1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Transcription

1 1 Thessalnians 4: The Christian s hpe fr tday - Authr: Evert Jan Hempenius Fr any questins abut this Scripture passage r the ntes, please cntact us thrugh the Cntact Us tab n the website. Intrductin 1 Thessalnians 4:13-18 is ften studied and quted in relatin t the Rapture and fitted int the scheme f what will happen in the end times, the eschatlgy. In Christian eschatlgy (the dctrine f the last things) the rapture refers t the belief that either befre, r simultaneusly with, the Secnd Cming f Jesus Christ t earth, believers wh have died will be raised and believers wh are still alive and remain shall be caught up tgether with them (the resurrected dead believers) in the cluds t meet the Lrd in the air. This is based n varius interpretatins f 1 Thessalnians 4:13-18 and n sme ther biblical passages, such as thse frm II Thessalnians, the Gspel f Matthew, I Crinthians and the Bk f Revelatin. The ther, lder use f the term "Rapture" is simply as a synnym fr the final resurrectin generally, withut a belief that a grup f peple is left behind n earth fr an extended Tribulatin perid 1 after the events f 1 Thessalnians 4:17. This distinctin is imprtant as sme types f Christianity never refer t "the Rapture" in religius educatin, but might use the lder and mre general sense f the wrd "rapture" in referring t what happens during the final resurrectin. 2 Many things still remain unclear. The study f the Rapture tends t fcus n events in the future while Paul is fcusing n the Christian hpe fr tday in cntrast with the grieving f peple wh d nt have hpe. A sermn n 1 Thessalnians 4:13-18 shuld cncentrate n the Christian hpe. 1 Tribulatin: a perid f severe ppressin and persecutin. 2 Rapture. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2016, frm

2 The Christian hpe is a majr theme in this letter: We cntinually remember befre ur Gd and Father yur wrk prduced by faith, yur labr prmpted by lve, and yur endurance inspired by hpe in ur Lrd Jesus Christ (1 Thess 1:3). Brthers, we d nt want yu t be ignrant abut thse wh fall asleep, r t grieve like the rest f men, wh have n hpe (1 Thess 4:13). But since we belng t the day, let us be self-cntrlled, putting n faith and lve as a breastplate, and the hpe f salvatin as a helmet (1 Thess 5:8). Bth in 1:3 and in 5:8 Paul uses faith, hpe and lve, as he des in 1 Crinthians 13:13. This sermn utline prvides a study f the text using highlighted clurs and a visualisatin f the argument. Literary Cntext A shrt summary f the letter: 1:1 Addressee and greeting 1:2-10 Thanksgiving 2:1-16 Paul s ministry in Thessalnica 2:17-3:13 Paul wants t visit Thessalnica. He has received a reprt f the visit f Timthy 4:1-5:22 Instructins and teaching: 4:1-12 Live a hly life 4:13-5:11 The Christian hpe and the Day f the Lrd 5:12-23 Final instructins 5:23-28 Final wrds f blessing and greeting Histrical Cntext and Backgrund Thessalnica, nwadays Salniki, is a city in the nrthern part f Greece and it was the capital f the Rman prvince Macednia. Paul had preached the gspel in Thessalnica (arund A.D. 49), sme years befre he wrte this letter (Ac 17:1-3): When Paul and his cmpanins had passed thrugh Amphiplis and Apllnia, they came t Thessalnica, where there was a Jewish synaggue. As was his custm, Paul went int the synaggue, and n three Sabbath days he reasned with them frm the Scriptures, explaining and prving that the Messiah had t suffer and rise frm the dead. This Jesus I am prclaiming t yu is the Messiah, he said. Sme f the Jews

