepis appropriate because ofthe
similarity in appearance betweena sleeping body and a dead body, restfulness
and peace atleastoutwardly characterizing both states.
Just as the sleeperdoes not ceaseto exist while his body "sleeps",so the dead
person continues to exist despite his absence from the region in which those
who remain cancommunicate with him. In addition, just as normal sleepis
temporary, so too is the death of the body. And thus even as sleephas its time
of waking, death will have its awakening whichwe callthe resurrection. There
is a resurrectionof believers (the "first resurrection")and of non-believers
("secondresurrection" whichis the preface to the "seconddeath" or eternal
separationfrom God in the Lake of fire). (See discussionof The "First" and
"Second" Resurrection)
There is a false teaching knownas "soulsleep" that says that souls of the dead
are in a state of unconscious existence.Theyclaim that after a long period,
God will awakenthe soul. This is not the teaching of Scripture. In the NT
"sleep" in the contextof death applies only to the body and never to the soul.
Hiebert adds that…

77. The theory of soulsleepis inconsistentwith Paul's assertionin 1Th5:10 (see
note) that God's purpose for us is that whether we live or die we should live
togetherwith Christ. (Ibid)
MacArthur explains why "soulsleep" is a false teaching writing that…
In 2Corinthians 5:8 Paul wrote that he “prefer[red] rather to be absent from
the body and to be at home with the Lord,” while in Php 1:23 (note) he
expressedhis “desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much
better.”
Those statements teachthat believers go consciouslyinto the Lord’s presence
at death, for how could unconsciousness be “very much better” than conscious
communion with Jesus Christ in this life?
Jesus promised the repentant thief on the cross, “TrulyI say to you, today you
shall be with Me in Paradise [heaven;cf. 2 Cor. 12:4; Re 2:7{note}]” (Luke
23:43).
Moses’andElijah’s souls were not asleep, since they appeared with Jesus at
the Transfiguration(Mt 17:3), nor are those of the Tribulation martyrs in
Revelation6:9, 10, 11 (see notes Re 6:9; 10; 11), who will be awake andable to
speak to God. After death the redeemed go consciouslyinto the presence of
the Lord, while the unsaved go into conscious punishment (Ed note: Readthis
passageabouta "certainrich man" and a "poor man named Lazarus" who
both die and end up in different "compartments" of Hades, the temporary
abode of the dead. - Lk 16:19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31).
(MacArthur, John: 1 & 2 Thessalonians.MoodyPress)
Vincent comments that…
in Christian speechand thought, as the doctrine of the resurrection
(1Corinthians 15:1-58)struck its roots deeper, the word dead, with its
hopeless finality, gave place to the more gracious andhopeful word sleep. The
paganburying-place carried in its name no suggestionofhope or comfort. It
was a burying-place, a hiding-place, a monumentum, a mere memorial of
something gone;a columbarium, or dove-cot, with its little pigeon-holes for
cinerary urns; but the Christian thought of death as sleep, brought with it into

78. Christian speechthe kindred thought of a chamber of rest, and embodied it in
the word cemetery(koimeterion) — the place to lie down to sleep.
The Christian's unique hope that is not shared by non-believers is the Blessed
Hope (Titus 2:13-note cp 1Jn 3:2-3; 1Pe 1:13-note) of the return of Christ for
His own just as He had promised (John 14:2-3). That will be the great
resurrectionday when living believers will be reunited with all their loved
ones who have died. Believers then and now have this promise by the word of
the Lord (1Th 4:15-note)Himself Who declaredto His disciples…
Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My
Father's house are many dwelling places;if it were not so, I would have told
you; for 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. And you know the way where I am going." (John 14:1-4)
THAT YOU MAY NOT GRIEVE AS THE REST WHO HAVE NO HOPE:
Hina me lupesthe (2PPPS)kathos kaioiloipoi oi me echontes (PAPMPN)
elpida:
That you may not grieve - Ge 37:35; Lev 19:28; Dt 14:1,2;2 Sa 12:19,20;
18:33;Job 1:21; Ezek 24:16, 17, 18; Jn 11:24; Acts 8:2
As the rest who have no hope 1 Th 4:17; Genesis 49:19;Zech 14:15; Matthew
24:31;1 Co 15:23;Phil 3:20,21;2 Th 2:1; Jude 1:14,15
1 Thessalonians 4 Resources -Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
BELIEVERS HAVE "HOPE SURE"
NOT A "HOPE SO"
So that (2443)(hina) is a terms of purpose or result. Paul says the purpose of
this sectionis that he does not want them to grieve because they are
uninformed about the matter of a Christian who falls asleep.
You may not grieve - The negative particle (me) with the present tense
indicates that the goalof the truth in this sectionis to stop the grieving of the

79. readers. They are not to go on grieving as the rest. Paul's goalis to cure their
grief by removing their ignorance.
Grieve (3076)(lupeo from lupe = sadness, sorrow, grief)means to feelpain, of
body or mind and so to experience severe mental or emotionaldistress. It can
also refer to physical pain which may be accompaniedby sadness,sorrow or
grief.
The present tense also speaksofthe continual lot of those (the rest) who do not
intimately know Christ as Lord and Savior(those with "no hope").
At Gethsemane as our Lord anticipated Calvary, He
beganto be grieved" (lupeo) and distressed. ThenHe said to them, "My soul
is deeply grieved(related verb "perilupeo" grieved all around, surrounded by
grief, severelygrieved) to the point of death; remain here and keepwatchwith
Me. (Mt 26:37,38)
If the trial of Gethsemane was painful to the perfect Man, Christ Jesus, we
must understand that to deny that our trials are painful is to make them even
worse. Christians must acceptthe fact that there are difficult experiences in
life and not put on a brave front just to appear “more spiritual.”
Hiebert explains the grieving is not just over their temporal loss of believing
loved ones, but as indicated in 1 Thessalonians4:15…
rather indicates that they feared that those who failed to live until the coming
of Christ would be at an irreparable disadvantage at His return. They thought
there was a peculiar advantage attached to survival until the end time (cf. Da
12:12). They fancied that those who had departed would miss the blissful
reunion, or at leastcome behind those who lived until the parousia. Thus their
grief was not just a natural sorrow for their own loss but grief for the
supposedloss of their loved ones sustainedby their death before the return of
the Lord. (Ibid)
And so here Paul writes to the saints at Thessalonica who had lost loved ones
so that they would not grieve but to the contrary they would be empoweredby

80. this sound doctrine regarding a believer's death to comfort one another with
the sure hope of future glory to be revealedat Christ's return (1Th 4:18-note).
As Rotherham has commented
God not only holds out a future release but sympathizes with our present
struggle.
Trials from God (in contrastto trials from Satan) are intended not to provoke
us but to prove us and to improve us for our goodand His glory.
That you may not be continually sad, sorrowful, distressed. So this helps
define those the rest = for one thing they have no hope. Whoa!
Apparently some of the saints in Thessalonica, despite having clearlybeen
taught on some eschatologicaltopics had ignorantly come to the conclusion
that the saints who died would miss the Lord’s return and thus they were
grieved over their absence atsuch a glorious event.
Vincent has some additional comments on the specific reasonthey might
grieve about the believers who had died writing that..
Opinions differ as to the possible ground of this sorrow. According to some,
the Thessalonians supposedthat eternallife belongedonly to such as should
be found alive at the parousia, (coming of the Lord Jesus)and therefore that
those already dead would not share the blessings ofthe SecondAdvent.
Others, assuming an interval betweenthe Advent and the general
resurrection, think that the Thessalonians were anxious lesttheir brethren
who died before the Advent would be raised only at the generalresurrection,
and therefore would not share the blessings ofcommunion with the Lord
during the millennial reign.
It is impossible to decide the question from Paul's words, since he does not
argue, but only consoles. The value of his consolationdoes not depend upon
the answerto the question whether the departed saints shall first be raisedup
at the generalresurrection, or at a previous resurrectionof believers only.
The Thessalonians were plainly distressedat the thought of separationfrom
their departed brethren, and had partially lost sight of the elements of the

81. Christian hope and reunion with them and fellowship with the Lord. These
elements Paul emphasizes in his answer. The resurrectionof Jesus involves
the resurrectionof believers. The living and the dead Christians shall alike be
with the Lord. (Vincent, M. R. Word Studies in the New Testament. Volume
4:39)
We should not misunderstand what Paul is saying here about not grieving. He
is not saying that believers are not to experience and express the normal
sorrow that accompaniesthe death of a loved one which brings with it the
pain of separationand loneliness. Evenour Lord Jesus grievedover the death
of His friend ("Jesus… was deeplymoved in spirit and was troubled… Jesus
wept" John 11:35). Although Jesus expressedsorrow,He did not despair over
ever seeing His friend again. Normal human beings grieve over the physical
death of their loved ones (Php 2:27-note). Paul is not saying Christians are to
be dehumanized by removing grief from the realm of their experience. He
goes onto qualify that the believer's grief is not as the rest, for the believer's
goodbye is only temporary and our sure hope of reunion with our believing
loved ones is forever!
As the rest - Paul draws a sharp distinction betweenChristians and all others,
specificallyall who are not believers in Christ. Earlier Paul had used a
synonymous phrase outsiders (literally those without - see 1Th 4:12-note). One
commentatorhas remarked on the difference betweenthe terms outsiders
versus the rest reasoning that the earlierexpressionoutsiders implies
exclusion, while the rest implies deprivation. In other words, non-believers are
deprived of the hope and the associatedcomfortthat believers possesswhen
the truth regarding death is rightly understood.
Rest(3062)(loipos = pertaining to the part of a whole which remains, the rest
of the whole from leípo = to leave, lack)means the remaining, the remnant,
the residue, the rest. Although loipos is an adverb, the NT uses it as a noun
here and in other passages (Mt22:6, Re 11:13, 12:17, 19:21)
Have (2192)(echo)means to hold on to. It means the rest (continually =
present tense)have no hope to cling to. Christians should not grieve over their
dead loved ones like pagans do, as if they have no hope of ever seeing them

82. again. There is such a profound difference betweena Christian funeral and a
paganfuneral because believers possessthis sure hope.
The Believer's hope is not
a "hope so"
but a "hope sure!"
Hope (1680)(elpis) (see also the Believer's BlessedHope) is a desire of some
goodwith expectationof obtaining it. Hope in Scripture is the absolute
certainty of future good. In He 6:11 (note) hope is full assurance. In 1Timothy
1:1 hope is not some abstract conceptbut is embodied in the Personand
atoning world of Jesus Christ Jesus our Hope.
Writing to the Philippians Paul confidently declares…
for to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Php 1:21-note)
Comment: Paul is saying in essence thathis life found all its meaning in Christ
and that even if he dies it is to his profit, because then there will be perfect
union with Christ, without any of the limitations of this life, and the old flesh
nature.
In marked contrast, in the face of death the paganworld stood in utter
despair and abysmal hopelessnesswhich"enshrouded" them as it rightly
should. They vainly attempted to meet the certainty of death with grim
resignationand bleak outlooks as statedby the paganAeschylus who wrote
(incorrectly) that
Once a man dies there is no resurrection(Comment: Wrong! There is a
resurrectionfor unbelievers but it is unto death, not life [see Order of
Resurrection], see Jn5:28,29 below)
Addressing the Athenians on Mars Hill Paul declared that…
having overlookedthe times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that
all everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will
judge the world in righteousness through a Man Whom He has appointed,
having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead." Now when

83. they heard of the resurrectionof the dead, some beganto sneer(this word
stressesinsulting another by contemptuous facialexpression, phrasing, or
tone of voice), but others said, "We shall hear you againconcerning this."
(Acts 17:30, 31, 32-note).
In John 5 Jesus declared…
Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all (how many? all
without qualification as to spiritually dead in Adam and sin or spiritually
alive in Christ and salvation)who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, and
shall come forth; those who did the gooddeeds (deeds don't save but they do
indicate one is genuinely saved as James taught - James 2:14-26-notes, seeRe
2:5, 6 -note) to a resurrectionof life (see notes on first resurrectionin Re 20:5-
note), those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment (see
notes on the seconddeath - Re 20:11, 12, 13, 14, 15-notes Re 20:11;12;13; 14;
15). (John 5:28, 29)
Paul writing the converted Gentiles in Ephesus exhorted them to…
remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the
commonwealthof Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having
(present tense = continually) no hope and without God in the world. (Ep 2:12-
note)
Only believers have a sure hope (absolute certainty that God will do them
goodin the future) of life after death. The speculations of paganphilosophy do
not amount to a hope but "I hope so". The "odds" are eternally againstthis
type of hope, for the only sure, steadfasthope of eternal life with God is a
hope that is built on nothing less than Jesus'blood and righteousness…
Christ Jesus ourHope (Literal rendering of 1 Timothy 1:1)
Milligan wrote that…
The generalhopelessnessofthe paganworld in the presence of death is almost
too well-knownto require illustration (St. Paul's Epistles to the Thessalonians.
1908)

84. Theocritus rightly summarized the the hope of all outside Christ and still "in
Adam" (and responsible to pay for the wages ofsin which is death) wrote
There is hope for those who are alive, but those who have died are without
hope.
Catullus echoes the tragic refrain…
When once our brief light sets, there is one perpetual night through which we
must sleep. (Comment: Unfortunately, this is only partially correct, for in hell
there is full consciousnessnotperpetual sleep, readLuke 16:19-32)
Lucretius wrote that…
No one awakesand arises who has once been overtakenby the chilling end of
life
On pagantombstones we read the hopeless carvings oftheir grim epitaphs
I was not
I became
I am not
I care not
An inscription has reportedly been found on a pagan tomb at Thessalonica
which read…
After death there is no revival, after the grave no meeting of those who have
loved eachother on earth
As Paul so powerfully proclaimed in his last letter (just before he "fell
asleep")God…
has savedus, and calledus with a holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to His own purpose and grace which was grantedus in Christ Jesus
from all eternity ("before the beginning of time" - NIV), but now has been
revealedby the appearing of our SaviorChrist Jesus, Who abolisheddeath,

85. and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel(2Ti1:9-note; 2Ti
1:10-note)
John MacArthur comments that…
Even though Paul’s ministry in Thessalonicawas brief, it is clearthe people
had come to believe in and hope for the reality of their Savior’s return (cf 1Th
1:3, 9, 10, 2:19, 5:1, 2-notes 1Th1:3, 1:9;10; 2:19; 5:1; 5:2; 2Th 2:1,5). They
were living in expectationof that coming, eagerlyawaiting Christ. This verse
(v13) (cf. 2Th 2:1, 2, 3) indicates they were even agitatedabout some things
that were happening to them that might affecttheir participation in it.
They knew Christ’s return was the climactic event in redemptive history and
didn’t want to miss it. The major question they had was “Whathappens to the
Christians who die before He comes? Do they miss His return?” Clearly, they
had an imminent view of Christ’s return and Paul had left the impression it
could happen in their lifetime. Their confusion came as they were being
persecuted, an experience they thought they were to be delivered from by the
Lord’s return (cf. 3:3,4). (MacArthur, John: 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Moody
Press)
The Hope (Certainty) of Christ's Return at His Glorious SecondComing is
a…
living hope (1Pe 1:3-note)
blessedhope (Titus 2:13-note)
joyful hope (1Th 2:19-note)
comforting hope (1Th 4:13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18-seenote 1Th 4:13; 14;15; 16; 17;
18)
hope of glory (Col 1:27-note)
anchoring hope (He 6;19-note)
purifying hope (1John 3:3)
RelatedResources:

86. Believer's BlessedHope
A PowerfulPrinciple: Hope in God
BlessedHope Part 2
God's Word of Hope
Psalm42:5 Commentary-Hope in God!
Resourcesonthe BlessedHope
Watching and Waiting
F B Meyer (in Our Daily Homily) has the following note on 1Thessalonians
4:13…
NATURE will have her due. Tears will fall, and hearts seemnear to breaking.
Nowhere does Godchide the tears of natural affection;how could He, since it
is written that "Jesus wept"?But He sets Himself to extract their bitterness.
Sorrow you may, and must; but not as without hope.
Those who die in Christ are with Him.--They are said to sleep, not because
they are unconscious, but because their deceasewas as devoid of terror as an
infant's slumbers. Believers have all died once in Christ, and it was necessary
to find a word which, whilst significantof death, was not death, in order to
describe the moment of our farewellto this world and birth into the next. This
word was furnished by Death's twin sisterSleep. The catacombs are covered
with the brief significantsentence, Obdormivit in Christo (He slept in Christ).
But just as in sleepthe spirit is conscious,ofwhich dreams bearwitness, so in
the lastsleep. Absent from the body, we shall be present with the Lord.
Those who die in Christ will come with Him.--They are now waiting around
Him till He give the final order for the whole heavenly cortege, whichhas been
collecting for ages, to move. The holy angels will accompany; but the beloved
saints shall ride in the chariots of God as the bride beside the bridegroom.

87. Those who die in Christ shaft be forever reunited with us who wait for Him
and them.--They shall come with Him. "God will bring them." We, on the
other hand, if we are living at that supreme moment, shall be changedand
caught up to meet Him and them; and then, all one m Christ, we shall be
forever with Him, to go no more out.
1 Thessalonians 4:14 Forif we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so
God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleepin Jesus. (NASB:
Lockman)
Greek:ei garpisteuomen (1PPAI) oti Iesous apethanen(3SAAI) kai aneste,
(3SAAI) outos kai o theos tous koimethentas (APPMPA)dia tou Iesouaxei
(3SFAI) sun auto.
Amplified: Forsince we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God
will also bring with Him through Jesus those who have fallen asleep[in
death]. (Amplified Bible - Lockman)
Barclay:For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also we can be
sure that God will bring with him those who have fallen asleepthrough Jesus.
(Westminster Press)
NLT: For since we believe that Jesus died and was raisedto life again, we also
believe that when Jesus comes,Godwill bring back with Jesus all the
Christians who have died. (NLT - Tyndale House)
Phillips: After all, if we believe that Jesus died and rose againfrom death,
then we can believe that Godwill just as surely bring with Jesus allwho are
"asleep"in him. (Phillips: Touchstone)
Wuest: Forin view of the fact that we believe that Jesus died and arose, thus
also will Godbring with Him those who have fallen asleepthrough the
intermediate agencyof Jesus. (Eerdmans)
Young's Literal: for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also God
those asleepthrough Jesus he will bring with him,
FOR IF WE BELIEVE THAT JESUS DIED AND ROSE AGAIN: ei gar
pisteuomen (1PPAI) hoti Iesoue apethanen(3SAAI) kai aneste (3SAAI):

88. If we believe - Isa 26:19;Ro 8:11; 1 Cor 15:12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21,
22, 23; 2 Cor4:13,14;Rev 1:18
1 Thessalonians 4 Resources -Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
For (gar) explains the two foundational truths (of the Gospel)that counteract
the inordinate grief that (justifiably) characterizes unbelievers. Paulis
explaining why his readers do not need to grieve for dead believers in the
same way as the unsaved world grieves the loss of their loved ones and friends.
If (1487)does not imply uncertainty and is not a suggestionthe Thessalonians
(and Paul = "we")might not believe these foundational truths but to the
contrary assumes the condition (i.e., it is a condition of reality) is that they
actually do believe. It could be translated "Forsince we believe".
So the hope we have as an anchor of our soul (see note Hebrews 6:19) is the
death, burial and resurrectionof Jesus Christ. The certainty of the past,
historicalresurrection of Jesus is the basis for our confidence in the future
resurrectionof believers. (See Paul's summary of the "Gospel" -1Co 15:1, 2,
3, 4, 5,6, 7, 8-see notes 1Co 15:1;15:2; 15:3; 15:4; 15:5; 15:6 ; 15:7 ; 15:8)
Hiebert - The we is inclusive, both writers and readers;we as Christians
acceptChrist's death and resurrectionas the greatmajor premise of the
Christian faith. They are the sure foundation of Christian hope. The two facts
must be kept together. St. Paul bases his Gospelnot on the Cross takenin
isolation, but on the Cross as followedby and interpreted by the Resurrection.
(Ibid)
Believe (4100)(pisteuo from pistis; pistos)means to considersomething to be
true and therefore worthy of one’s trust. To acceptas true, genuine, or real.
To have a firm conviction as to the goodness,efficacy, orability of something
or someone in this case the Gospelof Jesus Christ. (See related study on the
obedience of faith)
Paul's point is that the following truths are only effective in countering grief if
we believe the foundation stones ofChristianity, the death of Christ and the
resurrectionof Christ.

