1st Thessalonians Chapter 4
ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER.
THIS chapter, properly, comprises two parts:--first, various
practical exhortations, 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12; and, secondly, suggestions
designed to console those who had been bereaved, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
The first part embraces the following topics:--
(1.) an exhortation to increase and abound in the Christian virtues
which they had already manifested, 1 Thessalonians 4:1,2.
(2.) A particular exhortation on the subject of sanctification,
1 Thessalonians 4:3-8, in which two points are specified, probably as
illustrations of the general subject, and embracing those in regard to
which they were exposed to special danger. The first was fornication;
the other was fraud.
(3.) An exhortation to brotherly love, 1 Thessalonians 4:9,10.
(4.) An exhortation to quiet industry, and to honesty in their
dealings, particularly with those who were Christians, 1 Thessalonians 4:11,12.
The second part is designed to comfort the Thessalonians
who had been bereaved, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Some of their number had died.
They appear to have been beloved members of the church, and dear blends
of those to whom the apostle wrote. To console them he brings into view
the doctrine of the second coming of the Saviour, and the truth that
they would be raised up to live with him for ever. He reminds them that
those who had died were "asleep" --reposing in a gentle slumber, as
if they were to be awakened again, 1 Thessalonians 4:13; that they should not
sorrow as they did who have no hope, 1 Thessalonians 4:13; that if they believed
that Jesus died and rose again, they ought to believe that God would
raise up all those who sleep in Jesus, 1 Thessalonians 4:14; that in the last day
they would rise before the ]lying should be changed, and that the living
would not be taken up to heaven and leave their departed friends
in their graves, 1 Thessalonians 4:15,16; and that both the living and the dead
would be raised up to heaven, and would be for ever with the Lord,
1 Thessalonians 4:17. With this prospect, they had every ground of comfort which
they could desire, and they should sustain each other in their trials by
bright hope, 1 Thessalonians 4:18.
Verse 1. Furthermore then. \~to loipon\~. "As to what remains." That is,
all that remains is to offer these exhortations.
See Barnes "2 Corinthians 12:11"; See Barnes "Galatians 6:17";
See Barnes "Ephesians 6:10"; See Barnes "Philippians 4:8". The
phrase is a formula appropriate to the end of an argument or discourse.
We beseech you. Marg., request. The Greek is, "we ask you"--
\~erwtwmen\~. It is not as strong a word as that which follows.
And exhort you. Marg., beseech. This is the word which is
commonly used to denote earnest exhortation. The use of these words
here implies that Paul regarded the subject as of great importance.
He might have commanded them--but kind exhortation
usually accomplishes more than a command.
By the Lord Jesus. In his name, and by his authority.
That as ye have received of us. You were taught by us. Paul doubtless
had given them repeated instructions as to their duty as Christians.
How ye ought to walk. How ye ought to live. Life is often represented
as a journey, Romans 6:4; 8:1; 2 Corinthians 5:7; Galatians 6:16; Ephesians 4:1.
So ye would abound more and more. "That is, follow the directions
they had received more and more fully." Abbott.
{*} "Furthermore" "Finally"
{1} "beseech" "request"
{2} "exhort" "beseech"
{a} "walk" Colossians 1:10
{b} "abound" 1 Corinthians 6:15,18
Verse 2. For ye know what commandments. It was but a short time
Paul was with them, and they could not but recollect the rules of living
which he had laid down.
By the Lord Jesus. By the authority of the Lord Jesus. Some of those
rules, or commandments, the apostle refers to, probably, in the following
verses.
Verse 3. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification.
It is the will or command of God that you should be holy. This does not
refer to the purpose or decree of God, and does not mean that he
intended to make them holy; but it means that it was his command
that they should be holy. It was also true that it was agreeable
to the Divine will or purpose that they should be holy, and that he
meant to use such an influence as to secure this; but this is not
the truth taught here. This text, therefore, should not be brought
as a proof that God intends to make his people holy, or that they
are sanctified. It is a proof only that he requires holiness. The
word here rendered sanctification \~agiasmov\~ is not used in the
Greek classics, but is several times found in the New Testament.
It is rendered holiness, Romans 6:19,22; 1 Thessalonians 4:7; 1 Timothy 2:15;
Hebrews 12:14; and sanctification, 1 Corinthians 1:30; 1 Thessalonians 4:3,4;
2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2. See Barnes "Romans 6:19":
See Barnes "1 Corinthians 1:30". It means here purity of life, and particularly
abstinence from those vices which debase and degrade the soul.
Sanctification consists in two things,
(1.) in "ceasing to do evil;" and
(2.) in "learning to do well." Or in other words, the first work of
sanctification is in overcoming the propensities to evil in our nature,
and checking and subduing the unholy habits which we had formed
before we became Christians; the second part of the work consists
in cultivating the positive principles of holiness in the soul.
That ye should abstain from fornication. A vice which was freely
indulged among the heathen, and to which, from that fact, and from
their own former habits, they were particularly exposed. On the
fact that they were thus exposed, and on the reasons for these solemn
commands on the subject, See Barnes "Acts 15:20";
See Barnes "1 Corinthians 6:18".
{c} "ye should abstain" 1 Corinthians 6:15,18
Verse 4. That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel.
The word vessel here (\~skeuov\~) probably refers to the body. When it
is so used, it is either because the body is frail and feeble, like an
earthen vessel, easily broken 2 Corinthians 4:7, or because it is that which
contains the soul, or in which the soul is lodged. Lucret. Lib. iii.
441. The word vessel also, (Heb. \^HEBREW\^ Gr. \~skeuov\~,) was used
by the later Hebrews to denote a wife, as the vessel of her husband
Schcoettg. Hor. Heb. p. 827. Comp. Wetstein in loc. Many, as
Augustine, Wetstein, Scheettgen, Koppe, Robinson (Lex.), and
others, have supposed that this is the reference here. Comp.
