1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Chapter 4
13
The Coming of the Lord
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who are already asleep, so that you do not grieve like those who have no hope.14
Since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died.
15
By the same word of the Lord, we declare this: those of us who are alive at His coming will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16
When the archangel’s voice commands, the Lord himself will descend from heaven, and the sound of the divine trumpet will be heard. Then those who have died in the Lord will rise first;
17
as for us who are still alive, we will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And we will be with the Lord forever.
18
Therefore, comfort each other with these words.
Commentaries
The Coming of the Lord.
This brief passage on the theme of the coming of the Lord is perhaps the most essential part of the letter. He has been announcing it in the previous chapters, and now he clarifies and responds. The entire Gospel that Paul preaches is filled with the urgent expectation of the Lord’s coming. Instead of focusing on specific days or years, the Apostle consistently refers to the transforming energy of “Christian hope,” which creates an attitude of anticipation, steadfastness, and vigilance, as if the Lord could come at any moment.