Commentaries:
<< 1 Thessalonians 4:14 1 Thessalonians 4:16 >>
1 Thessalonians 4:15-16
Paul mentions the exact timing of this event twice! In verse 15, he says that this occurs at "the coming of the Lord," and in verse 16, Christ "descend[s] from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God." To combat these clear time markers, Protestants have to say that Christ returns twice and that there are two different blowings of the trumpet!
Paul himself quashes this argument in I Corinthians 15:50-52:
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Caught Up in the RaptureRelated Topics: Jesus Christ's Return | Jesus Christ's Second Coming | Kingdom of God | Rapture | Resurrection | Resurrection to Immortal Life | Return of Jesus Christ | Second Coming of Christ | Twinkling of an EyeOther Forerunner Commentary entries containing 1 Thessalonians 4:15:
Deuteronomy 8:3
Ezekiel 18:4
Matthew 4:4
Matthew 6:13
Mark 1:14-15
Luke 23:43
1 Corinthians 15:50-52
2 Timothy 3:15
Revelation 2:11
Revelation 11:3
Revelation 20:11-15
Revelation 20:11-13
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What Does 1 Thessalonians 4:15 Mean?
In 1 Thessalonians 4:15, the timing of the Lord's coming is emphasized, stating that those alive at His return will not precede those who have died. This event is marked by Christ descending from heaven with a shout, the voice of an archangel, and the trumpet of God, as noted in verse 16. Additionally, in 1 Corinthians 15:50-52, it is clarified that at the last trumpet, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and all will be changed instantly. These passages affirm a single, definitive moment for this transformation and resurrection, aligning with the coming of the Lord as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:15.