The Rapture
1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11
Do not remain in ignorance regarding death and Christ's return. Instead, hope in God!
#eschatology
#death
#rapture
Published July 23rd, 2022
Main point summary
Meditaions:
Paraphrase
Outline
Observations Of This Text
Questions:
Takeaways
Next steps:
notes
Main point summary
Brethren, we did not want you to live in ignorance regarding those who die before Christ's second coming. Namely, since Christ died and rose again, therefore, we can be confident that we will likewise be raised at Christ's return.
Meditaions:
Do not remain in ignorance. Do not rid yourself of this all-encompassing, all-pervasive hope that we have in God. Do not neglect this benevolent gift that the Father has bestowed upon us. Instead, dive into the infinite depths of this glorious hope. Do not remain as those who have no hope! Death has been overcome, for those who die in Christ shall be raised at His return! Hope in God. And as we meditate on this hope, may our hearts overflow with, " Soli Deo gloria!"
Paraphrase
editing
NT
1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11
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But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep,
But a we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who b are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do c the rest who have d no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, a even so God will bring with Him b those who have fallen asleep 1 in Jesus.
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
I would not, brethren, haue you ignorant concerning them which are a sleepe, that ye sorow not euen as other which haue no hope. For if we beleeue that Iesus is dead, and is risen, euen so them which sleepe in Iesus, will God bring with him.
Brethren, we could not leave you in ignorance concerning the Elect who die before Christ's second coming,
that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.
in order that you may not live in hopeless mourning.
actionpurpose
For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again,
For , since we believe that our Lord Jesus Christ died on a cross and was resurrected from the dead three days later,
even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
we can, therefore, have confidence that God will, likewise, raise His Elect from the grave.
inference
For this we declare to you k by a word from the Lord, 1
For this we say to you a by the word of the Lord, that b we who are alive 1 and remain until c the coming of the Lord, will not precede d those who have fallen asleep.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For this say we vnto you by the worde of the Lord, that we which liue, and are remayning in the comming of the Lord, shall not preuent them which sleepe.
For this we proclaim to you by a divinely authoritative word from the Lord:
that l we who are alive, who are left until m the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
Namely, that the Elect who are still alive at Christ's return, shall not be joined bodily with Christ before those of the Elect who have previously died.
ideaexplanation
For n the Lord himself will descend o from heaven
For the Lord a Himself b will descend from heaven with a 1 c shout, with the voice of d the archangel and with the e trumpet of God, and f the dead in Christ will rise first. Then a we who are alive 1 and remain will be b caught up together with them c in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always d be with the Lord.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
For the Lord himselfe shall descende from heauen with a shoute, and with the voyce of the Archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then shall we which liue and remaine, be caught vp with them also in the clouds, to meete the Lord in the ayre: and so shall we euer be with the Lord.
For the Lord Himself shall descend from His holy and glorious throne in heaven
p with a cry of command,
with an authoritative cry of command,
with the voice of q an archangel,
with the proclamation of an archangel,
and r with the sound of the trumpet of God.
and with the resounding roar of the trumpet of God.
series
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And s the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then those of the Elect who are dead shall be resurrected and brought bodily into union with Christ first.
Then we who are alive, who are left, will be t caught up together with them u in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air,
Then we who remain, who are still alive on the earth, shall be gathered up into the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
and so v we will always be with the Lord.
And thus we shall remain with the Lord for all eternity.
conditional
ground
Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Therefore comfort one another with these words.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Wherefore, comfort your selues one another with these wordes.
Therefore, do not keep these matters to yourself, but encourage and exhort your brothers and sisters in Christ with these glorious truths.
Now concerning w the times and the seasons, brothers, 1 x you have no need to have anything written to you.
Now as to the a times and the epochs, brethren, you b have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that a the day of the Lord 1 will come b just like a thief in the night.
But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
Bvt of the times and seasons, brethren, yee haue no neede that I write vnto you. For ye your selues knowe perfectly, that the day of the Lord shall come, euen as a thiefe in the night.
