Biblical Research Studies Group-THE RAPTURE ACCORDING TO I THESSALONIANS

THE RAPTURE ACCORDING TO I THESSALONIANS

Biblical Research Society
Dr. David L. Cooper

In a talk which our Lord had with His disciples (John 14), the promise of His coming, which He makes, seems to be a definite reference to what we call the rapture of the saints; for He declared that He would come again and receive them, the disciples, to Himself. In this passage only the disciples are in view. In I Thessalonians, one of the earliest epistles in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul discusses the coming of Jesus for His saints, which event is spoken of as the rapture of the Church. The present study in regard to the rapture of the Church can not be carried out by taking proof texts out of their connection and building up a theory according to one's preconceptions. All important elements in the setting of each quotation should be studied carefully in order for us to see the truth in regard to any subject. We shall study at this time the doctrine of the rapture of the Church as it is set forth in I Thessalonians. There are three passages dealing with the coming of the Lord in this epistle. The first one is found in chapter 1:9, 10; the second, in chapter 3:11-13 the third is found in the section 4:13-5:11. I shall therefore discuss our theme under the following heads: (1) Christ delivers His saints from the wrath to come; (2) Christ comes with all His saints; and (3) Christs comes for His saints.

Christ Delivers His Saints From the Wrath to Come

"For they themselves report concerning us what manner of entering in we had unto you; and how ye turned unto God from idols, to serve a living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivereth us from the wrath to come (I Thess. 1:9,10).

From this verse we learn that the Thessalonian Christians had turned from idolatry "to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven." To serve the Lord and to wait vigilantly for the return of the Lord are very closely connected. The hope of the Lord's return gives motive power and direction to the life of the faithful child of God. If one is constantly keeping in mind the fact that the Lord is coming, and that He will take us to Himself to be with Him for ever and ever, he will be vigilantly occupied with His work and service. Throughout the New Testament the Lord's return is held up as an incentive to consecration and devotion. When the Lord returns, He will deliver us "from the wrath to come." The rendering of the American Standard Version, 1901 edition, is correct. Unfortunately the King James Version rendered this phrase as if the deliverance referred to were in the past. This translation is impossible in the light of the Greek text. The question arising on this occasion is, "What is the significance of the expression, 'the wrath to come'?"

This phrase was used by John the Baptist in his warning to the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to his baptism. John used it without explaining further what it meant. In other words, John assumed that his hearers had a proper understanding of his phraseology. From what source did they get a correct understanding of it? The answer is that the prophets of the Old Testament foretold the day of wrath and of judgment. They constantly spoke of "the day of Jehovah," "the great and terrible day of Jehovah" and "in that day." These terms were current coin with the religious folk of the day, which they understood. Moreover the prophets constantly spoke of a period of wrath. Isaiah, impersonating the Messiah, said that He would declare the year of Jehovah's favor and the day of vengeance of our God (Isa. 61:1-3). The period of grace is spoken of as if it were a year; the time of the wrath as if it were a day. By comparing related scriptures and studying each in its context, we learn that the day of wrath of God is a period of seven years. Since Isaiah spoke of the period of grace as a year, we are logical in concluding that a like ratio exists between the period of grace and that of wrath, which obtains between a year and a day. Again the same prophet spoke of the day of Jehovah in chapter 2:12-22. A glance at this passage shows that the prophet was talking about a period of judgment. In Isaiah, chapter 24:1-20, we have a graphic picture of the wreckage that will be wrought during the Tribulation. Zephaniah foretold the great and terrible day of Jehovah in chapters 1:14-2:3. A glance at the wording of this prophecy shows that Zephaniah was talking about a period of time during which everything in the world will be destroyed. That period is called a day of darkness and gloominess and a day of clouds and thick darkness. It will be also a period of warfare. Unparalleled will be the distress that will come upon the entire world at that time.

Joel and others of the Old Testament prophets spoke of this time of God's wrath. The psalmist also very frequently foretold this same period of vengeance. In view of these facts and of the further fact that John the Baptist did not explain what he meant by the expression "wrath to come," we may be certain that he was talking about this day of wrath when God's judgments will be poured out upon the world.