89. Vincent notes that pisteuo "means to persuade, to cause belief, to induce one
to do something by persuading, and so runs into the meaning of to obey,
properly as the result of persuasion
In secularGreek literature, as well as in the New Testament, pisteuo (pistis,
pistos) has a basic meaning of an intellectual assentor a belief that something
is true. James describedthis type of faith as dead faith stating that "The devils
also believe, and tremble" (Ja 2:19).
The other secularGreek meaning that is the more common use in the New
Testamentis the transitive or active use which means to "put faith in" or
"rely upon" someone orsomething. An example of this use in the New
Testamentis 2Timothy 1:12. Paul said
I know whom I have believed, and am persuadedthat he is able to keepthat
which I have committed unto him againstthat day (see note 2 Timothy 1:12)
Comment: Here pisteuo means to trust in or rely upon Christ to save us.
Jesus (2424)(Iesous fromthe Hebrew Yeshu'a = Jehovahwill save or Yahweh
is salvation) is His human name which was given to Him before His birth and
which conveys the idea of His historicalnature as a Man and His saving work
through the incarnation ("you shall call His name Jesus, forHe will save His
people from their sins" Mt 1:21). Iesous is the Greek form of the Hebrew
name Joshua (see He 4:8-note Joshua means "Jehovahis Salvation"). God
incarnate died for sinners to satisfythe just demands of God's law.
Died (599)(apothnesko from apo = intensifies meaning of verb or conveys
sense ofaway from + thnesko = die means literally to die off) means to die a
natural death, applied to both men and animals. It literally means to ceaseto
have vital functions.
Applied to Christ apothnesko means to die for or on accountof sin and so to
make atonement for sin. Apothnesko as used here does not refer to a
figurative death but to the literal, historical death of Christ which has eternal
spiritual ramifications. Death was not final for Christ, and neither will it be
for believers.

90. Note that Paul does not say Jesus sleptbut uses the harsher word apothnesko
- He died. Christians canenjoy peacefulsleepbecause Jesusbecame a curse
for us and endured death as the penalty.
Hiebert adds that Paul's declarationthat "He died" rather than "He slept"
signifies that Jesus…
experienceddeath, the result of sin, in all its grim horror. But His death
brought the death of death; in dying as our sin-bearer He transformed death
for believers into sleepwith a future awakening. (Ibid)
MacArthur explains that…
Jesus experiencedthe full fury of death in all its dimensions as He “bore our
sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to
righteousness”(1Pe 2:24-note). His death transformed death into sleepfor
believers. T. E. Wilson notes
“Deathhas been changedto sleepby the work of Christ. It is an apt metaphor
in which the whole conceptof death is transformed. ‘Christ made it the name
for death in the dialectof the church (Acts 7:60 - Stephen being stoned"fell
asleep".)(Findlay)’ ” (What the Bible Teaches:1 and 2 Thessalonians
[Kilmarnock, Scotland:John Ritchie Ltd., 1983], 45).
When believers die, their spirit goes immediately into conscious fellowship
with the Lord, while their bodies temporarily sleepin the grave, awaiting the
Rapture. (Ibid)
Barclayelaborates onthe importance of Christ's death and resurrection
writing that "Paullays down a greatprinciple. The man who has lived and
died in Christ (see in Christ and in Christ Jesus)is still in Christ even in death
and will rise in Him. BetweenChrist and the man who loves Him there is a
relationship which nothing can break, a relationship which overpassesdeath.
BecauseChristdied and rose again, so the man who is one with Christ will
rise again. (The Daily Study Bible )
Rose again(450)(anistemi from ana = up, again+ histemi = stand) (see
related word study anastasis = Resurrection)literally means to stand again, to

91. stand up, arise, lift up, be raisedup, rise (again), to stand upright again. In
context rose againrefers to the resurrectionof Christ from the dead, the
climactic event that demonstrated His victory over sin and death and the
foundation stone of the Gospelof our salvation (see notes on His death, burial
and resurrection- 1Co 15:3, 4 notes).
Marshallwrites that…
The death of believers does not take place apart from Jesus, and hence Paul
can conclude that God will raise them up and bring them into the presence of
Jesus atthe parousia. God will treat those who died trusting in Jesus in the
same way He treated Jesus Himself, namely by resurrecting them (1 and 2
Thessalonians, The New Century Bible Commentary. Eerdmans, 1983)
No longer must the mourners weep
And call departed Christians dead;
For death is hallowedinto sleep,
And every grave becomes a bed.
Now once more, Eden's door
Open stands to mortal eyes!
Now at last, old things past,
Christ is risen! We too shall rise.
-- J. Sidlow Baxter
Vine writes that "By the death and burial of His body He came down to our
condition; by His ResurrectionHe raisedus to His position. (Vine, W.
Collectedwritings of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson)
It is notable that because the idea of resurrectionwas foreignto Greek
thought, there existedno technicalwords in Greek to describe it.
Spurgeon(ref) commenting on Psalm16:10 wrote "Into the outer prison of
the grave his body might go, but into the inner prison of corruption he could

92. not enter. He who in soul and body was preeminently God's "Holy One," was
loosedfrom the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be
holden of it. This is noble encouragementto all the saints; die they must, but
rise they shall, and though in their case they shall see corruption, yet they
shall rise to everlasting life. Christ's resurrectionis the cause, the earnest, the
guarantee, and the emblem of the rising of all his people. Let them, therefore,
go to their graves as to their beds, resting their flesh among the clods as they
now do upon their couches.
Since Jesus is mine, I will not fearundressing,
But gladly put off these garments of clay;
To die in the Lord is a covenantblessing,
Since Jesus to glory through death led the way.
Wretchedwill that man be who, when the Philistines of death invade his soul,
shall find that, like Saul, he is forsakenof God; but blessedis he who has the
Lord at his right hand, for he shall fear no ill, but shall look forwardto an
eternity of bliss.
John S. Whale wrote that..
The Gospels do not explain the Resurrection;the Resurrectionexplains the
Gospels. Beliefin the Resurrectionis not an appendage to the Christian faith;
it is the Christian faith.
IS THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD
TAUGHT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT?
The conceptof the resurrection of the dead although not made effective until
the resurrectionof Christ, the "Firstfruits" (1Cor15:20 "now Christ has
been raisedfrom the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep"), was
clearly alluded to in the Old Testament. (see Christ the First Fruits)
Job (the oldestbook in the Bible) testifies …

93. And as for me, I know that my Redeemerlives, and at the last He will take His
stand on the earth. Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall
see GodWhom I myself shall behold, and Whom my eyes shall see and not
another. My heart faints within me. (Job 19:25, 26, 27)
While Job's declarationdoes not definitively foretell a physical resurrection, a
number of conservative commentators agree thatJob is alluding to that event.
(See comments regarding the resurrectionimplications of Job 19:25-27 in
Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., et al: The Bible Knowledge Commentary. 1985.
Victor)
Isaiahissues a prophecy that applies to corporate redeemedIsrael(only those
Jews who believe in Messiah, cfthe conceptof the remnant) that…
Your dead will live. Their corpses willrise. You who lie in the dust, awake and
shout for joy, For your dew is as the dew of the dawn, and the earth will give
birth to the departed spirits. (Isaiah 26:19)
Comment: Dr Ryrie in The Ryrie Study Bible writes that "This verse, along
with Job 19:26 and Da 12:2, explicitly teaches the bodily resurrectionof OT
believers."
Finally Danielunambiguously affirms a belief in an individual future
resurrectionof the "living (believers = everlasting life) and the dead
(unbelievers = everlasting contempt)" writing that…
many of those who sleepin the dust of the ground will awake, these to
everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. (Daniel
12:2)
Comment: This verse predicts 2 resurrections which parallels Jesus'prophecy
in John 5:28, 29, but in neither it 1000 yearinterval between the "first" and
"second" resurrectionmentioned. See study of The Two Resurrections
One other point is worth noting in support of the fact that the resurrection
was taught in the Old Testament. The writer of Hebrews tells us that
Abraham believed in the resurrectionwriting that…

94. He (Abraham) considered(logizomai = thought about this truth in a detailed
and logicalmanner = bookkeeping term = Abraham "made an entry" in his
"spiritual ledger" so that he would have a permanent record that could be
consultedwhenever needed! Are you doing the same with the precious and
magnificent promises of God, beloved?) that God is able (dunatos = has the
inherent ability to perform what He promises) to raise men even from the
dead; from which he also receivedhim (Isaac, the son whom he loved, Genesis
22) back as a type (parabole = illustration thrown alongside truth to make
latter easierto understand). (See note Hebrews 11:16)
RelatedResources:
Does the Old TestamentTeachResurrectionHope?
ResurrectionIn The Old Testament
Where did Old Testamentbelievers/saints go whenthey died?
What is the first resurrection? What is the secondresurrection?
EVEN SO GOD WILL BRING WITH HIM THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN
ASLEEP: houtos kai o theos tous koimethentas (APPMPA)dia tou Iesou axei
(3SFAI) sun auto:
Those who have fallen asleep1Thes 4:13;3:13; 1Cor15:18;Rev 14:13
God will bring with Him - 1Th 4:17; Genesis 49:19;Zechariah 14:15;
Matthew 24:31; 1Corinthians 15:23; Philippians 3:20,21;2Thessalonians 2:1;
Jude 1:14,15
1 Thessalonians 4 Resources -Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
Even so (2532)(houtos)in this manner, in this way. This introduces the the
parallel betweenthe resurrection of the bodies of believers and the
resurrectionof Christ. The two resurrections are inextricably linked. In his
first letter to the Corinthians Paul recordeda similar truth writing that…
But now Christ has been raisedfrom the dead, the first fruits (see Christ the
First Fruits) of those who are asleep. 21 Forsince by a man came death, by a
man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 Foras in Adam all die, so also

95. in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But eachin his own order: Christ the first
fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming (at the parousia)(1
Corinthians 15:20-23)
In John 14:19 Jesus said"BecauseI live, you will live also."
Even so as Christ died and was raisedthe resurrectionof the body of the
believer is as sure. Our physical bodies will rise from the dead since Christ
rose from the dead. The guarantee of our bodily resurrectionis the
resurrectionof Christ. This is not a generalresurrectionfor He will bring
back only those who fell asleepin Christ and no others.
MacArthur - To further assuagetheir fears, Paul reassuredbelievers that
God will bring with Him [Jesus]those who have fallen asleepin Jesus. Their
fellow believers who died will not miss out on the Rapture but will return with
Christ in glory. Some interpret the phrase God will bring to mean that the
spirits of dead believers will come from heaven with Christ to meet their
resurrectedbodies. Others see in it the truth that at the Rapture, God will
bring all believers, living and dead, back to heavenwith Christ. While the first
view is certainly true, the secondone seems to be the emphasis of this passage.
What the passagedoes notteach is that the spirits of dead believers
immediately return to earth with Christ for the establishing of the millennial
kingdom. That view places the Rapture at the end of the Tribulation and
essentiallyequates it with the Second Coming. It trivializes the Rapture into a
meaningless sideshow thatserves no purpose. (MacArthur New Testament
Commentary – 1 & 2 Thessalonians)
Thomas R. Edgarcomments on the "futility" of a post-tribulation Rapture
askings "Whatcanbe the purpose for keeping a remnant alive through the
tribulation so that some of the church survive and then take them out of their
situation and make them the same as those who did not survive? Why keep
them for this? [The] explanation that they provide an escortfor Jesus does not
hold up. Raptured living saints will be exactly the same as resurrecteddead
saints. Why cannot the dead believers fulfill this purpose? Why keepa
remnant alive [through the Tribulation], then Rapture them and accomplish
no more than by letting them die? There is no purpose or accomplishmentin

96. [such] a Rapture...With all the saints of all the ages pastand the armies [of
angels]in heaven available as escorts and the fact that [raptured] saints
provide no different escortthan if they had been killed, why permit the
church to suffer immensely, most believers [to] be killed, and spare a few for a
Rapture which has no apparent purpose, immediately before the [Tribulation]
period ends?... Is this the promise? (REFERRING TO Rev3:10+) You will
suffer, be killed, but I will keepa few alive, and take them out just before the
goodtimes come. Such reasoning, of course, calls forsome explanation of the
apparent lack of purpose for a post-tribulation Rapture of any sort. We can
note the following:
(1) An unusual, portentous, one-time event such as the Rapture must have a
specific purpose. God has purposes for his actions. This purpose must be one
that can be accomplishedonly by such an unusual event as a Rapture of living
saints.
(2) This purpose must agree with God's generalprinciples of operation.
(3) There is little or no apparent reasonto Rapture believers when the Lord
returns and just prior to setting up the long-awaitedkingdom with all of its
joyful prospects.
(4) There is goodreasonto deliver all who are already believers from the
tribulation, where they would be specialtargets ofpersecution.
(5) To deliver from a period of universal trial and physical destruction such as
the tribulation requires a removal from the earth by death or Rapture. Death
is not appropriate as a promise in Rev. 3:10+.
(6) Deliverance from the tribulation before it starts agrees withGod's
previous dealings with Noahand Lot and is directly statedas a principle of
God's action toward believers in 2 Pet. 2:9. ("Robert H. Gundry and
Revelation3:10," Grace TheologicalJournal3 [Spring 1982], 43-44)
Will bring (71)(ago)means to lead or lead along and so to cause to come along
with one towardthe place from which the action is being regarded. Note the
verb bring is in the active voice indicating it is our Lord's choice to bring
those with Him who have fallen asleepin Him. He does not need to be coerced.

97. He is the Head and they are in perfect union with Him, so it is only
supernatural that He bring them with Him.
This bringing refers to the first phase of His parousia, His return to Rapture
the saints who remain alive on earth. At the secondphrase of His parousia,
there will be another bringing so to speak atthe end of the Great Tribulation.
John describes it this way…
And I saw heavenopened; and behold, a white horse, and He who satupon it
is calledFaithful and True (ponder this Name of our Lord for a moment) and
in righteousness He judges and wageswar. 12 And His eyes are a flame of fire,
and upon His head are many diadems; and He has a Name written upon Him
which no one knows exceptHimself. 13 And He is clothed with a robe dipped
in blood; and His name is calledThe Word of God (cf John 1:1). 14 And the
armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were
following Him on white horses. (See notes Revelation19:11;12; 13;14)
Some might saythat this event in Revelation19 does not describe our Lord
bringing the saints with Him but insteadbringing armies of angels. This is
where it is helpful to compare Scripture with Scripture because in Revelation
17, a parallel passage, Johnrecords that…
These (ten kings/kingdoms plus The Beast - the Antichrist) will wage war
againstthe Lamb (the Lord Jesus Christ), and the Lamb will overcome (nikao
- obtain the victory) them, (why does the Lord obtain the victory?) because He
is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called
(kletos)and chosen(eklektos)andfaithful (pistos). (See note Revelation17:14)
Comment: Although angels are referred to as "elect" theyare never referred
to as "the called" which indicates that this description can refer only to saints.
It follows that the parallel passagein Revelation19 also refers to saints, albeit
not excluding angels in this heavenly, holy entourage!
Are asleep(2837)(koimao relatedto keímai= to lie outstretched, to lie down)
is againused figuratively to denote all those believers who had died (and who
will die in the future) prior to the return of Christ.

98. Hiebert explains "Thatthose who have fallen asleep"Godwill bring with
Jesus" is the fundamental declarationin Paul's reply to the unenlightened
sorrowing of the Thessalonians. Theyhave no cause to sorrow for their
departed loved ones, because whenGod acts to bring back the risen Christ at
the parousia they will return with Him. (Ibid)
In Jesus - Literally reads "through Jesus" whichleads to two different ways
this passagehas beentranslated, one way associating "throughJesus" with
"those that are asleep" and the other way associating "throughJesus" with
the verb bring. And so we the same publishing company renders this verse in
two ways…
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, evenso God will bring with
Him those who have fallen asleepin (through) Jesus. (NAS - Lockman)
For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, evenso God will also
bring with Him through Jesus those who have fallen asleep[in death].
(Amplified Bible - Lockman)
This subtlety will not be further discussedas it does not change Paul's basic
declarationthat the Thessalonianshave no need to grieve for their departed
loved ones (who are believers)because whenGod acts to bring back the risen
Christ at the parousia the believing dead will return with Him.
James Denneycomments that…
The 14th verse gives the Christian proof of this consoling doctrine. “Forif we
believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep
in Jesus will God bring with Him.”
It is quite plain that something is wanting here to complete the argument.
Jesus did die and rise again, there is no dispute about that; but how is the
Apostle justified in inferring from this that God will bring the Christian dead
againto meet the living? What is the missing link in this reasoning?
Clearly it is the truth, so characteristic ofthe New Testament, that there is a
union betweenChrist and those who trust Him so close that their destiny can
be read in His. All that He has experiencedwill be experiencedby them. They

99. are united to Him as indissolubly as the members of the body to the head, and
being planted togetherin the likeness ofHis death, they shall be also in the
likeness ofHis resurrection.
Death, the Apostle would have us understand, does not break the bond
betweenthe believing soul and the Saviour. Even human love is stronger than
the grave;it goes beyond it with the departed; it follows them with strong
yearnings, with wistful hopes, sometimes with earnestprayers. But there is an
impotence, at which death mocks, in earthly love; the last enemy does put a
greatgulf betweensouls, which cannot be bridged over; and there is no such
impotence in the love of Christ. He is never separatedfrom those who love
Him. He is one with them in death, and in the life to come, as in this life.
Through Him God will bring the departed againto meet their friends. There
is something very expressive in the word “bring.” “Sweetword,” says Bengel:
“it is spokenofliving persons.” The dead for whom we mourn are not dead;
they all live to God; and when the greatday comes, Godwill bring those who
have gone before, and unite them to those who have been left behind. When
we see Christ at His coming, we shall see also those that have fallen asleepin
Him
Shortly before his death, C H Spurgeon preacheda sermon on the Second
Coming of Christ in which he declared"Brethren, no truth ought to be more
frequently proclaimed, next to the first coming of the Lord, than His Second
Coming; you cannot thoroughly set forth all the ends and bearings of the first
advent if you forget the second."
And in fact in Spurgeon's last days of preaching, he spoke much on the
SecondComing and the millennial reign of Christ, which was quite a reversal
from his early days of preaching in which he actually declared "I scarcely
think it would be justifiable for me to spend my time upon prophetic studies
for which I have not the necessarytalent, nor is it the vocationto which my
Masterhas ordained me."
RelatedResources:

100. The Millennial Positionof Spurgeonby Dennis Swanson - 29 pages. Swanson
concludes "Spurgeonwas mostcertainly premillennial, but not
dispensational."
What is the conceptof a secretrapture?
What is the difference between the Rapture and the SecondComing?
What is the rapture of the church?
What are the strengths and weaknessesofthe pretribulational view of the
rapture (pretribulationism)?
How can I be sure I won’t be left behind in the rapture?
When is the Rapture going to occurin relation to the Tribulation?
How can I be ready to be caughtup in the rapture?
What are the strengths and weaknessesofthe posttribulational view of the
rapture (posttribulationism)?
Will there be a secondchance for salvationafter the Rapture?
David Sper has an interesting thought that supports the supposition that the
Rapture occurs not at the end of the GreatTribulation, but at a time when we
would not expect it! - "I remember a conversationI had with some friends of
mine at the outsetof WWII. One of them asked, “Do you think it’s possible
that Jesus might come tonight and deliver us from the mess we are in?” “No,”
I replied, “The signs of the end have not yet been fulfilled. Antichrist must
rule the world for a short time before Jesus comes back.”We all agreedthat
Jesus couldn’t return yet. Then one of them said, “This would be a perfect
time, then, for Him to return because Jesus saidthat He would return ‘at an
hour you do not expect'” (Mt. 24:44). This got me thinking. Matthew 24:15-31
depicts a frightening time of tribulation plus awesome wonders in nature as
preludes to Christ’s return. Yet Jesus saidHe would come when people would
not be expecting Him. Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians helpedme solve this
problem and clarified many other second-coming issues as well. I pray that
this bookletwill bring to you a clearerunderstanding of the events of the end

