1 Thessalonians Chapter 4 Verses 13 – 14

•These two verses are ultra-important in terms of properly interpreting the rest of this chapter! Check it, Paul is very He says that God will bring WITH Him those who sleep in Jesus, and we’ll hold onto that and come back but first I want to address this word that Paul has now used twice to speak of the dead. He has used the word, “sleep.”

•There are some out there that teach as doctrine something called “soul sleep.” This idea is that when a person dies that his soul “sleeps” until the time of the future resurrection. Not popularly taught or held to in Christianity but groups like the Seventh Day Adventists and the Jehovah’s Witnesses, for the most part, hold to this doctrine. Here’s the issue though. It’s not biblical and therefore it is incorrect doctrine.

•When you die, you do not sleep. This word is used metaphorically as a synonym for death but it does not mean that folks are sawing logs in their coffins. Let’s see what the Bible actually says so that we will know what is correct.

•First of all, let’s look at death in general. No matter the state of the soul, saved or unsaved. John Chapter 11 Verses 11 – 14. (Read John 11:11-14) Clearly here Jesus uses the word “sleep” metaphorically, as a synonym of death. Also, take a look at 1 Corinthians Chapter 15 verses 20 – 21. Again here we see that the idea of sleep is used synonymously with death. Again though, the thought that folks are unconscious, actually in some state of sleep is not correct doctrine.

•Turn over to 2 Corinthians 5:8. Paul speaking to the church as we transition to the state of the church at the moment of death. Look at what he says here. (Read 2 Cor 5:8) To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Well at what moment does that happen? After your soul sleeps in the grave until the rapture or resurrection? Turn over to Luke 23:43. “And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”” When? Today. And so the correct doctrine for the believer, what the Bible actually says, what is actually true, is that for the believer, the moment you breathe your last breath on this earth, your eyes open in the presence of Jesus. You are with Him! Pretty awesome, huh? What amazing comfort and hope!

•But what about the unbeliever? The one who did not place their faith in the hands of Jesus the Savior of all men? The one who did not invite the Holy Spirit to indwell them and make them a new creation? Turn over to Luke Chapter 16 and look with me at verses 19 – 26. This is a revelational First, completing the mission that brought us here, notice that both men died…one is taken to a place called Abraham’s Bay. I’ll come back to that in one moment but that is the person who is saved. The other man is taken to Hades which is in more modern nomenclature, hell.

•Notice it says, “The rich man also died and was buried…and being in torments in hell…” See that? So is there soul sleep for the unsaved dead? Is there purgatory? Is there a finality, and end? Annialation? For the unsaved, while the body lay in the grave buried, the soul is immediately in hell.

•Ever heard someone say, “May he/she rest in peace?” Well here is the thing. Whether a person is saved or unsaved, that phrase is unbiblical and not correct. There is no rest in the graves. The only rest there is, is the rest that is spoken of in Jesus and that rest is a rest from sin…a rest and release from all that is wrong and decayed and degraded…, “Rest in peace” is a lie…the fact is…when one dies, in that very nano-second they either are with Jesus or in torment. (Soul Sleep is debunked!)

•Now this scripture set does bring us to a great transition point to move on to the rest of the Chapter…because back in 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul says that those that have died in Jesus, will come back with Now you must understand, Abraham’s Bay today is an empty compartment of Hades. We know that because back in Luke the man in torment was where? In Hades and yet he is able to see and speak to Lazurus…why? Well, Jesus had not yet obliterated sin on the cross. Jesus had not yet paid the price for mankind’s sin and so saved or unsaved, no one yet had any way to get into heaven because the payment had not yet been paid. Jesus is the key. Jesus is the door. Jesus is the only Way, Truth and Life and the only name under heaven qualified to unlock heaven to us…

•And so the saints of old were held in a compartment of Hades called “Paradise” (“Today you will be with Me in Paradise”) and then once Jesus dies on the cross, the Bible says in Ephesians 4:9 that Jesus, before He ascended, first descended into the lower parts of the earth. Where was He going? What was He doing? He was going to Abraham’s Bay to proclaim the Gospel! And to walk those there into the presence of the Father…Ephesians 4:8 says, “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive!” And so that compartment of Hades today is empty…today, as Paul wrote, (which was after the cross and the resurrection and the ascension) today, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord and where is the Lord today? At the right hand of the Father!