John the Baptist broke the silence of four hundred years of the inter-Biblical period by making the startling announcement that the time was fulfilled and that the kingdom of God had come to hand.

When John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees attending his baptismal services, he shouted:
"Ye offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of repentance; 9 and think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham" (Matt. 3:7-9).

John called upon the entire nation to repent, confess their sins, and be baptized. When he noted that there were Pharisees and Sadducees present, he knew that they were there to criticize and to spy out the situation. Knowing their dominant characteristics, he called them a brood of snakes. Moreover he asked them who had warned them to flee from the coming wrath. What did he mean by the term "the wrath to come"? Then in verses 10-12 he explained what he meant by the wrath to come.

"And even now the axe lieth at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you in water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear; he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire: 12 whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing-floor; and he will gather his wheat into the garner, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire" (Matt. 3:10-12).

Everyone should notice very carefully the imagery of verse 10, which is referring to a certain thing. Then he should also note that the imagery is changed in verse 11 and 12 and is different from which is described in verse 10.

In verse 10, John declared, "even now the axe lieth at the root of the trees: every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire." The imagery of this verse is that of a grove of fruit trees, some of which are bearing fruit, while others are barren. The time comes when the owner is ready to hew down the non-fruit-bearing tree. He brings his axe out to the grove and leaves it at the root of trees, ready to be taken up and used at the proper psychological moment. Since this was spoken by John the Baptist to the multitude, especially the religious leaders, the Sadducees and the Pharisees, we are driven to the conclusion that he was talking about God's judgment upon the Jewish nation of that generation, when the Lord's grove would largely be cut down. When we read this verse in the light of such passages as Matthew 22:1-14, we are brought to the conclusion that the Lord was talking about the stroke of wrath and judgment that would come upon the Jewish nation and that did come in the year A.D. 70, when the nation was overthrown, and myriads of Jews were slaughtered in that final catastrophe. Those who survived were scattered and sold as slaves in the slave markets of the world.

In verses 11 and 12, however, the imagery is entirely changed: "I indeed baptize you in water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire: 12 whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleans his threshing-floor; and he will gather his wheat into the garner but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire" (Matt. 3:11,12). According to this passage John declared that he was baptizing his converts in water unto repentance, and that one—who is none other than the Messiah—would come after him and would baptize them in the Holy Spirit and also in fire. Christ's baptizing certain ones in the Holy Spirit is undoubtedly a reference to the work of regeneration which Christ would perform for those who would accept Him—those of John's disciples, who would accept the Messiah. The baptism of fire is entirely different. It refers to their being banished from the presence of God into the outer darkness, of which our Lord spoke on various occasions. For instance, see Mark 9:38-49 and Revelation 20:11-15. Having thus thrown out this warning, John changed and introduced a different figure of speech, in verse 12: "… whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing-floor; and he will gather his wheat into the garner, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire" (Matt. 3:12). Christ baptizes in the Holy Spirit those who accept Him. He also, as we have already seen, baptizes those who reject Him, such as the scribes and the Pharisees, in fire. In order to enforce the lesson, John declared that Christ's fan is in His hand and that He will thoroughly cleanse His threshing-floor. What is the significance of the expression "thoroughly cleanse his threshing-floor"? John was speaking of Christ's cleansing the entire Jewish nation. It is highly probable that he had such passages in mind as the one from Micah 4:11,12: "And now many nations are assembled against thee, that say Let her be defiled, and let our eye see our desire upon Zion. 12 But they know not the thoughts of Jehovah, neither understand they his counsel; for he hath gathered them as the sheaves to the threshing-floor." According to this prediction, God will gather the nations of the world as sheaves into His threshing-floor, Palestine, at the end of the age. He will thresh these nations thoroughly and will cleanse His threshing-floor. Without doubt Zephaniah had the same thought in mind in the following passage: "Therefore wait ye for me, saith Jehovah, until the day that I rise up to the prey; for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger; for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealously" (Zeph. 3:8). Knowing these Old Testament predictions, John the Baptist looks forward in verses 11 and 12 of Matthew, chapter 3, to the end of the age when God will gather the nations of the world into Palestine, His threshing-floor, and will cleanse it, gathering the wheat into His garner and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire. In A.D. 70 the Lord did not thoroughly cleanse His threshing-floor. He only overthrew the nation of Israel and scattered it to the four corners of the globe. This catastrophe, as we have already seen, is foretold in verse 10, but the events to which verse 11 and 12 refer are world wide in their scope, and the action is so very thorough that it can be applied only to what will be done at the end of the age.

