1 Thessalonians 4

When Jesus Christ comes

1 the Thessalonians

Ian Mackervoy

A word list is at the end. It explains words with a *star by them.

Chapter 4

How you ought to live 4:1-8

v1 Brothers and sisters, you learned from us how you should live in order to please God. This is, of course, how you have been living. Now we ask you and urge you, in the name of the *Lord Jesus, to do even more. v2 Because you know the instructions that we gave you. We had them from the *Lord Jesus.

v3 God wants you to be holy. You must not have sex with anyone other than your own wife or husband. v4 Each of you should know how to rule your own body in a holy and right way. v5 It must not be with strong and *sinful desire, like those who do not know God. v6 None of you should do wrong to other Christians or take advantage of them in these things. We have told you this before. And we warned you that the *Lord will punish those who do so. v7 God does not want us to live in a dirty way, but to become holy. v8 So then, if you refuse this teaching you turn away, not from mere *humans, but from God. But it is God who gives you his Holy Spirit.

Verse 1 This verse starts the final section of the letter. The writers had taught the Thessalonians how they ought to live as Christians. They should always live to please God. It is natural for us to want to please those whom we love. Therefore, Christians, who love God, should want to serve and obey him.

Paul always gives praise where it is due. He recognises that they have been doing what was right. They were trying to live as Paul, Silas and Timothy had taught them.

The writers now ask and urge them to continue and to do more to please God. To ask is a gentle and friendly request. But to urge is more than a request. It is not quite a command. But it does demand that they do what it asks. In making this request, they do it in the name of the *Lord Jesus. They claim the authority of the *Lord as they ask and urge. They are doing this as the agents of the *Lord.

Verse 2 The writers remind them about what they had taught while they were there with them. What they are writing now is not new. The Christians at Thessalonica had received instructions on how to live to please God.

Paul, Silas and Timothy gave them the instructions that they had from the *Lord Jesus. They spoke with the authority that the *Lord Jesus gave them. They taught them the *Lord’s commands.

Verse 3 God wants Christians to be holy. It is God’s purpose for Christians that they should be holy, as he is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). As soon as a person believes in the *Lord Jesus, he or she belongs to God. Then they should do what he wants. That is what being holy means. That person should now live for God. A process has begun in which the new life that God gives replaces the old manner of life. Christians should be changing in this process to become what God wants them to be.

God wants Christians to be holy, which includes the proper use of sex. Sex is a gift of God for the blessing of a man and a woman in marriage. They must not have sex with anyone other than their own wife or husband. All acts of sex, outside of marriage, are *sin.

The writers had said about the Thessalonians that they did live good lives. But, in the society in which they lived, they would be tempted to have wrong sex. It could well be that some in that church had been guilty of these *sins.

Verse 4 In this verse, ‘to rule your own body’ means to control the desire for sex. The use of the body in sex is right only between husband and wife. Even then, it must be an act of love and with the agreement of the other person. This is because a husband and wife must show respect for each other. This is the holy and right use of sex. All other acts of sex are wrong.

Christians should know that they and their bodies belong to the *Lord. The Holy Spirit lives in the bodies of those who believe in God (1 Corinthians 6:19). Wrong sex does not give respect to the body and it is *sin against God.

Verse 5 The *Lord is the owner of the body and Christians must not use it for their own desires. Many of those who do not know God have sex to satisfy what they want. In those days, as now, wrong sex was common among those who did not trust in God.

Verse 6 All wrong sex is *sin. Having sex with the wife of another Christian is worse than bad. Such *sins are a crime against all that is holy and against all that is Christian.

To have sex other than with your own wife or husband is not only a *sin against God. It causes real damage to those who do it and to other people. To those who love God such affairs are disgusting.

The *Lord will punish all who do these things. This may well result in problems and pain in this life. But it is more likely that this is for the future time. The *Lord Jesus will one day test all who are his. And, in that day, he will punish all who do these *sins (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Paul and his friends had warned them about these things. Now again they are writing about the same subject. It seems that there may have been some in that church who had wrong relationships. They had to *repent and stop doing these bad things.

Verse 7 God chooses men and women to be his own. As they believe the good news about Jesus, they become his people. God chooses them to be holy and to live for him. He does not want them to do these dirty things. Doing wrong things such as having bad sex is like being dirty. Doing right is like being clean. God wants them to be clean in how they live.

Verse 8 God called them to be holy. And he gave the standards by which they should live. Paul, Silas and Timothy had taught them what God required. It was not Paul’s own thoughts or ideas. If any of them did have wrong sex, they were denying those who taught them. But, of more importance, they had denied God. They had not obeyed his rules.

God gives his Holy Spirit to be in each Christian. The body of each *believer is a house in which the Holy Spirit lives (1 Corinthians 6:19). They must keep that house pure and holy for him. Wrong sex makes that house dirty and offends God.

God gives us his Holy Spirit to help us to become holy and to please him.

