The passage discusses the return of Christ and the gathering of believers to meet Him. It states that: 1) Believers who have died will be resurrected first, with their bodies changed into glorious forms. 2) Living believers will be "caught up" miraculously to meet the Lord in the air. 3) Both those resurrected and those still living will be reunited together in the clouds to forever be with the Lord. The purpose is to comfort Christians by assuring them of their blessed hope to ultimately be with Christ.

1. The Unpredictable
Return of Christ
1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18

2. 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18
But I would not have you to be ignorant,
brethren, concerning them which are asleep,
that ye sorrow not, even as others which
have no hope.

3. 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose
again, even so them also which sleep in
Jesus will God bring with him.

4. 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18
15 For this we say unto you by the word of
the Lord, that we which are alive and remain
unto the coming of the Lord shall not
prevent them which are asleep.

5. 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and
the dead in Christ shall rise first:

6. 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall
be caught up together with them in the
clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so
shall we ever be with the Lord.

7. 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these
words.

8. 1Thessalonians 4:16-17
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall
rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be
with the Lord.”

9. I. The Instruction to the Believers

10. A. Not to Be Ignorant

11. 1 Thessalonians 4:13
But I would not have you to be ignorant,
brethren, concerning them which are asleep,
that ye sorrow not, even as others which
have no hope.

12. This is not sleep of the soul, It is the sleep of
the body in the earth until it is resurrected,
changed into a glorious body and reunited
with the soul.

13. Just as sleeping person expects to rise up in
the morning, Christians who died will
experience a bodily resurrection and will rise
once again.

14. 2 Cor.5:8
“…we are confident, I say, and willing
rather to be absent from the body, and
to be present with the Lord.”

15. 1 Cor. 15:51-54
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not
all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the
last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and
the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and
we shall be changed.

16. 1 Cor. 15:51-54
53 For this corruptible must put on
incorruption, and this mortal must put on
immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall
have put on incorruption, and this mortal
shall have put on immortality, then shall be
brought to pass the saying that is written,
Death is swallowed up in victory.

17. B. Not to Grieve Like the Unbelievers

18. 1 Thessalonians 4:14
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose
again, even so them also which sleep in
Jesus will God bring with him.

19. The grief of Christians differs from
that of unbelievers, for unbelievers
have no hope of bodily resurrection to
glory with Christ.

20. 1 Thessalonians 4:15
For this we say unto you by the word of the
Lord, that we which are alive and remain
unto the coming of the Lord shall not
prevent them which are asleep.

21. The word prevent means to come before, to
precede.
To the comfort of the church, Paul declared that
the living at the rapture will not take
precedence over the dead in Christ or gain
advantage over them.
And those who have died in Christ will not be
inferior to the living at His coming!

22. II. The Return of Christ for His Saints

23. 1 Thessalonians 4:16
“For the Lord himself shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of
the archangel, and with the trump of
God:”

24. A. The Certainty of His Return

25. Acts 1:11
Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand
ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus,
which is taken up from you into heaven, shall
so come in like manner as ye have seen him
go into heaven.

26. John 14:1-3
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in
God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's
house are many mansions: if it were not so, I
would have told you. I go to prepare a place
for you.

27. John 14:1-3
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come again, and receive you unto
myself; that where I am, there ye may be
also.

28. B. The Confirmation of His Return

29. 1Thessalonians 4:16
For the Lord himself shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of
the archangel, and with the trump of
God:

30. John 5:25
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is
coming, and now is, when the dead shall
hear the voice of the Son of God: and they
that hear shall live.

31. 1 Cor. 15:52
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at
the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound,
and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed.

32. III. The Glorious Reunion in the Air

33. A. The Dead In Christ Shall Rise First.

34. 1Thessalonians 4:16
“…And the dead in Christ shall rise first.”

35. The bodies of the dead in Christ will rise
before the living Christians are caught up to
meet the Lord in the air.

36. B. The Living Believers Will Be Caught
Up

37. 1 Thessalonians 4:17
Then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we
ever be with the Lord.

38. C. The Meeting in the Air

39. 1 Thessalonians 4:17
Then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we
ever be with the Lord.

40. 1 Thes.4:18
Wherefore comfort one another with
these words.

41. Titus 2:13
Looking for that blessed hope, and the
glorious appearing of the great God and
our Saviour Jesus Christ.