101. times that these wonderful letters provide." (Read this short bookletKnowing
God Through Thessalonians - DiscoverySeries)
John MacArthur addresses the idea of a so-calledpost-tribulation rapture
noting that…
What the passage("Godwill bring with Him… ") does not teachis that the
spirits of dead believers immediately return to earth with Christ for the
establishing of the millennial kingdom. That view places the Rapture at the
end of the Tribulation and essentiallyequates it with the SecondComing. It
trivializes the Rapture into a meaningless sideshow thatserves no purpose.
Commenting on the pointlessness ofa posttribulational Rapture, Thomas R.
Edgarasks,
What can be the purpose for keeping a remnant alive through the tribulation
so that some of the church survive and then take them out of their situation
and make them the same as those who did not survive? Why keepthem for
this? [The] explanation that they provide an escortfor Jesus does not hold up.
raptured living saints will be exactly the same as resurrecteddead saints. Why
cannot the dead believers fulfill this purpose? Why keep a remnant alive
[through the Tribulation], then Rapture them and accomplishno more than
by letting them die? There is no purpose or accomplishmentin [such] a
Rapture ….With all the saints of all the ages pastand the armies [of angels]in
heaven available as escorts and the fact that [raptured] saints provide no
different escortthan if they had been killed, why permit the church to suffer
immensely, most believers [to] be killed, and spare a few for a Rapture which
has no apparent purpose, immediately before the [Tribulation] period
ends?… Is this the promise? You will suffer, be killed, but I will keepa few
alive, and take them out just before the goodtimes come. Such reasoning, of
course, calls for some explanation of the apparent lack of purpose for a
posttribulational Rapture of any sort.
We cannote the following:
(1) An unusual, portentous, one-time event such as the Rapture must have a
specific purpose. God has purposes for his actions. This purpose must be one

102. that can be accomplishedonly by such an unusual event as a Rapture of living
saints.
(2) This purpose must agree with God’s generalprinciples of operation.
(3) There is little or no apparent reasonto Rapture believers when the Lord
returns and just prior to setting up the long-awaitedkingdom with all of its
joyful prospects.
(4) There is goodreasonto deliver all who are already believers from the
tribulation, where they would be specialtargets ofpersecution.
(5) To deliver from a period of universal trial and physical destruction such as
the tribulation requires a removal from the earth by death or Rapture. Death
is not appropriate as a promise in Rev 3:10.
(6) Deliverance from the tribulation before it starts agrees withGod’s
previous dealings with Noahand Lot and is directly stated as a principle of
God’s action toward believers in 2Pe 2:9. (“RobertH. Gundry and Revelation
3:10, ” Grace TheologicalJournal3 [Spring 1982], 43–44)
The view that the raptured saints return to earth with Christ also contradicts
John 14:1, 2, 3:
Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My
Father’s house are many dwelling places;if it were not so, I would have told
you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come againand receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be
also.
The phrases “My Father’s house” and “where I am” clearlyrefer to heaven
(cf. John 7:34). Jesus promised to take believers back to heaven with Him
when He returns to gatherHis people. There has to be a time interval, then,
betweenChrist’s return to gatherHis people (the Rapture) and His return to
earth to establish the millennial kingdom (the SecondComing). During that
interval betweenthe Rapture and the SecondComing, the believers’judgment
takes place (1Co 3:11, 14, 15; 2Co 5:10); a posttribulational Rapture would

103. leave no time for that event. (MacArthur, John: 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Moody
Press)
OUR DAILY BREAD
The GreatAwakening
Deuteronomy 34:1–8
I have a treasuredmemory of gatherings with family friends when our boys
were small. The adults would talk into the night; our children, wearywith
play would curl up on a couchor chair and fall asleep.
When it was time to leave, I would gatherour boys into my arms, carry them
to the car, lay them in the back seat, and take them home. When we arrived, I
would pick them up again, tuck them into their beds, kiss them goodnight,
and turn out the light. In the morning they would awaken—athome.
This has become a rich metaphor for me of the night on which we “sleepin
Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 4:14 kjv). We slumber . . . and awakenin our eternal
home, the home that will heal the weariness thathas marked our days.
I came across anOld Testamenttext the other day that surprised me—a
closing comment in Deuteronomy: “Moses. . . died there in Moab, as the Lord
had said” (34:5). The Hebrew means literally, “Mosesdied . . . with the mouth
of the Lord,” a phrase ancientrabbis translated, “With the kiss of the Lord.”
Is it too much to envision God bending over us on our final night on earth,
tucking us in and kissing us goodnight? Then, as John Donne so eloquently
put it, “One short sleeppast, we wake eternally.”
By: David H. Roper

104. Reflect& Pray
Heavenly Father, because Your arms carry us, we can sleepin peace.
For death is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity. —
William Penn
JOHN MACARTHUR
This morning, we come finally to the greattext of 1 Thessalonians 4:13
through 18. Pleaseopenyour Bible to that particular passageofScripture.
This is, of course, familiar to most of us as believers. We know it as the
Rapture passage, the passagewhichdescribes the catching away of the
church. It is in many ways the favorite text in this wonderful epistle that
we’ve been studying here for months, and months, and months. And finally,
we have arrived at the long-awaitedtime to discuss this greatevent. As we
approachthe text, I’ve entitled it: “What Happens to Christians Who Die?”
What happens to Christians who die? I’m often askedthat, even by
Christians; in fact, usually by Christians. Questions like:after we die, do we
go directly to heaven? Or, what happens to our bodies? The details of those
kinds of questions are very, very important to us, and they canbe troubling if
we don’t know the answer. We want to know what happens after we die, and
we would like to know what happens to the bodies of those we love when they
go into the grave. Those are pressing issues and they were equally pressing
issues on the young believers in Thessalonica.
Remember now, those to whom Paul wrote this letter had only been in Christ
a matter of a few months and they had only had just a few weeks,really, of
exposure to Paul’s ministry so they were very much babes. And they had
become very troubled about this issue of what happens to Christians when
they die. They believed certainly in life after death because it says in chapter
1 verse 3 that they had hope. There’s no question that Paul had told them

105. about eternal life because he preachedto them the gospel, and they believed it
and they turned from idols. And so, we know they knew about eternallife.
They knew that salvationwas synonymous with living foreverwith God in
heaven. And they also knew about the coming of Jesus, thatJesus was going
to somedayreturn and gatherall His people togetherand take them to be with
Him. They knew about that greatgathering event.
And so, there were some questions in their minds about how that all sort of
workedout, like if you die now do you miss the gathering? Apparently, Paul
had made that gathering event so glorious, he had made that gathering event
so wonderful that they were very worried that some of them might miss it,
even though they would be living in eternal life, they would still be very
concernedif they missedthe gathering together. In fact, it was so much on
their minds that when you go back to chapter 1, would you notice verses 9 and
10? As Paul describes them he says they turned to God from idols to serve a
living and true God and to wait for His Son from heaven. Now, there you
have the three dimensions of their salvation:the past, turning from the idols
of the past; the present, serving a living and true God; and the future, waiting
for His Son from heaven. This was a waiting group. Chapter2 verse 19, Paul
refers to them as his hope and joy and crownin the presence ofour Lord
Jesus atHis coming. So, they must have known that the coming was
something very special. Firstof all, they would meet Jesus and they were
waiting for Him. Secondly, they would be the crownand joy and rejoicing of
the apostle and they were thrilled about that.
Beyond that, they knew a few other things, look at chapter5 verses 1 and 2.
Paul says, “Now, as to the times and the epochs,” orseasons, “brethren, you
have no need of anything to be written to you for you yourselves know full
well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.” They
also knew about the day of the Lord. They knew about a time of coming
judgment on the ungodly. They knew then that when Jesus came He would
gather them to be with Him. And He would also judge the ungodly. They
were waiting for Jesus to come. Theywere waiting for the gathering time.
Now, in their waiting they had become somewhatdisturbed. Some of them
probably feared that they had missed it, that it had happened without them.

106. How so? Well, they were entering in to persecutionand afflictions and some
of them probably thought that they were going to be gatheredbefore that
happened. So, in chapter 3 verses 3 and 4 Paul has to say to them, “So that no
man may be disturbed by these afflictions, for you yourselves know that we
have been destined for this for indeed when we were with you.” We kept
telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction. And so, it came
to pass, as you know.” He reminds them, now wait a minute, you shouldn’t be
surprised by difficulty and persecution, I told you it was coming. But maybe
there were some of them who thought they were going to be gatheredtogether
before that really took place. Certainly, they were living an immense
expectationand would fear that they might miss such a greatevent. In fact, in
chapter 2 of 2 ThessaloniansPaulsays, “We requestyou, brethren, with
regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering togetherto
Him, that you may not be quickly shakenfrom your composure or be
disturbed either by a spirit or a messageora letter as if from us, to the effect
that the day of the Lord has come.”
Somebody had been spreading the word around, either by supposedly an
angelic messenger, a spirit, or some fabricated letter from Paul that the great
event had already happened and the day of the Lord had arrived. And so,
there was an awful lot of concern, and loss of composure, and they were
disturbed. Had the day of the Lord already begun? Had they somehow
missed the gathering together? And then, the most imminent question was,
what about the Christians who die? Will they miss it? It isn’t that they didn’t
believe that they would go to heaven; it was:will they miss this greatevent?
Will they somehow become second-classcitizens in the future? Will we know
them only eternally as sortof disembodied glorified spirits while we go in our
glorified bodies so that they are sort of secondary? Ormaybe we won’t even
have communion with them at all, and there won’t even be a reunion with
these two kinds of beings. All of these questions were in their minds. We
can’t identify anything more specific than that.
But they were living in expectationof Christ’s return. They were so excited
about it that the best wayto describe their hope was they were waiting for His
Son. They wanted the Lord to come. They knew it was the climax, the

107. culmination, the great event that signaledthe pinnacle of redemptive history,
and they didn’t want to miss it.
It’s also interesting to note that they loved eachother so much they didn’t
want eachother to miss it. And so, apparently they were feeling grieved as
believers were dying, for fear that they would therefore miss this greatevent.
It is with their grief and their confusion that Paul intends to deal. If you look
at the text in verse 13, he mentions being uninformed or ignorant and the fact
that you are now grieving about it. And then, in verse 18 he mentions the
word “comfort.” His purpose was to eliminate their ignorance, thus to
eliminate their grief, and thus to bring them comfort. Now, summing that up
let me saythis. The passage is more pastoralthan it is theological. Itis more
intended to alleviate confusion, grief, distress, and bring comfort than it is to
give a theological, eschatologicaldelineationof every factor in the gathering
together.
They were agitated. They were upset. Theywere confused. They were
worried. Theywere fearful. After all, they’re baby Christians; they don’t
know very much, they’re living every day waiting for the Son to come. And as
some of them die in the months since Paul has left, their question is: what
happens to those people? Do they miss it? And their love for eachother is so
strong, chapter 4 verse 9 says, “As to the love of the brethren you have no
need for anyone to write to you for you yourselves are taught by God to love
one another for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren.” They
loved eachother so much they were grieving because some might miss this
greatevent.
So, Paul writes to alleviate their grief, to bring them greatmeasure of
comfort. Their anticipation was very, very high about the return of Christ.
And I believe it is fair to saythat Paul had communicated to them that Jesus
could come in their life time. If that was not what they believed, then the
whole question is meaningless. Theirconcernwas:they were believing Jesus
would come at any moment, and as some were dying their fear was they’re
going to miss it. The only reasonthey would have that fear, they would have
that anticipation is because they believed it could happen soon. The major
question then is: what happens to Christians who die before the Lord returns?

108. And since they had the impression that He could come at any moment, they
were deeply concernedabout this issue. It may well have been that somebody
could’ve suggested, “Well, according to the principle in 1 Corinthians 11:30, if
some Christians fall into sin, some are weak, and some are sick, and some are
asleepor dead, it may be that these people are dying because ofsin in their life
that we don’t know about. And God’s just laying them in the grave because
of their sin, and only the ones who live a pure life are going to make it to the
coming of Jesus. And maybe if they are resurrectedin the future, it’s going to
be some time after, and some lessercircumstance, andall of that.”
And so, Paul pens these verses. Let’s start at verse 13. “But we do not want
you to be uninformed or ignorant, brethren, about those who are asleep, that
you may not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.” He says I don’t want
you to be ignorant and as a result of being ignorant, grieving. I don’t want
you to worry about those who died having missed the Lord’s return. You say,
“Well, how did Paul evenknow they were thinking like this?” Back in
chapter 3 verse 1 you’ll remember he mentions how he couldn’t endure any
longernot knowing about them, and so in verse 2 he says we sentTimothy,
and then in verse 6 it says Timothy has come back. And when Timothy came
back, it says he brought us goodnews of your faith and love. I like that.
Becauseback in chapter 1 Paul commended them for their faith and their love
and their hope. But when Timothy came back apparently he only brought
them goodnews about their faith and their love because their hope was a little
messedup and it needed to be straightened out a little bit because theywere so
confused. So, Paul writes to deal with that confusionand its consequence,
grief.
Now, would you note at the beginning of verse 13. We’re going to take our
time with this, we’ll continue next week and maybe even finish it, but I want
to do it very carefully because this is a very, very important passageanda
very important subject. You’ll note at the beginning he says, “Butwe do not
want you to be uninformed, brethren.” That opening statement is Paul’s
favorite way to change the subject. That’s his favorite way, either in a
positive or a negative format to change the subject. Sometimes he says, “Ido
not want you to be ignorant,” such as here and in Romans 1:13, 1 Corinthians
10:1, etc. Sometimes he’ll also say, “I want you to understand. I want you to

109. know,” like 1 Corinthians 11:3, Philippians 1:12 and other places. But
whether he says I want you to know, on a positive side, or I don’t want you to
be ignorant, it marks a change in the subject to a new topic with no direct
connectionto the one previous. And it’s rather emphatic. “But” marks a
change in course, “brethren” is a call to attention which signals something
they need to give their attention to. We’re done with that and I’m calling you
back againto a new discussion, brethren. It’s a term of affection, obviously,
and he had immense affectionfor them as the end of chapter 2 indicates when
it says that he was burdened, bereft really, because of the greatdesire he had
to see their face. And so, he turns the cornerwith the word “but,” he grabs
their attention for the new subject with the word “brethren,” and then he
says, “We would not have you uninformed or ignorant.” This then introduces
a new subject. This introduces not only a new subject, but in this case new
teaching, new revelationindicated in verse 15 “by the word of the Lord,” a
revelation that he has received.
So, here he will deal with their ignorance which has led to their confusion and
grief, restlessnessandlack of comfort. And what is it that he’s going to talk
about? “We do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who
are asleep.” Now, whydoes he use the word “asleep?” Whydoesn’t he just
say dead? Becausesleepis the unique way to speak of Christians in repose, in
temporary repose. Bythe way, the word “asleep,”koima to cause to sleep, is
the word from which we getour word cemetery, which it was the early
Christians optimistic name for a graveyard. It really meant a sleeping place.
It really was a synonym for a dormitory, a place where people sleep.
Now, how is it that Christians are spokenof as sleeping? You’ll notice as I
answerthat question, first of all, that it’s in a present tense form, this
participle here, and it has the idea of those who are continually falling asleep.
That is, believers who fall asleepfrom time to time as a regular course of life
in the church. They’re saying, “What about these Christians that just
continue to die?” I mean, life is like that. It ends, right? And they keep
dying. And he says, “I don’t want you to be ignorant about what happens to
people after they die.” Now, the word “sleep” in the Bible is used of normal
sleep, a recoveryprocess by which the body goes into rest temporarily. John
11:12 uses it in its normal sense. Butthe word for “sleep” is also used

110. uniquely of Christians, and it’s used a number of times for Christians, now
listen carefully, and it always refers to their bodies. It always refers to their
bodies. The only part of us that goes in to any state of unconsciousnessat
death is the body. In John, you remember chapter 11 and verse 11, our friend
Lazarus has fallen asleep, Jesus said, but I go that I may awakenhim out of
sleep. Now, everybody knew that Lazarus was what? He was dead; he had
been dead for three days. His sistersaid, “By this time his body stinketh.”
Decayhad set in, he had been entombed, he was dead. From Jesus’view he
was only asleep;his soul was alive not bound in the grave, we don’t know
where it was or what it experienced‘cause the Scripture doesn’t tell us, but it
does not pass out of existence since it is eternal and it is eternally conscious.
But his body was at rest, and Jesus saw thatas temporary. That’s why He
calls it sleep. Sleepis something you wake up from. If you don’t wake up,
you’re dead or you eventually will die. And so, Jesus seesthe death of
Lazarus as temporary repose of his body.
Look at Acts chapter 7, just to give you a full understanding of this. You
remember when Stephen was being stonedit says in verse 60, “Falling on his
knees he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin againstthem.’
And having saidthis, he fell asleep.” He fell asleep. It was death from the
human viewpoint. It was death from the clinical viewpoint. It was sleep
because it was only temporary repose for his body. His spirit didn’t go in to
unconsciousness. If you don’t think so, look at verse 59. He said, “Lord
Jesus,” what? “Receive my spirit.” It was only his body that was to be in
repose, to be asleep. A sleep, by the way, from which even his body would
awaken, andthat’s the main point that I want you to understand. When in 1
Corinthians 11:30 Paul says of Christians, “Many among you are weak and
sick and a number sleep,” he againrefers to death for a Christian as sleep
because it is the temporary repose of the physical body. In chapter15 of 1
Corinthians verse 6, it talks about Christians who saw the resurrectedChrist;
many of them remain until now. That is, to the writing of this epistle. But
some have fallen asleep. There’s that same familiar concept. Verse 18, those
who have fallen asleepin Christ. And then, in verse 51, “I show you a
mystery, we shall not all sleep.” Again, referring to Christians in death.
SecondPeter3:4 mentions it, “Where is the promise of His coming for ever

111. since the fathers fell asleepall continues just as it was from the beginning of
creation.” There, it is the wistful anticipation of unbelievers that those who
have died have died only a temporary death.
But for Christians the term is accurate, forit is a temporary thing. Even for
pagans there will be a resurrection. There is a sense in which the pagan
bodies only sleep, for they too will be raised. However, they will be raisedto
eternal damnation and death. And so, thus it is not appropriate to speak of
theirs as a temporary death, therefore a sleep, but as a permanent death and
not a sleepat all.
Now, let me go a step further. The term “sleep” orthe conceptof sleepdoes
not refer to the soul. There is no such thing as souls sleeping. When Stephen
was dying he said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And he had the
anticipation of entering into the conscious presence ofJesus Christ. Nowhere
does the Scripture ever teachthat at any time foreverthe spirit of a person is
ever unconscious. That’s whatmakes hell so terrible. It is consciousnessin
the absence ofGod forever. That’s what makes heaven so wonderful; it is
consciousnessofthe presence of God forever. And you remember in Luke 16
as Jesus told the story of Lazarus the beggarand the rich man that when
Lazarus died he was immediately and consciouslyin Abraham’s bosom and
comforted. And you remember when the rich man died, he was immediately
and consciouslyin torment and cried out for someone to give him waterto
touch his tormented tongue. You will remember that in 2 Corinthians chapter
5, the apostle Paul looks atdeath for a believer, and in verse 8 he says, “To be
absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord.” There’s no purgatory,
there’s no intermediary condition, there’s no state of unconsciousnessorsemi-
consciousness, there’s no spiritual coma. To be absentfrom the body, to be
present with the Lord. And in Philippians 1:23 the apostle Paul says, “Far
better to depart and be with Christ.” You’re either here or with Christ.
There’s no intermediary condition for the saved. They go to be receivedinto
the presence ofJesus Christ. There’s no intermediary place for the damned.
They go into conscious punishment and torment. But while that spirit of that
dead Christian goes immediately into the presence ofChrist, that body is
asleep, it is in repose, it is in rest, it is in a dormitory, as it were, and a
Christian in a graveyardis just sleeping in the dorm, nothing more.