How you should love each other 4:9-12

v9 We do not need to write to you about love for each other. God himself has taught you how you should love each other. v10 And it is a fact that you do love all the Christians in all of *Macedonia. But we urge you, our brothers and sisters, to do this even more. v11 As we have already told you, you should really try hard to live a quiet life. You should work with your hands as we told you. v12 In this way, you will earn the respect of those who are not Christians. You will not have to depend on anyone.

Verse 9 They were aware of the duty that they have to love each other. They are brothers and sisters in the family of God. So there really was no need to write to them about it.

It is the teaching of God that they should love each other. This does not refer just one part of the *Scripture. But it is a common subject in both the *Old Testament and the *New Testament. The *Lord Jesus said, ‘I give you a new command. Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another’ (John 13:34).

The love that Jesus had for his friends shows the kind of love that they should have for each other.

The Holy Spirit sends the love of God into Christians (Romans 5:5). So, he teaches them to love God and to love each other.

Verse 10 These Christians at Thessalonica did love God and they loved each other. They were already doing what the *Lord had taught them. They loved all the Christians in *Macedonia that they met. They knew that all Christians are in the family of God. If you love the parent, you must also love the child (1 John 5:1). As they loved God, so they loved the children of God. The fame of their love had spread through the whole region.

As good as their love was, it could improve. The example of Christ’s love was so much greater than their love. Paul and his friends urged them to love more. It was possible for them to show still greater love for the *Lord and for other people.

Verse 11 They lived in difficult times. They had to suffer much from the people who did not believe in Christ. It would have been natural to be angry and to fight back. But that was not how a Christian should act. They should remain calm. It should be their ambition to have a quiet life. They should try to live at peace with all people. They should not be involved in the affairs of other people. But they should mind their own affairs.

There were some among them that were lazy. They did not work to keep themselves. They lived by the kindness of other Christians. Each one is responsible to provide for his or her needs. They are to earn their own living instead of asking the church to support them. If a person cannot work, then the church should try to help them.

Verse 12 Those who do not yet believe in Christ will see how Christians live. They will see the love that Christians have for each other. They will see how the Christians work and mind their own affairs. As Christians live like this, they will earn the respect of these people. Perhaps this will make people more ready to accept the good news about Jesus Christ. But if Christians do not love each other or are lazy, this will cause people to turn from the good news.

Those who live as they should will not need to depend on anyone else. Instead, they will be able to support those who really are in need. The church should try to help those who are not able to work for themselves. But those who can work should do so. They should do so for the support of themselves and those who depend on them.

About those who have died 4:13-18

v13 Brothers and sisters, we want you to know the truth about those who have died. You should not be sad, like those who have no hope. v14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again from the dead. So, we believe that God will bring back, with Jesus, the Christians who sleep in death. v15 The *Lord has told us something about those of us who are alive on the day that Jesus comes. We will not go first, before those who have died. v16 The *Lord himself will come down from heaven. There will be the shout of command, the voice of an *archangel, the sound of the *trumpet of God. Then those who have died believing in Christ will rise to life first. v17 After that, we who are living at that time will rise up from the earth. We shall join with them in the clouds and together we shall meet the *Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the *Lord. v18 So then, let us encourage one another with these words.

Verse 13 The Christians at Thessalonica knew that Jesus would come again one day. When he comes, all his people on the earth will go to be with him in heaven. But the Christians at Thessalonica were worried about those who had died before Jesus came back. They thought that they would not enjoy the same benefit on that day as those who are alive. The writers wanted to make sure that they knew the truth on this subject. Those who have died will have the same benefit from the return of Jesus as those who are still alive then.

The word that the writers used for ‘died’ is in the *Greek language ‘sleeping’. The death of those who believe in Jesus is like sleep. This sleep is not like normal sleep. They are alive with the *Lord Jesus in a different world. They have gone from their bodies and they have gone to be with him. Death for them is a sleep from which they will awake to new life. They will awake when Jesus comes. Then they will live in a different kind of body (see 1 Corinthians 15:35-49).

It is natural to be sad when someone that we love has died. They have gone from us. But Christians should not be sad as other people are. For other people, there is no hope of seeing the dead person again. Christians believe that death is not the end. Those who have died believing in Jesus have gone to be with him. They are in a better place than those that they have left behind. Those who are still alive will one day meet again with them. That will be when Jesus comes. This is the hope that Christians have. The word hope does not mean that there is a doubt. For Christians it is something that they are sure about. But it is in the future.

Verse 14 The writers do not call the death of Jesus sleep. When Christians die, they go to be with Jesus. When he died, he was alone. God punished him for all the *sins that we had done. So, Jesus died the death that all people deserved. Because of his real death for us, the death of Christians is the way to new life with him.

After he had paid the price for our *sins, Jesus came back to life again. Christians believe a basic fact. They believe that Jesus died and rose again from death to life. God raised Jesus from the dead. In the same way, he will also raise from the dead all those who have gone to be with Jesus. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:14, ‘God raised the *Lord and will also raise us by his power.’

