1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Always With the Lord
Read the passage
13Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope.
14For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.
15By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep.
16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise.
17After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.
18Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
Paul does not want the Thessalonians to be uninformed about believers who have died. He is not correcting their grief. He is addressing the kind of grief that has no hope.
Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope.
The letter's hope begins with something the church already believes: Jesus died and rose again. Because of that, they believe God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. Christian hope is not based on a vague instinct that death cannot be final. It is anchored in Jesus' death and resurrection.
Paul then says, by the word of the Lord, that living believers will not precede those who have fallen asleep. The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, the voice of an archangel, and the trumpet of God. The dead in Christ will be the first to rise.
After that, living believers will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. The conclusion is the point: “And so we will always be with the Lord.” Those who died and those still living will be together with Him. Death will not cause a believer to miss His coming.
Paul calls death sleep because it will be followed by resurrection. He does not condemn mourning; Jesus Himself wept when Lazarus died. Hope gives grief a future without erasing the pain of separation.
Paul ends by telling them to encourage one another with these words. The doctrine is meant to be spoken to someone who is mourning.
How We Know
First Corinthians 15:20–23 describes Christ as the firstfruits of those who have died: His resurrection is followed by the resurrection of His people at His coming. This agrees with the sequence in First Thessalonians. John 11:25–27 places the same hope in Jesus Himself, whom Martha confesses as the Christ and Son of God.
Questions
1 Why does Paul write about believers who have died?
AnswerHe wants them informed so their grief will not become hopeless grief, as though Jesus’ death and resurrection had changed nothing for believers who die.
2 What belief grounds their hope?
AnswerThey believe that Jesus died and rose again, so God will also bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.
3 Who rises first at the Lord's coming?
AnswerThe dead in Christ rise first when the Lord descends from heaven, before living believers are gathered to meet Him.
4 What is the final promise?
AnswerBelievers will always be with the Lord. Paul tells them to encourage one another with this promise of resurrection and life together with Him.
What This Means for Us
If you are mourning a believer, you can name both the loss and the hope. You miss this person now; because Jesus died and rose, death will not keep His people from being together with Him.
When comforting someone else, give them time to speak about the person they miss. Offer Paul's promise gently and specifically. Resurrection hope is a gift to share, not a demand that sorrow end quickly.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, be near to people who grieve. Thank You for Your death and resurrection, and help us hold the promise of being with You without denying the pain of separation. Amen.