112. Now, the question comes:well, why is Paul so concernedto tell them about
these Christians who have died? Verse 13 says, “Thatyou may not grieve.”
They were grieving about it. You say, “Well, now wait a minute, anybody
grieves when a Christian dies, that they know and they love and they care
about. Don’t Christians grieve, and don’t they sorrow, and don’t they lament,
and don’t they shed tears when loved ones die? That’s normal, isn’t it?” Yes,
very normal. And certainly the Spirit of God instructs us in Romans 12:15 to
weepwith those that weep. There’s a normal sorrow, reasonable,sensible
release ofthe pain of separationand loneliness that God has designedfor our
benefit. He’s not talking about that. Follow along in the verse. He says, “I
don’t want you to grieve like people who have,” what? “No hope.” I don’t
want your grief to be that dead-end grief, that grief that comes to people
because there’s no contemplation of reunion. I don’t want you to think that
Christians ever saya final goodbye, because they don’t. That’s a great
thought, isn’t it? You never saygoodbye to a believer for the lasttime. There
will always be another time. I don’t want you to grieve like the hopeless
pagans grieve.
In Ephesians chapter 2, as Paul delineates the characterofbeing lost, the
essenceofit, he says, “Theyare separate from Christ, they are excluded from
the commonwealthof Israel, they are strangers to the covenants of promise.
They have no hope and are without God in the world.” Among those
characteristicsofthe lostis that statement: they have no hope. They have no
hope in life after death. They have no hope in reunion. Through the years
I’ve had funerals, continue to have funerals of unbelieving people, or funerals
of believing people where unbelievers are in the family and the hopelessnessis
terrifying. The terrible sense of finality: no reunion, no future, nevermore the
touch of the hand, the sound of the voice, never again, finality. To be so
consumed in life with a person, and then have the curtain drop so totally,
absolutely, and finally is a cause fordeep despair. The greaterthe love, the
greaterthe pain, and it is the pain of hopelessness.
You say, “Well, now wait a minute. Weren’t there some pagans who could be
numbered among ‘the rest’ there who taught life after death?” Yes, there
were some of the mystery religions that might have espousedthat. Some of
the ancientcults that would have espousedthat. There were some

113. philosophers in ancienttimes who taught there was an afterlife. But
nonetheless, the common teaching was that this was all there was, this was it.
Catullus sort of wrote of the common view when he wrote, “The sun canset
and rise again, but once our brief light sets there is one unending night to be
slept through.” End quote. People live with hopelessnessforthe most part.
And I might add, that evenpeople who were believing philosophers who
taught an afterlife or who were in to mystery religions that taught an afterlife
could never be confident about their wish for an afterlife because they had no
indwelling Holy Spirit to vouch safe that reality to them. And so, their hope
was subjectto the whims of their flesh and a whimsicalkind of hope that’s
dependent upon the flesh is no firm hope, no sound hope, and so it’s safe to
say they are without hope. Non-believing but religious people who are taught
there’s a life after death cancling to the wish without having the affirmation
of God that it’s true. And so, in some casesit may be worse than having no
hope because it’s hope and no hope, hope and then no hope, and hope and
then no hope, and it vacillates. Betterto come to finality about no hope and
get on with life. So, people live with hopelessness,and the hopelessness, the
fear of never being againtogether, no reunion.
Paul says, “Look, I know you’re concernedabout those Christians that die
from time to time and I know you’re concernedthat maybe they’re going to
miss the gathering togetherand you loved them and you want to see them
againand you want them to be there and they’re not going to be there. And
you’re going to wonder: where do they go? And where are they? And how
can we recognize them if they’re not there in bodily form? And it won’t be
like it was, and will the reunion happen?” And he says, “Look, Idon’t want
you to grieve like the hopeless pagans who have no comfort in the promise of a
reunion.” Reunion is here, beloved, it is. It is also in the very terminology of 2
Thessalonians chapter2 verse 1 when it’s called“our gathering togetherto
Him.” As we are brought to Him, we are gatheredtogetherto eachother.
There will be reunion. There will be a gathering together. And he says you
don’t need to fear, and you don’t need to grieve about it like people who are
looking at a dead end. We need to get that somehow deeply embedded in our
hearts, don’t we? That is our confident hope. Partings here are just brief.

114. Now, he says, “I don’t want you to be an uninformed people about the
Christians who are dying. I don’t want you to grieve as the rest who have no
hope. Now, in order to eliminate that and to comfort you, I’m going to tell
you about the gathering together.” And this is what prompts his discussionof
this greatevent. By the way, this is one of the three passagesin the New
Testamentwhich are the key passagesin delineating this event. John 14, 1
Corinthians 15, and 1 Thessalonians 4, and we’ll be intersecting with all three
as we go through this greattext.
By the way, eachtime our Lord gave teaching through the Holy Spirit, each
time this teaching came on this gathering together event at the coming of
Christ, it was in response to certaindistress. In John 14 the disciples were
distressedand confused and discomforted. Why? BecauseJesus waswhat?
He was leaving. And in the middle of their distress, they were wondering
what is going to happen to us, and so Jesus said, let Me comfortyou, I’m
coming back. In the case ofCorinth, some were flatly denying altogetherthe
resurrectionand denying that there ever would be a gathering together. And
the Corinthians were confused. Will there be one? Are You ever going to
collectus together? Is there going to be a resurrection? And so, he writes 1
Corinthians 15 about resurrection, and verses 51 to 58 about this gathering
togetheritself. And here you have the same thing. The Thessalonians are
distressedand disturbed, maybe because oftheir lack of information, and also
because ofsome misinformation being given to them. And so, in eachcase
distress, doubt, confusion, even denial has causedthe Spirit of Godto put this
down.
Now, I saythat to say in all three casesit comes primarily as comfort. It
comes as a pastoralmessageratherthan an eschatologicaltreatise. Whatis
most interesting about it is if you look at the greateschatologicalpassagesof
the New Testament, Matthew 24 and 25, and the book of Revelation, you
don’t find a gathering together, this specific event, in either one of them. It’s
almost like this was reservedas a point of comfort contact. It fits into the
whole scheme, but those books whichgive you sort of chronologicalflow of
eschatologicalevents do not focus on this specific event. Here it comes in a
pastoralway. It’s almosta very special, very private, very personalministry
of the Spirit of God to comfort troubled believers about their future.

115. So, this launches Paul then to discuss this event which we callthe Rapture.
You say, “Now, where do we get that concept, Rapture?” Go downto verse
17, the verb there “shallbe caught up,” is the verb harpaz, snatched.
Snatched. It means to snatchup, to seize; it means to carry off by force. And
it has the idea of a sudden swoopof irresistible force that just sweeps us up.
From a Latin word connectedto this word comes our word rape, to give you
the idea of the force, the seizure, the snatching concept. And so, there is
coming a snatching away, a seizing by force, the swooping us off, gathering us
togetherto the Lord in the future. And Paulsays in order to eliminate your
ignorance, and your consequentgrief, and to bring you comfort, I’m going to
tell you about it.
All right, now he’s going to tell us four things about it: the pillars of the
Rapture, the participants in the Rapture, the plan of the Rapture and the
profit, or the benefit, of the Rapture. Let’s at leastlook initially at the first
one this morning: the pillars of the Rapture. What is it built on? We’ve got
to have a foundation for this. It isn’t philosophicalspeculation, it isn’t
religious mythology, it isn’t some kind of fable fabricated by well-meaning
people who want to make folks feel goodbecause oftheir sorrow. Whatis this
greatpromise that Jesus is coming to gather us all togetherbuilt on? He gives
us three elements, to the three pillars, really: the death of Christ, the
resurrectionof Christ, the revelation of Christ.
Let’s look at the death of Christ, verse 14. “Forif we believe that Jesus died.”
Stop right there. In this case the “if” could be misleading. It doesn’tsuggest
any doubt; it’s only there to indicate logicalsequence, the logicalsequence of
believing, if you believe. And in this case thatcondition is fulfilled so you
could say, “Since you believe that Jesus died.” Or, “Basedonthe fact that
Jesus died,” that’s just simply laying down a premise. Since you believe in
Christ’s death, thus and thus and thus and thus. And he follows with this
statement. So, if you believe, or if we believe that Jesus died, that’s where it
all begins. In order to believe in the Rapture and in order to understand the
coming of Jesus to snatch awayHis church, you have to believe in the death of
Christ. But what does he mean by that? Well, it was the death of Christ that
paid the penalty for our what? Our sins. So, it was the death of Christ then
that brought us into the possessionofeternal life. It is because Jesus bore our

116. sins in His own body, it is because He became sin for us, it is because in His
death He fulfilled all the conditions that God required to pay the penalty for
sin, it is because of that that we canbe gatheredtogetherby Christ into God’s
presence, right?
So, we have to start at that point. It was in His death that He fulfilled all the
conditions. So, when Paul says if we believe that Jesus died, he’s not simply
talking about the death of Jesus in some flat one-dimensional martyr kind of
mentality. He is summing up in it the whole atoning work. If we believe, as it
were, in the full implications of the death of Christ, then we know that
judgment for sin has been satisfied, right? We know then that we, by virtue of
that, have been made acceptable to God. And if we have been made
acceptable to God, then there is a pillar on which the gathering togethercan
occur. If we are not acceptable to God, He’s not going to gatherus to Himself.
If we don’t belong to His Son, by substitutionary death and faith in that
person and work, then He’s not going to gather us together. But because in
His death we are savedfrom death, we believe in the gathering together. In
fact, Jesus died, and you notice he doesn’t refer to Jesus use the word sleep,
Jesus died feeling the full fury of death in all of its dimensions as He bore in
His body our sins, in order that He might turn death for us into sleep.
One writer puts it this way, “Deathhas been changedto sleepby the death of
Christ. It is an apt metaphor in which the whole conceptof death is
transformed. Christ made sleepthe name for death in the dialectof the
church.” End quote. Christ made sleepthe name for death in the dialect of
the church. Why? BecauseHe paid for our sins. You say, “Whatdoes that
have to do with it?” The wages ofsin is death. If the wages are paid, then we
no longer face death, only temporary sleep. The sting of death is what? Sin, 1
Corinthians 15:56. It’s like a bee, and when the bee stung Jesus and He died,
the stingerwas there and there’s no sting left. And so, there’s no death. We
need to say, not So-and-so died, but So-and-so in spirit is alive with Jesus
Christ and their body is asleepwaiting for the gathering together. That’s
what happens to Christians when they die. Their spirit goes immediately to
be with the Lord, fellowship. Their body goes in to repose, sleeping. That’s
the first great pillar. That hope is provided for us in His death.

117. Secondone, verse 14, for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again.”
There’s the secondpillar. When Jesus was raisedfrom the dead by the
Father, it indicated that the Father approved the sacrifice ofChrist and that
in raising Jesus He would raise those who were in Him. When God the Father
raisedChrist from the dead He indicated that Jesus Christ had triumphed
over death not only for Himself but for every Christian. And that’s why Paul
goes onto sayif we believe that Jesus died and rose again, “Evenso,” now
there’s the bridge, those two words, “God will bring with Him those who have
fallen asleepin Jesus.” See,our resurrectionand our gathering togetherat
His coming is predicatedon His resurrection.
I like what I. Howard Marshall at Aberdeen, Scotlandwrote, he saidthis,
“Godwill treat those who died trusting in Jesus in the same way He treated
Jesus Himself, namely by resurrecting them.” He will treat us the same way
He treated Jesus. And when Jesus died, where was His soul? Well, it was
alive, and it was proclaiming victory and triumph, and His body was in
repose. But God raisedthat body and joined it to that eternal soul of the
secondmember of the trinity, and that’s exactlywhat He’s going to do for
you. When you die your spirit goes to be with the Father, and with the Son,
and your body into the grave but God will take that body out of the grave in
the same that He raisedJesus He’ll raise you to be joined with that eternal
spirit into that final form like Christ. You’ll be like Him for you’ll see Him as
He is, says John.
So, “evenso” is the link between the death and resurrectionof Christ and
what happens to Christians when He comes. The resurrectionof us all is
linked to the resurrectionof Christ. First Corinthians 15:23 says Christ the
firstfruits and afterward, they that are Christ’s at His coming. As God raised
Him up, as it says in Hebrews 13:20, God will raise us up also. You remember
John 14:19, Jesus said, “BecauseI live, you shall live also.” FirstCorinthians
6:14 says it directly. “Godhas not only raisedthe Lord, but will also raise us
up through His power.” SecondCorinthians chapter 4 verse 14 says the same
thing: “He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and present
us with You.” That’s our hope. The pillar of the gathering together, the
death of Christ, the penalty of sin is paid and God is satisfiedthat we are
righteous in Christ and He can receive us to Himself. The resurrection, which

118. is God’s guarantee ofChrist’s perfect accomplishmentand the guarantee of
our resurrectionwho are in Christ for He will treat us the same way He
treated Christ. Namely, He will raise us from the dead.
And then, Paul specificallysays it in verse 14, “Godwill bring with Him those
who have fallen asleepin Jesus.” What’s he saying? He’s saying: “Look, dear
friends, you aren’t going to miss anything. Even the people who die aren’t
going to miss it. Basedon the death of Christ and its perfect work, basedon
the resurrectionof Christ and the Father’s will, God is going to bring with
Him those who have fallen asleepin Jesus.” WithHim means with Christ.
When Christ comes in His glory to gatherHis people, those who have fallen
asleepare going to be there. That’s the answerto the question. Now, whatis
this little phrase, “Godwill bring with Him?” With Him means with Christ,
but what do you mean God will bring? Some say it means that God will bring
with Christ from heavendown the spirits of dead Christians to join their
bodies. You know, it says later that we meet in the air, and so that God will
bring down from heavens their souls to meet the resurrectedbodies coming
up, and there’ll be a joining togetherat that point. Some people say it means,
no, God will bring with Christ back to glory all those gathered together, living
and dead. Once they’re gathered, God will bring them back to glory.
You say, which is true? Well, probably both. I don’t think we need to get
carried awayand be too technical. Some have even said what it means is God
is going to bring the spirits of these believers out of heaven all the way down
to earth and they stay on the earth. That’s one view. That view doesn’t make
sense. If you’re going to come all the way to the earth, why meet in the air?
That’s an unnecessarytrip if we’re going back. Secondly, that doesn’tsquare
with what the Bible says. You say, “Well, what do you mean?” Look at John
14 for a moment, verse 1, “Let not your heart be troubled, believe in God,
believe also in Me.” The disciples againwere troubled because Jesus was
leaving and they didn’t know what was going to happen to them. He says,
“I’m going away, that’s right, in My Father’s house there are many dwelling
places, if it were not so I would have told you, I go to prepare,” what? “A
place for you.” Where? In heaven, in the Father’s house. “And if I go and
prepare a place for you,” there is a logicalconclusion, “Iwill come againand
take you there.” Does thatmake sense? It does to me. “I will come againand

119. receive you to Myselfthat where I am there you may be also.” I’m going up
there to the Father’s house and I am going to fix a place for you, and then I’m
going to come and get you, and I’m going to take you to the place I fixed for
you where I am. That has to be heaven. So, we conclude then that when Jesus
gathers believers together, which way are we going? Up. We meet in the air
and we continue the heavenwardmovement. Yes, it’s fair to say that our
spirits, the spirits of Christians who have died, come down to meet those
bodies, but once the meeting takes place, we are gathered togetherto Christ.
He gathers us to Himself, and He takes us to where He is, which is clearlyin
the Father’s house in heaven where He’s been preparing a place for us. There
has to be, then, some time interval there before to return to earth for the
establishment of the Kingdom. And so, when Jesus comes, he says God’s
going to bring along all the gatheredtogether, including those who have fallen
asleep, God’s going to bring them all to Himself, along with Jesus Christ.
That’s the gathering together. That’s the event. And he says that those who
have fallen asleeparen’t going to miss it, so don’t grieve for those who are
dying, and for yourself should you die.
Again, I remind you, it really is clearthat they had reasonto expect that Jesus
could come in their life time, right? Or all of these questions wouldn’t have
existed if they thought it was thousands and thousands of years down the
road. Paulhad given them the impression that it could come in their life time.
One other note that I just mention to you. The end of verse 14, those who
have fallen asleepin Jesus, the best way to understand that phrase is a sort of
phrase of what you could call attendant circumstance. The use of dia here can
reflectthe idea that they died in a circumstance ofbeing relatedto Jesus
Christ. They died in a situation where they were relatedto Jesus Christ. So,
all who have temporarily gone into repose in the graves as to their physical
bodies in relationship to Jesus Christ are going to be there at the gathering. I
just want to let you know, folks, that if you’re ever in Christ, you’re always in
Christ. And you canbe spokenofas being in Christ even though you’re
asleep, your body is asleep. It’s a permanent designation. We have fallen
asleepin Jesus, it says in 1 Corinthians 15:18. Those who died in Christ
remain in Christ forever and ever, and will be risen in Christ, and collected
with the restwho are alive. Now, that’s just the first part. The goodpart is

120. yet to come when we see one more of the pillars and then the plan, the
participants and the profit from this, but that will be for next time. Let’s bow
in prayer.
While your heads are bowed for just a moment, I was reading this week about
a little girl, five-year-old girl who was watching her brother die of a very, very
painful disease. He was much older than she, and she loved him a lot. And
after he died and the funeral was over she said to her mother, she said,
“Mommy, where did brother go?” To which her mother replied, “Well, he
went to heaven to be with Jesus.” She said, “Oh.” And that satisfiedher little
mind. Notlong after that, she heard her mother having a conversationwith a
friend, and her mother was weeping and saying, “I’ve lost my son, I’ve lostmy
son, I’ve lost my son.” Later in the day, the little five-year-old went to her
mother and said, “Mommy, is somebody lost when we know where they are?”
Well, the answerto that question is no, nobody is lost when we know where
they are. We don’t grieve as those who have no hope. Those thathave died in
Christ, their spirit is in His presence, their body is asleepand they will not
miss the greatevent of the gathering togetherof the church when Jesus comes.
That is the promise of Scripture.
Thank You, Father, for such a promise and such a hope. We pray this day
that there will be no one in the hearing of this messagewho does not live in
that hope. Father, we pray for those who have no hope, who look at death as
a blind alley, a dark hallway, a dead-end street, have no hope of reunion, no
hope of resurrection, no hope of eternal joy. God, bring them to the Savior
this day. Save them, Lord. Save them with Your grace, that they might have
the hope of those in Christ, living and have fallen asleep, that somedaywe
shall all be gatheredtogetherto be foreverwith Christ, to go to the dwelling
place prepared for us in the Father’s house to be where our Savior is. How we
thank You, Father, that that hope is available to all who put their faith in
Jesus Christ. We pray in His name. Amen.
JOHN MACARTHUR

121. Please openyour Bible to 1 Thessalonians chapter4. And I want to draw
your attention again to verses 13 through 18. We’ve titled this message:
“What Happens to Christians Who Die Before Jesus Comes?” Bythe way,
the details of where Christians go after they die and what happens to their
spirits and what happens to their bodies is often a troubling issue to people
who don’t understand, and it certainly troubled the young Christians in the
church at Thessalonica. Theywere only a few months old in the Lord. They
had no Jewishbackgroundto speak of, for the most part, having been
convertedout of abject paganism. It was all brand new to them. And in the
few months that Paul was there in Thessalonica, andthe few months since he
had been gone, they had grown in Christ significantly, but there were still
some troubling things that they did not understand.
And one of them was regarding the return of Jesus Christ. Paul had made
sure that they understood that Jesus was coming back to take His people to be
with Him. In fact, in chapter 1 you will notice in verses 9 and 10 that it says of
the ThessalonianChristians that they turned to God from idols to serve a
living and true God and to wait for His Son from heaven. They were living in
anticipation that Jesus would come. It seems rather reasonable in this context
that they actually thought He would come very soonin their life time. And
that’s what posed their query because some ofthem died. Periodically,
continually from time to time, one of the believers in the Thessalonianchurch
would die. And because they were so eagerabout the coming of Jesus Christ,
they had difficulty understanding what happens to that person when Jesus
comes. If they’re no longerhere, do they miss the greatevent? Do they miss
the gathering together, as they calledit, as Paul noted in 2 Thessalonians 2:1?
Do they miss the Rapture? And they were very concernedabout that.
Since they lived in such excitement and such expectationand such anticipation
of the greatmoment when Jesus came for His people, and also since according
to chapter 4 verses 9 and 10 they loved eachother so much that everybody
knew about their love, they were grieving over their loved ones who had died,
not so much that they were dead, because they believed their spirits were with