3 were persuaded and jined Paul and Silas, as did a large number f Gd-fearing Greeks and quite a few prminent wmen. His reasning centred upn: Jesus as the Messiah wh suffered (and died) and rse frm the dead. This is imprtant in relatin t the prblem which he addresses in 1 Thessalnians 4:14. Althugh Paul did nt write abut burial practices in the Greek wrld, it is wrthwhile t mentin sme aspects. Greek cities had a necrplis, where the citizens buried the remains (inhumatin r crematin) f their deceased relatives. The necrplis was situated just utside the city walls and n the way t itne had t pass all the (magnificent) mnuments erected in remembrance f the dead. A necrplis ("city f the dead") was an extensive and elabrate burial place f an ancient city. It was fund utside the city prper and ften cnsisted f a number f cemeteries used at different times ver a perid f several centuries. In Greece and Rme, necrplises ften lined the rads leading in and ut f twn. 3 The Greek attitude twards the dead is best summed up in these wrds f Achilles (an ancient Greek her): I d rather be a day-laburer n earth wrking fr a man f little prperty, than lrd f all the hsts f the dead. 4 Accrding t ne f the Greek philsphers (Epicurus), death is the end f bth bdy and sul and shuld therefre nt be feared. Cnslatin in the Greek-Rman wrld was regularly assciated with the expressin f sympathy with an exhrtatin t cmfrt thse afflicted by grief. A eulgy (a speech f praise) f the deceased was als frequently delivered. It included the fllwing thughts: all are brn mrtal; death brings release frm the miseries f life; time heals all griefs; future ills shuld be prepared fr; the deceased was nly lent - be grateful fr having pssessed him. 5 In the Rman wrld f Paul, the speech f praise ffered an pprtunity t display the family s status, t cnnect the deceased s merits with his r her ancestrs, and t reinfrce cllective values. 6 3 Necrplis. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2016, frm 4 Od Death, attitude t. In: Hrnblwer, S. (2003, p ) 5 Cnslatin. In: Hrnblwer, S. (2003, p. 378) 6 Laudati funebris. In: Hrnblwer, S. (2003, p. 822)

4 In the secnd century A.D. Irene, wh lived in Egypt, wrte a letter t cmfrt her friends, wh had lst their sn. She cncluded her letter with the fllwing wrds: But, nevertheless, against such things ne can d nthing. Therefre cmfrt ne anther. Farewell. 7 Frm and structure While reading this passage, it is instructive t have a lk at the use f: the persnal prnuns we and yu. These are highlighted belw; the use f the name Jesus and his titles Christ and Lrd. These are clured belw; and the use f wh are still alive and are left. See the chart n the next page: Image1. By ex Nv. A small part f the necrplis "city f the dead" utside the city gates f Hieraplis (Cl 4:13). 7 Hendriksen, W. (1979, p. 111). The letter f Irene is fund in: Deissmann, A. (1927). Light frm the ancient East; the New Testament illustrated by recently discvered texts f the Graec-Rman wrld. New Yrk: Gerge H. Dran.

5 Intrductin t the subject: 13 Brthers, we d nt want yu t be ignrant abut thse wh fall asleep, r t grieve like the rest f men, wh have n hpe. Paul and the Thessalnians share this faith: New infrmatin, which Paul had nt shared previusly: Elabratin: 14 We 8 believe that Jesus died and rse again and s we 9 believe that Gd will bring with Jesus thse wh have fallen asleep in him. 15 Accrding t the Lrd s wn wrd, we tell yu that we wh are still alive, wh are left till the cming f the Lrd, will certainly nt precede thse wh have fallen asleep. 16 Fr the Lrd himself will cme dwn frm heaven, with a lud cmmand, with the vice f the archangel and with the trumpet call f Gd, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we wh are still alive and are left will be caught up tgether with them in the cluds t meet the Lrd in the air. And s we will be with the Lrd frever. Encuragement: 18 Therefre encurage each ther with these wrds. Explanatin f the marked wrds We = Paul, Silas and Timthy, the authrs f this letter (1 Th 1:1). Yu and each ther = the (first) recipients f this letter, the Thessalnians. We = used inclusively: Paul, Silas and Timthy (we) + the Thessalnians (yu). We = used inclusively: we wh are still alive + and thse wh died thrugh Christ. Jesus = used in verse 14, tw times. Lrd = used in verse 15-17, five times. Christ = used in verse 16. wh are still alive and are left = used twice (see explanatin). 8 It is als pssible t read we. (See explanatin f the marked wrds) 9 It is als pssible t read we. (See explanatin f the marked wrds)