1 Peter 3:7. The word body, however, accords more naturally
with the usual signification of the word, and as the apostle was
giving directions to the whole church, embracing both sexes, it is
hardly probable that he confined his direction to those who had
wives. It was the duty of females; and of the unmarried among
the males, as well as of married men, to observe this command.
The injunction then is, that we should preserve the body pure.
See Barnes "1 Corinthians 6:18-20".
In sanctification and honour. Should not debase or pollute it; that
is, that we should honour it as a noble work of God to be employed for
pure purposes. See Barnes "1 Corinthians 6:19".
Verse 5. Not in the lust of concupiscence. In gross gratifications.
Even as the Gentiles. This was, and is, a common vice among the
heathen. See Barnes "Acts 15:20"; See Barnes "Romans 1:29";
See Barnes "Ephesians 4:17", See Barnes "Ephesians 4:19" and the reports
of missionaries everywhere.
Which know not God. See Barnes "Romans 1:21",
See Barnes "Romans 1:28"; See Barnes "Ephesians 2:12".
{*} "concupiscence" "not given up to lustful passions"
{a} "Gentiles" Ephesians 4:17,18
Verse 6. That no man go beyond. \~uperbainein\~. This word means,
to make to go over, as, e.g., a wall or mountain; then,
to overpass, to wit, certain limits, to transgress; and then, to go
too far, i.e., to go beyond right--hence to cheat or defraud. It is not
used elsewhere in the New Testament. The idea of overreaching is that
which is implied in its use here.
And defraud \~pleonektein\~. Marg., oppress or overreach. This word
properly means, to have more than another; then to have an advantage;
and then to take advantage of any one, to circumvent, defraud, cheat.
It is rendered got an advantage, 2 Corinthians 2:11; defraud,
2 Corinthians 7:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:6; a gain, 2 Corinthians 12:17,18. Comp. for the use
of the adjective, 1 Corinthians 5:10,11; 6:10; Ephesians 5:5; and the noun,
Mark 7:22; Luke 12:15; Romans 1:29; 2 Corinthians 9:5; Ephesians 5:3; Colossians 3:5; 1 Thessalonians 2:5; 2 Peter 2:3,14.
It is the word commonly used to denote covetousness.
Taking advantage of, is the idea which it conveys here.
In any matter. Marg., or "the." According to the reading in the
margin, this would refer to the particular matter under discussion
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 to wit, concupiscence, and the meaning then would be,
that no one should be guilty of illicit intercourse with the wife of
another. --as Hammond, Whitby, Macknight, Rosenmuller, suppose that
this is a prohibition of adultery, and there can be no doubt that it does
include this. But there is no reason why it should be confined to it.
The Greek is so general that it may prohibit all kinds of fraud,
overreaching, or covetousness, and may refer to any
attempts to deprive another of his rights, whether it be the right
which he has in his property, or his rights as a husband, or his rights
in any other respect. It is a general command not to defraud; in
way to take advantage of another; in no way to deprive him of his
rights.
Because that the Lord is the avenger of all such. Of all such as
are guilty of fraud; that is, he will punish them. Comp.
See Barnes "Romans 12:19"; See Barnes "Ephesians 6:9".
As we have also forewarned. Doubtless, when he was with them.
{1} "defraud" "oppress" or "overreach"
{2} "any matter" "the"
Verse 7. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness. When he called
us to be his followers, it was not that we should lead lives of impurity,
but of holiness. We should, therefore, fulfil the purposes for which we
were called into his kingdom. The word uncleanness, (\~akayarsia\~) means,
properly, impurity, filth; and then, in a moral sense, pollution,
lewdness, as opposed to chastity, Romans 1:24; 6:19; 2 Corinthians 12:21; Galatians 5:19;
Ephesians 4:19; 5:3; Colossians 3:5.
{b} "unto holiness" Leviticus 11:44; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 1:14-16
Verse 8. He therefore that despiseth. Marg., rejected.
That is, he who disregards such commands as these, which call him to a
holy life, is really rejecting and disobeying God. Some might be disposed
to say that these were merely the precepts of man, and that therefore
it was not important whether they were obeyed or not. The apostle
assures them, in the most solemn manner, that though communicated to
them by man, yet they were really the commands of God.
Who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit. This is a claim to
inspiration. Paul did not give these commands as his own, but as
taught by the Spirit of God. Comp. See Barnes "1 Corinthians 7:40".
{3} "despiseth" "rejecteth"
Verse 9. But as touching brotherly love. The "peculiar charity and
affection which one Christian owes to another." Doddridge.
See Barnes "John 13:34".
Ye need not that I write unto you. That is, "as I have done on the
other points." They were so taught of God in regard to this duty, that
they did not need any special instruction.
For ye yourselves are taught of God. The word here rendered
"taught of God" \~yeodidaktoi\~ occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It
is correctly translated, and must refer here to some direct teaching of
God on their own hearts, for Paul speaks of their being so taught by him
as to need no special precepts in the case. He probably refers to that
influence exerted on them when they became Christians, by which they
were led to love all who bear the Divine image. He calls this being
"taught of God," not because it was of the nature of revelation or
inspiration, but because it was, in fact, the teaching of God in
this case, though it was secret and silent. God has many ways of teaching
men. The lessons which we learn from his Providence are a part of his
instructions. The same is true of the decisions of our own consciences,
and of the secret and silent influence of his Spirit on our hearts,
disposing us to love what is lovely, and to do what ought to be
done. In this manner all true Christians are taught to love those
who bear the image of their Saviour. They feel that they are brethren;
and such is their strong attachment to them, from the very
nature of religion, that they do not need any express command
of God to teach them to love them. It is one of the first--the
elementary effects of religion on the soul, to lead us to love "the
brethren;" and to do this is one of the evidences of piety about
which there need be no danger of deceptions. Comp. 1 John 3:14.
