1 Thessalonians Chapter 4

A Life Pleasing to God

4:1 Finally then, brothers and sisters, we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received instruction from us about how you must live and please God (as you are in fact living) that you do so more and more.

Paul,  the Jewish Apostle, called the Gentile Thessalonians his "brothers and sisters," meaning that they were equal with him. They were all believers saved by the grace of God.

The Greek word for "ask" is ἐρωτάω (erowtoa), meaning to ask from a preferred position or because of a special relationship. This verb is in the present tense, meaning to keep on asking from this special relationship position.

The Greek word for "urge" is παρακαλέω (parakaleow), meaning to call along parallel to one side in a close and personal manner and comfort the listener. This verb is also in the present tense, meaning to continually comfort.

Paul is asking and encouraging in the Lord Jesus, meaning that this plea comes from the apostolic authority that was given to him by Christ himself. 

In the previous chapters, Paul praised the Thessalonians for avoiding temptations and for spreading the gospel throughout Macedonia and Achai, the two Greek provinces of the Roman Empire. Now, Paul is going to use his apostolic authority to encourage them to continue to walk in this way. The Thessalonians are now to receive more Bible doctrine, grow spiritually, and live to please the Lord. Notice that a believer cannot do as he pleases. He must do as the Lord pleases. This is the direct opposite view of the modern satanic world system of the Greco-Roman world, which taught the Epicurean view of "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you die." This Epicurean view is satanic. It was taught in every culture. It was revived even more forcibly during the Renaissance. It was revived again during the Hippie years of the 1960's. It is interesting to note that the major music of 1940's Christian America was gospel music. The 1950's music gravitated to sexual overtones, promoting promiscuity. The 1960's music, led by the Beatles, explored and developed drugs and the eastern religions. The music of the 1970'a gravitated to open satanism. The modern American society is very similar to the culture of the Thessalonians. The message to the Thessalonians was to grow in Bible doctrine and walk in the ways that please God. This message can be applied to every culture, especially the modern American culture.

4:2 For you know what commands we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

The Greek word for "commands" is παραγγελία (paraangelia), meaning close and personal messages that reveal Christ's preferred will. The Mosaic Law had ended, but some new commands were given "through Jesus Christ". These commands had nothing to do with the Thessalonians’ salvation, but by obedience to Christ. If one loves Christ, then he will keep His commandments, which are Bible doctrine. One cannot apply Bible doctrine unless it is studied from the entire counsel of the Word of God. One who loves Christ will study the entire Bible as deeply as possible, so that he can know the mind of Christ. Once a believer knows the mind of Christ, then he can express agape love or divine love. Agape love comes from knowledge and application of the entire counsel of the Word of God.

No one could keep the Mosaic Law. It was simply a schoolmaster that showed man that he needed a Savior. The Law of Christ is on a much higher plane than the Mosaic Law. If men could not keep the Mosaic Law, then how can they keep the Law of Christ, which is on a much higher plane? The answer is that man cannot, unless he has knowledge of it and unless he has assistance from the Holy Spirit. 

In chapters 4-5, Paul will give 22 new instructions for the believer. 

4:3 For this is God’s will: that you become holy, that you keep away from sexual immorality, 

The Greek word for "will" is θέλημα (the lama), meaning God's desire, or His preferred will. It is God's best offer, which people can either accept or reject. 

The Greek word for "holy" is ἁγιασμός (hagiasmos), meaning to be transferred gradually into the image of Christ. This Greek word if often translated in theology as sanctification. Sanctification simply means that God's preferred will and best offer to the Thessalonians is that they grow in Bible doctrine and gradually become more Christ-like. Believers grow christ-like by learning and applying Bible doctrine at the deepest level.

When the Thessalonians were pagans, many of the Roman mystery religions practiced in many heterosexual and homosexual prostitution temples. Fornication, adultery, and the homosexual life style were encouraged in the Roman culture. The Law of Christ encouraged the Thessalonians to reject and avoid this satanically inspired lifestyle.

The Christian will go through three types of sanctification. Experiential sanctification is the believer's eternal position in Christ. This position can never be lost. 

Practical sanctification is the Holy Spirit working in the believer’s life to make him more Christ-like. This comes through the study and application of Bible doctrine from the entire counsel of the Word of God.

Total sanctification will occur in the future when one is conformed to the image of Christ. 

Sanctification literally means to be set apart for God. God chose the believer. He set the believer apart for a special purpose. He sanctifies the believer. He completes the process by making believers Christ-like.

4:4 that each of you know how to possess his own body in holiness and honor,

The Greek word for "know" is οἶδα (oida), meaning to understand to see and understand with Biblically spiritual eyes. The Greek word for body is not (sarkas) meaning flesh, but σκεῦος (skeuos), meaning a vessel that contains liquid, or sometimes a metaphor for the weaker vessel, which is the wife.

