I wanted to work through 1 Thessalonians for a couple reasons. One reason is that it opens a great big bay window onto the attitudes of leaders and the sort of expectations they should have for those they serve. The first three chapters display so much thankfulness and affection for the believers from Paul and his missionary team. Their ministry was to people (not to pad apostolic stat sheets) and they realized that their commendation depended on the people doing well. Loving the church like a mother and father, they desired growth and maturity and stability of faith for all the believers. The Thessalonians were doing great and had room to grow.

Paul’s prayer for them in 3:11-13 condensed all his longing for their progress. He desired that their love increase and abound more and more into a blameless holiness. It’s part of walking worthy of God who called them into His kingdom and glory (2:12). Now that we reach 4:1 Paul turns to give more specific instructions for how to do that.

Another reason I wanted to work through this epistle is in order to trace the strands of Jesus’ coming. His parousia (Greek) or adventus (Latin) could be anytime. As we’re in a season that disciplines us to remember His first advent, our anticipation for His second advent should be bright. The paragraphs of 4:13-18 and 5:1-11 are entire sections concerning His coming, as have so many sentences in the letter already.

I have preached a ten part series multiple times on 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 alone. Besides, there are a baker’s dozen books in the Left Behind series. That isn’t to say that we should get our eschatology from those novels, but to say that there is a lot to say about what happens in 4:13-18. In between, in verses 9-12, imagine the number of messages that could be given with a Kuyperian understanding of work in the world in light of being taken out of the world. But by God’s grace, we’ll get what we can out of seeing them next to each together.

There are four paragraphs in chapter four. Verses 1-2 are a general exhortation to Christians to walk on, to make progress in maturity. Then Paul makes three specific exhortations. Verses 3-8 urge a sanctified sex life. Verses 9-12 urge mutual love and diligent work. And verses 13-18 urge us to encourage one another that Jesus is coming. Or: be holy, work hard, give hope.

Walk On (verses 1-2)

Paul transitions to exhortations in light of previously given instructions and Timothy’s report.

Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 4:1–2)

Finally doesn’t always mean that the last amen is coming quickly. It could be translated, “Now,” or “Further” with a move into exhortation. Paul’s tone is earnest but not domineering, we ask and urge while also appreciating their progress, just as you are doing.

The aim was to walk and to please God and, while they were walking down the right road already, they could walk and please Him more and more. This can always be said, but Paul has some specific steps in mind in light of what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. Three reminders/clarifications follow.

Be Holy (verses 3-8)

Verse 3 begins a specific application and therefore can be understood as a new section. But the verse starts with “for” so it should also be understood as a further explanation of a walk that pleases God. Believers must learn a sanctified sex 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 Thessalonians 4:3–8)

There are a half-dozen explicit statements in the New Testament revealing God’s will and here is one of them. What does God want for your life? You may not know exactly what job He wants you to take, what college He wants you to attend, or what spouse He wants you to marry. But you can know for certain that He wants your sanctification. What pleases Him, what He purposes for us (see verse 7) is increasing separation from sin and increasing consecration to Him.

Sanctification is a comprehensive process, not like cleaning three rooms of your life by throwing all the junk into the other two rooms. Even so Paul focuses sanctification on the purity of relationships. Did Timothy report that they were having issues? Or, since Paul was in Corinth, did he see the problems of pagan sexuality all around him and offer a preventative word? Regardless, he defines sanctification in this context: that you abstain from sexual immorality.

Sexual immorality is the word porneias, a word that covers it all: adultery, fornication, prostitution, pornography, incest, homosexuality. The battle plan is to fight by fleeing, abstain but an even better translation would be “keep away, be distant, avoid contact.” I could abstain from smoking even in Denny’s in 1990. But I avoid rattlesnake pits altogether. Joseph wasn’t raptured, but ran so fast from Potiphar’s wife that his clothes were left behind.

Purity is a physical and emotional and theological issue. While there are different ideas about what Paul means in verse 4, I believe that the most likely view is to see this as a call to everyone, man and woman, married and unmarried, to be disciplined in body for sake of holiness and honor regardless of what shame your unbelieving friends throw at you. They live in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God. Their passions control them because their affections aren’t for God. They’re in love with “love” and Taylor Swift and physical pleasure because that’s what their gods are like, that’s the best they know. Christians are to be counter-cultural.

Lack of purity in heart leads to lack of purity in parts and that leads one to transgress and wrong his brother. If she’s married, she isn’t yours. If she isn’t married, she still isn’t yours. She belongs to her spouse or her future spouse. You steal what doesn’t belong to you and mess with someone else’s property. That’s trespassing and trespassers will be prosecuted. The Lord is [the] avenger in all these things. The Lord wants and even empowers our holiness. He called us to it and gives his Holy Spirit. Don’t disregard Him on how clear He’s been about His will. Be holy. Pursue sanctification. Avoid sexual immorality.

Work Hard (verses 9-12)

It could appear as if there were a couple separate issues in these verses, but probably they belong together.

Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and 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 Thessalonians 4:9–12)

Now concerning suggests that Timothy reported this specific question. But did they wonder “Should we love the brothers?” when he says they were obviously doing that already? Or might they have asked, “We love the brothers, but what exactly does it look like during the work week?”

On one hand, they were already loving. Their love was taught by God Himself. He directly instructed and motivated their affections. Their love was also extensive, extending to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But something could be better. So, we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and… The more and more led to the particular of sexual purity in the previous paragraph. Here more and more leads to a particular way to work.