Now, regarding when all of these things shall come to pass, which you do not need further knowledge of.
For you yourselves are fully aware that y the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
While they are saying, “ a Peace and safety!” then 1 b destruction 2 will come upon them suddenly like c labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.
For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
For when they shall say, Peace, and safetie, then shall come vpon them sudden destruction, as the trauaile vpon a woman with childe, and they shall not escape,
For all of you are well-informed and completely aware that the Day of the Lord shall come upon us like a thief who creeps unsuspected in the darkness of night.
While people are saying, “There is peace and security,”
This shall happen when the wicked are saying with smug confidence, "We are surrounded by peace and are secure from all opposition."
then z sudden destruction will come upon them
But then the wrath of God shall suddenly strike them
a as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman,
just as the pains of labor pounce upon a pregnant woman
comparison
and they will not escape.
and there shall be no way of escape.
actionresult
temporal
But you b are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you
But you, brethren, are not in a darkness, that the day would overtake you 1 b like a thief; for you are all a sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of b darkness; so then let us not a sleep as 1 b others do, but let us be alert and 2 c sober. For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get a drunk at night. But since a we are of the day, let us b be 1 sober, having put on the c breastplate of d faith and love, and as a e helmet, the f hope of salvation.
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
But ye, brethren, are not in darkenes, that that day shall come on you, as it were a thiefe. Yee are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, neither of darkenesse. Therefore let vs not sleepe as do other, but let vs watch and be sober. For they that sleepe, sleepe in the night, and they that be drunken, are drunken in the night. But let vs which are of the day, be sober, putting on the brest plate of faith and loue, and of the hope of saluation for an helmet.
But you, brethren, are not in the dark for that day to surprise you
like a thief.
like an unexpected thief in the night.
For you are all c children 1 of light, children of the day.
For all of you are children of the light, that is, children of the day.
We are not of the night or of the darkness.
For we are neither under the shadows of night nor of the darkness.
So then d let us not sleep, as others do,
Therefore, we shall not let ourselves fall into an ignorant sleep, as the wicked do,
but let us e keep awake and f be sober.
but instead, let us stay awake and be in serious and earnest anticipation of Christ's second coming.
negativepositive
For those who sleep, sleep at night,
For those who sleep, sleep in the darkness of night,
and those who get drunk, g are drunk at night.
and those who get drunk, are drunk in the deepest shadows of the night.
But since we belong to the day, let us be sober,
But since we belong to the bright and glorious day, let us be resolute,
h having put on the breastplate of i faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.
In that, we have equipped ourselves by strapping on the breastplate of faith and love and by donning the helmet of the hope of salvation.
For God has not destined us for j wrath,
For God has not destined us for a wrath, but for b obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, a who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
For God hath not appointed vs vnto wrath, but to obtaine saluation by the meanes of our Lord Iesus Christ, Which died for vs, that whether we wake or sleepe, we should liue together with him.
For God has not predestined His' Elect to be damned.
but k to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, l who died for us
But, on the contrary, we have been predestined that we may be given the gracious gift of salvation which was bought through the blood of Christ, and by His atoning death.
so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.
He did this so that whether we are awake and sober, or asleep and drunk we may live for eternity with Him.
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up,
Therefore 1 encourage one another and a build up one another, just as you also are doing.
Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
Wherefore exhort one another, and edifie one another, euen as ye doe.
Therefore, encourage and build up all of your brothers and sisters in Christ upon this firm foundation,
just as you are doing.
just as all of you have faithfully been doing.