Verses 10-12 are an example of what Biblical students know as the law of double reference. Verse 10, as we have just seen, refers to the pouring out of God's wrath, which came upon Israel in A.D. 70. This prophecy is blended with one concerning the wrath that God will pour out upon the nations of the world, including Israel, at the very end of the Tribulation. At this future time the prophecy will be completely fulfilled by the Lord's pouring out upon all nations the fullness of His wrath.

In the light of all these facts we see what the expression "the wrath to come" signified.

Having seen the significance of the expression, the wrath to come, as it fell from the lips of John the Baptist, we are in a position to see its significance in I Thessalonians 1:9, 10. Christians are serving Christ and are waiting for the return of Him, "whom He raised from the dead even Jesus, who delivereth us from the wrath to come." This passage is talking about the wrath that will be poured out in connection with the coming of the Lord Jesus, as we have already seen. God did pour out His wrath upon Israel in A.D. 70. But the wrath of which Paul is here speaking could not be that of A.D. 70, because it is the wrath that will be poured out in connection with the second coming of our Lord. We are driven to this interpretation since Paul used it without any further explanation, just as John did.

Some earnest brethren contend that, though we are delivered from the wrath to come, we are allowed to enter into that period of wrath, the Tribulation, and are finally to be delivered out of it, either in the middle of or at the end of it. Those taking this position call our attention to the fact that the Greek preposition ek is used and that it primarily means out of. Everyone who knows Greek admits that the original primary meaning of this word was out of. The one using it assumed that someone or some object was within a certain sphere, but moved or was moved out of that place. Hence Paul used this preposition ek in this original sense. Every linguist knows that words are modified frequently and take on new meanings and shades of ideas. A study of the Greek text of the New Testament reveals that in many instances this preposition has lost its original meaning, and simply signifies away from just as the Greek epo means from. We must accept this modified derived meaning as the one intended by Paul when we study chapters 4:13-5:11 which thing we shall presently do. We shall see that the translation, "who delivereth us from the wrath to come," is the accurate correct rendering.

Christ Comes With All His Saints

"Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way unto you: 12 and the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we also do toward you; 13 to the end he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints" (I Thess. 3:11-13).

The Apostle Paul urged the brethren in Thessalonica to pray that the Lord would direct him and his associates (I Thess. 3:11) unto Thessalonica in order that they might assist the brethren in their spiritual life. This thing he desired "to the end he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints." According to this statement Jesus comes with all His saints—all the saints which He has at that time. We know that there are the church saints who are called out during the present dispensation and that there also will be that innumerable host of tribulation saints, of whom we read in the Book of Revelation, chapter 7. Since Paul mentioned all His saints, we are confident that this passage refers to the church saints and also saints of the Tribulation. The coming therefore to which Paul refers can be none other that the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ all the way to the earth at the end of the Tribulation. This coming is different from the coming of Christ for His saints, concerning which we have studied in I Thessalonians 1:9, 10.

Christ Comes for His Saints

In I Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 Paul speaks of Christ's coming for His saints. This coming therefore must be the one concerning which we have studied in chapter 1:9,10. At the time of Paul's writing I Thessalonians, some of the Christians had already passed away and the other Christians were lamenting the fact that these had already died, thinking that they would miss the coming of the Lord. Thus Paul discussed this matter in the block of Scripture referred to, which we are now studying:

"14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep. 16 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; 17 then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

"1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that aught be written unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall in no wise escape. 4 But, ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief: 5 for ye are all sons of light, and sons of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness; 6 so then let us not sleep, as do the rest, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For they that sleep in the night; and they that are drunken are drunken in the night. 8 But let us, since we are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For God appointed us not unto wrath, but unto the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. 11 Wherefore exhort one another and build each other up, even as also ye do" (I Thess. 4:14-5:11).

