The doctrine of the rapture of the church is mentioned directly in only one passage of the Bible, but in the justification and explanation of the connections other passages of the text are mentioned, which should then all be related to each other. I do not want to consider these further justifications here. I want to focus on the passage in 1 Thessalonians.

It is about this text:

“But we do not want to keep you in ignorance, my brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep,
so that you will not be distressed like the rest who have no expectation.

Because if we believe that Jesus died and rose again,
God will also lead those who have fallen asleep with Him through Jesus.

For this we say unto you as the word of the Lord:
We who are alive, who remain until the presence of the Lord,
will in no way overtake the deceased;
for the Lord Himself will
– with the command call,
– with the voice of the messenger prince
– and with the trombone of God
descend from heaven,
and the dead in Christ will rise first.
On it we will live,
we remain,
at the same time be caught up together with them in clouds to meet the Lord in the air
and so will be with the Lord at all times.

Therefore, speak to one another with these words!”
1Thess 4,13-18 (Concordant New Testament)

The near expectation of the Thessalonians

Paul wrote to the Greek church in Thessalonica. Their joyful faith had a positive impact on the lives of other believers near and far (1Th 1:6-8). In their testimony of faith, they tell of their conversion from idols to the living and true God (1Thess 1:9). Furthermore, they stood in an expectation of future things that would probably soon come to pass, and this included the expectation that God’s Son would come from the heavens (cf. Acts 1:11). This Jesus was also to keep them from the coming of wrath (1Thess 1,10).

In other words, the believers in Thessalonica were waiting for the return of Christ. This was and is a feature of many beliefs to this day, that there is a good future and that this future will soon begin. Although it has been 2000 years now, the idea of a near fulfillment of expectation has accompanied believers through the ages, thrilled them, carried them and given them new courage.

Something else Paul mentions is that Jesus was to keep the Thessalonians “from the coming of wrath.” From this it can be deduced that certain ideas were present about the dawn of the new era. They expected a wrath of God upon this world (Rom 1:18) and were assured by Paul that they would be saved “from the coming of wrath.” What did they expect? They see the wrath coming at the world from afar, but will be saved from the wrath during that coming. Believers will see the wrath coming, but will not experience it directly. This might also be the background for Paul’s statements in the last part of the letter (1Thess 5,1-11).

This immediate near expectation is now the background for the further statements of this letter.

“But God emphasizes His love toward us through this,
that Christ died for us while we were still sinners.
How much more consequently we will,
now justified in His blood,
be saved from wrath through Him!”
Rom 5:9

What about the deceased believers?

The immediate near-term expectation had a catch. There was concern for the faithful who had already died. According to the Bible (and Thessalonians), they were not “already with the Lord in heaven,” but they were dead. In the Bible, the dead do not live until they are resurrected. So while the Thessalonians were looking forward to the imminent coming of the Lord, how does this now affect the dead? Are they missing the Second Coming now?

That is where Paul starts and wants to convey encouragement:

“But we will not leave you in ignorance, my brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you be grieved, as the rest are, who have no expectation.”

Many people stand in this world without expectation and outlook. But this is not true for believers. Paul wants to comfort them here. His purpose for this passage is not to establish a doctrine about the Rapture, but to give comfort and outlook. While the Thessalonians imagined that those who had already died might miss Christ’s return, Paul explains how this is not the case.

The apostle anchors the starting point for his response and explanation in the Gospel itself. The Good News begins with the death and resurrection of Jesus (1 Cor. 15:3-8).

“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, God also will lead those who have fallen asleep with Him through Jesus.”

What happened to Jesus should also apply to the faithful who have fallen asleep. Paul describes this as “so also God will lead those who have fallen asleep with Him through Jesus.” Paul refers to God’s activity. And when this God will send His Son Jesus, He will come with those who have fallen asleep.

Since nowhere in the Bible does one read that dead people live on, nor that they are in heaven, a miracle must still take place. For the dead do not live and without resurrection there is no future for the dead (cf. 1 Cor. 15:13-18). The Thessalonians knew this, and perhaps, like Martha at one time, had the idea that there would be one resurrection at the last of the days (cf. John 11:24). However, this would mean that those who have now fallen asleep would not be present at the Second Coming of Jesus. Paul addresses this situation.

A word from the Lord

“For this we say unto you as the word of the Lord: …”

It is not from his own reasoning that Paul says this, but as a word from the Lord. The goal of the apostle is comfort. The authority comes from the Lord. Thus, it gives special weight to the following statements.

