So, this is the same event as Revelation 19 from an earthly perspective, this is the first resurrection and the second coming of Christ, observe.
1 Thessalonians 4:13, "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope."
St. Paul is going to encourage the Thessalonians about the dead in Christ, this is the primary reason for the following passages. The teaching about the hope that we have in Christ.
1 Thessalonians 4:14, "For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died."
We have a parallelism here, in the same way that Christ himself died and came back to life, so those who have died in Christ will return to that life during his second coming.
1 Thessalonians 4:15, "For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died."
St. Paul gives them teaching from Christ, that those who are alive at the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who are dead in Christ. The dead in Christ will be the first to be with him at his second coming, as St. Paul himself declares, "the coming of the Lord".
The Greek word translated as "coming" is parousia, which is consistently connected to the second coming of Christ (Matthew 24:3, 27, 37, 39; 1 Corinthians 15:23; 1 Thessalonians 2:19; 3:13; 4:15; 5:23; 2 Thessalonians 2:1, 8, 9; James 5:7, 8; 2 Peter 1:16; 3:4, 12; 1 John 2:28).
This is why I call the rapture secret, because it's not a true coming of Christ, he comes in secret to rapture his bride, that's heresy. He will only return once to set up his kingdom in the fullness.
1 Thessalonians 4:16, "For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first."
So, here, Christ is descending from heaven, clearly telling us that this is the second coming, and not a secret, hidden coming. And the dead in Christ rise first, this is speaking about resurrection.
The word translated as "will rise" is anistémi which comes from two words it means to stand again, and it commonly means resurrection. Or it can mean a physical standing again, but in all of its uses in the scriptures it's never being translated into Heaven. You can check for yourself if you don't believe me (http://ift.tt/2m7WWCk).
Further, if we take a moment to remember earlier in vs. 14, "...through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died." So, these are the dead that Christ is bringing with him, they are the first resurrection.
1 Thessalonians 4:17, "Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever."
So, it's important to note that the only places clouds appear in the New Testament are either manifestations of God's Spirit or a statement Jesus likes to make a lot, "You will see the Son of man coming on the clouds. (Matthew 24:30; 26:64; Mark 13:26; 14:62; Luke 21:27)"
So, the clouds are the very thing Jesus said that he'd be coming on for his second coming. And the parousia is where the people in a city go out to meet the king, this is what's happening here. Christ is coming on the clouds and we are transported to the clouds where he is as his welcome party. Think of Palm Sunday.
This gathering of those alive in Christ is also spoken of in the Olivet discourse. Jesus says in Matthew 24:30-31, "30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see ‘the Son of Man coming [parousia] on the clouds of heaven’ with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." So, we see that Matthew and 1 Thessalonians 4:17 speak of the same event. Namely, the Second Coming of Christ.
But these events parallel Revelation 19. First, 2 Thessalonians 2:8, "And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will destroy with the breath of his mouth, annihilating him by the manifestation of his coming."
Revelation 19:11-16, 19-, "Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse! Its rider is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems; and he has a name inscribed that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, wearing fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron; he will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name inscribed, “King of kings and Lord of lords.” Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against the rider on the horse and against his army. And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed in its presence the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. And the rest were killed by the sword of the rider on the horse, the sword that came from his mouth; and all the birds were gorged with their flesh."
And then in Ch. 20 it speaks about the first resurrection. Key thing to notice is that not one member of the "armies of heaven" did any battling, only Jesus with the sword from his mouth. And then all the righteous dead are resurrected, coincidence? No. This is a direct connection with the passage in 1 Thessalonians 4.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 and Revelation 19:11-20:6 are concurrent passages about the same events. Christ returning in his second coming and destroying the lawless one with the breath (sword) of his mouth. The dead in Christ in tow who are resurrected from the dead and we are with the Lord forever.
Submitted February 21, 2017 at 09:27AM by Unknown
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