1 Thessalonians 4 - The Argument for A Pre-Tribulation Rapture!
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 was happy that they were "living to please God". It seems like a simple enough phrase but important nonetheless. What a great thing to say about someone that they are "living a life that is pleasing to God". It also points to the fact that we can live a life that is not pleasing to God. Paul urges this to do so more and more.
We never arrive in our Christian faith. We are always seeking to live a life more pleasing to God. We please God when we do the things he asked us to do. We please God when we love him with all of our hearts and our neighbors as ourselves.
Would you say you are living a life right now, which is "pleasing to God"? What would you have to change to do so?
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[a] 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.
We sometimes wonder what God's will is. But we know for sure God's will is that we would be "sanctified". The word means to "be made holy". Holy means to be "set apart" or "special". I doesn't mean that we are as they saying goes, "holier than thou!" The first aspect relating to this that Paul brings up is "sexual immorality". Like many other churches in Paul's day, sexual immorality was an issue.
Paul tells us to avoid it. What might that mean? Most of us know when we are walking into a situation that would be a tempting situation. I can only speak for guys. But when you put yourself in a situation where you are triggered with lust, it can be a problem. Of course, we all struggle with lust from time to time, but need to avoid walking right into it. When you put your hand near the fire you risk getting burned.
Paul says you should "learn to control your body". I.e. It doesn't happen naturally or automatically. This means we need to look at sexual immorality different than the world does. I.e. "If it feels good do it". The problem is while something may feel good in the moment, there are ALWAYS consequences, This is especially true for sexual immorality committed outside of marriage. Though sexual immorality as a single person has its own set of consequences both with God and others.
Paul gave these commands to a first-century Roman culture that was marked by sexual immorality. At this time in the Roman Empire, chastity and sexual purity were almost unknown virtues. Nevertheless, Christians were to take their standards of sexual morality from God and not from the culture. - Guzik
This is a pretty stern warning from Paul with consequences for disobedience. Paul says God will punish those who participate in this type of behavior.
This is the first of four reasons for sexual purity. We can trust that God will punish sexual immorality, and that no one gets away with this sin – even if it is undiscovered. - Guzik
At the end Paul mentions the "gift of the Holy Spirit". We might be tempted to gloss over this, but we must not. The Holy Spirit is the key to our remaining sexually pure.
This is the fourth of four reasons for sexual purity given in this passage. We have been given the Holy Spirit, who empowers the willing, trusting Christian to overcome sexual sin. By His Spirit, God has given us the resources for victory; we are responsible to use those resources. - Guzik
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 commends them for their love for each other and also for others in the churches in the area. Again he urges them to do so, "more and more". Paul then gives very practical instruction. He says they should live, "quiet lives", "mind their own business", and "work with their hands", Paul was basically telling them to be good neighbors and productive members of society.
The opposite would be to live a "loud life", "get in other's business/gossip", and "be lazy". None of these reflect well on what it means to be a Christian. Why does Paul focus on this? Because the way we act and conduct ourselves influences others around us. In particular it can influence their opinion of what it means to be a Christian.
Paul says their lives should "win the respect of others". We might say we should "win them over". Or, sometimes we say we should be "winsome". I like to say "be winsome" to "win some". The bottom line is actions usually speak louder than words. Unfortunately due to Christians whose daily lives don't match up with what a life pleasing to God can often "push people away" from God.
If someone doesn't respect you it will significantly hinder your witness to them as a follower Christ. In fact it may even serve to confirm their prejudice that "most Christians are hypocrites" .
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 gives teaching on one of the most important doctrines in our Christian faith, the return of Christ. Paul's teaching here is some of the clearest teaching on what will happen when Jesus returns. Paul says those who have already died, "sleep in death".
"Sleep was a common way to express death in the ancient world, but among pagans, it was almost always seen as an eternal sleep. Christians called death sleep, but they emphasized the idea of rest. Early Christians began to call their burial places “cemeteries,” which means, “dormitories” or “sleeping places.” Yet the Bible never describes the death of the unbeliever as sleep, for there is no rest, peace, or comfort for them in death." - Guzik
Paul teaches that when Jesus returns, the those who have dead in Christ (with faith in Christ) will rise first, and then those who are living in Christ with be caught up into the clouds to meet Jesus in the clouds. This would go against how some interpret the book of Revelation that Christians will go through the 7 year tribulation during the end times. Paul's description in this passage would be called "pre-trib" or "pre tribulation", which means Christians will go to heaven as soon as Jesus returns. They go to heaven before the tribulation that will come upon the earth.
aul wanted the Thessalonians to know that those who are asleep – Christians who have died before Jesus returns – will by no means be at a disadvantage. Those who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede them. God will allow those who are asleep to share in the glory of the coming of the Lord. - Guzik
This is also the text that would support the idea of a "rapture".
This passage is the basis for the New Testament doctrine of the rapture, the catching away of believers to be with Jesus. The word rapture is not in the ancient Greek text, but comes from the Latin Vulgate, which translates the phrase caught up with rapturus, from which we get our English word rapture. - Guzik
If you are interested here is a brief definition of the different points of view regarding the timing of the rapture in relationship to the seven year tribulation.
Many – though certainly not all – Christians believe the Bible teaches that there will be an important seven-year period of history before the Battle of Armageddon and triumphant return of Jesus. The debate about this catching away centers on where it fits in with this final seven-year period, popularly known as the Great Tribulation, with reference to Matthew 24:21.
· The pre-tribulation rapture position believes believers are caught up before this final seven-year period.
· The mid-tribulation rapture position believes believers are caught up in the midst of this final seven-year period.
· The pre-wrath rapture position believes believers are caught up at some time in the second half of this final seven-year period.
· The post-tribulation rapture position believes believers are caught up at the end of this final seven-year period.
ii. The adherents of these different positions each believe their position is Biblical, and these differences of understanding should not make dividing lines of Christian fellowship. Nevertheless, this author’s opinion is that the pre-tribulation rapture position is Biblically correct.
I agree with this last sentence. My interpretive stance is that simple and clear passages like this one hold more weight than ambiguous ones. God is not the author of confusion.
So the Good News is that if you have had a loved one die believing in Jesus, and in your belief in Jesus, you will be reunited with them and enjoy and be with the Lord forever. What a great promise. This promise gives us hope and should be proclaimed at every believer's funeral.
It also motivates to share Jesus with others so they can have the same hope that we have.
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