6 Expsitin Verse 13 Brthers and sisters, we d nt want yu t be uninfrmed. = we wuld like yu t knw. abut thse wh sleep in death, Wh fall asleep = κοιμάω 2. t be dead, sleep. Thse wh have already died (1 Th 4:14), thse wh died in cmmunin with Christ (1 Cr 15:18). 10 A few members f the church have died recently. What happened t them? r t grieve like the rest f men, wh have n hpe. This prbably refers t a serius uncertainty cncerning the fate f the deceased: What will happen t the dead, when Christ returns? Will they be LEFT BEHIND? What will happen t me, if I die befre Christ returns? Will I be LEFT BEHIND? Sme qutes illustrate what it is like when there is n hpe: While there's life there s hpe, and nly the dead have nne. 11 If I fught wild beasts in Ephesus with n mre than human hpes, what have I gained? If the dead are nt raised, Let us eat and drink, fr tmrrw we die. This remark f Paul summarizes quite well what t d when there is n hpe (1 Cr 15:32). The hpe f a Christian is ne f the main themes in this letter: 1 Thessalnians 1:3, 5:8. See intrductin. Verse 14 If we believe 12 : when we read fr we believe, the sentence becmes a lecture rather than a dialgue. By translating if, the audience (Thessalnians) is drawn int the argument Their respnse wuld be smething such as: If we believe that Jesus died and rse again? Yu are questining ur belief? Of curse we believe that! Yu mean that the dead in Christ will nt miss ut n the rapture? that Jesus died and rse again is the mst central statement f the Christian faith. A parallel prblem is fund in 1 Crinthians 15: 12-19: 10 Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000, p. 551) 11 Thecritus (fl. c. 270 BC). He was a Greek pet f the 3rd century BC. 12 Wallace, D. (1996, p. 694)

7 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised frm the dead, hw can sme f yu say that there is n resurrectin f the dead? If there is n resurrectin f the dead, then nt even Christ has been raised. ( ) Fr if the dead are nt raised, then Christ has nt been raised either. And if Christ has nt been raised, yur faith is futile; yu are still in yur sins. Then thse als wh have fallen asleep in Christ are lst. If nly fr this life we have hpe in Christ, we are f all peple mst t be pitied. and s we believe that Gd will bring with Jesus = Gd is acting! He will raise the dead. He is the ultimate surce f life and Jesus has the keys f life and death (Rev. 1:17-18). thse wh have fallen asleep in him. The ESV translates: thrugh Jesus instead f in him, which is preferred. Thrugh Jesus indicates that he was the acting agent when these Christians died. They felt asleep thrugh him. 13 This is a very cmfrting thught! A clear example is fund in the death f Stephen: While they were stning him, Stephen prayed, Lrd Jesus, receive my spirit. Then he fell n his knees and cried ut, Lrd, d nt hld this sin against them. When he had said this, he fell asleep (Acts 7:59 60). Paul wrte t the Philippians: Fr t me, t live is Christ and t die is gain. (.) I desire t depart and be with Christ, which is better by far (Phil 1:21-23). Verse In verse 14 Paul uses the name Jesus tw times, but in these verses he uses the titles Christ (1) and Lrd (5). Elsewhere in this letter, mst f the time he uses cmbinatins f the name Jesus and his titles as in 1 Thessalnians 1:1: Lrd Jesus Christ. By using Lrd withut adding the name Jesus r Christ he is directing all attentin t the ne wh is given all authrity ver the living and the dead, the ruler. Accrding t the Lrd s wn wrd. These wrds are nt fund in the gspels. Perhaps Paul is referring t an ral traditin r t a special revelatin. Paul assures the readers that they can dismiss their fears. He refers t the authrity f the Lrd himself. What he is telling the Thessalnians is in accrdance with the wrds f Jesus. we wh are still alive, wh are left till the cming f the Lrd wh are left = περιλείπομαι remain, be left behind. 13 Wallace, D. (1996, p. 434) Paul uses the expressin we wh are still alive, wh are left twice. The Thessalnians are wrried abut the fate f the already deceased. Will they be left behind? Paul reverses this thught. It is nt the deceased wh will be left because they are with Christ, but we, the living, are left till the cming the Lrd. See the diagram n the next page.

