1 Thessalonians 4 - The Rapture

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Living to Please God

4 As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

Paul desires the Thessalonians to live in such a way as to please the Lord "more and more". The fact that he is urging them to please the Lord assumes that we can also displease the Lord. Though God accepts us as we are, and we are seen as perfect through Christ, that doesn't mean we can't live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. 

Is your life pleasing to the Lord? How would you know? Are you living according to the commands he has given us and following the example of Jesus. Jesus was completely human like we are and tempted in every way, yet without sin. He honored His Father in all he did and obeyed His will in every area of his life. 

Paul also realizes the process of becoming Christ-like is a work in progress. This is why he says, "more and more". There is room for us to grow more and more to be more and more like Jesus. 

3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.

Paul points out an obvious command of the Lord to avoid sexual immorality. Sexual immorality was rampant in Thessalonica, so Paul called the believers to set themselves apart in this area. At the heart of avoiding sexual immorality is to learn to control one's body. The opposite of controlling one's sexual appetite is to be controlled by passionate lust like the heathens. 

Though self control in this area of our lives is always a challenge, the Lord has given us an ally to control our lust. We are given the power of the Holy Spirit. We never "HAVE TO" sin. Sin is always a choice. When we choose to honor God, we not only please God but also show that we are set apart from those in the world. 

God has set us apart to be pure. We cannot manufacture our own holiness, but we can certainly keep it. 

9 Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, 11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. 

Paul compliments them on loving each other and the other churches of Christ in the area. I.e. Corinth and Philippi. Paul encourages them to continue to grow in their expression of love. The way they behaved would help win the respect of those outside the church. 

Paul reminds us of the practical aspects of living out our faith. How we live our daily lives DOES MATTER? The words we use, our work ethnic, and how we treat and talk about others is all part of our Christian witness in the world. A Christian should strive to work hard for their earthly bosses not only for the rewards of doing so on earth but also their heavenly reward. 

Christian are called to work hard and be gainfully employed, so they will not have to rely on the charity of others. You could probably infer from this that we should live within our means and not become overly dependent on the debt others will loan us. 

Believers Who Have Died

13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Paul then addresses those who have died and gone before them. Paul uses the term "sleep" for those who have died. The inference is that when you sleep you will wake up. When a believer wakes up they will find themselves in heaven. Importantly Paul says that as believers we have "hope" when someone we love dies as a believer in Christ. Because we believe in Jesus' death and resurrection, we know that we will live even though we die. 

Paul then gives us a key teaching regarding Jesus' return. When Jesus returns "those who are asleep" will be the first to rise with Jesus. Then, the believers who are alive when Jesus returns will be caught up in the clouds with Jesus. We call this the "rapture". There is lot of discussion on whether the rapture of Christians who are living is before the tribulation spoken of in Revelation or after it. To me the plain reading of this is that when Jesus returns both those alive and those dead who believe in him will go to heaven.