That is why the Christians who sleep in death are now alive with Jesus. When Jesus comes, God will bring them back to join with those who are alive here on earth. They will be alive again in their physical bodies. Then all the Christians, whether dead or alive, will rise to be with Jesus.

Verse 15 Here is what the *Lord had said. We do not have a record of Jesus saying this in the *Gospels. He may have taught it to those who followed him. It may have been in some other reports of what the *Lord had said. However, we do have it here as a statement by the *Lord.

He spoke about those who are alive. This means those who are living at that time when Jesus will come again. The writers wrote as if they and the readers would be among those who would be alive then. But it is clear from Paul’s letters that he did not know when Jesus would return. Perhaps he hoped that it would be before he died. No one knows when it will be. But Jesus could come at any time. They taught the *believers to live as if Jesus would come soon and to be ready for him.

Those who are alive when Jesus comes will not go to heaven before those who have died. It is not just a question of time. Jesus told them that those who are alive would not have an advantage over those who sleep. They had been worried that those who had died would miss some of the benefits of the *Lord’s return. The answer to their question was that both the living and the dead would have the same blessing and at the same time. They will be there when the *Lord comes. They will take part in the *glory of that day.

Verse 16 The *Lord will come himself. He will not send an agent or an *angel to represent him. He will come down from heaven. He has been there since he went to be with God the Father. All the peoples of the world will see him as he returns to the earth (Revelation 1:7).

He will come with a shout of command. As he leaves heaven, he will call for the dead to rise. Those who have died believing in Jesus will come from heaven with him. God will raise them from the dead.

There will be the sound of an *archangel’s voice. This also is a signal for the dead to rise.

The word *archangel only comes here and in Jude verse 9. An *archangel is an *angel of a higher rank than the other *angels are. In the tradition of the *Jews there were seven of them. In Jude 1:9 the *archangel Michael fought with the devil.

With the *Lord’s command and the voice of the *archangel there will be the sound of a *trumpet. People used trumpets in *Old Testament times to announce that God was going to do something special. At this sound, all those who believe in Jesus will change. God will give them new bodies so that they can live with him and never die. This will all happen in less time than it takes an eye to shut and open (1 Corinthians 15:52).

Those who have died believing in Jesus will rise first. And God will change their bodies. Here is the answer to the worries of the Christians at Thessalonica. Those who have died will have an advantage over those who are alive. While absent from the earth they have been with Jesus. They will come back with him and be the first to rise again.

Verse 17 ‘We’ does not mean that Paul expected to be alive. It is those who are still alive then. He knew that the second coming of Jesus would not take place at once (2 Thessalonians 2:3). He probably hoped that he might see it. He wanted every one of them to live so as to be ready for Jesus to come.

When the *trumpet sounds, God will raise the dead. They will then be in a form that will never die. God will change those who are alive in the same way. This is to prepare them for their new life in heaven. Then God will seize all those who believe in Jesus. And he will take them up from the earth. The whole company of the Christians will meet in the clouds.

When Jesus left the earth, he went up in the clouds. The *angel then said that he would come in like manner, as they had seen him go (Acts 1:11). So, as Jesus comes with the clouds, the *believers will rise to meet him in those clouds. They will then go with Jesus and will be with him always.

The *Lord Jesus will come in the clouds. The text does not say whether he then comes to the earth or goes back to heaven for a time. If he comes to the earth, he will bring the *believers here with him. If he returns to heaven, they will go there to be with him.

The air is between earth where we are, and heaven where God is. Jesus will come down, and Christians will rise up.

Verse 18 This truth about the coming of Christ should comfort the Christians at Thessalonica about those who have died. They have a sure hope that they will meet again with them. God will raise the dead and the living together to be with the *Lord. It should encourage them to know that their future is safe with the *Lord. And so is the future of those who have gone before them. As they talk about the coming of the *Lord Jesus, it will comfort and encourage them.

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words)

Lord ~ a title for God, or Jesus, to show that he is over all people and things.
sinful ~ evil and wrong.
humans ~ people.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do; to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil; not to obey God.
repent ~ to change one’s mind and heart, to turn away from sin and turn to God. To turn one’s mind and heart away from sin is to repent.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do; to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil; not to obey God.
believers ~ Christians.
Macedonia ~ the northern part of present day Greece; see Achaia.
Achaia ~ the southern part of present day Greece, see Macedonia.
Scripture ~ the books of the Bible.'Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible; the holy things that the writers wrote before Christ’s birth.'New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus. It is about Jesus’ works and the things that he taught and about the church.
church ~ (1) all Christians; (2) members of a local group.
archangel ~ an angel of higher rank than other angels.
angel ~ a spirit person. God made angels to serve him and to take his messages.
trumpet ~ a musical instrument; it makes a sound when a person blows into it.
Greek ~ the language that Paul and his friends used to write this letter.
Gospels ~ the first four books of the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus. It is about Jesus’ works and the things that he taught and about the church.
church ~ (1) all Christians; (2) members of a local group.
glory ~ great honour and beauty.
angel ~ a spirit person. God made angels to serve him and to take his messages.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.