{c} "taught of God" John 15:12,17
Verse 10. And indeed ye do it. See Barnes "1 Thessalonians 1:7".
But we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more.
See Barnes "1 Thessalonians 3:12". Here, as elsewhere, the apostle makes the
fact that they deserved commendation for what they had done, a stimulant
to arouse them to still higher attainments. Bloomfield.
Verse 11. And that ye study to be quiet. Orderly, peaceful; living
in the practice of the calm virtues of life. The duty to which he would
exhort them was that of being subordinate to the laws; of avoiding
all tumult and disorder; of calmly pursuing their regular avocations,
and of keeping themselves from all the assemblages of the idle, the
restless, and the dissatisfied. No Christian should be engaged in
a mob; none should be identified with the popular excitements
which lead to disorder and to the disregard of the laws. The word
rendered "ye study" (\~filotimeomai\~,) means, properly, to love honour,
to be ambitious; and here means the same as when we say,
"to make it a point of honour to do so and so." Robinson,
Lex. It is to be regarded as a sacred duty; a thing in which our honour
is concerned. Every man should regard himself as disgraced who is
concerned in a mob.
And to do your own business. To attend to their own concerns,
without interfering with the affairs of others.
See Barnes "Philippians 2:4"; Comp. 2 Thessalonians 3:11; 1 Timothy 5:13; 1 Peter 4:15.
The injunction here is one of the beautiful precepts of Christianity so
well adapted to promote the good order and the happiness of society. It
would prevent the impertinent and unauthorized prying into the affairs of
others, to which many are so prone, and produce that careful attention
to what properly belongs to our calling in life, which leads to
thrift, order, and competence. Religion teaches no man to neglect his
business. It requires no one to give up an honest calling, and to be
idle. It asks no one to forsake a useful occupation unless he can
exchange it for one more useful. It demands, indeed, that we shall be
willing so far to suspend our ordinary labours as to observe the
sabbath; to maintain habits of devotion; to improve our minds and
hearts by the study of truth; to cultivate the social affections, and
to do good to others as we have an opportunity; but it makes no one
idle, and it countenances idleness in no one. A man who is habitually
idle can have very slender pretensions to piety. There is enough in
this world for every one to do, and the Saviour set such an example of
untiring industry in his vocation, as to give each one occasion to
doubt whether he be his true follower if he be not disposed to be
employed.
And to work with your own hands, as we commanded you. This command
is not referred to in the history, (Acts 17) but it is probable that
the apostle saw that many of those residing in Thessalonica were disposed
to spend their time in indolence, and hence insisted strongly on the
necessity of being engaged in some useful occupation. Comp.
Acts 17:21. Idleness is one of the great evils of the heathen world
in almost every country, and the parent of no small part of their
vices. The effect of religion everywhere is to make men industrious; and
every man, who is able, should feel himself under sacred obligation to
be employed. God made man to work, (Comp. Genesis 2:15; 3:19,) and there
is no more benevolent arrangement of his government than this. No one who
has already enough for himself and family, but who can make
money to do good to others, has a right to retire from business and
to live in idleness, (Comp. Acts 20:34; Ephesians 4:28;) no one has
a right to live in such a relation as to be wholly dependent on others,
if he can support himself; and no one has a right to compel others
to labour for him, and to exact their unrequited toil, in order that he
may be supported in indolence and ease. The application of this
rule to all mankind would speedily put an end to slavery, and
would convert multitudes, even in the church, from useless to
useful men. If a man has no necessity to labour for himself and
family, he should regard it as an inestimable privilege to be
permitted to aid those who cannot work--the sick, the aged, the infirm.
If a man has no need to add to what he has for his own temporal comfort,
what a privilege it is for him to toil in promoting public improvements;
in founding colleges, libraries, hospitals, and asylums; and in sending
the gospel to those who are sunk in wretchedness and want! No man
understands fully the blessings which God has bestowed on him, if he has
hands to work and will not work.
{d} "to do your own business" 1 Peter 4:15
Verse 12. That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without.
Out of the church. Comp. See Barnes "Colossians 4:5". The word rendered
honestly, means becomingly, decorously, in a proper manner.
Romans 13:13; 1 Corinthians 14:40. It does not refer here to mere honesty in
the transaction of business, but to their general treatment
of those who were not professing Christians. They were to conduct
themselves towards them in all respects in a becoming manner--to be
honest with them; to be faithful to their engagements; to be kind
and courteous in their intercourse; to show respect where it was
due; and to endeavour, in every way, to do them good. There are
few precepts of religion more important than those which enjoin
upon Christians the duty of a proper treatment of those who are
not connected with the church.
And that ye may have lack of nothing. Marg., no man. The Greek
will bear either construction, but the translation in the text is
probably the correct one. The phrase is to be taken in connection not
merely with that which immediately precedes it--as if their walking
honestly towards those who were without, would preserve them from want--
but as meaning that their industrious and quiet habits; their patient
attention to their own business, and upright dealing with every
man would do it. They would, in this way, have a competence,
and would not be beholden to others. Learn hence, that it is the
duty of a Christian so to live as not to be dependent on others,
unless he is made so by events of divine Providence which he cannot
foresee or control. No man should be dependent on others as the
result of idle habits; of extravagance and improvidence; of the
neglect of his own business, and of intermeddling with that of others.
If by age, losses, infirmities, sickness, he be made dependent, he
cannot be blamed, and he should not repine at his lot. One of
the ways in which a Christian may always do good in society,
and honour his religion, is by quiet and patient industry, and by
showing that religion prompts to those habits of economy on which
the happiness of society so much depends.