According to verse 14, those who had died, God will bring with Christ when He comes. When the Christian dies, his spirit goes into the immediate presence of God in heaven. His body is laid in the tomb, awaiting the time of the resurrection. Hence Paul declared tht God will bring the spirits of those who have already gone on with Jesus when He comes for His Chruch.

In verse 15 the Apostle is very emphatic in saying that what he is declaring is not anything of human wisdom, but is the very word of God. In this verse he assures us that those who have not died but are alive and are left unto the coming of the Lord shall in no wise precede those who have died. Was Paul expecting the rapture in his day? No. Paul was a prophet and spoke as a prophet. From II Peter 1:21, we learn that the prophets were carried forward from their day and time in vision by the Spirit of God across the centuries to some time in the future, frequently to the very end of the age, and spoke as if they would be living in the end of the age, and would be engaging in a personal ministry. Paul therefore adopted this manner of speech, like the other prophets. He is simply speaking of those who will be alive at the time of the rapture. He explains what he means in verse 16 by saying, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." According to this prophecy the Lord Jesus will descend from heaven, stopping in the air—not coming all the way to the earth, as He will at the end of the Tribulation. When He comes in fulfillment of this passage, He will appear "with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God." Since He is coming in this manner, being announced as here described, we cannot believe in the idea of a secret rapture.

When Jesus comes, as here foretold, the dead in Christ will rise first. This prediction means that all Christians who have died, and who have been in heaven since their death, will come with Christ. Their bodies, their physical bodies, will be raised, and their spirits will be re-united with their raised, immortalized bodies. After that event, the rapture occurs, according to the Corinthian passage (I Cor. 15:50-58). This event will take only a split second of time, an atom of time. Christians will have their bodies glorified and immortalized and will meet the dead who have been raised, in the clouds and go with them to meet the Lord in the air, and shall be with Him forever and ever after that time.

Unfortunately the chapter division comes in the wrong place here, because it is misleading to those who do not realize that these chapter and verse divisions were made by men. Chapter 5:1 is connected indissolubly with 4:18. There is no break of thought here.

"But concerning the times and the season, brethren, ye have no need that aught be written unto you." The times and the season of what? There is but one answer. The times and the seasons of the rapture of the Church of Jesus Christ. The Thessalonian brethren did not need further instruction because they had been thoroughly taught that "the day of the Lord" so comes as a thief in the night. What is the meaning of the term "the day of the Lord"? It is an old Testament expression, as we have already seen, that refers to the Tribulation. About the correctness of this position there can be no doubt. Thus in Paul's thinking there was some connection between the rapture of the saints and the coming of the Tribulation. What is the relationship? This question is answered by the information which we obtained from the study of chapter 1:9, 10. Christ delivers his Church from the coming wrath, from the wrath of the day of the Lord, the Tribulation.

Continuing his discussion of the rapture of the Chruch and the coming of the Tribulation, the Apostle declared: "When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them; as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall in no wise escape." Since the rapture of the church and the Tribulation are indissolubly united in the Apostle's thinking here, and since he, in talking of them, informed us that, when men in general will be saying, "Peace and safety," we may be sure that these events will suddenly come to pass. The rapture does not occur nor will the Tribulation begin until men in general will be saying that they have established peace and safety upon the earth, that all problems of the world have been ironed out, and that we will have peace, a permanent peace, a just peace in our time. When they are therefore thus talking, declares the Apostle, the Tribulation will burst forth upon the world. But before the Tribulation comes upon the world, the Lord descends from heaven to the air, raises the dead in Christ, and catches up the living saints, delivering them from the wrath to come.

Confirmation of this interpretation is given us in verses 9 and 10 of chapter 5 which I again quote: "For God appointed us not unto wrath, but unto the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, …" God has not appointed us to go into this period of wrath. On the contrary, His plan is to give us deliverance, to grant us salvation, that is, to obtain deliverance from the wrath of which the Apostle is speaking.

In the light of all the facts of Paul's first epistle to the Thessalonians, we are driven to the conclusion that the rapture of the Church of God occurs before the Tribulation starts. This teaching is in conformity with the rest of the teaching of the Word of God upon this point.