The Future According to GodSample

1 THESSALONIANS 4: The Will of God and the Rapture

1 Thessalonians 4, Paul answers questions about the coming of the Lord, commonly referred to as the rapture. He also comments on the will of God. Do you wonder about the rapture or the will of God? Please read or listen to 1 Thessalonians 4.

COMMENTS

In 1992, when I read 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, I wrote concerning verses 1 and 10, “excel still more” (1 Thess 4:1, 10 NASB).

Then concerning 1 Thessalonians 4:3-17 NASB, “The will of God: sanctification, stay away from sexual immorality.” Then concerning 1 Thessalonians 4:11, “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands.” Then, lastly, “We are going to be always with the Lord!”

One year later, in 1993, I wrote, “‘excel still more’ (1 Thess 4:1 NASB). Then, referring to verse 3, “this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality” (1 Thess 4:3 NASB). And verse 7, “For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification” (1 Thess 4:7 NASB).

Then concerning verse 8, “Consequently, ‘he who rejects this’ (sanctification), ‘is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you’” (1 Thess 4:8 NASB). I continued to write, “So God wants us sanctified. Part of that is sexual purity. Those who reject that notion are rejecting God. We have a lot of that going on today.” Next, I wrote about verse 10, “excel still more” (1 Thess 4:10 NASB). I finished with, “‘lead a quiet life’, work, ‘behave properly’ (1 Thess 4:11-12 NASB), don’t be in need.”

One more year later, in 1994, I wrote, “‘excel still more’ (1 Thess 4:1 NASB). In what? Walk and please God, sexual morality, sanctification, love one another, lead a quiet life, attend to your own business.”

Let’s take a look at chapter 4. I find a little humor in the first phrase of verse 1, “Finally, then, brothers” (1 Thess 4:1 ESV). That is the beginning of chapter 4. There are all of chapters 4 and 5 left! It reminds me of when I hear preachers say, “In closing,” and they go on and on.

Some Christians ask, “What is the will of God for my life?” Here is an example of the will of God for your life: For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you (1 Thess 4:3-8 ESV).

There are several aspects of what the will of God is for our lives right here in these verses. Let’s go back over this list. Let’s start with sanctification. I looked in my English Standard Version Study Bible for a definition of sanctification. I did not find one, so I asked Siri on my Apple smartphone. Here is what she had to say, “Sanctification means set apart or declare holy; consecrate; free from sin; purify.” Not bad, Siri.

Sanctification is the will of God for our lives. So is abstaining from sexual immorality. So is controlling our own body so we do not cave in to the passions of lust. The will of God is also that we do not wrong our brothers or our neighbors. And the will of God is holiness. Sometimes we ask questions we do not want answers to. Those are some pretty tall orders of what the will of God is for our lives.

Next, Paul covers brotherly love. And brotherly love is also part of the will of God for our lives. He describes it by saying, do it more and more and he lists how, “to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one” (1 Thess 4:11-12 ESV).

Remember in our book introduction, part of the concern the church had was that some people were not working. They were depending on wealthier Christians, and they were not making their own living. Paul addresses that right here. He makes it pretty clear. Work with your hands. Depend on no one.

Then he goes on to address one of their other concerns about those people who died. Did they miss the second coming? He answers their question very clearly, “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep” (in other words, those who have died), “that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep” (1 Thess 4:13-14 ESV).

He continues to answer that question, but he also answers the second question: what about those of us who are alive now? Have we missed the second coming? Let’s go on with some famous verses in scripture. It is not Paul’s opinion. He heard this from the Lord:

For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord (1 Thess 4:15-17 ESV).

That answers the questions of the Thessalonians. Nobody has missed the Second Coming. Nobody has missed the day of the Lord, dead or alive. The word “rapture” does not appear in scripture, but this is a passage most refer to when talking about the rapture. It is that time when the Lord Himself will descend from heaven. We will hear the voice of an archangel. We will hear the sound of the trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise, and anybody who is still alive will be caught up with them in the air forever to be with the Lord.

DIGGING DEEPER

Paul answers the questions of the Thessalonians. He answers our questions, too, about how things will end here on earth. He finishes the chapter with these words, “Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thess 4:18 ESV). I hope you are encouraged by what we read in 1 Thessalonians 4. Whether we die or whether we are here when the Lord comes back, either way, we are going to be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. That is eternal life.

PRAYER

Lord, we thank You for the day of the Lord. We thank You for the rapture. We thank You that You are the King of kings and Lord of lords. You said you would come back, and you will.

We thank You, as You encouraged the Thessalonians with these words, we can also be very encouraged with these words.

Thank You for encouraging us as we spend time in Your Word. We give You the praise and the glory. You deserve it all. Amen.