{*} "honestly" "in a becoming manner"
{a} "honestly" Romans 13:13
{1} "lack of nothing" "no man"
Verse 13. But I would not have you to be ignorant. I would have you
fully informed on the important subject which is here referred to.
It is quite probable from this, that some erroneous views prevailed
among them in reference to the condition of those who were dead,
which tended to prevent their enjoying the full consolation which
they might otherwise have done. Of the prevalence of these views,
it is probable the apostle had been informed by Timothy on his
return from Thessalonica, 1 Thessalonians 3:6. What they were we are not
distinctly informed, and can only gather from the allusions which
Paul makes to them, or from the opposite doctrines which he states,
and which are evidently designed to correct those which prevailed
among them. From these statements, it would appear that they
supposed that those who had died, though they were true Christians,
would be deprived of some important advantages which those would
possess who should survive to the coming of the Lord. There seems
some reason to suppose, as Koppe conjectures, (comp. also Saurin,
Serra. vol. vi. 1,) that the cause of their grief was two-fold: one that
some among them doubted whether there would be any resurrection,
(comp. 1 Cor. xv. 12, ) and that they supposed that they who had died
were thus cut off from the hope of eternal happiness, so as to leave
their surviving friends to sorrow "as those who had no hope;" the
other, that some of them believed that, though those who were
dead would indeed rise again, yet it would be long after those who
were living when the Lord Jesus would return had been taken to
glory, and would always be in a condition inferior to them. See
Koppe, in loc. The effect of such opinions as these can be
readily imagined. It would be to deprive them of the consolation which
they might have had, and should have had, in the loss
of their pious friends. They would either mourn over them as
wholly cut off from hope, or would sorrow that they were to be
deprived of the highest privileges which could result from redemption.
It is not to be regarded as wonderful that such views should have
prevailed in Thessalonica. There were those even at Corinth who
wholly denied the doctrine of the resurrection, (1 Corinthians 15:12;) and
we are to remember that those to whom the apostle now wrote, had
been recently converted from heathenism; that they had enjoyed
his preaching but a short time; that they had few or no books on
the subject of religion; and that they were surrounded by those who
had no faith in the doctrine of the resurrection at all, and who were
doubtless able--as skeptical philosophers often are now--to urge
their objections to the doctrines in such a way as greatly to perplex
Christians. The apostle, therefore, felt the importance of
stating the exact truth on the subject, that they might not have
unnecessary sorrow, and that their unavoidable grief for their departed
friends might not be aggravated by painful apprehensions about their
future condition.
Concerning them which are asleep. It is evident from this that they
had been recently called to part with some dear and valued members of
their church. The word sleep is frequently applied in the New
Testament to the death of saints. For the reasons why it is,
See Barnes "John 11:11"; See Barnes "1 Corinthians 11:30"
See Barnes "1 Corinthians 15:51".
That ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. That is,
evidently, as the heathen who had no hope of future life. Comp.
See Barnes "Ephesians 2:12". Their sorrow was caused not only by the
fact that their friends were removed from them by death, but from
the fact that they had no evidence that their souls were immortal;
or that, if they still lived, that they were happy; or that their bodies
would rise again. Hence, when they buried them, they buried
their hopes in the grave; and so far as they had any evidence, they
were never to see them again. Their grief at parting was not
mitigated by the belief that the soul was now happy, or by the
prospect of again being with them in a better world. It was on
this account, in part, that the heathens indulged in expressions of
such excessive grief. When their friends died, they hired men to
play in a mournful manner on a pipe or trumpet, or women to howl
and lament in a dismal manner. They beat their breasts; uttered
loud shrieks; rent their garments; tore off their hair; cast dust on
their heads, or sat down in ashes. It is not improbable that some
among the Thessalonians, on the death of their pious friends, kept
up these expressions of excessive sorrow. To prevent this, and to
mitigate their sorrow, the apostle refers them to the bright hopes
which Christianity had revealed, and points them to the future
glorious re-union with the departed pious dead. Learn hence,
(1.) that the world without religion is destitute of hope. It is just as
true of the heathen world now as it was of the ancient pagans, that they
have no hope of a future state. They have no evidence that there
is any such future state of blessedness; and without such evidence
there can be no hope. Comp. See Barnes "Ephesians 2:12".
(2.) That the excessive sorrow of the children of this world, when they
lose a friend is not to be wondered at. They bury their bones in the
grave. They part, for all that they know or believe, with such a
friend for ever. The wife, the son, the daughter, they consign to
silence--to decay --to dust, not expecting to meet them again. They
look forward to no glorious resurrection, when that body shall rise,
and when they shall be re-united to part no more. It is no wonder that
they weep--for who would not weep when he believes that he parts with
his friends for ever?
(3.) It is only the hope of future blessedness that can mitigate this
sorrow. Religion reveals a brighter world --a world where all the pious
shall be reunited; where the bonds of love shall be made stronger than
they were here; where they shall never be severed again. It is only this
hope that can soothe the pains of grief at parting; only when we can
look forward to a better world, and feel that we shall see them again--
love them again --love them for ever, that our tears are made dry.
(4.) The Christian, therefore, when he loses a Christian friend, should
not sorrow as others do. He will feel, indeed, as keenly as they do,
the loss of their society; the absence of their well known faces; the
want of the sweet voice of friendship and love; for religion does not
blunt the sensibility of the soul, or make the heart unfeeling. Jesus
wept at the grave of Lazarus; and religion does not prevent the warm
gushing expressions of sorrow when God comes into a family and removes
a friend. But this sorrow should not be like that of the world. It
should not be
(a.) such as arises from the feeling that there is to be no future union;
(b.) it should not be accompanied with repining or complaining;
(c.) it should not be excessive, or beyond that which God designs that
we should feel. It should be calm, submissive, patient; it should be
that which is connected with steady confidence in God; and it
should be mitigated by the hope of a future glorious union in heaven.