122. the Lord, but because they thought they might miss the greatevent. And so,
the apostle Paulwrites this sectionto help them.
And I said lastweek and I say it again, it is more pastoralthan it is
theological. The intent of the apostle Paul is not to give a front to back, top to
bottom, reasoneddetail, eschatologicalexplanationof the Rapture, but to
comfort troubled grieving sorrowing hearts. It is not a pedantic question,
what happens to Christians who die before the Lord returns; it’s a painful
question on their hearts because they’re suffering grief for fear that their
loved ones who have died are going to miss that great event. Was their death,
perhaps they wondered, a kind of judgment where the Lord chastenedthem,
took their life and they therefore forfeited experiencing the Rapture? Was
there some secretsin in their life and that’s why they died? Would they
somehow not participate at all in the gathering togetherand the wonderful
trip to heaven? Would they remain body-less spirits, never knowing the
transformation of body into the likeness ofChrist? Would they somehow be
consideredlessersaints? Are they not as loved as the rest who would live to
the Rapture? The whole matter led them to grief.
So, the apostle Paulwrites to alleviate their grief. Look at verse 13 of chapter
4. “We do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are
asleep, that you may not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.” He says we
don’t want you to grieve; grieving out of ignorance is needless. I don’t want
you to be uninformed in such a waythat you grieve and that you grieve like
people who have no hope of reunion: the lost, the pagans, the people outside
the Kingdom of God who see death as the final, permanent parting. I don’t
want you to grieve like the hopeless, who have no anticipation of a reunion.
Your ignorance has led you to the grief so I want to salve your grief by
turning your ignorance into knowledge.
The main group that he concerns himselfwith here are those who are asleep.
In fact, he mentions them in verse 13. He mentions them in verse 14. He
mentions them in verse 15. That is his concernbecause that was their
concern. What happens to Christians who die before Jesus gets here? And by
the way, it’s an awfully important question because theywere asking it way

123. back then. We’re 2,000 years laterand a whole lot of Christians have fallen
into that categoryand continue to.
As I pointed out last week, those who are asleepmeans Christians who have
died. And Christians who die do not experience death in its fearful reality,
because oftheir life in Christ death has been transformed into sleep. The
difference betweensleepand death is that sleepis a temporary repose and
that is a fitting term for Christians. When they die, their spirit goes to be with
the Lord immediately, “Absent from the body, present with the Lord. Far
better to depart and be with Christ.” Their body goes into the grave not
permanently but only to sleepuntil it is awakenedsomeday. Butthey didn’t
know how, or when, or where, or what, and so were grieving for their loved
ones.
Paul then explains to them some of the features of the Rapture. The term in
verse 17, “shall be caught up together,” is the term from which we getthe
conceptof Rapture. It is caughtup, snatchedup, raptured. And it has to do
with the catching awayof the church, the taking up of the church. It’s, by the
way, a violent word. And I pointed out to you last time that out of the Latin
derivative comes the word rape, a violent actin which the church is snatched
away. It’s a rescue of the first order, sudden, instantaneous. Paulsays in 1
Corinthians 15, “In the twinkling of an eye,” that’s not how fast it is to blink,
that’s how fast it is to see light flash on the pupil. That fast and faster.
Now, as Paul then unfolds to them the Rapture, remember his purpose is not
to covereverything that could be saidabout this event, his purpose is to cover
a specific issue to bring comfort to their troubled hearts. Four features sum
up his teaching in this text on the Rapture: the pillars of the Rapture, the
participants of the Rapture, the plan of the Rapture and the profit of the
Rapture. Profit, the benefit.
Now, lasttime we beganto look at the pillars of the Rapture. And we noted
for you in verse 14, the first pillar upon which Rapture truth is built is the
death of Christ. Forif we believe that Jesus died, and I pointed out to you
that the reason, first of all, that we can even leave this world and be gathered
to Jesus Christ and takento heaven is because Jesus diedfor our sins. And

124. having been forgiven of our sins and covered, as it were, by the blood of
Christ and clothed in the righteousness ofChrist, we are made acceptable to
God, we are made joint heirs with Christ, brothers Jesus is not ashamedto
call us, and He will gatherus to Himself and take us to heaven where God
awaits us because oursins have been dealt with. So, the Rapture is built, first
of all, not on philosophical speculation, not on theologicalwhimsy, but on the
death of Jesus Christ, which was a perfect satisfactionto God for sin. Since
He fulfilled all the conditions for the forgiveness ofsin, He transformed death
into sleepfor us. To borrow the words of Paul: He took the sting out of death.
The secondpillar on which the Rapture is built is the resurrectionof Christ.
Verse 14, for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and here is the
necessarycorollaryto the first. Notonly did He die, but the satisfactionofHis
work was indicated by the fact that God raisedHim from the dead. And He
conquered death. He conquered sin, as it were, in His dying; He conquered,
as it were, in His rising. Sin was dealt with, death was dealt with, not only for
Himself but notice back at verse 14, “Even so, God will bring with Him,” that
is with Christ, “at His return those who have fallen asleepin Jesus.” As He
raisedJesus, He’ll raise the rest who are in Jesus Christ. First Corinthians
15:23 says, “Christ the firstfruits, afterwards those that are Christ’s at His
coming.” Jesus saidin John 14:19, “BecauseI live, you shall live also.” And I
said last week, andI repeat this statement again:God will treat dead believers
the same way He treated Jesus by raising them from the dead. That’s His
promise, bodily resurrection. And when God comes, whenGod comes in the
greatglorious return of Christ, God will bring with Him those who have died
in Christ, just as He brought back Jesus from the dead.
The picture is a marvelous one. It’s first painted for us in John 14 verses 1 to
3, the only place in the gospelrecordwhere the Rapture is discussed. And all
it says is, “Let not your heart be troubled,” again, it’s a comforting passage,
it’s intended to comfort the troubled disciples. “Youbelieve in God, believe
also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places, 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 againand receive you unto Myself that where I am
there you may be also.” Jesus there promised: I’m going, but I’m going to get
a place ready, I’m coming, I’m coming to take you where I am in that place.

125. And the promise here is that in the same way that God brought Jesus out of
the dead and took Him to glory, God will bring us out of the graves who are
dead and take us to glory.
Now, remember, the spirits are alreadywith the Lord, but the body will be
resurrected, joined to that already in the presence ofGod’s spirit, and the
combination of that is the glorified saint in the image of Christ who abides in
God’s presence foreverand ever. This is the resurrection, by the way,
describedin 1 Corinthians 15:35 and following.
So, those are just review points. The pillars of the death of Christ, the
resurrectionof Christ hold up the doctrine of the Rapture. The third one is
the revelationof Christ, the revelation of Christ. Paul says in verse 15, “For
this we say to you, this teaching about the Rapture, by the Word of the Lord.”
What he is saying is not only is the Rapture built on the death and
resurrectionof Christ, but on direct revelation from Christ. “This we say to
you” has the tone of an inspired writer who has revealedwhat God has
disclosedto him. That phrase, “by the Word of the Lord,” means a divine
utterance. Paul was literally giving to the Thessalonians whatcame from the
Lord. This is divine revelation. Now, what does he mean specifically? It’s
interesting to note this, when he says “we saythis to you” and then goes onto
explain about the Rapture, “by the Word of the Lord,” what does he mean by
that? Some commentators suggestthathe means that he is referring to
something Jesus saidthat’s recordedin the gospels. However, that doesn’t
seemto be a valid option at all since there are no exactpassages. As I said, the
only mention of the Rapture specificallyis just a very simple statementthat
Jesus said“I’m coming back,” and He said it and againa pastoralway rather
than trying to coverall the eschatologicaltheologyofit. But beyond that
there are no specifics about the Rapture in the gospels to which Paul could be
alluding.
You say, “Well, now wait a minute. Doesn’tit talk about a trumpet here?
And doesn’t it talk about a resurrectionhere?” Yes, but they’re very
different than those times. For example, in the Olivet Discoursewhere the
Lord talked about a trumpet and where He talked about a gathering and very
different from any references in John’s gospelwhich, obliquely some have

126. referred to this, such as where he says to Martha in chapter 11, “I am the
resurrectionand the life.” Let me give you some of the differences. In
Matthew, the Son of Man comes on the clouds. In 1 Thessalonians, believers
ascendin the clouds. In Matthew, the angels gatherthe electfrom the four
corners of the world. In 1 Thessalonians,Jesus ChristHimself gathers them
to Himself. In the Olivet Discourse,particularly in Matthew, there is no
record of the order of the ascent. Thatis the principle issue here in
Thessalonians. And there are other distinctions as well.
And so, we can’t say that Paul is referring to anything in the gospels,because
nothing states the things that he talks about here. Others have said, “Well,
probably he’s referring to a word of the Lord that was saidby the Lord but
never written down, like the one recordedin Acts 20:35 where it says Jesus
said it is more blessedto give than receive.” Jesus did say that; we know He
said it because the Spirit of God revealedto Luke when he wrote that He said
it, but it’s not recordedin the gospels. It’s the only quote from Jesus outside
the gospels. Some saywhat Paul is saying here then must be what Jesus said;
we just don’t have a record of it. But he doesn’tsay Jesus saidit. He doesn’t
quote directly anything that Jesus saidin the gospels, andhe doesn’t
specificallysaythat Jesus saidthis. He just uses that rather generalterm: it
was a word from the Lord.
Furthermore, in 1 Corinthians 15, would you notice verse 51, or just listen to
it? Paul, beginning a discussionthere about the Rapture says, “Behold, I tell
you a mystery.” Mysterymeans something hidden that is now revealed. Paul
is saying I am now going to revealsomething that has been hidden, which
leads us to the conclusionthat Jesus neverdid revealthe details of the
Rapture. It was a mystery until Paul opened it up. He was the apostle of that
mystery. And here again, if Jesus had taught this, and it had been common
knowledge that He taught it whether recordedor not recorded, surely then
Paul would have unfolded it to the Thessalonians. Buthere they are in
complete confusion about this event calledthe Rapture, and Paul again must
give to them some new truth from the word of the Lord.
So, we think there is no way to associate this with anything Jesus said. If
you’ll notice chapter 5 verse 2 he says, “You yourselves know full well that the

127. day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” Apparently, they knew a
lot about the day of the Lord. That’s judgment. And they didn’t need to be
taught about the day of the Lord, but they did not know about the Rapture,
the snatching, the catching away. And Paul then is revealing to them
something that has heretofore been a secretand it’s come to him by the word
of the Lord.
Now, that could mean it came through the mouth of a prophet, that some
prophet, New Testamentprophet like Agabus mentioned in Acts 21 may have
been the Lord’s spokesmanto Paul and uttered it, and Paul heard it. In fact,
Agabus said when he talked to Paul in Acts 21, “This is what the Holy Spirit
says,” so it could have been a prophet like Agabus that was God’s instrument
to speak to Paul. It could have been anothermeans by which the Spirit of
God communicated to Paul. It could have been direct like when he was on the
ship in Acts 27 sailing across the sea, and an angel came to him at night, and
told him exactlywhat the Lord wanted him to hear. But somehow, in some
way, he gotdirect revelationwhich he now unfolds. So, what is the Rapture
built on? Notphilosophy, not some whimsical theologicalspeculation, built on
the death of Christ, sin is paid for therefore we’re acceptable to God. The
resurrectionof Christ in whose resurrectionwe rise, the revelation of Christ
which unfolds its details. Strong foundation, wouldn’t you say? Strong
pillars.
Now, let’s turn to the Word of the Lord. What did the Lord say to Paul about
this event? That takes us to the secondpoint, the participants of the Rapture:
the participants of the Rapture. Verse 15 [of 1 Thessalonians 4], he says, “For
this we say to you by the word of the Lord,” and here are the two participants,
“that we who are alive and remain,” and then the end of the verse, “those who
have fallen asleep.” They’re the two participants. There are only two kinds
of people at the Rapture: the people who are alive and remain, and the people
who are dead. That is a very simple contrast. And that’s all he’s talking
about. People who live and people who have died. You see, that was their
burning concern:what happens to Christians who die?
Simply, he says then, let me tell you about eachof the two participants. First
of all, then, we who are alive and remain. Christians living at the time when

128. the Lord comes. We who live who do not die to see the parousia. Would you
please notice the word “we?” does Paulthink he’ll be alive then? Does Paul
think that it could happen in his life time? Surely he does. Surely he does.
He certainly demonstrates whatis a proper anticipation and a proper
expectationfor his Lord’s return without laying out a specific time for it. I’m
sure he would never do that; certainly under the inspiration of the Spirit of
God he wouldn’t do it. And like all early Christians, I believe he saw the
event as very near. That’s why he uses the word “we,” we, who are alive and
remain. We is sort of a generic term, we meaning the believers who are alive
at that time. But he doesn’t say “they” as if he’s necessarilypushing it off to a
future generation. He can saywe and be comfortable about it because it
might be in his lifetime.
There are other indications that he believed that. In Romans 13:11, “And this
do knowing the time that it is already the hour for you to awakenfrom sleep
for now salvation is nearerto us than when we believed. The night is almost
gone, the day is at hand.” Boy, there’s an urgency there, isn’t there? Our
salvationis nearer. What do you mean our deliverance? We’ve alreadyhad
our soul salvationbut our bodily salvation, the redemption of the body that he
talks about in Romans 8, it’s nearerthan it’s ever been. The day is at hand; at
hand means next. The night is almost over. It will be soon.
In 1 Corinthians would you notice chapter 6 verse 14 for the same kind of
expression? He says, “Now, Godhas not only raisedthe Lord but will also
raise us up through His power.” Did he believe he’d be in that resurrection?
Did he believe that he would be in that future resurrection? It seems onthe
one hand at one point he believes it’s going to come in his life time. On
another hand on the other point he believes he may be in the grave.
Chapter 10 of 1 Corinthians verse 11, “Now, these things happened to us as an
example, they were written for our instruction. Our instruction,” listen to
this, “upon whom the end of the ages have come.” He believed he was living
in the ends of the ages,the Messianic times. And I’m sure he had no idea they
would be as long as they have been already. Look at 1 Corinthians 16:22, “If
anyone doesn’t love the Lord, let him be accursed. Maranatha.” You know
what that means? “O Lord come, O Lord come.” And look at our letter, 1

129. Thessalonians 1:10, “Theywere waiting for His Son from heaven.” Chapter3
verse 13, he says that he wants their hearts establishedunblameable in
holiness before God and our Fatherat the coming of our Lord Jesus with all
His saints. Again, the anticipation of the coming of Christ and they being
blameless when He gets here. Well, if they had alreadybeen glorified they
would be blameless whenHe got here. He’s assuming that they may be alive
when He comes and they’re to be unblameable when that happens.
Chapter 5 verse 23, “May the God of peace sanctifyyou entirely, may your
spirit, soul and body be preservedcomplete without blame at the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ.” Now, the only way your body could be without blame
and complete at His coming would be to be alive when He gothere. And again
I say, he anticipatedthat Jesus could come in his life time. To Titus, he said
he was looking for the blessedhope and glorious appearing of our greatGod
and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He was looking for Christ; he believed
that it could happen in his life time. And yet, follow this, on the other hand,
he also believed that he could die before Christ came. Chapter 5 of 1
Thessalonians verse 10, he says, “He died for us that whether we are awake or
asleepwe may live for Him.” And he uses “we” there. He might be awake;
He might be asleepwhen Jesus comes. But either way we’ll live togetherwith
Him, either way.
In 1 Corinthians 15:52 he says at the Rapture we shall be changed. And he
puts himself at the scene. And yet in Philippians 1 he says Christ shall be
exalted in my body, whether it be life or death, to me to live is Christ, to die is
gain, having a desire to depart and be with Christ. And in 2 Timothy 4 he
says, I have finished the course, I’ve kept the faith, I’ve fought the goodfight.
The time of my departure is at hand. And he sensedhis own death.
Why all of that? What I’m saying to you is: he believed it could happen in his
life time. He lived in that anticipation. And you hear the hope in his heart as
he talks about we and us at that greatevent. But on the other hand, he knew
it might not and that he might die before it happened. So, he really associates
himself with both possibilities. And that’s the way the church has always
lived: with expectationand anticipation that it could come in my life time.
And he’s using the we, because atthe time he was one of the ones alive and

130. remaining. And if Jesus had come, he would have been in that group. So, he
conveys to the Thessalonians his own heart of anticipation.
And I believe that’s why they were waiting for His Sonfrom heaven, chapter 1
verse 10, that’s why the grief. Theywere so excitedabout the return of Christ
because ofwhat Paul had told them, so sure it could happen in their life time
that that’s why they grieved. And if that wasn’tthe case, if that’s not what
drove them, then the whole context of the passage is pointless. If they thought
it was going to be 2,000 or3,000 years away, thenthey wouldn’t have been
grieving because they would have known not to expectit. But Paul had
anticipation of it and so did they. And what does he saythen? We who are
alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, the parousia, when He comes
for His own, shall not precede. What does that mean? Go before. Gainan
advantage over. Those who have fallen asleep. Now, that’s what they wanted
to hear. The people who are alive on the earth when Jesus comes aren’tgoing
to have any advantage over the ones who have died, that’s his simple point.
The living will not go before the dead; they will not gain an advantage. And
that sums up all their questions. Would they be lessersaints? Would they be
eternally disembodied spirits? Would they miss the Rapture? Would they be
tag-ons? No. All Christians alive and dead when Jesus comes willbe at the
Rapture, nobody will be left out. Nobody.
That takes us to his third point: the plan of the Rapture. Verse 16, here he
goes through the details, follow them quickly. First thing that happens detail
by detail, “Forthe Lord Himself,” now I want to stop at that point. Notan
angel, not a lot of angels, not a substitute, the Lord, emphatically in the Greek,
Himself. He is coming for His bride. He is the bridegroom coming to take His
bride. This again, in contrastto Mark 13:26 and 27 where the gathering of
the electsaints is done by the angels. This is Christ Himself coming for His
bride: the church. And it’s Himself, emphatically.
And notice the secondelement, “He will descendfrom heaven.” Why?
Becausethat’s where He’s been. When He ascendedHe went to the right
hand of the Father. In Hebrews chapter 1 it’s very, very clearin verse 3 that
He sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. And the writer of
Hebrews says He’s seatedon the right hand of God from which point He

131. advocates forus, intercedes for our sins, functions as a high priest. And He’s
in heaven. Back to 1:10 again, it says:“To waitfor His Sonfrom heaven.”
He’s there, He’s waiting to descend. And that’s precisely what He will do.
Notice how He does it, verse 16, “The Lord Himself will descendfrom heaven
with a keleusma, a shout.” It’s a word of command, it’s a military term. It’s
as if the troops are all at ease andthe command is, “Fallin.” Luther
translated the word feldgeschreiwhich means stand up, a callto the church to
stand up. The church has been in repose, the bodies of the saints have been in
the graves. And there’s coming a time when Jesus comes, descending out of
heaven, and He shouts for those bodies to stand up. And they fall in to rank,
they fall in to line, they fall in to order from being at ease and repose to filling
up the ranks, taking their stand.
It says in Psalm 47:5, “God goes up with a shout, the Lord with a sound of a
trumpet,” but here He comes down with a shout and the trumpet. And so,
this is the fulfillment of John 5:25, just a general prophecy regarding
resurrection. But listen to what John 5:25 said, the words of Jesus, “Truly,
truly I say to you, an hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the
voice of the Son of God and those who hear shall live.” And the first group
that are going to hear are the redeemedwith their bodies in the grave, the
voice cries, the bodies are composedagaininto glorious form, rise out of the
graves to meet the spirits coming back with God and Christ to that meeting
place. Notice whathe says then, “The Lord Himself will descendfrom heaven
with a shout with a voice of an archangel, orthe archangel.” There’sno
definite article there so technicallyit’s the voice of an archangel. This is really
a unique statement;the only mention of an archangelis here and in Jude 9.
In Jude 9, the archangelis designatedas Michaeland it could well be that he’s
the only archangel. The Jews usedto believe there were sevenarchangels.
Their names all ended with “-el” which is the term for God in Hebrew. But
we don’t know that for sure, that was their tradition, Gabriel, Michael, Ariel
and others. But all we know is there is an archangelhere. It could well be
Michaelbecause in Daniel 12 when it’s time for the resurrectionthere that
Daniel speaksofspokento Israel, Michaelis there at the resurrection of
Israel. So, it well could be that Michaelthe archangelis associatedsomehow
with this greatevent. And as Jesus comes down, and makes this command for