Key: Commands Means Motivations Anchors
discourse
Outline
I. GREETINGS ( 1:1-5a ) A. Address (1:1) B. The Brothers' Joy In The Thessalonians (1:2-5a) II. MAIN BODY (1:5b-5:15) A. The Thessalonians: Imitators Of Christ (1:5c-10) B. The Brothers' Gospel Boldness (2:1-16) C. Paul's Desire To See The Thessalonians (2:17-3:13) D. Exhortation To The Thessalonians (4:1-8) E. Encouragement To The Thessalonians (4:9-12) F. Christ's Second Coming (4:13-5:11) G. Exhortation To Be At Peace (5:12-15) III. CLOSING (5:16-28) A. Exhortation (5:16-22) B. The Brothers' Hope And Prayer (5:23-24) C. Final Remarks (5:25-28)
Observations Of This Text
Tone: Paul's tone here is encouraging and comforting, yet authoritative. Purpose: Paul's purpose in this text is to comfort the Thessalonians about the Elect who die, and inform them regarding Christ's return. Occasion: The Thessalonians were living in ignorance regarding the Rapture*. Due to their ignorance, the Thessalonians went into a state of hopelessness at the death of any of the Elect (4:13). "Hopeless" in that they were unaware that all who lived in submission to Christ during their earthly life would be raised at Christ's triumphant return. Keywords: "Day of the Lord" , "Children of the light", "Sleep", "Drunk", "Awake", "Sober" *( Rapture: The elect's being gathered together to Christ at the end of the age)
Questions:
Is Paul introducing a new topic in 5:1? Or is he furthering the proposition made in 4:13-18 ? In what way is "sleep" in 5:6-7 in contrast to "asleep" which is found in 4:13, 14, 15 ? In 5:6-7 , what does "sleep" refer to? What is "The day of the Lord?" Is "The day of the Lord" just the title given to the topic being discussed in chapter 4? Or is it a completely new topic? Why is the date of "the Day of the Lord" not given?
Takeaways
Commands: "Therefore encourage one another (4:18a)" "So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober (5:6)." "But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, (5:8a)" "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, (5:11a)" Means: "...with these words... (4:18b)" "...having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation... (5:8a)" Motivations: "But we do not want you to be uninformed...that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope (4:13)." "...just as you are doing (5:11b)." Anchors: "For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep (4:14)." "For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness (5:5)." "For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him (5:9-10)." "For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night (5:7)." Takeaways: Since we are well informed regarding these glorious truths about death and the end of the age then we should, therefore, encourage and build each other up in this regard. We are not to live like those who have been destined for wrath. On the contrary, since we are children of light then we are to live awake and sober, always in anticipation of Christ's return. Do not lose hope when one of the Elect dies. For since Christ rose from the grave and defeated death, we can, therefore, be confident that God will raise the Elect who have died before Christ's second advent.
Next steps:
This is my paraphrase for the final assignment in the Paraphrase course. God has used this course as a means of much-undeserved grace. Through this course, I have been taught how to rightly handle the word of truth ( 2 Timothy 2:15 ) using this amazing Bible study method. In short, this course has revolutionized the way I read and study the Bible. Everything from making observations intuitively during a normal reading of the text, to unpacking different figures of speech while mining deep within the treasure-filled quarry of the Psalms has been effect by this course. By God's grace, He will continue to guide and direct me in His paths of righteousness. So, using the tools that Biblearc has equipped me with, I plan to mine into the heart of a New Testament book. I have not decided whether I will dive into one of the Gospels or one of the epistles. Wherever I end up I hope and pray that through my mining I shall grow in the knowledge of and love for the radiance of the glory of God who is the exact imprint of His nature (Hebrews 1:3); namely, His Son and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I hope to share what I have learned with my brothers and sisters in Christ through the leading of Bible studies, and the encouragement and exhortation of the Elect on Sunday mornings and throughout the week. Praise God for His magnanimous benevolence and love towards us, which is made manifest in the atoning blood of His Son, in the glorious and gracious gift of the indwelling of His Spirit, and the merciful present of His Holy Word. May we all be able to testify, along with the Apostle Paul, that, "we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit ( 2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV)." "Soli DEO Gloria!" Daylan Nussbaum
Comments
Matthew Carver
Matthew Carver
Matthew Carver
Matthew Carver
Matthew Carver
Matthew Carver
Matthew Carver
Matthew Carver
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