•And so that part of Hades, Paradise as the Bible calls it, a place of comfort in the very bosom of Abraham, the friend of God, is empty today…but the Hades of torment unfortunately is not…and yet soon enough, that portion will be empty as well. Let’s move on in our study now that we have a solid sound-doctrine biblical foundation laid…

1 Thessalonians Chapter 4 Verses 15 – 18

•Are these verses talking about the rapture or the resurrection? The answer is…YES! You see we get things a little mixed up when we say the rapture and the resurrection because the rapture is a single event but the resurrection actually happens in what I will call various “stages” beginning when? 2,000 years ago with Jesus…let me explain.

•First, the rapture. Here Paul says that the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of an arch angel and with the trumpet of God…understand these are not three different things. In the Greek literally this says that the Lord will descend with a commanding cry, a heavenly sounding tone proclaimed with the trumpet of God! And what will that announcement be? Turn over to Revelation 4…(v1-2)

•“Come up here!” And Paul says back in 1 Thessalonians 4 that those who are alive and remain shall be caught up…that word in the Greek is harpazo, in the Latin, rapturo and it means to be snatched away, to be claimed…and in that moment Paul says we will meet Jesus where He has descended to…in the clouds. But He’s not alone…let’s talk resurrection…

•Paul says that the living will by no means precede the dead, see that? He says the dead in Christ will rise first…but examine that word “rise” in the Greek and you will find that Paul uses the word, “anistemi” which literally means to stand or to cause to appear or to bring forward! This is intensely important because remember back in the first part of our study what Paul wrote?

•He wrote, verse 14, “Even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus!” See that? So what’s happening? What’s the scene? Those that are dead in Christ are not sleeping in their graves…they have preceded those alive and are with Jesus and so they appear first, they stand with Jesus first and then those who are alive and remain join them and Him in the air at the rapture! Lays flat for me!

•Are the graves of those dead in Christ empty now? I’m not sure but we do know there is a bodily resurrection for those in Christ and this could be that moment but know this, its not the body in the grave that is taken to heaven becuase no earthly flesh inherits the kingdom of heaven. 1 Corinthians 15:50 says that. BUT, remember when they ran to the tomb of Jesus on that third day…what did they find in there? NO body! The angels said that Jesus had risen, remember?

•And then as Jesus began to appear to folks, remember what happened? Well first Mary didn’t recognize Him and then the two walking along the way to Emmaus didn’t recognize Him and as He is appearing and revealing Himself, he is also walking through walls and vanishing and cool stuff like that! Remember? Turn over to Luke 24 and read with me verses 13 – 31. See that? He’s there, in bodily form, yet they don’t recognize Him and then He just vanishes. What’s going on here?

•Paul, answer that for us. Turn over to 1 Cor 15: 35 – 54. You see when we are raised, we are new. Changed. Prepared for the heavenlies! And so the grave is empty but the body is changed. And so resurrection (not THE resurrection, but resurrection) begins and began with Jesus…continues with believers and where does it end? Well the first one ends here. Turn over to Revelation Chapter 20 verses 4 and 5. Here is the end of the resurrection unto eternal life…the resurrection into heaven. (This is only the Tribulation Saints because the church as it is at that moment is complete in Jesus at the rapture and we see that the elect are with Jesus in heaven by Matthew 24:29-31 as Jesus says gather the elect from the four corners of HEAVEN) And by these verses (Rev 20), we know there is a second resurrection. But what is that? The resurrection unto condemnation.

•Daniel 12:2. Those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake. Some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. John 5:28-29. The hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth. Those who have done good to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation.

•You see, actually the Bible calls the second resurrection, the second death. Why? Well, because in God’s eyes…there is only one death now…Jesus killed earthly death on the cross. He beat it. He destroyed it. He took away its power and what we find in the Bible is that although all die, all live…but some live on alive and some die again into eternal condemnation. This is fact. Revelation 20:15…anyone not found written in the Book of life was cast into the lake of fire. And that is the second death!

•You see it all began, consists, exists and ends with the One who beat death for all mankind. It’s all Jesus, man. Before Him, before the cross, all we had was filthy rags but because of His invitation through His blood, he dresses us (heavenly perfect bodies) for heaven and if you’re not dressed right, you’re out and it’s your choice! Matthew 22:1-14. Which forever will you choose?