132. resurrection, Michaelis there as well with the Lord’s command. It is also
attended by the trumpet of God.
What does this mean? Trumpets are all over the Bible, they have all different
kinds of meanings. But we know there’s a trumpet at the Rapture. First
Corinthians 15:52 says, “The trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise.”
The trump of God. So, there is a trumpet at the Rapture. Trumpets were
used in Israel for all kinds of things. They were used for festivals,
celebrations, convocations,judgments. They were used for triumphs. They
were used any time anybody wanted to geta crowd togetherto say anything to
them for public announcements, proclamations.
But in Exodus 19, verses 16 to 19, a trumpet calledthe people out of the camp
to meet God. It was a trumpet of assemblyand it calledthem out of the camp
to meet God. I believe this is a trumpet of assembly. In Zephaniah 1:16 and
Zechariah 9:14, a trumpet was used as a signal of the Lord’s coming to rescue
His people from wickedoppression. It was a deliverance trumpet. And I
believe the trumpet on that day is an assemblytrumpet and a deliverance
trumpet. I believe when the trumpet blows, it is to assemble the saints who
have been calledout of the graves to life with the living saints, and it is also to
call them out, to rescue them out from among those who oppress them, men
and demons. There are many other trumpets associatedwith the end times;
they tend to be trumpets of judgment, primarily as in Revelation8 through
11.
Then, it happens, back to our verse 16, at the sound of the voice of the Lord,
the voice of the archangel, the trump of God, “The dead in Christ shall rise,”
not last, but what? “First.” Somebodysaid, “That’s because they have six
feet further to go,” but I think that’s a rather shallow perspective. The point
that Paul is trying to make here is that they’re not going to lag behind.
They’re not second-classcitizens, not at all. In fact, you’re dear loved ones
who have died are going to go first. Boy, that’s such a greattruth, such an
encouraging thing. The dead in Christ rise first. I love that phrase, “the dead
in Christ.” If you’re ever in Christ, you’re always in Christ whether you’re
alive or dead. And when you die and that body goes into the grave, that body
reposes in Christ. That belongs to Him. That is His personaland eternal

133. possession, andHe will reclaim it from its decomposeddust. Paul says in
Romans 8 that neither death, nor life, nor anything else shall be able to
separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. Deathcan’tdo it.
You live in Christ, you die in Christ, you’re dead in Christ, you stay in Christ,
you’ll live againin Christ. FirstCorinthians 15:23 calls the resurrected,
“Those who are Christ’s.” That’s the key point in the passage.
And so, the dead Christians rise first. What goodhope, goodnews that is.
There will be a reunion. That beloved wife, that beloved husband, that
beloved son, daughter, that beloved friend, that dear pastor, that neighbor
who meant so much in my life who is gone, should I live for the Rapture, that
greatevent, they’ll not miss it. In fact, they’ll rise first. There will be a
reunion. And what rises out of that grave is a glorified body to meet an
already glorified spirit to become that eternal personin the image of Christ,
like Him because theysee Him as He is. Then, the next sequence in verse 17,
“Then, we who are alive and remain,” the ones who live, the ones who
survived, the ones who are still alive, living Christians, and againhe uses the
word we, because he believes he could be a part of that group. “We who are
alive and remain shall be caught up togetherwith them in the clouds.”
Snatchedup by irresistible force, plucked out of this world. And that word
“caughtup” is used, for example, in Matthew 11:12 referring to the kingdom
takenby force. It’s used in John 10:12 of the wolf snatching the sheep, it’s
used in John 10:28 and 29 when Jesus says, “No mancan snatch you of My
Father’s hand,” a violent act. It’s used in 2 Corinthians 12:2 and 4 of Paul
being caught up into the third heaven. Acts 8:39, Philip caughtup, remember
when he was caughtup and the eunuch saw him no more and the Spirit of
God just transported him supernaturally? It’s a snatching. It’s at that
moment that the transformation takes place. We who are alive and remain
are here and all of a sudden we’re snatchedin the moment, in the twinkling of
an eye.
And having been snatched;we’re instantly transformed. Philippians 3
describes it, verse 21, “When He comes He will transform the body of our
humble state into conformity with the body of His glory by the exertion of His
power.” In a moment, we’re transformed into a glorified body like the
resurrectedbody of Christ. Snatchedfrom the graspof Satan. Snatched

134. from the fallen world and the decaying and decayedflesh. Snatchedout of the
grave. Snatchedawayfrom the coming wrath of God. It’s a rescue operation.
“Togetherwith them.” What does that mean? We’ll all be there. Everybody
will be there. We’ll all have a part in the gathering together. The church
triumphant joins the church militant to become the church glorified.
And which way do we go when we’re snatched? “We’re caughtup together
with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” We’ve gotto go through
there quick, because who is the prince of the powerof the air? Satan. We’re
snatchedout of graves. We’re snatchedout of this fallen world, and we’re
literally rocketedthrough fasterthan the speedof light, rocketedthrough the
air. And no doubt there will be effort made on the part of the adversaryand
his demons who control the air to stop what could never be stopped. And our
movement is heavenward. “And so shall we ever be with the Lord.” Clouds
are often associatedwith divine appearances. The divine glory of God is often
spokenof as a cloud of glory, the Shekinah brightness. Godis often associated
with clouds. When God came down on Sinai in Exodus 19 there were clouds.
When God came into the tabernacle it was filled with a cloud. When He came
into the temple it was filled with a cloud. At the transfiguration the Bible
talks about clouds that were there and then Jesus Shekinahgloryblazed out
from within Him. The cloud of glory again mingling with clouds. At the
ascension, Jesus wastakenup into heavenin clouds. No doubt the literal
clouds mingling with the glory of the presence of Christ and the presence of
glorified saints. And we meet the Lord in the air.
The word “meet” there is a beautiful word, a magnificent word. It’s often
used to suggestthe meeting of a dignitary or king, a famous person, people
rushing to meet him. Some commentators have pushed the point extremely
far. They say that word was usedwhen a king came back to his city, a ruler
came back to his city as a conquering hero. When they’d see him coming
down the road the city would run out to him and escorthim the last part of
the distance. At a wedding, the wedding party would run out and escortthe
bride or the bridegroom back to the wedding. A visitor coming to a city like
in Acts 28, we see some people running out to escortthat visitor into the city.
And some have takenthat and said, well, what happens here is we go out to
meet the Lord in the air and we come back to the earth for the Kingdom. And

135. that defends a post-tribulational Rapture. We just go in the air, come right
back, setup the Kingdom.
But such an analogyis arbitrary because thatword is not restricted to just
meaning that. All it means is to meet the Lord. It doesn’t mean that we meet
Him somewhere and come down here. In fact, what’s the point of going up in
the air if we’re coming back here? We might as well wait here till He gets
here. We’re not just going up and down. We’re going up and up. Why
bother to meet in the air if we’re coming back? And what in the world was
Jesus saying in John 14? “And if I go I shall come againto receive you to
Myself that where I am there you may be.” If we’re coming down, it’s where
you are I may be. He’s not coming where we are, friend, He’s rescuing us out
to go where He is. That’s the Father’s house. He’s been getting it ready for
2,000 years;I imagine we’re going to have some significant visit there. A
better way to see the picture would be that King Jesus is coming but He’s not
coming to a welcoming Earth; He’s coming to an Earth not ready to receive
Him at all. He’s coming to a hostile Earth under the controlof Satan, a rival
ruler. And He’s coming to snatch His people out, to rescue His people, and
take them to a safe place in the Father’s house. And He’ll come back later
and take the Earth by force.
Once we reachheaven, verse 17 says, thus we shall always be with the Lord.
Always, always, always. Neveragainto be separatedfrom Him, always in His
presence. Why? BecauseHe purified for Himself a people for His own
possession, His eternal possession, Titus 2:14. With the pillars, the
participants and the plan of the Rapture, finally the profit. What’s the benefit
of this?
Verse 18, “Therefore do,” what? “Comfortone another with these words.”
He doesn’t say, therefore would you please write out a large eschatological
chart. No. He just says comforteachother. This is a comfort passage, friend,
exactly like John 14 was. The Rapture always appears shrouded in mystery
because it is seenalways from the pastoralviewpoint as the greatcomfort of
the believerthat Jesus is coming for His own. Don’t worry about the ones
that die, don’t worry about the ones that are alive. We’ll all be there when He

136. comes. The Godof all comfort will send Christ, and we are thus comforted.
No need to grieve. No need to sorrow.
What happens to Christians who die before Jesus gets here? Theyrise first,
and they’ll be there at the gathering togetherwhen He snatches us out of this
hostile world to take us to the place He spent 2,000 years alreadypreparing
for us. That’s our great hope. And so, as I said last time, Christians never say
a final goodbye. Let’s bow togetherin prayer.
Deathis such a fearful thing, Father, when it is shrouded in ignorance. It is
such a frightening thing when there is no faith, when there is no word from
You. And we ache for those in our world who have no hope, and who live
with the frightening despair of final partings and hopelessness. And yet on
the contrary, here we are as Christians, filled with hope for a glorious reunion
in that day when Jesus comes, andall who make up His bride are gathered
togetherto Him to meet Him in the air and be takento the Father’s house.
Father, thank You for that greathope. Mayit burn in the hearts of everyone
here. And should there be some dear one who has not that hope, who lives in
the fearof death, is in bondage to that fear, may this day be the day they see
Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, turn to Him for the forgiveness ofsin and
the hope of eternal life and the anticipation of His blessedcoming. Father, we
would cry with all our hearts as John did, “Even so, come Lord Jesus.” As
Paul did, “Maranatha, O Lord come.” Butthere’s a bitterness there because
so many don’t know our Christ. May this be a day when they embrace Him.
And may this be a day when our hearts are comfortedwho have lost those we
love temporarily as they sleep, as they are at ease until the commander calls
them to ranks and may we hope for that glorious day and live in the light of
such hope, with joy and thanksgiving. And all this we ask in Jesus’name.
Amen.
CRISWELL

137. Dr. W. A. Criswell
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
1-12-58 10:50 a.m.
You are sharing with us the services ofthe First Baptist Church in Dallas.
This is the pastorbringing the morning messagefrom the fourth chapter of
the first letter to the Thessalonians. In our preaching through the Bible, we
have come to one of the tremendous, great, revealing, apocalyptic passagesin
the Word of God:
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are
asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others who have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, evenso them also which sleep
in Jesus will God bring with Him.
For this we sayunto you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and
remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede them which are asleep.
For the Lord Himself shall descendfrom heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
first:
Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up togetherwith them in
the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
[1 Thessalonians4:13-18]
On this passage,I am preparing four sermons. The first sermon is the
morning messageofthis hour Grief at the Death of Friend and Family. The

138. secondsermonis upon the greatapocalyptic revelation which Paul describes
in this passage:the translationof the saints, the rapture of the church, the
taking away, the catching out, of God’s people in this earth to Himself in
heaven. The third sermon is a corollary. It is entitled The Great Separation:
The Earth Without a Christian – how it is here, what it shall be here when
God’s children are all taken away. And the lastsermon, the fourth one, is
entitled Foreverwith the Lord: The Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
The sermon this morning will be most manifestly incomplete. It is the
beginning of the quatrain. It is entitled Grief at the Deathof Our Friends and
of Our Family.
"But I would not have you without knowledge . . . " [1 Thessalonians 4:13] –
agnoeo. Thatword"know" in Englishis takenfrom the word gno, the Greek
root word gno. And, agno is "without knowledge, notto know."
"But I would not have you, my brethren, to be agnoeo,to be without
knowledge, concerning them which are asleep" [1 Thessalonians 4:13]. He’s
speaking to Christian people. He’s writing to a bereavedchurch. He has not
been gone but six months. He has preached to them the hope of the Gospelof
Christ, and, while Paul has been away, some of their beloved family members
have perished. They have died. Their own hands have buried them and laid
them away.
And they have sent word to the holy apostle and asked, concerning these that
their own hands have laid away, "What of them? Do they share in the
kingdom of God? Do they have a place in that eternal glory? What of these
who have died and there still is no appearing of the Lord; there’s no presence
of Jesus;there’s no consummation or fulfillment of the wonderful promises in
Him? What of these who have been buried away?"
So he writes:"I would not have you without knowledge, my brethren,
concerning them which are" – and he uses a word that is distinctly Christian.
They used to call it a graveyard, but when the Gospelof the Son of God began
to be preached, the Christian people began to use the Greek word
koimeterion, a sleeping place.

139. That’s why the catacombs were built. The paganworld burned their dead.
To them, the house was just dust and ashes, and the life was forever perished,
and all hope was gone. But the Christians never burned their dead – never. It
was inconceivable to the Christian that the body of Christ should be burned
like a pagan, like a heathen. They carefully embalmed the body of our Lord
with spices, wrappedit in a winding sheet, reverently, devoutly, laid that body
to rest [John 19:38-42]. Eventhough they were not acquainted with the
glorious doctrine, or else their hearts were without understanding and they
could not realize it, that the third day He would live again. But after that
glorious pronouncement, the Gospel, the goodnews: "He is alive. He is not
here. He lives" [Luke 24:3-7], the Christian never burned their dead, but they
carefully laid them away, and they calledthe place where they laid their
beloved dead a koimeterion, a sleeping place. We have it in our English
language a cemetery. It’s the same Greek word, except we pronounce it in
English "cemetery" – asleep.
"I would not have you without knowledge, brethren, concerning them which
are asleep. . ." [1 Thessalonians4:13]. A new word, a new persuasion, a new
hope, a new Gospel. This is the Christian message:"Thatyou sorrow not,
even as others who have no hope" [1 Thessalonians 4:13]. WhatPaul was
speaking ofthere: the generaland universal lack of knowledge. The harsh
word of the translation here is certainly correct:"ignorance" – the lack of
knowledge ofthe world concerning the state of these who are fallen asleep.
What of the dead? To the superstitious animist who lives in Africa, who lives
in the heart of heathen lands, the visitation of death is a terror full of fear and
fright and dark superstition. By witchcraft and fetish, by the arts of the
necromancer, by every superstition of device, he seeks to flee away. He is
frightened by the presence ofdeath. It is an awful and a terrible and a fearful
visitation.
There are those who are not superstitious, who are not animists, whose eyes
and minds are not clouded with heathen darkness, who have in their hands an
open Bible, and yet who so misinterpret, whose exegesisofthe passagesofthe
Book is so far at an alien to the revelationof God, that they bring forth and
teachstrange doctrines concerning these who are dead. For example, they

140. have a doctrine of soul sleeping. The body is laid awake and the soul of soul is
laid awake in the dark and in the night and in death, even though the
Scriptures are so plain, so clear. "Today,"saidJesus, "Thoushaltbe with Me
in paradise" [Luke 23:43] to the thief dying with Him on the cross [Luke
23:39-43]. Paul:"To be absent from the body is to be present and at home
with the Lord" [from 2 Corinthians 5:8]. In the Revelation:"I saw . . . under
the altar the souls of them who had been beheaded for the word and testimony
of Christ" [from Revelation6:8-9], and he saw the saints in glory who were
coming out of the greatTribulation, martyred children of God.
Oh, the doctrine, strange and unknown, that you hear as they speak ofthe
dead. It is a thing that the pagan world lookedinto, peered into, but could
never fathom or understand. The great Greek philosopher, as he studied and
pondered, almost discoveredthe secretof every piece of knowledge that is
available to man.
Four hundred years before Christ, the Greek philosopherwas describing the
atomic structure of this world. You think it’s new. It’s not new at all. He
used the word atom, "uncut," the last division of matter. And the science of
astronomy, and medicine, physics, metaphysics, mathematics – all are his
words and his science.
It is the Greek philosopherpeered into the gloom of the grave and soughtto
find an answerfor the eternity of that inevitable night. They had no word and
no message. Socrates[d. 399 BCE], the best and the greatestGreek ofthem
all, when he drank the hemlock, refusedto be afraid, because he said, "For
me to be afraid would be to be that I knew what was beyond death, and I do
not know" [Apology," by Plato, c. 399 BCE]. Agnoeo:"I do not know." That
very word: "I do not know." "Brethren, I would not have you agnoeo – I do
not know" [1 Thessalonians 4:13].
One of the travesties ofthe Christian faith is this: that the bitterest, severest
critics, denouncers, of the greathope in Christ is not the infidel nor the
agnostic nor the unbeliever, but it is the preacherand minister of Christ
Himself. In how many pulpits, in how many places, through how many books,
does the preacherridicule and scorn with a supercilious information and a

141. puffed-up pride of knowledge and educationall of these greatrevelations of
God?
To him, Jesus is not deity, just another man – a goodman, but a man – and
the Scriptures are not the inspired Word of God, and He was never born of a
virgin, and He’s not God, and He didn’t rise from the dead, much less will He
ever come again. Justlike the Sadducees’ecclesiasticalmaterialismand
skepticism, they laughed and made fun of the resurrectionfrom the dead, and
the stock joke by which they sealedevery mouth and shut up every witness
was that thing they came to Jesus about. There was a man who had a wife,
and according to the levirate marriage [Deuteronomy 25:5-10], when he died
without sons, then his brother had to take her and try to raise up children to
his name. And he died, and the third and the fourth and the fifth and the
sixth and the seventh brothers, all seven of them, married to that woman; and
last, she died [Matthew 22:23-27]. "And in the resurrection – ha, ha," said
the Sadducees,"andin the resurrection, ha," said the Sadducee, "whosewife
shall she be?" [from Matthew 22:28] That’s the religious, ecclesiastical,
ministerial materialist and skeptic and unbeliever, and they’re today just like
they were there: "Ha, ha – the resurrection! Ha, ha."
The answerof the Lord is eternal. God hath said: "I am the God of Abraham
and of Isaac and of Jacob. I am the God of those who trust in Me. I am not
the Godof the dead, but of the living [Matthew 22:32]. And they live in His
sight," said the Lord. As for marriage, there’s no procreationin heaven
[Matthew 22:29-30]. We’re like the angels Gabriel, and Michael, and
Raphael.
"I would not have you without knowledge, brethren, concerning them which
are asleep. . . For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord" [from 1
Thessalonians 4:13, 15]. Paul says:"I say this by direct revelation from God,
from Christ Himself." No other way could we know. God has to sayit. The
Lord has to revealit. Jesus must open that door that we might look. And He
did.
"This we sayunto you by the word of the Lord" [1 Thessalonians 4:15]. It is
the authority of Jesus Christ, and this is the basis of his comfort. We’re not to

142. sorrow as others who have no hope "for if we believe that Jesus died and rose
again, even so them also which sleepin Jesus will God bring with Him" [1
Thessalonians 4:14].
Paul does a thing there that I have never heard discussed, and it is this. He
bases our translation, our resurrection, upon two indisputable facts: first,
that Jesus died; second, that Jesus rose again. And, he says, if these two
things are true, then they are a part of a greatspiritual sequence. "Thenthey
who trust in Jesus will God raise up and bring with Him" [1 Thessalonians
4:14]. He doesn’t forsake His own. He doesn’t leave to perish in the soil and
the dust and the dirt of the earth the leastof His saints. If He arose, we shall
rise, too; crucified with the Lord, raisedwith the Lord, translated to meet the
Lord.
These great, greattheologians sometimessaythat the greatestchapterin the
Bible, the very height of all revelation, is the fifteenth chapter of the first
Corinthian letter. It is the resurrectionchapter. It is the translation chapter,
and he does the same thing in the fifteenth chapter of First Corinthians that
he does here in the fourth chapterof First Thessalonians. He bases our hope,
our resurrection, our immortalization, upon the burial and resurrectionof
Jesus Christ:
Brethren, I declare unto you the Gospelwhich I delivered unto you –
got it from Jesus –
That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures;
That He was buried, that He arose againthe third day according to the
Scriptures:
And that He was seenof Cephas
And of James
And of five hundred.
And last of all of me, as one born out of due time

143. Now, if Christ be preachedthat He rose from the dead . . .
[from 1 Corinthians 15:1-12]
Then is that remarkable, incomparable revelation of our own resurrection
and translation:
Brethren, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth
corruption inherit incorruption.
But I show 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 trump: for the trumpet
shall sound . . . and we shall be raised incorruptible.
[from 1 Corinthians 15:50-52]
He does the same thing in both passages. He bases ourhope upon two
indisputable facts: that Christ died for us and that He rose againfor our
justification. "Forif we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them
also which sleepin Jesus willGod bring with Him" [1 Thessalonians4:14].
May I point out to you he refers to us that we "sleepin Jesus"? He says that
Jesus died – died. Jesus died. He died the death of the damned. Jesus died,
the just for the unjust [1 Peter3:18]. He tasted death for every man [Hebrews
2:9]. He trod the winepress of the wrath and fury of Almighty God, and rich
red blood poured out [Isaiah 63:1-4; Revelation19:15]. Jesus died[Romans
5:8].
We don’t die. We fall asleep[1 Thessalonians 4:14]. And there is the most
unusual construction:"We fall asleep." "We who are asleep," andthe Greek
is dia, "through," Jesus. Youhave it translated "in Jesus" – "we which sleep
in Jesus." The Greek is "we sleepthrough Jesus."