The eye of the weeper should look up through his tears to God. The
heart of the sufferer should acquiesce in him, even in the unsearchable
mysteries of his dealings, and feel that all is right.
(5.) It is a sad thing to die without hope--so to die as to have no
hope for ourselves, and to leave none to our surviving friends that we
are happy. Such is the condition of the whole heathen world; and such
the state of those who die in Christian lands, who have no evidence
that their peace is made with God. As I love my friends, my father, my
mother, my wife, my children, I would not have them go forth and weep
over my grave as those who have no hope in my death. I would have their
sorrow for my departure alleviated by the belief that my soul is happy
with my God, even when they commit my cold clay to the dust; and were
there no other reason for being a Christian, this would be worth all
the effort which it requires to become one. It would demonstrate the
unspeakable value of religion, that my living friends may go forth to
my grave, and be comforted in their sorrows with the assurance that
my soul is already in glory, and that my body will rise again! No
eulogium for talents, accomplishments, or learning; no paens of praise
for eloquence, beauty, or martial deeds; no remembrances of wealth and
worldly greatness, would then so meet the desires which my heart
cherishes, as to have them enabled, when standing around my open grave,
to sing the song which only Christians can sing:--
Unveil thy bosom, faithful tomb,
Take this new treasure to thy trust;
And give these sacred relics room
To seek a slumber in the dust.
Nor pain, nor grief, nor anxious fear
Invade thy bounds. No mortal woes
Can reach the peaceful sleeper here,
While angels watch the soft repose.
So Jesus slept: God's dying Son
Pass'd thro' the grave, and bless'd the bed
Rest here, bless saint, till from his throne;
The morning break, and pierce the shade.
Break from his throne, illustrious morn:
Attend, O Earth, his sovereign word;
Restore thy trust--a glorious form--
Call'd to ascend, and meet the Lord.
//WATTS//.
Verse 14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again. That
is, if we believe this, we ought also to believe that those who have
died in the faith of Jesus will be raised from the dead. The meaning is
not that the fact of the resurrection depends on our believing that
Jesus rose, but that the death and resurrection of the Saviour were
connected with the resurrection of the saints: that the one followed
from the other, and that the one was as certain as the other. The
doctrine of the resurrection of the saints so certainly follows from
that of the resurrection of Christ, that, if the one is believed, the
other ought to be also. See Barnes "1 Corinthians 15:12-14".
Which sleep in Jesus. A most beautiful expression. It is not merely
that they have calm repose--like a gentle slumber--in the hope of awaking
again, but that this is "in Jesus"--or "through" (\~dia\~) him; that
is, his death and resurrection are the cause of their quiet and calm
repose. They do not "sleep" in heathenism, or in infidelity, or in the
gloom of atheism--but in the blessed hope which Jesus has imparted.
They lie, as he did, in the tomb--free from pain and sorrow, and with
the certainty of being raised up again.
They sleep in Jesus and are bless'd,
How kind their slumbers are;
From sufferings and from sin released,
And freed from every snare.
When, therefore; we think of the death of saints, let us think of
what Jesus was in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. Such is the
sleep of our pious friends now in the grave; such will be our own
when we die.
Will God bring with him. This does not mean that God will bring them
with him from heaven when the Saviour comes--though it will be true
that their spirits will descend with the Saviour; but it means that he
will bring them from their graves, and will conduct them with him to
glory, to be with him. Comp. See Barnes "John 14:3". The declaration,
as it seems to me, is designed to teach the general truth, that the
redeemed are so united with Christ, that they shall share the same
destiny as he does. As the head was raised, so will all the members be.
As God brought Christ from the grave, so will he bring them; that is,
his resurrection made it certain that they would rise. It is a great and
universal truth that God will bring all from their graves who "sleep
in Jesus;" or that they shall all rise. The apostle does not,
therefore, refer so much to the time when this would occur--meaning
that it would happen when the Lord Jesus should return--as to the
fact that there was an established connection between him and his
people, which made it certain that if they died united with him by
faith, they would be as certainly brought from the grave as he was.
If, however, it means, as Prof. Bush (Anastasis, pp. 266, 267)
supposes, that they will be brought with him from heaven, or will
accompany him down, it does not prove that there must have been
a previous resurrection, for the full force of the language would be
met by the supposition that their spirits had ascended to heaven.
and would be brought with him to be united to their bodies when
raised. If this be the correct interpretation, then there is probably
an allusion to such passages as the following, representing the
coming of the Lord accompanied by his saints. "The Lord my
God shall come, and all the saints with thee," Zechariah 14:6.
"And Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying,
Behold, the Lord cometh, with ten thousand of his saints,"
Jude 1:14. "Who," says Pres. Dwight, (Serra. 164,) "are those whom
God will bring with him at this time? Certainly not the bodies of
his saints .... The only answer is, he will bring with him "the spirits
of just men made perfect."
{a} "even so" 1 Corinthians 15:20
Verse 15. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord. By the
command, or inspired teaching of the Lord. Prof. Bush (Anastasis,
p. 265) supposes that the apostle here alludes to what the Saviour
says in Matthew 24:30,31. "And they shall see the Son of man
coming in the clouds of heaven." etc. It is possible that Paul may
have designed a general allusion to all that the Lord had said about
his coming, but there cannot have been an exclusive reference to
that passage, for in what he says here there are several circumstances
mentioned to which the Saviour in Matthew does not allude. The
probability, therefore, is, that Paul means that the Lord Jesus
had made a special communication to him on the subject.
That we which are alive. See this fully explained
See Barnes " 15:51". From this expression, it would seem, that
some of the Thessalonians supposed that Paul meant to teach that he
himself, and many of the living, would survive until the coming of the
Lord Jesus, and, of course, that that event was near at hand.
That this was not his meaning, however, he is at special pains to
show in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-10.