There are three parts to a workstyle of brotherly love: to aspire to live quietly—not irritating, to mind your own affairs—not interfering, and to work with your hands—not inactive. In other words, don’t poke others in the eye, or stick your nose into their business, or sit on your thumbs. To love brothers we need to not expect them to support us, nor should we take our idle time to meddle in all their stuff. Those Christians stuck on Facebook and blog comments might do well to apply this counsel.

[N]othing is more unseemly than a man that is idle and good for nothing, who profits neither himself nor others, and seems born only to eat and drink. (John Calvin)

The effects are to walk properly before the unbelieving world (“with the respect of outsiders” NIV) and to be independent. “Paul was telling the Thessalonians to be less frantic, not less exuberant” (Constable, quoted in Hiebert).

Give Hope (verses 13-18)

We can obey this passage and be more hopeful even if we don’t understand exactly how it all goes up.

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, 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. 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. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18)

In this paragraph eschatology is not a question it is an answer. More than an answer, eschatology is for encouragement. It should be comfort at gravesides and funeral homes (Green) more than curriculum in seminary classrooms. And this comforting counsel is not for professionals to use, it is for everyone to use in order to encourage each other. The will of God is for us to know about and talk about and look forward to the rapture.

The issue was that somehow the Thessalonians came to believe that those believers who died, those who are asleep—a reference to the temporary state of the body, not the soul—would not see or participate in Christ’s return. The believers who were still alive were grieving like heathen about it.

Unbelievers have no real hope for their dead. Christians do. We believe (credimus in Latin) that Jesus died and rose again. That’s our basic gospel confession. Every good argument Christians have starts with this premise. And even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. Physical death does not keep any Christian from physical resurrection. They won’t even be at a disadvantage.

We who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. This doesn’t mean that Paul was wrong because he died before the Lord’s return, but it does mean that he expected an imminent, anytime advent. When the Lord returns like this, a generation of believers will be alive to see it. Every generation of the church has this hope. Augustine said, “The last day is hidden, that every day may be regarded.”

Look at the dramatic nature of this event: the Lord himself will descend from heaven with the cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. There’s no mention of anything that needs to happen before this. It happens next on the eschatological timeline. This advent could happen anytime.

When it happens it will be quick: the dead in Christ will rise first. They will not be left behind or left out. 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. Will planes crash when Christian pilots are ejected from their seats? I remember watching “A Thief in the Night” and other 80s rapture movies during Sunday evening services when I was growing up. Is that what we should envision about the end times? Does believing in the rapture warrant the mockery that so many Evangelicals dish out?

The focal point here in verse 17 is caught up, a word that means “taken suddenly” or “snatched away.” Every major English translation uses “caught up” (except for the Good News Bible, “gathered up”). The Latin translation is rapiemur with the noun form raptus from which we get our English word rapture. So, according to Paul, we will be caught up, we will be raptured at some point in the future. After what? To what place? What happens next? None of those are explained in verse 17, but verse 17 does teach a rapture of some kind.

The encouragement comes because we will always be with the Lord. This is very similar to the encouragement Jesus gave His disciples in John 14:2-3 when He promised to come and to take them to a place He’s prepared for them (in His Father’s house in heaven) in order that they would be together with Him.

The application is built-in: Therefore encourage one another with these words. It wasn’t Paul, or even the leaders, doing the work, but one another. They know enough not to be discouraged about the state of their sleeping loved ones. No one would miss out on being with the Lord.

Here are a few more thoughts. First, this rapture has not happened yet. Whatever you think about Revelation and tribulation and AD 70 and the millennial kingdom, the dead and living in Christ have not yet been caught up in the air to meet Jesus. If that has happened, then all of us are in big trouble. This rapture is future.

Second, this rapture is imminent. Paul anticipated it could happen suddenly at any moment, anytime. As in 1 Corinthians 15:52, it will happen in a twinkling of an eye, and because he says “we who are alive,” he figures he could be alive for it. “Had this not been the Thessalonians’ outlook, their question regarding the dead in Christ and exclusion from the parousia would have been meaningless” (Robert Thomas). This rapture is at hand.

Third, this rapture is encouraging. That’s the reason Paul talks about it. And actually, if he expected believers to go through a great tribulation before this event, then wouldn’t it have been better to encourage the Thessalonians that their loved ones not only wouldn’t miss out on Christ’s triumph, but they would miss out on the worst persecution? It would be better to be dead. This would have been a great time for such an argument if it were true. But this rapture is good news for every believer.

Additionally, while it is possible that we would go out to meet Christ in the air and then come right back down to earth, when do we get to go to those rooms in heaven He’s prepared? If we go up into the clouds, get glorified (1 Corinthians 15:50-53), then immediately return to earth, aren’t we missing other parts of the eschatological plan? Where are the bowls, the broken seals, and the angels of judgment?

Conclusion

We’ll learn more about the future in the beginning of chapter five with more reason to encourage one another (see verse 11). For now we ought to be more and more pure, more and more loving by being diligent, and more and more encouraging to one another in light of the end times. We have an imminent, immediate need for more holiness, more love, more work, and more hope.

How great is chapter four?! It tells us how we can honor our brothers, win respect from outsiders, encourage one another, and all as we do the will of God!

Are you concerned to walk and please God more and more? Are you concerned to live in honor regarding purity of affections and relationships? Are you concerned to live and work in such a way that unbelievers take note? Are you concerned to anticipate the anytime advent in patience and hope? Are you making room for some understanding of rapture? We are not like those who have no hope, and ought not to be like those who have no holiness.