144. Wonder what that strange constructionmeant? It meant that Jesus suffered
for us. He died for us. The judgment of our sins and folly fell upon Him [2
Corinthians 5:21]. And we – we just fall asleepthrough the atoning sacrifice
of the Lord Jesus. He bore the agonies ofthe damned. He went down into the
valley. There did He grapple with our lastgreat enemy, and He came up and
up, a victor over the grave, and He tore awaythe sting from the scorpion
dragon of death. And now, "O grave, where is thy victory? Now, O death,
where is thy sting?" [1 Corinthians 15:55]. He has conquered for us, dying in
our stead, that we might live in Him. Jesus died. We fall asleep.
And, then, some day – and here I have to close – some day, some day, these
that fall asleep, some day, these shall rise, be raised, at the voice and
command of God, at the shout of Michael, the archangel[1 Thessalonians
4:16]. These shallbreak their bonds asunder and live in His sight, and we
who are alive and remain shall meet them, caughtup togetherwith them to be
with the Lord foreverand forever [1 Thessalonians4:17]. Hallelujah!
Amen! God be praised!
Now, I conclude with a little word concerning we who grieve at the death of
friend and family. "I would not have you without knowledge, brethren,
concerning them which are asleep" [1 Thessalonians 4:13] – lay it out before
us, and your heart’s broken, and the tears fall unbidden, and the light of the
day has gone down, and the soul is crushed. "Thatye sorrow not as others
who have no hope" – no hope. How those two go together:"without God and
without hope." He that has no hope of a resurrection has no hope. He that
has no hope of immortality has no God [1 John 5:11-13], nor to him does God
exercise a providential care. No hope. No hope.
But we, now, but we, the aged, fall asleep. How shall I do in Christ? How
shall I be? How shall my heart respond? The agedfall asleepin Christ.
Here’s my father, my mother: the agedfall asleepin the Lord.
Why, bless your heart, we’re to look upon that in the same way as we stand
and see an architectpull down an old, tottering house, in order to build a
better one. And there, he takes off the roof, and he takes down the doors, and
he pulls down the house. But, first, he sends out the occupant, and after the

145. occupantis gone, old house is pulled down, and there he builds a new and a
more glorious and a more beautiful home for the occupant.
That’s what Paul saidwhen he said, "Brethren, this I say, flesh and blood
cannot inherit the kingdom of God" [1 Corinthians 15:50]. While I’m in this
house, I can’t have my new house. God has to tear down this old house first
before He can constructmy new house, the one made without hands, eternal
in the heavens [2 Corinthians 5:1]. Same thing as an old statue and it’s rusty
and it’s mutilated. And they take that old statue and castit in the fire. There
it is melted, and they recastit.
Only God does some better thing for us. When you recastan old statue, it still
comes out brass and iron. But when God shall recastour stature, it shall
come out, oh, immortalized and glorified. We shall plant in the earth this
house of clay, dust and ashes;God shall raise it up immortalized, glorified:
"When this mortal shall have put on immortality and when this corruptible
shall have put on incorruption" [1 Corinthians 15:53].
When I see the fallen form of the aged – there lies my father; here lies my
mother; here lies my agedfriend – I am not to see the old house torn down,
but I am to see, by faith, the new house, the better house, made without hands,
eternal in the heavens [2 Corinthians 5:1].
"Sorrow not as others who have no hope" [1 Thessalonians 4:13]. Here is a
youth who has died. My boy, my girl, in the very prime of life, cut down and
takenaway.
If the girl had married, takenby her husband to some far country, and you
heard that she was prospering and happy with her husband, you’d be glad.
You’d cry because she’s so far away, but you’d be happy for her. If you had a
boy, and in a far land he was elevatedand honored, given great, greatdegree,
you’d be glad for him though he’s far away.
You know why? Because"Some day," you’d say, "We’ll see that child again.
He’s over there, prosperedand blessedand honored and receivedand
elevated. We’ll see him again." And you have hope.
And a child, a little child is laid away.

146. Many days a strickenmother,
To her loss unreconciled,
Wept, bitter tears complaining,
"Deathhas taken awaymy child."
But one night as she was sleeping,
To her soul there came a vision;
And she saw her little daughter
In the blessedfields Elysian.
All alone the child was standing,
And a heavy pitcher holding;
Swift the mother hastened to her,
And around her arms enfolding.
"Why so sadand lonely, darling?"
Askedshe, stroking soft her hair,
"See the many merry children,
Playing in the goldenfair?
"Look!They’re beckoning and calling.
Go and help them pluck the flowers,

147. Put aside the heavy pitcher,
Play awaythe sunny hours."
From the tender lips a-quiver,
Fell the answeron her ears:
"On the earth my mother’s weeping,
And this pitcher holds her tears.
"Tears that touch the heavenly blossoms,
Spoil the flowers where’erthey fall;
So as long as Mother’s weeping,
I must stand and catchthem all."
"Waitno longer," criedthe mother.
"Run and play, sweetchild of mine;
Nevermore shall tears of sorrow
Shroud your happiness sublime."
Like a bird releasedfrom bondage,
Sped the happy child away;
And the mother woke, her courage
Strengthened for the lonely day.
[adapted from "Legendof the Pitcher of Tears," by Mary A. Burroughs]

148. "Thatyou sorrow not as others who have no hope" [1 Thessalonians4:13].
We here, but they with our Lord in glory, and, some day, some triumphant
day, some glorious day, at the sound of the trumpet, at the voice of the
archangel, atthe command of God, we shall see them and one another again
[1 Thessalonians4:16]. "Wherefore comfortone another with these words"
[1 Thessalonians4:18].
We have a hope. Oh, what a Gospelmessage! What a preaching. Whata
faith. What a commitment. What an invitation. What God hath done for us.
CRISWELL
THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH
Dr. W. A. Criswell
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
1-12-58 7:30 p.m.
Now, let us all turn to the first Thessalonianletter – all of us – First
Thessalonians. The first Thessalonianletter, the fourth chapter. We’re going
to read this greatapocalyptic passage – one of the great eschatological
Scriptures in the Bible: First Thessalonians 4:13-18. We all have it? The first
epistle of Paul to the church at Thessalonica, the fourth chapter, beginning at
the thirteenth verse. Now, let’s all of us read it together:

149. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are
asleep, that ye sorrow not evenas others which have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, evenso them also which sleep
in Jesus will God bring with Him.
For this we sayunto 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 descendfrom heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel, and with the trump of God. And the dead in Christ shall
rise first.
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caughtup togetherwith them in
the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
[1 Thessalonians 4:13-18]
I said this morning that I was preparing four sermons on this passage. The
first one was the sermon of hope; "That Ye Sorrow Not as Others Who Have
No Hope," and that was the messagethis morning. Then, the message tonight
on the translation of God’s believing children, sometimes called"the
Rapture" – called that because we shallsee our Lord. We shall be enraptured
with His presence, the glory of His appearing.
Then the third sermon is to be on The GreatSeparation;these who are caught
up to meet the Lord in the air – all of the church, all of God’s believing people
and the earth without a Christian – The GreatSeparation. Then, the fourth
one; Foreverwith the Lord: "Wherefore comfortone another with these
words" [1 Thessalonians 4:18] – "foreverwith the Lord" [1 Thessalonians
4:17].
Now, the sermon tonight is the secondone on the passage, the translation of
God’s believing children, the rapture of His church; the immortalization, the
transfiguration of God’s living and the resurrection of our beloved dead who

150. sleepin Jesus. This passageis, of all eschatologicalpassages, somewhatthe
most meaningful because it delineates;it discusses. It’s a further revelationof
the most precious of all of the promises of our Lord.
This has never been said before, never been mentioned before except one time
and that from the lips of our blessedSavior. So we’re going back now to the
life of our Lord and see how it was that He said that and now Paul avows that
this further revelation came from the same Lord Jesus Himself.
The Old Testamentprophets spake of the coming of our Lord endlessly.
Almost the whole substance oftheir prophesying was the glory of the
Messianic kingdomand the exaltation and wonder of the Messianic king.
From the start of the Old TestamentScriptures to the lastsyllable, it is filled
with those glorious prophetic utterances ofthe coming Lord and Saviorand
Redeemerand triumphant King. The only thing the Old Testamentprophet
never saw was this:he never saw an interval betweentwo appearances ofthe
Messiah. He just saw one.
There’s no exception to that. There was no Old Testamentseeror sage or
preacheror prophet who saw other than that greatwonderful vision of the
coming King. Sometimes, he’d describe Him as Isaiahdid: a man lowly and
acquainted with grief [Isaiah53:3], a Lamb of God [Isaiah 53:6], a suffering
servant by whose stripes we are healed [Isaiah53:5]. And the same prophet in
the next voice would describe the glory and the majesty of that incomparable
servant of God whom he names Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the
Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace[Isaiah9:6]. They put it all together.
To them it was one greatprophetic promise and vision.
Now, the disciples were like that. They never saw in betweena greatvalley of
the suffering Lamb of God who should come for the sins of the world, who
should die for us, and then this long age calledthe age ofthe church, the age
of the Spirit, the dispensation of the Holy Ghost. Theynever saw that.
And the disciples, when they heard the Baptist [John the Baptist] announce
that the Messiahwas in their very midst, they were filled with all of those
glorious expectations ofthe coming king and the establishment of the house of
God among the nations: the exaltationof Judah, one of them to sit on His

151. right hand, one of them to sit on His left hand [Matthew 20:20-21]to lead
Israelout from under the bondage and the yoke of the Roman government
and to establishforever the kingdom of Israel[Acts 1:6]. They were filled
with those glorious expectations. Theywere doing nothing but reflecting the
Old TestamentScriptures that they loved and had read all their lives.
Can you imagine, then, the crestfall and despair that came upon the Lord’s
disciples when He beganto tell them that He was to be slain, to be killed?
[Matthew 16:21] It was inconceivable to their minds and understanding. And
when actually and finally, the Lord of glory died on the cross like a felon, like
a criminal, like a malefactor[Matthew 27:44;Luke 23:39] – when finally
Jesus was slainand they lookedat Him in death, to them it was the end of the
Messianic hope. There expired in the death of Jesus every dream and every
prophetic vision that they had read in the Bible and that they had loved and
entertained in their hearts.
For, you see, they did not realize – they had not come to know that there was
first a coming of our Lord in suffering, in humility, taking upon Him the
diseasesand the sins and the illnesses and the infirmities of the people, and
dying, an atoning redeemer for the world [1 Peter2:24]. Then some of these
days – some glorious triumphant day, some other day, some farther day –
there should be another coming of the Lord in grace and in triumph and in
mighty power, visible, open, establishing a kingdom that shall abide forever
and forever [Revelation1:7].
In the third chapter of the Book ofEphesians, Pauldescribes that great
parenthesis that the Old Testamentprophet never saw. He says hid in the
counsels ofGod from the beginning of the world was this "mystery"
[Ephesians 3:9] he calls it.
A "mystery" in the Bible is a secretknownto God and just imparted and
shared with those who are initiated. That’s the meaning of the word
"mystery" in the Greek language:a musterion. The musterion – the mystery
religions – they had secrets like in a Masonic lodge, and nobody knew them
exceptthey who were initiated.

152. So Paul calls this greatparenthesis, the age in which we now live that the
prophets of the Old Testamentnever saw, he calls that a musterion. It was
something hid in the counsels ofGod that they never saw, and it was only
revealedto the holy apostles that Christ should die in the first appearing and
that the gospelof the Sonof God should be preachedto all of the world in this
day and in this age, and that it should consummate, conclude with a glorious
and marvelous personal triumph of Jesus overHis enemies sharedin by all of
those who place their trust in Him.
Now, when the Lord made that announcement to His apostles – they who were
filled with all of these visions of grandeur of the coming king and of the
kingdom that should lastforever, and they on His right hand and on His left
hand [Mark 10:37] – when He made the announcement to them that He was
to die, they were plunged into uncontrollable, indescribable grief and despair.
And it was then that Jesus made the first revelation of this something else that
was to come to pass.
Listen to Him. I referred a moment ago to it as being the most precious of all
of the promises of our Lord: "Let not your heart be troubled" [John 14:1].
No wonder they were troubled. Every hope and vision of their life was being
snuffed out in the crucifixion and death of their Lord and king.
Let not your heart be troubled . . .
In My Father’s house are many mansions . . . I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come againand receive you
unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
[John 14:1-3]
Before the consummation of that kingdom, before His appearing in glory and
in power, the Lord says He’s going away. He’s going to heaven, to the
Father’s house, and there build a city for us; and, someday, He’s coming

153. againto receive us and take us to His Father’s house: "Thatwhere I am, there
you may be also" [John14:3].
"I will come again":that is not death. In death, our spirits, disembodied, go
to be with Jesus [2 Corinthians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 4:14]. He’s coming for
us. That’s not the destruction of Jerusalem. "Letnot your hearts be
troubled" [John 14:3]. "I will come again in the destructionof Jerusalem."
That’s not the destruction of the Roman Empire. That’s not scientific
advancementand the spreading of scientific knowledge in the earth and a
thousand other things that people say that it is. When He says, "I will come
again," that is our Lord – living, triumphant, Himself: He our blessedSavior!
He is coming for His own, and He told the disciples that in the shadow of the
cross and in the midst of their grieving despair.
Now, that is what Paul is adding to in this apocalyptic passagethatwe’ve just
read together:"I will come again" [John 14:3]. And how shall it be? "This
we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain"
in this world when that great and glorious and triumphant day comes, "we
who are alive and remain, we shall be caught up with God’s sainted and
resurrecteddead" [1 Thessalonians 4:15-17]. We shallbe caughtup with
them, transformed, immortalized, transfigured [1 Corinthians 15:51-53],
translated like Enoch was [Genesis 5:24]walking with the Lord and there in
the presence ofGod forever. We who are alive and remain, we shall be caught
up with God’s sainted dead to meet the Lord in the air when He comes forus
[1 Thessalonians4:17]. And look how Paul describes that: "Forthe Lord
Himself shall descendfrom heaven" [1 Thessalonians4:16], and he uses three
phrases there: en keleusmati;second, enphōnē archangelou;third, en salpingi
Theou. One, two, three.
"Forthe Lord Himself shall descendfrom heaven" [1 Thessalonians 4:16]:en
keleusmati. Keleuo is the Greek verb for "to order, to command." Keleusma
is the Greek wordfor "the shout, the order of command." It is used in Greek
to refer to a generalgiving a command to his army. It’s used in Greek to
refer to an admiral addressing his horseman. It is used in Greek to refer to a
charioteeras he drives his horses:a shout of command – en keleusmati.

154. "The Lord shall descendfrom heaven with a shout" [1 Thessalonians 4:16].
The Lord God shall speak, and these dead shall arise incorruptible [1
Corinthians 15:52]. Think of the sovereigntyand the powerof the
commanding, decreeing, electing, Almighty sovereignGod! It’s like
somebody saidwhen the Lord Jesus stoodat the tomb of Lazarus and said,
"Lazarus, come forth!" [John 11:43]: had He not used the name "Lazarus,"
had He not calledhim by name, the entire dead of the entire world would
have arisenand come forth to meet the living Lord.
With a shout, with a shout of command, God shall speak and these graves
shall be emptied, and these who are alive who trust in Jesus shallbe raptured
– translated, transformed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye [1
Thessalonians 4:16-17;1 Corinthians 15:52]. The Lord Himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout [1 Thessalonians4:16], en keleusmati– a shout of
command: "Arise. Arise. Arise!" And the dead shall hear the voice of God
and live again: with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, en phōnē
archangelou.
The archangel:there’s only one in the Bible, just one, and his name is Michael
[Daniel 10:13, 21, 12:1;Jude 1:9; Revelation12:7]. That’s one of the strangest
revelations there: "that, at the voice of Michael, the archangel" [1
Thessalonians 4:16].
I’ve thought and wonderedwith "the voice of the archangel," withthe voice
of Michael. Well, I’ll tell you why. That is the voice of victory and of
triumph! For Michaelis he that wars againstSatan, and Satanand his angels
war againstMichael. And ever since that Gardenof Eden, Michaelhas been
the defender of his people and the protector of Israel. And in this greatand
final day, the shout of the archangel, Michael, is a shout of glory and of
triumph – the shout of the archangel, whenMichaelraises his voice, and
Satanand death are vanquished, with the voice of the archangel and with the
trump of God:en salpingi Theou, "and with the trumpet of God" [1
Thessalonians 4:16].
Paul describedthat trumpet in the first Corinthian letter and the fifteenth
chapter: "This I say, brethren, flesh and blood cannotinherit the kingdom of

155. God" [1 Corinthians 15:50]. As long as things as they are now, we’ll never
have the kingdom of God. As long as we’re in this body of sin, we’ll never
have a new body nor shall we ever walk those golden streets in our impurity
and our iniquity.
"Fleshand blood cannotinherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption
inherit incorruption [1 Corinthians 15:50]. But I show you a mystery" – a
mustērion. There it is again – a mustērion, a thing hidden in the heart of God
that no man could ever know save by revelation. "I show you a mustērion.
We’re not all going to sleep" [1 Corinthians 15:51]. Some of us are going to
be alive when He comes. In a moment – we shall not all sleep. We shall all be
changed. "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the lasttrump. For the
trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raisedincorruptible, and we shall
all be changed" [1 Corinthians 15:52].
There that same thing is againas it is over here: with the voice of the
archangeland with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first;
then we shall all be changed[from 1 Thessalonians 4:16;1 Corinthians 15:52].
Well, what is that "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump"
– the lasttrump? [1 Corinthians 15:52]
Well, here’s what he’s referring to. In the Romanarmy, in the marching of
those legionnaires conquering and all conquering, there were three blastings
of the trumpet. First, when the trumpet sounded in the middle of the night, in
the middle of the day – at any hour – every Roman legionnaire sprang to his
feet and struck his tent. At the sounding of the secondtrumpet, every
legionnaire stoodin line, ready to march. And at the sounding of the last
trump, awayand awayand awaydid they march.
That’s what he means "the last trump": time to march, time to rise. "Rise,
shine, all Jerusalem, all Israel, all church, all people of God, for the glory of
thy light is come and the favor and blessing of the Lord God is upon thee.
Arise, shine. Put on thy beautiful garments" [from Isaiah 60:1]. My soul,
what a day, what a day at the blowing of the trumpet of God.
You know, I almostjust stopped there and prepared me a sermon on the
blowing of the trumpet of God, but if I were to stopand prepare a sermon