The Greco-Roman world looked upon the soul as perfect and the body as sinful. Paul gave instruction that the body was also to be used for holiness and honor. 

4:5 not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God.

Since the pagans did not have a personal relationship with the one true living God, they created gods that fulfilled their lustful passions.

Today’s modern culture is no exception. The boys’ dorms are Sodom. The girls’ dorms are Gomorrah. The television screen is dominated with the new morality, which is nothing but old sin.

4:6 In this matter no one should violate the rights of his brother or take advantage of him, because the Lord is the avenger in all these cases, as we also told you earlier and warned you solemnly.

When two or more people practice sex out of God’s will, then they are making a big mistake. They are calling God’s wrath down on themselves (Heb. 13:4). 

4:7 For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness.

God called believers to be pure so that they could glorify God. Sexual immorality frustrates the purpose of God’s call. Many of the pagan cults promoted unclean, sexual ceremonies, but the plan of God requires a Christian to live a life of holiness and sexual purity. A holy life demonstrates God’s supernatural power at work, because it demonstrates the believer overcoming what is natural. This type of sexually pure life-style glorifies God. This is the very opposite of what is being taught in the satanic world culture.

4:8 Consequently the one who rejects this is not rejecting human authority but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

The Holy Spirit is given to every believer at conversion. It does not come from a second baptism, as many charismatics falsely claim. The only way that a Christian can live a life of purity is by the power of the Holy Spirit. The believer is to study the entire counsel of the Word of God through a gifted pastor-teacher. This study gives the believer knowledge of the purity of life in which he is to walk. When a believer sins, then he is out of fellowship with God, He is a dirty vessel. God will not use him. If the believer confesses his sins according to 1 John 1:9, then the believer is restored into fellowship with God. He is a clean vessel. God will fill him with his Spirit and use him. There is only one baptism of the Spirit, which is at conversion. There are many fillings of the Spirit, but after confession. 1 John 1:9 is one of the most important Biblical doctrines for believers to grasp. 

4:9 Now on the topic of brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another.

The Greek word for "brotherly love" is not (agape), but φιλαδελφία (philadelphia, like the city), meaning to love one like you would love your own beloved flesh and blood brother. Paul does not need to write to the Thessalonians about φιλαδελφία love. The Thessalonians do not need a pastor-teacher to teach them about φιλαδελφία love (although gifted-pastor teachers are needed to mature the saints, according to Ephesians 4). God Himself will directly teach believers how to love other believers. He does this directly and through His word. God does not leave this important teaching to human pastor-teachers, even though they have the supernatural gift of teaching. God teaches φιλαδελφία love Himself, directly to the believer.

4:10 And indeed you are practicing it toward all the brothers and sisters in all of Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more,

The Thessalonians were already practicing φιλαδελφία love. This practice had spread throughout the Greek province of Rome. Paul urged them to continue this practice, because they were not yet perfect in this practice. God has taught them well, but they still needed to apply what God had taught them. 

4:11 to aspire to lead a quiet life, to attend to your own business, and to work with your hands, as we commanded you.

The Thessalonians were instructed to lead a quiet life, a life that did not generate social problems or conflicts that can divide churches. They were to attend to the work that God had given them and nothing else. They were not to put their noses in the affairs of others. The Greco-Roman culture looked down upon manual labor, but the Holy Spirit through Paul exalted it. Paul was an example of this last spiritual concept, as he supported his ministry by making tents with his own hands. The ancient Jewish culture taught each of their boys a skill that they could do with their own hands.

4:12 In this way you will live a decent life before outsiders and not be in need.

The Greek word for "decent" is εὐσχημόνως (eusxhaymonois), meaning honorable, or not using business tactics to take advantage of others. This type of honorable manual labor will win the respect of unbelievers. 

The Lord Returns for Believers

4:13 Now we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest who have no hope.

Paul had visited the Thessalonians earlier, but he was only able to spend three weeks with them before being run out of town. Paul was the spiritual father, mother, and brother of the Thessalonians. He had founded the church, he had begun to teach them Bible doctrine, but because he was run out of town, his teaching was incomplete. He attempted to return and finish his teaching, but Satan hindered him. The Thessalonians did not have complete knowledge of the Rapture, so now Paul is going to fill in the missing pieces. 