And remain unto the coming of the Lord. Those Christians who shall
then be alive.
Shall not prevent them which are asleep. Shall not precede;
anticipate; go before. The word prevent with us is now commonly used
in the sense of hinder, but this is never its meaning in the
Scriptures. The word, in the time of the translators of the Bible, was
used in its primitive and proper sense (proevenio,) meaning to precede,
or anticipate. Job 3:12, "Why did the knees prevent me?" That is,
why did they anticipate me, so that I did not perish. Psalms 79:8,
"Let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us;" that is, go before
us in danger. Psalms 119:147, "I prevented the dawning of the
morning, and cried ;" that is, I anticipated it, or I prayed
before the morning dawned. Matthew 17:26, "Jesus prevented
him, saying;" that is, Jesus anticipated him; he commenced speaking
before Peter had told him what he had said. Comp. Psalms 17:13; 59:10
Psalms 88:13; 95:2; 2 Samuel 22:6,19; Job 30:27; 41:11. The meaning here is,
that they who would be alive at the coming of the Lord Jesus, would not
be 'changed' and received up into glory before those who were in there
graves were raised up. The object seems to be to correct an opinion
which prevailed among the Thessalonians that they who should survive to
the coming of the Lord Jesus would have great advantages over those who
had died. What they supposed those advantages would be--whether the
privilege of seeing him come, or that they would be raised to higher
honours in heaven, or that they who had died would not rise at all, does
not appear, nor is the origin of this sentiment known. It is clear,
however, that it was producing an increase of their sorrow on the death
of their pious friends, and hence it was very important to correct the
error. The apostle, therefore, states that no such disadvantage could
follow, for the matter of fact was, that the dead would rise first.
{*} "asleep" "go up before them which are asleep"
Verse 16. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven.
See Barnes "Acts 1:11".
With a shout. The word here used (\~keleusma\~) does not elsewhere
occur in the New Testament. It properly means a cry of excitement,
or of urging on; an outcry, clamour, or shout, as of sailors at the oar,
Luc. Catapl. 19; of soldiers rushing to battle, Thuc. iii. 14; of a
multitude of people, Diod. Sic. iii. 15; of a huntsman to his aogs, Xen.
Ven. vi. 20. It does not mean here, that the Lord would himself make
such a shout, but that he would be attended with it; that is, with a
multitude who would lift up the voice, like that of an army rushing to
the conflict.
With the voice of the archangel. The word archangel occurs
nowhere else in the New Testament, except in Jude 1:9, where it is
applied to Michael. It properly means a chief angel; one who is first,
or who is over others \~arcwn\~. The word is not found in the
Septuagint; and the only archangel, therefore, which is named in the
Scriptures, is Michael, Jude 1:9 Comp. Revelation 12:7.
Seven angels, however, are referred to in the Scriptures as having
an eminence above others, and these are commonly regarded as
archangels, Revelation 8:2. "And I saw the seven angels which stood before
God." One of these is supposed to be referred to in the Book of Tobit,
xii. 15, "I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels, which present the
prayers of the saints, and which go in and out before the glory of the
Holy One." The names of three only of the seven are mentioned in the
Jewish writings: Michael, the patron of the Jewish nation,
Daniel 10:13,21; 12:1. Gabriel, Daniel 8:16; 9:21 comp. Luke 1:19,26.
Raphael, Tobit iii. 17; v. 4; viii. 2; ix. 1, 5; xii. 15. The Book of
Enoch adds that of Uriel, pp. 187, 190, 191, 193. Michael is mentioned
as one "of the chief princes," Daniel 10:13; and as "the great prince,"
Daniel 12:1. Comp. See Barnes " :", and see an article by
Prof. Stuart in the Bibliotheca Sacra, No. x on Angelology. It seems
evident from the Scriptures, that there is one or more among the angels
to whom the name archangel properly belongs. This view is in accordance
with the doctrine in the Scriptures that the heavenly beings are
divided into ranks and orders, for if so, it is not unreasonable to
suppose that there should be one or more to whom the most exalted rank
appertains. Comp. Revelation 12:7. Whether there is more than one to whom
this name appropriately belongs, it is impossible now to determine, and
is not material. The word here (in Greek) is without the article, and
the phrase might be rendered, "with the voice of an archangel." The
Syriac renders it, "with the voice of the prince of the angels." On an
occasion so august and momentous as that of the coming of the final
Judge of all mankind, the resurrection of the dead, and the solemn
transactions before the tribunal of the Son of God, deciding the destiny
of countless millions for ever, it will not be inappropriate that the
highest among the heavenly hosts should be present, and take an
important part in the solemnities of the day. It is not quite certain
what is meant here by the "the voice of the archangel," or for what
purpose that voice will be heard. It cannot be that it will be to raise
the dead--for that will be by the "voice of the Son of God,"
(John 5:28,29;) and it seems most probable that the meaning is, that
this will be a part of the loud shout or cry which will be made by the
descending hosts ore,yen; or perhaps it may be for the purpose of
summoning the world to the bar of judgment. Comp. Matthew 24:31.
And with the trump of God. The trump which God appoints to be
sounded on that solemn occasion. It does not mean that it will be
sounded by God himself. See Barnes "Matthew 24:31".
And the dead in Christ. Christians.
Shall rise first. That is, before the living shall be changed.
A doctrine similar to this was held by the Jews. "Resch Lachisch said,
Those who die in the land of Israel, shall rise first in the days of
the Messiah." See Wetstein, in loc. It is implied in all this
description, that the interval between their resurrection and the
change which will occur to the living, will be brief, or that the
one will rapidly succeed the other. See Barnes " :".
{a} "the Lord himself" Matthew 24:30,31
{b} "first" Revelation 20:5,6
Verse 17. Then we which are alive. Those who shall then be alive.
