IN CHRIST

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

The Hope of the Resurrection

13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.

15 We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words.


“… when the Lord returns…” there will be two distinct happenings for those who are in Christ. For believers who have died before the Lord’s return, they will be brought back. Those who died, anytime from eternity past to that present day, believing in Christ Jesus “… will rise from their graves.” This resurrection will occur prior to the second distinct happening.

For those still alive and in Christ, they “… will be caught up.” The theological term for this is the Rapture.

Those who are ‘caught up’ will join with those who are ‘brought back’ and “… meet the Lord in the air.” Together, all believers “… will be with the Lord forever.”

Come Lord Jesus! That will be a great day, if and only if, you are in Christ! Believe He is who the Word says He is … the Son of God … and you need not fear what will surely come.