The City of Thessalonica was the capitol of the Macedonian Province, and the second stop in Europe for Paul and his traveling companions. The Book of Acts tells us that they were only there for three weeks because they were driven out of town by an angry Jewish mob that was “livid” over the fact that Paul was making so many Jewish and Gentile converts to Christ, taking them from the synagogue and forming a new body of believers, that is, the first church in the city. The power and influence of the Jewish leadership was being threatened, and they wanted to rid themselves of Paul and his companions, who left town and went to a neighboring community of Berea, where Paul found the Jews to be much more “noble-minded” than those in Thessalonica, because they searched the Scriptures daily to see if what Paul was telling them about Jesus were true. Interestingly, we don’t have a record of Paul writing to a church in Berea, but it’s almost certain that one was planted before Paul left the area.
After the Jews in Thessalonica found out that Paul was in Berea, they unexpectedly showed up, threatening Paul’s life. Consequently, some of the new Christians there took Paul to the seaport and put him on a boat to Athens, while Timothy and Silvanus remained. While in Athens, Paul spent some time ministering to the “intellectuals” in the city, but did not plant a church. He then moved further south to Corinth where Paul would spend over a year and a half. Timothy and Silvanus eventually met up with Paul in Corinth, and shared some mixed news about the church in Thessalonica, that even though the church was thriving, they had some questions about their loved ones who had passed on. Unfortunately, their misunderstanding about the timing of the resurrection of the dead and the return of Christ was causing them to grieve over the fact that their loved ones would somehow “miss out” on this great eschatological event. And so, this issue is one of Paul’s main concerns in his first letter to this church.
Paul begins his letter, noting that Timothy and Silvanus are with him, and then he proceeds to praise them for their,
“…work of faith, their labor of love, and their steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ…” (1 Thes. 1:2-3).
Did you notice these three virtues that Paul mentioned? In fact, in his first letter to the Christians in Corinth, Paul reminded them that faith, hope, and love (with love being the greatest) were the most important of all of the Christian virtues, and Paul praises the Thessalonians for possessing them.
And then notice how Paul continually thanks God for them,
“…that when you received from us the word of God’s message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe” (1 Thes. 2:13).
You can immediately see what great affection Paul had for these Christians in Thessalonica. They were genuine followers of Christ, exhibiting the great Christian virtues in and through their lives.
But then Paul wanted to give them some instruction about their deceased loved ones, not wanting them to “grieve” as others who do not have hope (in the future resurrection). Paul assured them that it was OK to grieve, knowing that,
“…we who are alive and remain at the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have ‘fallen asleep.’ For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. 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” (1 Thes. 4:15-17).
Those of you who like to engage with Bible prophecy immediately recognize this passage as one that reveals the concept of the “rapture of the Church,” that is, that living saints will be “caught up” to meet the Lord in the air at His return. However, there are also many who suggest that this passage does not speak of a so-called “rapture,” but is simply a passage providing more details about the “resurrection,” and not a “rapture.” Let me give you just a few things to think about in this passage:
1) Paul expected to be “alive” at the return of Christ; and then “remain” after this great event.
2) The Greek word “then” in vs. 17 always carries with it the idea of “at some time later…” and not “immediately after.”
3) The Greek word for “caught” up actually means to be “seized,” and does not carry with it the sense of one’s feet leaving the ground.
4) The Greek word for “clouds” does not mean cumulus nimbus clouds, but the “clouds of glory,”
5) The Greek word for “air” is not the air we breathe, but actually means the “spiritual realm.”
If you are interested in this passage, maybe it would be good for you to take some time to “search the Scriptures” as the Christians in Berea did, to see if this passage points more to “resurrection” than to a “rapture.”
In the end, it should not escape our notice that at the conclusion of this passage, Paul said to these Christians,
“Therefore, comfort one another with these words” (1 Thes. 4:18).
And that’s just what we all need to do. Whether this passage speaks of “resurrection” or “rapture,” it should be a comfort for all of us who are “in Christ” to know that the return of Christ assures us that we will always be with Him. May the Lord bless and keep you in His care.