See 1 Thessalonians 4:16. The word here rendered then, (\~epeita\~) does not
necessarily mean that this would occur immediately. It properly
marks succession in time, and means afterwards, next, next in
the order of events, Luke 16:7; Galatians 1:21; James 4:14. There may
be a considerable interval between the resurrection of the pious
and the time when the living shall be caught up to meet the Lord,
for the change is to take place in them which will fit them to
ascend with those who have been raised. The meaning is, that
after the dead are raised, or the next thing in order, they and
the living will ascend to meet the Lord. The proper meaning of the
word, however, denotes a succession so close as to exclude the idea
of a long interval in which other important transactions would
occur, such an interval, for example, as would be involved in a long
personal reign of the Redeemer on earth. The word demands this
interpretation--that the next thing in order, after the resurrection
of the righteous, will be their being caught up with the living, with
an appropriate change, into the air--though, as has been remarked,
it will admit of the supposition of such a brief, momentary interval
(\~en atomw, en riph ofyalmou,\~ 1 Corinthians 15:51,52) as shall be necessary
to prepare for it.
Shall be caught up. The word here used implies that there will be
the application of external force or power by which this will be done.
It will not be by any power of ascending which they will themselves
have; or by any tendency of their raised or changed bodies to ascend of
their own accord, or even by any effort of their own will, but by
a power applied to them which will cause them to rise. Compare the use
of the word \~arpazw\~ in Matthew 11:12, "the violent take it by
force;" Matthew 13:19, "then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth
away;" John 6:15, "that they would come and take him by force;"
John 10:12, "the wolf catcheth them;" Acts 8:39, "the Spirit
of the Lord caught away Philip;" 2 Corinthians 12:2, "such an one
caught up to the third heaven." Also, John 10:28,29;
Acts 23:10; Jude 1:23; Revelation 12:5. The verb does not elsewhere occur in
the New Testament. In all these instances there is the idea of either
foreign force or violence, effecting that which is done. What force or
power is to be applied in causing the living and the dead to ascend, is
not expressed. Whether it is to be by the ministry of angels, or by the
direct power of the Son of God, is not intimated, though the latter
seems to be most probable. The word should not be construed, however, as
implying that there will be any reluctance on the part of the saints to
appear before the Saviour, but merely with reference to the physical
fact that power will be necessary to elevate them to meet him in the
air. Will their bodies then be such that they will have the power of
locomotion at will from place to place?
In the clouds. Gr., "in clouds" \~en nefelaiv\~--without the article. This
may mean "in clouds ;" that is, in such numbers, and in such
grouping as to resemble clouds. So it is rendered by Macknight,
Koppe, Rosenmuller, Bush (Anastasis, 266,) and others. The absence of
the article here would rather seem to demand this interpretation. Still,
however, the other interpretation may be true, that it means that they
will be caught up into the region of the clouds, or to the clouds which
shall accompany the Lord Jesus on his return to our world,
Matthew 24:30; 26:64; Mark 13:26; 14:62; Revelation 1:7. Comp. Daniel 7:13. In
whichever sense it is understood, the expression is one of great
sublimity, and the scene will be immensely grand. Some doctrine of this
kind was held by the ancient Jews. Thus Rabbi Nathan (Midras Tillin,
xlviii. 13) says, "What has been done before will be done again,
As he led the Israelites from Egypt in the clouds of heaven, so
will he do to them in the future time."
To meet the Lord in the air. In the regions of the atmosphere
-above the earth. It would seem from this, that the Lord Jesus,
in his coming, would not descend to the earth, but would remain
at a distance from it in the air, where the great transactions of the
judgment will occur. It is, indeed, nowhere said that the trans-
actions of the judgment will occur upon the earth. The world
would not be spacious enough to contain all the assembled living
and dead, and hence the throne of judgment will be fixed in the
ample space above it.
And so shall we ever be with the Lord. This does not mean that they
will always remain with him in the air--for their final home will be
heaven--and after the trial they will accompany him to the realms of
glory. Matthew 25:34, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the
kingdom," etc. The time during which they will remain with him "in the
air," is nowhere mentioned in the Bible. It will be as long as will be
necessary for the purposes of judging a world, and deciding the eternal
doom of every individual "according to the deeds done in the body."
There is no reason to suppose that this will be accomplished in a
single day of twenty-four hours; but it is impossible to form any
conjecture of the period which will be occupied.
{c} "in the clouds" Revelation 11:12
{d} "ever be" John 14:3
Verse 18. Wherefore comfort one another. Marg., exhort. The word
comfort probably best expresses the meaning. They were to bring
these glorious truths and these bright prospects before their minds,
in order to alleviate the sorrows of bereavement. The topics of
consolation are these: first, that those who had died in the faith
would not always lie in the grave; second, that when they rose
they would not occupy an inferior condition because they were
cut off before the coming of the Lord; and third, that all Christians,
living and dead, would be received to heaven and dwell for ever with the
Lord.
With these words. That is, with these truths.
{1} "comfort" "exhort"
REMARKS.
1. This passage (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) contains a truth which is to be
found in no heathen classic writer, and nowhere else, except in the
teachings of the New Testament. For the elevated and glorious
view which it gives of future scenes pertaining to our world, and
for all its inestimable consolations, we are wholly indebted to the
Christian religion, Reason unassisted by revelation, never dared
to conjecture that such scenes would occur; if it had, it would have
had no arguments on which the conjecture could be supported.
2. The death of the Christian is a calm and gentle slumber,
1 Thessalonians 4:13. It is not annihilation; it is not the extinction of hope.
It is like gentle repose when we lie down at night, and when we hope
to awake again in the morning; it is like the quiet, sweet slumber
of the infant: Why, then, should the Christian be afraid to die?
