Important study today, we will go verse by verse and get the LORD’s word and not trust in man’s thoughts. 1Thessalonians 4 and verse 1 reads.
1Thes.4:1] Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.
We walk in the “Way” of Jesus Christ, the Word. Let’s go to Psalms and begin with 25:4-5 and it reads.
Psa.25:4] Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.
[5] Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
Now let’s go to Psalms 128:1-2 and it reads.
Psa.128:1] Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways.
[2] For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
When we walk in his ways, we are blessed. Notice he is the God of our salvation, that’s Jesus Christ, the Living Word. Stay in his word and you will be blessed. Back to 1Thes.4 and verse 2 reads.
1Thes.4:2] For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.
[3] For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
This fornication can be both of the flesh (which is being implied here) or of the spirit in which case are idols. In a minute we will move into spiritual.
1Thes.4:4] That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
[5] Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:
Keeping ourselves clean and presentable unto the Lord.
1Thes.4:6] That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.
He will avenge all his children, even from his children. Repent to your brothers for sins you have done, and forgive your brothers who sinned against you.
1Thes.4:7] For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
Keeping your reputation clean is important to God.
1Thes.4:8] He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.
If your reputation is bad, they don’t despise you but the LORD, for the Holy Spirit is within us.
1Thes.4:9] But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
A simple commandment we received from Jesus. Mat.22:36-40 reads.
Mat.22:36] Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
[37] Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
[38] This is the first and great commandment.
[39] And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
[40] On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Simple but neglected by most. Back to 1Thes.4 and verse 10 reads.
1Thes.4:10] And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;
[11] And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
[12] That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.
Be a doer for the Lord and he will bless you in all the works you do for him. That completes the flesh and now we begin with the spiritual. Notice how Jesus spoke of the spiritual first, Mat.22:36-38, and of the flesh from Mat.22:39-40. From here on is very important to understand my work on “Debunking the Rapture Theory”. What we will be talking about from here on is where are the dead.
1Thes.4:13] 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.
Don’t be ignorant (unlearned) concerning those that have died. Don’t grieve for those you have lost as the heathen do. We know in Ecc.12:6-7 it reads.
Ecc.12:6] Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
In other words when we die.
Ecc.12:7] Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
The flesh goes back to the earth from whence it came and the spirit back to the Father from whence he gave. We have “Two Bodies”. Back to 1Thes.4 and verse 14 reads.
1Thes.4:14] For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
Notice he said brings with him, that army that God is putting together right now in heaven will be with Jesus when he returns. These are those that died in Jesus, believing in him. These are our family members that have died before his coming. This is why we should not be sad like the heathen, we know they live.
1Thes.4:15] 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.
We which are here at the seventh trump can’t prevent (precede) that means go before them, why? They have already died and are with the Lord.
1Thes.4:16] 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:
Talking about at the seventh trump, the last trump. Satan is already here at the sixth trump. But what it is saying is they that have died already are with him and are risen already. That’s why we can’t precede them, they are already there, first. Now pay close attention to what is being said.
1Thes.4:17] 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.
This never mentioned being “Raptured”, on the contrary this just said the opposite. We that are alive and in the flesh at the seventh trump will be changed into our spiritual body immediately when Jesus returns. Now, let’s look at two words used here, first clouds. Paul spoke colloquial Greek (street Greek). Have you ever heard of a cloud of locust or a cloud of black birds. This simply means a group of people. For an example Paul wrote in Heb.12:1.
Heb.12:1] Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Now the second word we need to understand is this word “Air”. It means spiritual body. So, what it should have read is “Those of us left in these end times at the last trump, will all be caught up together in our spiritual bodies to our Lord Jesus Christ.” Back to 1Thes.4 and verse 18 reads.
1Thes.4:18] Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Comfort each other knowing this simple truth, Satan comes at the sixth trump and Jesus Christ comes at the seventh trump. How can that be a comfort? Knowledge of the truth will not let us worship the antichrist, instead we will stand against him and the Holy Spirit will speak through us when we are delivered up to him. Thus, making us God’s Elect. No greater comfort than being on the right side when the True Christ returns. Let’s go to his throne.
Father, we thank you for your word and ask that you bless all that love you in Jesus’s precious name, Amen.
KJV along with The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of The Bible