156. every time I want to, we’d never get through this Bible. But you could sure do
it. I tell you, I’d put in there the blowing of the trumpet when they went
around Jericho and on the seventh day and the seventh time and they blew the
trumpet and the walls of Jericho fell down! [Joshua 6:4-5, 12-20] And you
ought to sing that song again. Don’t you have a song like that? Do you have
any trumpet setting? If you don’t, it’s not scriptural. It’s not a scriptural
song. No, sir. Theyfell at the blowing of the trumpets [Joshua 6:20] –
trumpet of God.
They blew the trumpet at the beginning of a new year: a new day, a new hope.
They blew the trumpets at the greatjubilee. They blew the trumpets when
they went into battle marching for God. And, "The voice I heard behind me
was as a trumpet" [Revelation1:10]. Oh, the trumpet of God, and the dead in
Christ rising first, and we who are alive caught up togetherwith them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air [1 Thessalonians 4:16-17].
Now, one or two little things: who are these who are raised, and who are these
who are translated? Not all the dead. It’s a selective, elective,resurrection:
only those hear the trumpet of God and the voice of the archangeland the
shout of command from God – whose hearts have been turned to the Lord.
And the rest do not hear. They’re not raised. They lie in a Christless grave.
That’s here tonight. Do you hear? Can you hear? Does the voice of God
speak to your heart? Does the Spirit have a way into your soul? Canyou
hear?
Listen, friend, beloved, if you canhear the voice of God and the Spirit of God,
and you open your heart to the calland command of God tonight, you’ll hear
Him againin that greatday that He comes for His saints. But if you can’t
hear it now, you won’t hear it then.
God has to do something. And if you die and are buried and never have heard
and given your heart to the command of God, when that day comes, one is
taken, you’ll be left [Matthew 24:40-41], andGod’s sainted dead arise out of
the dust of the ground [1 Thessalonians4:16], and you shall stay buried in the
earth until the judgment of the wickeddead describedat the GreatWhite
Throne in the twentieth chapter of the Revelation[Revelation20:11-15]. "O

157. God, blessedare they who have a part in the first resurrection – in this
resurrection– for upon them the seconddeathshall have no power"
[Revelation20:6].
Do you hear the voice of the Lord? Do you? Can you hear it? Does He call
the shout and command of God? Then respond with your life! And someday,
you’ll respond from the grave if you fall before He comes.
A secondthing here: where are we going? Pauldoesn’t say. This is just for a
certain purpose: comforting the dead [1 Thessalonians 4:13, 18]. "Going to
meet the Lord in the air" [1 Thessalonians 4:17]. Where we going? Where
we going?
Bless your heart, when He comes, He’s coming like a thief in the night [1
Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter3:10; Revelation3:3, 16:15]:first, to stealawayHis
jewels. In this earth is a treasure. Forit, He paid His life – the pearl of price
[Matthew 13:45-46]– and He’s coming without announcement, like a thief in
the night, to take awayHis jewels.
And Paul says here: "And we meet Him in the air" [1 Thessalonians 4:17].
There where the cloud receivedHim out of their sight [Acts 1:9], our beloved
dead raisedto stand in the presence oftheir Lord. And all of us who abide
and remain at that time immortalized, transfigured to meet the Lord and to
stand in His presence [1 Thessalonians 4:16-17].
Then, where we going? Bless your heart. We going where Jesus saidHe’d
prepared a place for us [John 14:2-3]. We’re going to glory. We’re going to
heaven, and we’re going to sit down and share with our Lord the great
Marriage Supper of the Lamb [Revelation19:7-9]. We shall be presented,
and the Bible uses the expressionof a bride adorned in fine linen, cleanand
white, without spot and without blemish [Ephesians 5:25-27;Revelation19:8].
We shall be presentedto Jesus as a bride living by His side, loved in His sight;
and when I think of that: glory, glory, glory!
I know some blind, and when they’re presentedto Jesus, theycan see. And I
know some deaf; when they are presented, they can hear. And I know some
crippled, contorted, and lame, and when they’re presented, they can walk.

158. And I know some poor, and when they are presented, they will be rich
[Revelation21:4]. And I know some sinners – mostly me – and when we poor,
lost sinners are presented, we shall be washedcleanand white in the blood of
the Lamb [Revelation7:14, 22:14].
Oh, glory, glory, glory! We not waiting for the worm. We not tarrying for
death. We’re not looking forward just to the grave, the night and the dark.
But we, in our Lord and in His name, we’re lifting up our eyes and turning
our faces to the glorious sun rising when the Lord shall be king of the earth
and when we shall reign by His side [2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation20:6, 22:5].
O, Jesus, blessed, blessedSavior! And that’s just the beginning. If we had
about five more hours here tonight, we’d talk about what else we’re going to
do when we go to be with the Lord.
How could a man say nay to Jesus? "Iwantno part in it. I want no share in
that kingdom. I’d rather die the death of the damned. I’d rather fill a
Christless grave. I’d rather live my life outside of His church. I want to be an
unrepentant, unbeliever. I want to say no to Jesus and no to this church and
no to this preacher. I want to say no to the invitation tonight. I want to go out
this door lostand damned and ruined. I want to die!" Oh, no, no, no. That’s
Satan’s perversion of our minds and our hearts. My brother, my friend, let us
live in His sight. Let us open our hearts to His voice of invitation. Let us look
up and trust.
Oh, tonight, tonight, somebody you, would you give your heart to Jesus –
entrust your life in His gracious hands? "Lord, if it’s tonight, I’m ready. If
it’s at dawn, I’m ready. If it’s at midday or at twilight again, O God, I am
ready. Even so, come, Lord Jesus" [Revelation22:20]. Would you tonight?
Somebody you, put your life in the hands of Jesus. Somebodyyou: "I’ve
already been saved, preacher. I’ve trusted Him as my Savior. BestI know
how, I’ve followedthe Lord in repentance, in faith, in baptism. I want to be in
His church here." Would you come?
Is there a family you? "Here I am, pastor. Here we come."

159. Downthese stairwells at the front, at the back, in this greatcongregationon
the lowerfloor, somebodyyou, tonight, tonight: "I take Jesus as my Savior,"
or, "Tonight, I’m placing my life in the fellowship of His church." Would
you make it now? On the first note of this first stanza, into that aisle and
down here to the front, "Here I am, pastor, and here I come. Tonight, I make
it now" while we stand and while we sing.
RICH CATHERS
1Thessalonians4:13-18
Sunday Morning Bible Study
October29, 2000
Introduction
Paul is going to address an issue that is of concernto the Thessalonians.
Since the time of Jesus, Christians had been expecting Jesus to return at any
moment. Christians have always been anxious for Jesus to come back and set
up His kingdom on earth.
But a question arose with the Thessalonians,“Whatabout people who came to
trust in the Lord, but who have now died, will they miss out on His kingdom?”
:13-18 The Rapture
:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which
are asleep,

160. Paul is talking about Christians who have died. In the New Testament, death
for a Christian is compared to “sleep”.
Lesson
What death is NOT
The JehovahWitnesses teacha doctrine called“soulsleep”. Theybelieve that
when a person dies, that their soul goes to sleepin their body in the grave until
the day of the resurrection. The Bible does not teach this.
The Bible teaches that when a believer dies, their soul/spirit goes immediately
to be with the Lord. Paul said that he preferred to depart and “be with
Christ” (Phil. 1:23), and that to be “absentfrom the body” was to be “present
with the Lord” (2Cor. 5:8).
Lesson
Sleep
Deathfor the Christian is compared to sleepbecause:
1) A dead person simply looks like they’re asleep. I’ve done enoughfunerals,
it’s true.
2) Deathis about as harmless to a Christian as sleep.
Jesus saidif we believed in Him, we’d never really die (John 11:25-26). We
may experience a separationfrom our physical body, but we will never be
separatedfrom God.
Illustration
It’s just like naps and growing up. Kids hate naps. They detest naps. They’d
rather be up and running around wildly. But you know you’ve become a
mature adult when you grow to love naps. You can tell a lot about the
maturity of a person by how they respond to the suggestionoftaking a nap.
Deathfor a mature Christian should be in a sense something that we look
forward to. After all, it’s when we get to go to be with our Savior whom we’ve
waited for.

161. :13 that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
Lesson
Our sorrow is different
There’s a vast difference betweenthe funeral of a believer and the funeral of
an unbeliever.
At an unbeliever’s funeral, everyone is weeping and wailing. They saythings
like, “He died so young, what a waste”. There is an unspoken sense of
uncertainty over the person’s destiny. People “hope” they’re in a better place.
At a believer’s funeral, there can still be sadness, but it’s a sadness solely
because the person is missed. When talk turns to the person’s current state,
there can be joy and happiness because they are in heavenwith Jesus.
Illustration
A few hours before DwightL. Moody died, he caughta glimpse of the glory
awaiting him. Awakening from a sleep, he said, “Earth recedes,heavenopens
before me. If this is death, it is sweet! There is no valley here. God is calling
me, and I must go!” His son who was standing by his bedside said, “No, no
father, you are dreaming.”
“No,” saidMr. Moody, “I am not dreaming; I have been within the gates;I
have seenthe children’s faces.” A short time elapsedand then, following what
seemedto the family to be the death struggle, he spoke again: “This is my
triumph; this my coronationday! It is glorious!”
:14 Forif we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which
sleepin Jesus will God bring with him.
sleepin Jesus – those who are Christians, but have died.
with him – note that those who have died will be coming “with him”, or, “with
Jesus”. Theyare not in the grave, but “with Jesus”.

162. :15 Forthis 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.
prevent – phthano – to come before, precede. Those ofus who are still alive in
these bodies when Jesus returns (like us right here), won’t somehow “beat
out” those who have already died.
Paul is talking about the resurrection, about rising from the dead, when we
will receive new bodies. This is clarified in verse 16 (“shall rise first”). Those
of us who are still alive won’t be receiving our new bodies before those who
have already died…
:16 Forthe Lord himself shall descendfrom heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ
shall rise first:
shout – keleuma – an order, command, spec. a stimulating cry, either that by
which animals are roused and urged on by man, as horses by charioteers,
hounds by hunters, etc., or that by which a signalis given to men, e.g. to
rowers by the masterof a ship, to soldiers by a commander (with a loud
summons, a trumpet call)
trump – salpigx– a trumpet. This is the event we call The Rapture.
Trumpets in the Bible –
The main use for trumpets in Bible times was that of sending signals to people,
such as giving orders to an army. One of the signals that a trumpet was often
used for was to gatherthe people, or to gather an army together.

163. Judg. 3:27 – the Judge Ehud “blew the trumpet” and gatheredthe people
togetherto fight the Moabites.
Judg. 6:34 – Gideon“blew the trumpet” and gatheredthe people togetherto
fight againstthe Midianites.
dead in Christ – again, Christians who have died
shall rise – anistemi – to cause to rise up, raise up; to raise up from the dead
When a believer dies, their spirit goes immediately to heaven to be with the
Lord. If you are a believer and you were to die right now, you would know
that you are in the presence ofthe Lord. But you would be without a body for
a time.
It’s when this trumpet is blown that those who have already died before us
will receive their new resurrectionbodies.
Lesson
Resurrectionbodies
Jesus saidHe was going to prepare a “place” forus, speaking of our new
bodies:
(John 14:1-3 NASB) "Letnot your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe
also in Me. {2} "In My Father's house are many dwelling places;if it were not
so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. {3} "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.
It is a body similar to Jesus’resurrected, glorifiedbody.
(1 Cor 15:49 KJV) And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall
also bear the image of the heavenly.

164. It is a body perfectly suited for living in heaven. These current bodies
wouldn’t survive, much like our bodies couldn’t live in outer space.
(1 Cor 15:50 KJV) Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot
inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Jesus was able to fly, glow in the dark, walk through walls, and appear out of
nowhere. I assume we might be able to do the same. We shall be like Him.
(1 John 3:2 KJV) Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet
appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be
like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Heaven will be a wonderful place. We will be with Jesus. We will be in a new
body.
Illustration
This 85 year old couple, having been married almost60 years, had died in a
car crash. Theyhad been in goodhealth the last ten years mainly due to her
interest in health food, and exercise. Whenthey reachedthe pearly gates, St.
Petertook them to their mansion which was deckedout with a beautiful
kitchen and masterbath suite and Jacuzzi. As they “oohedand aahed” the
old man askedPeterhow much all this was going to cost. “It’s free, “ Peter
replied, “this is heaven.” Next they went out back to survey the
championship golf course that the home backedup to. They would have
golfing privileges everyday and eachweek the course changedto a new one
representing the greatgolf courses onearth. The old man asked, “whatare
the greenfees?”. Peter’s reply, “This is heaven, you play for free.” Nextthey
went to the club house and saw the lavish buffet lunch with the cuisine’s of the
world laid out. “How much to eat?” askedthe old man. “Don’t you
understand yet? This is heaven, it is free!” Peterreplied with some
exasperation. “Well, where are the low fat and low cholesteroltables?”the
old man askedtimidly. Peterlectured, “That’s the best part...you can eatas
much as you like of whatever you like and you never getfat and you never get
sick. This is heaven.” With that the old man went into a fit of anger,
throwing down his hat and stomping on it, and shrieking wildly. Peterand his

165. wife both tried to calm him down, asking him what was wrong. The old man
lookedat his wife and said, “This is all your fault. If it weren’t for your
blasted bran muffins, I could have been here ten years ago!”
The trumpet will blow, those who have died will receive their new bodies, then
it’s our turn…
:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up togetherwith
them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air:
remain – Those ofus who have not yet experiencedphysical death when the
Rapture happens.
caught up – harpazo – to seize, carry off by force;claim for one’s self eagerly;
to snatch out or away. Our word “rapture” comes from the Latin translation
of this word.
the air – aer – the air, particularly the lowerand denser air as distinguished
from the higher and rarer air; the atmospheric region. Flying like
Superman? Hmmm.
Lesson
The Rapture
1. It will happen suddenly
(1 Cor 15:51-53 KJV) Behold, I show 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 lasttrump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed. {53} Forthis corruptible must put on
incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
Paul says it will happen in a
moment – atomos – that cannotbe cut in two, or divided, indivisible; of a
moment of time

166. twinkling – rhipe – a throw, stroke, beat;a moment of time; from rhipto – to
cast, throw; to set down (with the suggestionof haste and want of care). I’ve
heard people try to saythat a “twinkle” is less than a “blink” of an eye, but
I’m not sure I understand what a “twinkle” is. I think a “blink” is quick
enough for me. We blink so fast and so often that we usually don’t notice our
own blinking. But the idea is that in the time that it takes for your eye to close
and reopen, you’ll be in heaven. Your eyelid will go down and you’ll see me
talking to you at church, but when your eyelid raises again, you’ll see Jesus in
heaven. Very cool.
2. It will happen unexpectedly
One aspectof His SecondComing will be very predictable.
His coming will be preceded by the time knownas the GreatTribulation.
This is a time of God’s wrath being poured out on the earth, a period of seven
years, with a definite time markerright in the middle, an event known as the
“abomination of desolation”.
This is when the man knownas the antichrist will enter into the rebuilt Jewish
temple, stop the sacrificesto Yahweh, and demand to be worshipped as God.
This will be such an “abominable” thing that it will bring “desolation” to
God’s temple. Jesus said,
(Mat 24:15-16 KJV) When ye therefore shall see the abomination of
desolation, spokenofby Danielthe prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso
readeth, let him understand:) {16} Then let them which be in Judaea flee into
the mountains:
Daniel referred to this same event (Dan. 9:27; 12:11)and said that it would
occur3 ½ years into the 7 yeartribulation. He even said that when it occurs,
there will be 1290 days until the end, when Jesus returns. This sounds very
predictable. If you are alive on planet earth, and you see a rebuilt Jewish
temple being desecratedanda man claiming to be the Messiah, youcan start
counting the days until Jesus returns.
But one aspectof His SecondComing is completelyunpredictable.

167. (Mat 24:32-42 KJV) Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is
yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: {33} So
likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the
doors.
When you begin to see the things that Jesus talks about in Matthew 24
beginning to happen, understand that He’s almost here.
{34} Verily I say unto you, This generationshall not pass, till all these things
be fulfilled.
The generationthat sees the beginning of these signs coming to place will not
pass awayuntil it comes to pass. Are there any folks alive on the planet that
were around when the nation of Israel was founded in 1948?
{35} Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
{36} But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven,
but my Father only.
There is an aspectof Jesus’coming in which no one canknow the day or hour.
{37} But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Sonof man
be. {38} For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered
into the ark, {39} And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away;
so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. {40} Then shall two be in the
field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. {41} Two womenshall be
grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. {42} Watch
therefore:for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
How could the Lord’s coming be so “predictable” from the timing of the
abomination of desolation, and yet be “sudden” at the same time? Because
these are two separate events.
The Rapture will happen suddenly, unexpectedly, before the Tribulation
occurs. Jesuswill come and snatchawayHis church.

168. But the SecondComing, when Jesus returns with us to conquer His enemies
and establishHis kingdom on earth, will occurlike clockwork from the time
of the antichrist’s desecrationofthe temple.
:17 and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Lesson
The best is Jesus
The best part about this resurrectionis that we’ll be with the Lord, whether
through death or through Rapture.
Illustration
A child of God who was seriouslyill and lackedassurance ofsalvationsaid to
his physician, “Doctor, althoughI’m a Christian, I’m afraid to die. Exactly
what happens to us in the hour of death?” The surgeon, who was also a
believer, thought for a moment and then replied, “I’m afraid I can’t give you
an exact answerto that question!” As he walkedacross the room to leave, he
desperatelywished he could say something comforting. Pausing briefly before
opening the door, he heard the sound of scratching and whining on the other
side. Suddenly he realized that he had left his carwindow open and his little
dog had jumped out. With the patient’s permission he let in his pet poodle
who leapedon him with an eagershow of gladness. Ina flash the doctor’s
mind was awakenedto a scriptural truth he had never before put into words.
Turning to the sick man, he said, “Did you see how my dog acted? He’s never

169. been in this room before. He had no idea what was inside; yet when I opened
the door, he sprang in without fear, for he knew his master was here! As
Christians we have not been told about the glories that awaitus on the other
side of death. But one thing we do know; our Masteris there, and that is
enough!
:18 Wherefore comfortone another with these words.
Illustration
There was a story about a man named Fred, who inherited 10 million dollars,
but there was some catches,he had to make some choices, andhe made the
wrong ones. The will provided that he had to acceptthe 10 million either in
Brazil or in Chile. Well, he chose Brazil, unfortunately it turned out that in
Chile he would have receivedhis inheritance in land on which uranium, gold
and silver had just been discovered. Once in Brazil he had to choose between
receiving his inheritance in coffee ornuts. Well, he chose the nuts. And that
was too bad, because the bottom fell out of the nut market, but coffee wentup
to 5.34 a pound wholesale. And poor Fred lost everything he had to his name,
he went out and sold his gold watchfor money, and he did that so that he
could get enough money to fly home. It seems that he had enough money to
buy a ticketto either New York or Boston. But he chose Boston. Whenthe
plane for New York taxied up, he noticed that it was a brand new super 747
jet with red carpetand chic people and wine popping hostesses. The plane for
Bostonarrived and it was a 1928 Fordtri motor with a swayback,it took a
full day to getoff the ground. And it was filled with crying children and
tethered goats. Well, overthe Andes, one of the engines had fell off. And our
man Fred had made his wayup to the cockpitand captain said, Look I’m a
jinx on this plane, let me out it you want to save your lives, give me a
parachute. And the pilot agreedand looking at him said, “Okay, but on this
plane, anybody who bales out must weartwo chutes.” And so Fred jumped
out of the plane whirling through the air, trying to make up his mind, which
ripcord to pull. Finally he chose the one on the left, it was rusty and the wire
pulled loose. So he pulled the other handle, the parachute openedbut the
shroud lines snapped. In desperation, the poor fellow cried out, “St. Francis,
save me!!” A large hand reachedout of Heaven and seized the poor fellow by

170. the wrist and let him dangle in mid-air. And a gentle but inquisitive voice
asked, “St. Francis ofXavier or St. Francis of Assisi?”
Sometimes we get this feeling that our life is a lot like Fred’s. We can feellike
we’re just narrowly missing all the goodstuff by making bad choices, choices
that we couldn’t have foreseen. We canfeel like nothing is ever going to go
right. Life is so unsure.
But the real decisionto make in our life is, “Am I going to follow Jesus or
not?” There is not much choice beyond that. And with Jesus, evenwhen life
gets tough, you have hope of a place in heaven that is reservedfor you and one
that you don’t have to worry about having “missedit by that much”. We
have a sure, solid hope.
Lesson
Comfort from the rapture
How can understanding the Rapture give us “comfort”?
It encouragesus to keepgoing.
Last week we talkedabout the “patience of hope” (1Th. 1:3), about how hope
can help us to keepon moving ahead in life. As long as we know that there is
an end to the tunnel, as long as we know that there is light up ahead, we can
keepgoing.