The Return of the Lord

Paul says the Thessalonians must not grieve hopelessly over those who have died, because Jesus died and rose again, and therefore God will also bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. He adds, by the word of the Lord, that believers still alive at His coming will not go ahead of the dead.

B¹³rothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope. ¹⁴For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. ¹⁵By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep.

Paul describes the Lord descending from heaven with commanding glory, the dead in Christ rising first, and then the living being caught up together with them to meet the Lord and remain with Him forever. On that basis, he tells the church to encourage one another with these words.

¹⁶For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. ¹⁷After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. ¹⁸Therefore encourage one another with these words.