The Greek word for "uninformed" is ἀγνοέω (agnoeow), meaning ignorance or lack of knowledge. Since Paul had not completed his eschatological teachings with the Thessalonians, especially on the Rapture, he did not want them to remain ignorant of this important Bible doctrine. Satan had already hindered Paul from returning and had confused this issue among the brothers. Therefore, Paul was going to make the doctrine crystal clear. There are many pastors today who do not believe that eschatological theology should be taught to new Christians. However, they are disagreeing with Paul, who not only taught the Rapture to baby believers, but he taught the entire counsel of the Word of God.

The Greek word for "asleep" is κοιμάομαι (koimaimai), a present participle, meaning those believers who were continually falling asleep in Christ. This participle is used as a metaphor for believing Christians who had died and would die in the future. The Greek word κοιμάομαι (koimaimai) is where we get the English word cemetery. This word was coined by early Christian believers. Cemeteries were hotels where the dead bodies would stay until Christ would one day return at the Rapture and reunite the flesh to the spirit bodies.

Only believers are put to sleep by Christ. Unbelievers are put to death by their master, Satan. They will wake up wide awake in Gehenna, or Hell. Believers are placed to sleep by Christ Himself. Their souls will be transported directly to Christ in the third heaven. Their bodies will remain in the ground until the Rapture. After Paul had been run out of Thessalonia, some of the believers had died. The Thessalonians desired to know what would happen to the bodies and souls of their loved ones, since they died before the Rapture.

The Greek word for "grieve" is λυπέω (lupeow), a present subjunctive participle, meaning those who are presently and possibly feeling great pain and anguish for a believer who dies. There was no reason for believers to grieve about their dead loved ones who were believers in Christ. Paul will comfort these Thessalonian believers who had lost loved ones in Christ. When a modern believer attends a funeral of another believer, then there should be no grieving at all. It should be a celebration of passing from death to an eternal life with Christ.

The Greek word for "hope" is ἐλπίς (ellis), meaning that which is a certainty to happen. The believers possessed the assurance of eternal life with Christ. However, to the pagans, death was a frightful event. Death is also frightful to atheists, agnostics, and to those underneath the spell of works salvation religions and cults. None of these unbiblical groups possess certainty about an after-life at all. Many of the pagans were seeped into the Epicurean belief that one should "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you die." Others, such as the Stoics, believed in the destruction of the flesh, but the migration of the soul, which was very similar to reincarnation. Neither of these two main philosophies possessed a surety of hope in the afterlife, which was the direct opposite view of the believers.

Paul did not want the believers to be ignorant of the afterlife, like the pagans. He wanted the Thessalonians to understand exactly what would happen to believers who died before the Rapture. Would they lose their human bodies, like the Stoics suggested? Would only their souls be reunited with Christ? Does the death of a believer mean that they will not experience the literal 1000 year Millennial reign of Christ? Paul is going to answer these questions by disproving the Stoic contention of reincarnation of the soul and loss of the fleshy body. He is going to disprove the Epicurean belief that there is no afterlife. He is going to disprove the Amillenialist and Postmillenialist views that there is no pre-tribulation Rapture. He is going to prove that the Rapture is imminent, it can arrive at any time, and believers will not be on earth during the Great Tribulation.

4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also we believe that God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep as Christians.

The "if" is a first class condition, meaning since. Notice the "we". The plural includes Paul. Since Paul and the Thessalonians believed in the resurrection of Christ, then the first condition teaches as a 100% statement of fact that they will also believe that God will bring with Him the dead in Christ. Notice that Jesus did not sleep, but He died and rose again.

4:15 For we tell you this by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not go ahead of those who have fallen asleep.

The "word of the Lord" means that Jesus sometime in His life mentioned the Rapture. He mentioned the Rapture in John 14:1-3. The Thessalonians want to know what is going to happen to their loved ones in Christ who die before the Rapture. Paul is not going to give his own opinion. He is going to tell them what Jesus said and what Jesus told him. Paul was trained by Jesus Himself in the Arabian desert. He was taken up to the third heaven and he saw things that he could not report. His answer will come directly from what the Lord Jesus taught him directly.

When the Rapture occurs, those who are dead in Christ will have their bodies reunited with their souls chronologically and instantly before those who are alive and caught up in the air.

Since Paul used the pronoun "we", this means that Paul, the Thessalonians, and the circular churches who were reading the epistle could possibly be caught up in the air during their own lifetime. Therefore, this is the Doctrine of Imminency, meaning that Christ could return at any time. This one little Greek pronoun destroys the false doctrines of the mid- and post-tribulation raptures.

4:16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

The "Lord Himself" is emphatic, meaning the Lord Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity.

Sometime in the future, the Messiah will come down from the third heaven and enter the first heaven, which is the earthly atmosphere.

The Greek word for "shout" is φωνή (phone), meaning a command in human languages, such as that given by a military commander.