8 Image 2. Explanatin. At the left, the prblem f the Thessalnians has been mapped. Their main cncern was: will the already deceased be left behind when ur Lrd cmes back? At the right side, the teaching f Paul makes clear that the already deceased will precede the living, which were left behind.

9 Therefre, we will certainly nt precede thse wh have fallen asleep. Fr the Lrd himself will cme dwn frm heaven. This event will be annunced as a victrius mment. When? We d nt knw. He will cme as a thief in the night (1 Thess. 5:2). with a lud cmmand, with the vice f the archangel and with the trumpet call f Gd, lud cmmand = κέλευσμα signal, (cry f) cmmand = when the cmmand is given 14 ; call, summns 15 issued by Gd. vice = φωνή 1. an auditry effect, sund, tne, nise 2.c. that which the vice gives expressin t: call, cry, utcry, lud r slemn declaratin. 16 Trumpet call f Gd = σάλπιγξ θεοῦ 2. at the call f the trumpet blwn by Gd s cmmand. 17 and the dead in Christ will rise first. The dead will be brught back and receive a new bdy. Cmpare 1 Crinthians 15:51-52, 57: Listen, I tell yu a mystery: We will nt all sleep, but we will all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling f an eye, at the last trumpet. Fr the trumpet will sund, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. (.) He gives us the victry thrugh ur Lrd Jesus Christ. After that, we ( ) will be caught up. After the dead have received a new bdy, all will be caught up. Caught up = ἁρπάζω snatch, seize, take suddenly and vehemently, r take away in the sense f ( ) 2. t grab r seize suddenly s as t remve r gain cntrl, snatch/take away; b. in such a way that n resistance is ffered. 18 The verb indicates the suddenness f the actin, nt the directin. All will be taken up int the glry f Gd and f Christ. In the cluds = νεφέλη. Often the cluds are depicted as cnvenient vehicles fr transprtatin thrugh space but cluds are a regular feature f biblical thephanies 14 Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000, p. 524) 15 Liddell, H. G., Sctt, R., Jnes, H. S., & McKenzie, R. (1996, p. 936) 16 Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000, p. 1072) 17 Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000, p. 1068) 18 Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000, p. 130)

10 (the appearances f Gd r the revelatins f Gd s glry); the divine glry is veiled in cluds, shines frth frm them and retreats int them. 19 Phil 1:23 t meet the Lrd in the air. This will be a slemn and festive meeting. He is the Lrd and he will submit all things t his heavenly Father (1 Cr 15:21-28). T meet the Lrd in the air desn t mean in the sky. But much remains unclear. meeting = ἀπάντησις, the actin f ging ut t meet an arrival, especially as a mark f hnur. 20 air = ἀήρ 1. the atmsphere immediately abve the earth s surface, air. 21 And s we will be with the Lrd frever and share in his glry (Rm 8:18) and have an everlasting life. Verse 18 Therefre encurage ne anther with these wrds. As peple wh have hpe! This was Paul s purpse: encuragement instead f disillusin, hpelessness, dubt. Applicatin Encurage = παρακαλέω 2. t urge strngly, appeal t, urge, exhrt, encurage. 22 Based n this encuragement and hpe Paul cntinued t write in 5:6-10: S then, let us nt be like thers, wh are asleep, but let us be alert and selfcntrlled. Fr thse wh sleep, sleep at night, and thse wh get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belng t the day, let us be self-cntrlled, putting n faith and lve as a breastplate, and the hpe f salvatin as a helmet. Fr Gd did nt appint us t suffer wrath but t receive salvatin thrugh ur Lrd Jesus Christ. He died fr us s that, whether we are awake r asleep, we may live tgether with him. The belief in the resurrectin f Jesus Christ frm death is the fundatin f the Christian faith and hpe. When a relative r friend, a member f the church has died, it is smetimes difficult fr thse wh attend the funeral service t imagine what has happened at the mment f death and what will happen t his bdy in the future. 19 Bruce, F. (1982, p. 102) 20 Liddell, H. G., Sctt, R., Jnes, H. S., & McKenzie, R. (1996, p. 178) 21 Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000, p. 23) 22 Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000, p. 765)

