The Rapture, verse by verse.
1 Thess 4: 13 – 18 The Second Coming of Jesus Christ
13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means
precede those who are asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall
always be with the Lord.
18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
13. But I do not want you to be ignorant. (Ignorant: Greek – Agnoeo, Not to know, through lack of information or intelligence).
Some of the believers in Thessalonica were dying and they thought that if they died they would miss the rapture that the Apostle Paul had told them about. Paul was assuring them that this was not the case.
13. Concerning those who have fallen asleep. (Christian’s who have died physically but sleep spiritually).
Christians, spiritually, do not die but they sleep in Jesus. Those who have eternal life will never die.
Joh 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
Joh 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
When one is born again, he is a new creation.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Before new birth a man has only one nature, the old nature, the sinful nature.
When he is born again, he has two natures, the old nature and the new nature.
The old nature is in Adam (Earthy). The new nature is in Christ (Heavenly).
1 Cor 15:47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
13. Lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. Sorrow is linked with no hope. A Christian’s hope is in Christ. Outside of Christ there is no hope.
1 Tim 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;
Christians do not have to sorrow, for eternal life is assured, whilst the body dies, the soul/spirit lives on. Whilst there is a sense of loss at the death of a loved one, there is no need to sorrow.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again. ( Here we have the word ”if”. Eternal life is based on faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, trusting in His death and resurrection)
John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
The fact that Jesus died and rose from the dead meant that He defeated death and made eternal life a reality.
1 John 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
The moment we are born again, we have eternal life.
1Jn 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
14. God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. (This tells us that those who have died physically are asleep in Christ now. When Christ returns, Jesus will bring with Him those that sleep in Him.)
When a Christian dies physically, his spirit goes immediately to the presence of God.
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.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
15. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord. (This is not Paul’s words but based on the Word of God)
John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
15. That we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord. (This tells us that there will be those that will not see physical death but shall be alive at the time of Christ’s second coming.
Paul did not know when Jesus would come, so he uses the word “we”.
Matt 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
15. Will by no means precede those who are asleep. (Will not precede. Go before) There is an order to the Rapture.
The dead rise first and then we who are alive are caught up with them.
16. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. (The Lord Himself, it will be Jesus Himself who shall come. The fact that He will descend from heaven, shows that there is a man in heaven, even Jesus. There will be a shout, the voice and the trumpet of God. The same
Jesus.
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.
Acts 1:9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
16. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ( Here is the order, the dead first.( This will be the raising of the dead from the grave, from the dirt, the sea, from the ashes, from wherever the dead are, they shall be raised.
This is the resurrection (Greek – Anastasia).
17. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up, ( Those who are alive at the time of His coming will be caught up, snatched, taken, removed from the earth in the Rapture. Greek – Harpazo.
17. Together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. (Together, the dead and the living together, to meet the Lord in the clouds, in the air). Gathering together, Greek – Episunagarge,
17. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. (Always be with Him, Greek – Pantote, At all times, ever, from this time onward.)
18. Therefore comfort one another with these words. (This is where our comfort is, we shall be gathered together with all those that have gone before us, from all the ages past. All our loved ones who died believing in Christ, we shall see again)
1 Corinthians 15: 51 – 55 We shall all be changed.
51 Behold, I tell 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 trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."
55 "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?
51. Behold, I tell you a mystery. (This is a mystery; this is not something that can be understood with the natural mind.
1 Cor 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
51. We shall not all sleep, (Die) Again Paul here says, not all will die before the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ).
There will be those that will not see physical death but shall be changed at the coming of Jesus.
51. But we shall all be changed. (There is going to be a transformation of all those who have believed in Christ, whether they have died or whether they are alive at the time of His coming).
Notice that ALL will be changed, as opposed to the teaching of a partial rapture, where some Christians will be taken and some left.
52. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, Not a blink, but a twinkle, changed immediately, not in slow motion as some books or films have portrayed it. Instantaneous transformation.
52. At the last trumpet. The bridegroom in a Jewish wedding, came at an unknown hour with a sound of a trumpet.
52.The dead will be raised incorruptible, The dead will be raised and given a new glorified body.
52. and we shall be changed. and those that are alive at that time will also be changed.
Flesh and blood cannot enter the kingdom of God, so there must be a transformation.
1 Cor 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
53. So when this corruptible has put on incoruption, and this mortal has put on immortality,
To defeat death we must be changed to immortal beings. Mortal will put on immortality.
1 Corinthians 15:35. “But someone will say, "How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?"
In this life, you are a "tabernacle, a house". Your body is the house; your soul, or spirit, is the real you.
2Pe 1:13 Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;
2Pe 1:14 Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.
Though body and soul are united in this life, the house (body) is perishable. The body will be laid to rest, but not the spirit. The body will be consumed in some way. It will decay. Without the spirit, it is dead.
James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead,
The part of you that will survive death is that part contained within the earthly tabernacle/house.
1 Corinthians 15:39-41 Paul begins to contrast between different bodies. Some of them are very different. He illustrates by noting the difference in the bodies of animals and then the differences between the heavenly bodies:
“All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish. There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another.There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.”
1 Corinthians 15:42-44 “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body”.
54. Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."
The victory that Jesus Christ accomplished at Calvary is the victory that those who believe and trust in Him will share.
Victory over death.
