1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God… The apostle justifies his statement by a fuller revelation of the truth. He sets forth the order of events. I. THE DESCENT OF THE LORD FROM HEAVEN. "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God." 1. It will be a descent of our personal Lord. "No phantom, no providential substitute, no vicarious spirit;" the same Person that ascended is he that will descend 2. It will be a descent with awe-inspiring accompaniments. (1) "With a signal shout" by the Lord himself, which will be taken up and prolonged by (2) "the voice of the archangel;" for he is to come, "bringing with him all the holy angels" (Matthew 25:31); and (3) "the trump of God," for "the trumpet shall sound" (1 Corinthians 15:52), and "he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet" (Matthew 24:31). It is God's trumpet because employed in his heavenly service. It will be the sound of a literal trumpet, like that which was heard upon Sinai (Exodus 19:16, 19). These various sounds are to herald the descent of the Lord, and to gather the elect together from the four winds of heaven. II. THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD SAINTS. "And the dead in Christ shall rise first." There is no allusion to the resurrection of the wicked. The apostle is concerned at present with the destinies and glories of a single class. So far from the sainted dead being overlooked, the priority of resurrection is to belong to them. III. THE CHANGE OF THE LIVING SAINTS. This wonderful transformation is here rather implied than asserted. "For we shall not all die, but we shall be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:51). IV. THE SIMULTANEOUS ASSUMPTION OF BOTH CLASSES OF SAINTS. "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air." 1. As one united band, the saints, in spiritualized bodies, will be caught up in clouds - those "clouds which are his chariot" - just as he himself ascended "in a cloud," and "a cloud received him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9). The new bodies of believers will be able to pass with ease through the air. 2. The saints will then "meet the Lord in the air - not in heaven as he leaves it, nor in earth as he approaches it, but between heaven and earth. The apostle does not say whether they will at once descend to earth and return with him to heaven. He is silent upon the question of the judgment or the entry into final glory. V. THE PERPETUAL RESIDENCE OF THE SAINTS WITH THE LORD. And so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1. It will be a meeting without a parting. The intercourse begun will have an endless duration. Believers shall "go no more out." 2. It implies an intimate fellowship with the Lord. 3. It will be the fulfillment of our Lord's prayer: "That they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory" (John 17:24). VI. THE CONSOLATORY INFLUENCE OF ALL THESE TRUTHS. "Wherefore comfort one another with these words." Chase away your sorrow; the dead are not lost or forgotten; they shall share in the glories of the advent. There was surely deep and lasting consolation in such truths. - T.C. Parallel Verses KJV: 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: |
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