11 If smebdy dies in Christ, he r she is in safe hands, the hands f Gd, wh is a Gd f the living: In reply t the Sadducees, Jesus said: Nw abut the dead rising have yu nt read in the bk f Mses, in the accunt f the bush, hw Gd said t him, I am the Gd f Abraham, the Gd f Isaac, and the Gd f Jacb? He is nt the Gd f the dead, but f the living (Mk 12:2627). Write: Blessed are the dead wh die in the Lrd frm nw n. Yes, says the Spirit, they will rest frm their labr, fr their deeds will fllw them. (Rev 14:13). Christians are peple wh live in hpe f the realizatin f the Kingdm f Gd, the restratin f the creatin, a new creatin. Christians are members f a new cmmunity determined by the reality f the future. Because f this hpe Christians can rejice in suffering, persecutin and the adversities f life (Rm 8:18-39). 23 Hpe is, therefre, an essential characteristic f the Christian life. The Christian hpe is rted in the character f Gd, and especially in the resurrectin f Christ frm the dead. A future eschatlgical interventin which will put an end t all earthly distress. The Bible emphasizes the strategic rle f hpe in the human persnality. Faith seems t answer the human need fr spiritual meaning, lve relates t the needs f humans t relate t self and thers (Mt 22:33-27), and hpe reflects the mtivatinal needs f humans t find meaning and purpse in the (nearby) future. 24 The main aspect f the Christian hpe is the gift f the Hly Spirit: yu were marked in him with a seal, the prmised Hly Spirit, wh is a depsit guaranteeing ur inheritance until the redemptin f thse wh are Gd s pssessin t the praise f his glry (Eph 1:13-14). The Christian hpe makes it pssible t deny neself (Mt 16:24) and even take up his r her crss. Therefre, my dear brthers, stand firm. Let nthing mve yu. Always give yurselves fully t the wrk f the Lrd, because yu knw that yur labr in the Lrd is nt in vain (1 Cr 15:58). Paul wrte abut peple wh have n hpe. What abut the hpe f tday s peple? What hpe des peple with a Hinduist backgrund have? Or Muslims, Animists, Buddhists, Atheists? Ignrance abut majr aspects f the Christian faith makes Christians vulnerable t dubts and uncertainties. Therefre, it is imprtant t address these questins in preaching and teaching. 23 Everts, J. Hpe. In: Hawthrne, G. (1993, p ). 24 Beck. J. Hpe. In: Benner, D. (1999, p ).

12 But d nt speculate abut events in the future and take the fllwing wrds f Paul t heart: Fr we knw in part and we prphesy in part, but when cmpleteness cmes, what is in part disappears. ( ) Fr nw we see nly a reflectin as in a mirrr; then we shall see face t face. Nw I knw in part; then I shall knw fully, even as I am fully knwn (1 Cr 13:9-12). Evert Jan Hempenius Bibligraphy Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicn f the New Testament and ther early Christian literature (3rd ed.). Chicag: University f Chicag Press. Benner, D. G., & Hill, P. C. (1999). Baker encyclpedia f psychlgy & cunseling. Grand Rapids: Baker Bks. Bruce, F. F. (1982). 1 & 2 Thessalnians (Vl. 45, WBC). Wac: Wrd Bks. Hawthrne, G. F., Martin, R. P., & Reid, D. G. (1993). Dictinary f Paul and his letters. Leicester: InterVarsity Press. Hendriksen, W. (1979). New Testament cmmentary: Thessalnians, Timthy, Titus. Grand Rapids: Baker Bk Huse. Hrnblwer, S., & Spawfrth, A. (Eds.) (2003). The Oxfrd Classical Dictinary. Oxfrd: Oxfrd University Press. Liddell, H. G., Sctt, R., Jnes, H. S., & McKenzie, R. (1996). A Greek-English lexicn. Oxfrd: Clarendn Press. Mrris, L. (1991). The first and secnd Epistles t the Thessalnians. (NICNT) Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans. Wallace, D. B. (1996). Greek grammar beynd the basics: An exegetical syntax f the New Testament with scripture, subject, and Greek wrd indexes. Grand Rapids: Zndervan.