Is he afraid to close his eyes in slumber? Why dread the night--
the stillness of death? Is he afraid of the darkness, the silence,
the chilliness of the midnight hour, when his senses are locked int
repose? Why should death to him appear so terrible?
Is the slumbering of an infant an object of terror?
3. There are magnificent scenes before us. There is no description
anywhere which is more sublime than that in the close of this
chapter. Great events are brought together here, any one of which
is more grand than all the pomp of courts, and all the sublimity of
battle, and all the grandeur of a triumphal civic procession. The
glory of the descending Judge of all mankind; the attending retinue
of angels, and of the spirits of the dead; the loud shout of the
descending host; the clangour of the archangel's trumpet; the bursting
of graves and the coming forth of the millions there entombed;
the rapid, sudden, glorious change on the millions of living men; the
consternation of the wicked; the ascent of the innumerable host
to the regions of the air; and the solemn process of the judgment
there--what has ever occurred like these events in this world? And
how strange it is that the thoughts of men are not turned away from
the trifles--the show--the shadow--the glitter--the empty pageantry
here--to these bright and glorious realities!
4. In those scenes we shall all be personally interested. If we do
not survive till they occur, yet we shall have an important part to
act in them. We shall hear the archangel's trump; we shall be
summoned before the descending Judge. In these scenes we shall
mingle not as careless spectators, but as those whose eternal doom,
is there to be determined, and with all the intensity of emotion derived
from the fact that the Son of God will descend to judge us, and to
pronounce our final doom! Can we be too much concerned to be
prepared for the solemnities of that day?
5. We have, in the passage before us, an interesting view of the
order in which these great events will occur. There will be
(1.) the descent of the Judge with the attending hosts of heaven;
(2.) the raising up of the righteous dead;
(3.) the change which the living will undergo, 1 Corinthians 15:52;
(4.) the ascent to meet the Lord in the air; and
(5.) the return with him to glory. What place in this series of wonders
will be assigned for the resurrection of the wicked, is not mentioned
here. The object of the apostle did not lead him to advert to that,
since his propose was to comfort the afflicted by the assurance that
their pious friends would rise again, and would suffer no disadvantage
by the fact that they had died before the coming of the Redeemer. From
John 5:28,29: however, it seems most probable that they will be
raised at the same time with the righteous, and will ascend with them to
the place of judgment in the air.
{Typist's note: Barnes assumes a GENERAL judgment. Others believe that
the Christian, whose eternal destination has already been determined,
will be judged at THE BEMA seat with regard to REWARDS. The WICKED
will not be raised until the end of the Millenial Reign and will be
judged at THE GREAT WHITE THRONE judgment.}
6. There is no intimation here of a "personal reign" of Christ
upon the earth. Indeed, there is no evidence that he will return
to the earth at all. All that appears is, that he will descend "from
heaven" to the regions of "the air," and there will summon the
living and the dead to his bar. But there is no intimation that he
will set up a visible kingdom then on earth, to continue a thousand:
or more years; that the Jews will be re-collected in their own land
that a magnificent city or temple will be built there; or that
saints will hover in the air, or reign personally with the Lord Jesus
over the nations. There are two considerations in view of this
passage, which, to my mind, are conclusive proof that all this is
romance--splendid and magnificent indeed as an Arabian but wholly
unknown to the apostle Paul. The one is, that if this were to occur,
it is inconceivable that there should have been no allusion to it here.
It would have been such a magnificent conception of the design of the
Second Advent, that it could not have failed to have been adverted to in
a description like this. The other consideration is, that such a view
would have been exactly in point to meet the object of the apostle here.
What could have been more appropriate in comforting the Thessalonian
Christians respecting those who had died in the faith, than to describe
the gorgeous scenes of the "personal reign" of Christ, and the important
part which the risen saints were to play in that great drama!
How can it be accounted for that the apostle did not advert to it?
Would a believer in the "personal reign" now be likely to omit so
material a point, in a description of the scenes which are to occur
at the Second Advent?"
7. The saints will be for ever with the Lord. They will dwell with him
in his own eternal home, John 14:3. This expression comprises the
sum of all their anticipated felicity and glory. To be with Christ will
be, in itself, the perfection of bliss; for it will be a security that
they will sin no more, that they will suffer no more, and that they will
be shielded from danger and death. They will have realized the object of
their long, fond desire---that of seeing their Saviour; they will have
suffered the last pang, encountered the last temptation, and escaped for
ever from the dominion of death. What a glorious prospect is this!
Assuredly we should be willing to endure pain, privation, and contempt
here for the brief period of our earthly pilgrimage, if we may come at
last to a world of eternal rest. What trifles are all earthly sorrows
compared with the glories of an endless life with our God and
Saviour!
8. It is possible that even the prospect of the judgment-day
should be a source of consolation, 1 Thessalonians 4:18. To most men it is
justly an object of dread--for all that they have to fear is
concentrated on the issues of that day. But why should a Christian fear
it? In the descending Judge he will hail his Redeemer and Friend; and
just in proportion as he has true religion here, will be the certainty
of his acquittal there. Nay, his feelings in anticipation of the
judgment may be more than the mere absence of fear and alarm.
it may be to him the source of positive joy. It will be the day
of his deliverance from death and the grave. It will confirm to
him all his long-cherished hopes. It will put the seal of approbation on
his life spent in endeavouring to do the will of God. It will reunite
him to his dear friends who have died in the Lord. It will admit him to
a full and glorious view of that Saviour whom "having not seen he has
loved;" and it will make him the companion of angels and of God. If
there be anything, therefore, which ought to cheer and sustain our
hearts in the sorrows and bereavements of this life, it is the
anticipation of the glorious scenes connected with the Second Advent of
our Lord, and the prospect of standing before him clothed in the robes
of salvation, surrounded by all those whom we have loved who have died
in the faith, and with the innumerable company of the redeemed of all
ages and lands.
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