< 1 Thessalonians 4 >

The apostle gave the disciples the commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ v.2Waiting for response for 1 Thessalonians 4:2 and exhorted them to keep these and to abound more and more in their walk to please God.v.1Waiting for response for 1 Thessalonians 4:1 We also, through the New Testament, are instructed by the apostle how we can please God, i.e. by keeping the commandments of his Son. We must be different from other “Gentiles which know not God” v.5Waiting for response for 1 Thessalonians 4:5 for God calls men and women unto holiness.v.7Waiting for response for 1 Thessalonians 4:7 God teaches us in the scriptures to love other disciples v.9Waiting for response for 1 Thessalonians 4:9 and there should be no limit to this love which should increase more and more.v.10Waiting for response for 1 Thessalonians 4:10

The first disciples anticipated that the Lord Jesus Christ would soon return to the earth, re-establish the kingdom of God, and give them eternal life. However, in fact, he would not return for a long time and the apostles therefore warned the disciples of this so they would not be discouraged by the apparent delay. The death of disciples before the return of Christ did not affect their eternal salvation but simply meant they would sleep v.14Waiting for response for 1 Thessalonians 4:14 and know nothing of the passage of time until the day appointed by God. Therefore Paul exhorted them not to sorrow over disciples who died as those who have no hope, because they would be raised from the dead at the return of Christ: “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”.v.16Waiting for response for 1 Thessalonians 4:16

Some disciples will be alive when Jesus returns, and these will not die but will be “snatched away” to be with him. The natural air is the atmosphere surrounding the earth, but its mention here does not refer to this literal air but to the ruling positions over the nations to be occupied by Jesus and his disciples. This is the great comfort that disciples of Jesus have in the face of death. While others are ignorant that death is oblivion in the grave and can only have false hopes of an afterlife, the disciples of Christ can be comforted that death is simply a sleep from which they will awake at his return. They will then be joined by those disciples still alive, and together they will be elevated to the political heavens as stars to reign with Jesus, Daniel 12:3Waiting for response for Daniel 12:3 the Sun of righteousness. Malachi 4:2Waiting for response for Malachi 4:2