There is no article, so it should be translated as "an archangel". The only archangel mentioned in Scripture is Michael, who is the national angel of Israel. When King Jesus gives the command, Michael (or some other archangel) will begin the Rapture military program.

The Greek word for "trumpet" is σάλπιγξ (salpinge), meaning a war trumpet. War trumpets were used in Israel to call an assembly, to call the soldiers to battle, to attack, to retreat, and to announce victory.

Notice that the dead in Christ will arise first. Once a believer died, his physical body was left in the grave of the earth. However, his soul and spirit were transported into the third heaven to be with Christ. When Michael blows the war trumpet, the dead physical bodies in the earth will be joined with the living soul and spirit in the heavens.

Notice also that only the dead "in Christ" will be raised at this time. The dead in Christ are all of those who believed in Christ after Pentecost, were baptized with the Holy Spirit, and then died before the Rapture. They will enjoy the benefits of the Rapture before those who are "left alive". The Old Testament saints who died before Pentecost were released from Hades and joined Jesus after the resurrection. Their physical bodies will be reunited later in God's prophetic program.

4:17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be suddenly caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.

The "we" includes Paul and the Thessalonians, meaning that the Rapture could happen in their lives. This again is the Doctrine of Imminency meaning that Christ can return at anytime. This one lithe Greek pronoun destroys the false teachings of mid-tribulation and post-tribulation raptures.

Those who are alive are the believers in Christ who are on the earth when Christ returns at the Rapture.

The Greek word for "suddenly caught up" is ἁρπάζω (harpazo), meaning to seize by force, such as seizing a prey or a thief seizing plunder from a house at night. 

Those who are alive will be caught up with those who have died in Christ. They will be caught up together, at the same time. They will be caught up in the clouds. They will be caught up in the air. They will be taken out of the satanic world system of the earth to meet the Lord Jesus in the air. After they are caught up, they will no longer be a part of the satanic world system of earth. They will live with Christ forever. During the Great Tribulation, they will spend at least seven years with Christ in heaven. The Great Tribulation will begin when the Anti-Christ signs a seven year peace treaty with the nation of Israel. Therefore, there will be some time between the Rapture and the Great Tribulation when believers will be with the Lord Jesus in the third heaven (unless Christ raptures the believers at the exact signing of the peace treaty).

4:18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Therefore, there is no reason for the Thessalonians to be discouraged. If their loved ones in Christ died before the Rapture, then they will be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord Jesus, but the dead ones in Christ will actually be reunited with their physical bodies instantly. The dead ones in Christ will actually experience the benefits of the Rapture moments before those who are alive at the Rapture.

The purpose of this letter is for all believers to live as though Christ may return at any time. Also, Christians are not to worry about their loved ones who have died in Christ. They will all reunite in their physical bodies at the Rapture.

What a tremendous chapter!

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Appendix: The important differences between the rapture and second coming are as follows: 

 

1) At the rapture, believers meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17). At the second coming, believers return with the Lord to the earth (Revelation 19:14). 

 

2) The second coming occurs after the great and terrible tribulation (Revelation chapters 6–19). The rapture occurs before the tribulation (1 Thessalonians 5:9;Revelation 3:10). 

 

3) The rapture is the removal of believers from the earth as an act of deliverance (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, 5:9). The second coming includes the removal of unbelievers as an act of judgment (Matthew 24:40-41). 

 

4) The rapture will be secret and instant (1 Corinthians 15:50-54). The second coming will be visible to all (Revelation 1:7; Matthew 24:29-30). 

 

5) The second coming of Christ will not occur until after certain other end-times events take place (2 Thessalonians 2:4; Matthew 24:15-30; Revelation chapters 6–18). The rapture is imminent; it could take place at any moment (Titus 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:50-54). 

 

Why is it important to keep the rapture and the second coming distinct? 

 

1) If the rapture and the second coming are the same event, believers will have to go through the tribulation (1 Thessalonians 5:9; Revelation 3:10). 

 

2) If the rapture and the second coming are the same event, the return of Christ is not imminent—there are many things which must occur before He can return (Matthew 24:4-30). 

 

3) In describing the tribulation period, Revelation chapters 6–19 nowhere mentions the church. During the tribulation—also called “the time of trouble for Jacob” (Jeremiah 30:7)—God will again turn His primary attention to Israel (Romans 11:17-31).

 

The rapture and second coming are similar but separate events. Both involve Jesus returning. Both are end-times events. However, it is crucially important to recognize the differences. In summary, the rapture is the return of Christ in the clouds to remove all believers from the earth before the time of God’s wrath. The second coming is the return of Christ to the earth to bring the tribulation to an end and to defeat the Anti-christ and his evil world empire.