“For this we say to you as a word from the Lord:
We the living who remain until the presence of the Lord,
Will by no means overtake those who have passed away.”

His reasoning proceeds in small steps: Those who are still alive when the Lord returns will not overtake those who have fallen asleep by then. Here he addresses what the Thessalonians may have been pondering. Earlier, I already explained the possible scenario. When the Lord comes back, He finds believers in this world. Are they then the lucky ones who happen to be there when Jesus returns, while the rest have already died and have been provisionally deposited in the parking lot of all who have died (cf. Job 30:23), waiting for a distant resurrection day?

Just this idea should be corrected here by Paul. Something else happens that was unknown until then.

“For the Lord Himself will
with the command call,
with the voice of the messenger prince
and with the trombone of God
descend from heaven,
And the dead in Christ shall rise first.”

Here it is called, this special resurrection. The procedure is as follows:

1. The Lord Himself Will Descend from Heaven
2. The dead in Christ will rise first.

The “first” here refers to the faithful, both the living and the departed. First, something will happen to those who have fallen asleep. They will be resurrected first.

“On this we will live,
we remain,
be caught up together with them at the same time…”

First, the dead will rise, and only then will those who are still alive be named. The fear of the Thessalonians that the living would enter the future without those who have fallen asleep is not true. First, those who have fallen asleep in Christ will be raised, and then they will be “caught up together.” So Paul’s emphasis here is not on the Rapture – as one would think with a Rapture doctrine – but on the common Rapture. It is a matter of clarifying what would happen to those who have fallen asleep. They are not excluded, but included. For this there is even an additional resurrection, only of the believers in Christ!

The Thessalonians wondered if those who had fallen asleep would miss the important moment and being with Christ. Paul says that this will not be the case. He reveals (cf. Gal 1:11-12) something new. There is a resurrection specifically for believers. This resurrection takes place when Christ returns.

“On this, we the living who remain,
be raptured together with them at the same time
in clouds towards the Lord in the air
and so will be with the Lord at all times.”

The special effects are not as important as the word “together”. Paul and the Thessalonians were not imagining a science fiction saga, but had the specific concern of leaving no one behind. We believe together, we want to be with the Lord. The Bible is relational. We are part of a church and it will be together with the Lord.

That is the real message here: Everyone will be there and we will be with the Lord.

“Therefore, speak to one another with these words!”

Being raptured in clouds

We have just seen that Paul was not concerned with the special effects. Nevertheless, he describes in a few words how something like this could happen.

“Being caught up together in clouds to meet the Lord in the air.”

This little sentence establishes the entire doctrine of the Rapture. That is little. That is why it is not unimportant, but there are few details. We will be “caught up together”. What this means exactly is only hinted at. We go “in clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” Not “in the clouds”, but “in clouds”. A swarm of believers – or something like that. How to think about it is insignificant, otherwise Paul would have given more details. It doesn’t fit to set up wild fantasies. The important part is not the Rapture, but the comfort with which one should comfort one another in regard to those who have fallen asleep.

When we are caught up in clouds to meet the Lord, it is the ultimate statement that no one has been left behind, that those who have fallen asleep will be with them. This is what we can soberly glean from the context.

Deepening

• Rapture, end times, apocalypse – do these words shape your understanding of faith?
• If the end times haven’t really begun after 2000 years, or we’ve been in the middle of them for 2000 years, what does that say about our theology? Are we still sober on the road there?
• Describe the advantages and disadvantages of a near miss.
• Conspiracy myths and wild end-times fantasies, it seemed, often went hand in hand in recent years. It seems to me that this arises from a deep insecurity about the complexity of this world. How do you see it (differently)?
• The near expectation of the believers in the New Testament was very real, according to the text. However, near expectation and apocalypse are two different things. Describe the differences according to your understanding.
• Many people today can no longer imagine such end-time scenarios. How do such assessments come about? And if you think we are living in the end times, why has nothing happened so far?
• We find today’s church described in the letters of the apostle Paul. He is the only one who speaks of the “body of Christ,” this present-day church that calls out people from all nations. How does Paul write about the end times? Where do we read about it? Does he write about it in the same way as we read about it in the Gospels and the Book of Revelation? Why is that?
• Reflect: “The Bible is a book of relationships in a historical context.” If this is true, what does it mean for God’s actions in this world? How can we imagine this? What are the limitations to our understanding?