1 Thess 4:13-17 or rather the whole 1 Thess 4
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep [k]in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive [l]and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a [m]shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive [n]and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.And very clearly in verse 7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto sanctification.
What does this actually teach?
St. Paul wrote to the Thessalnian Christians because they were worried about those who died before Christ's return. Many in the ancient world believed that a person simply ceased to exist upon death.
These was a rumor in Thessalonica at the time Paul wrote the letter that the dead Christians had lost out on any chance of a physical resurrection. St.Paul assures them that it was not so. In fact, "the dead in Christ will rise first" to meet Christ
Rapturists make the mistake of thinking "meet the Lord in the air" is about Christ not actually touching the earth.
The word St. Paul uses for meeting the Lord "in the air" is aer the Greek word for atmosphere
This SAME word is used in Ephesians 2:2
And you [a]were dead [b]in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the [c]course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.yet no one would claim that, because of this word, Satan wouldn't influence people on the earth
A consistent rapturist reading of this wod here would mean that only airplane passengers are influenced by Satan's power
NO, when Christ returns to the earth's atmosphere, He has returned to earth
Rapturists trying to point to the "coming in the clouds" -- but this ignores the symbol of divinity in the clouds
The Bible uses three Greek words interchangeably
Rapturists think that there is a different usage for each, but that is false - parousia is not used just for some fake "rapture" and the others for the 2nd coming
Paul doesn't mention this 19th century rapture idea as occuring before the appearance of the antichrist and before the second coming is simple: it never entered into his mind that anyone would believe Christ would rapture His Church before the final Eschaton
In the apocalypse, that is referred to as the battle with Gog and Magog, Christians will participate in that confrontation because there will be no secret rapture before it. Our comfort rests in Him who will emerge from that confrontation as the Victor.
THAT is the reassurance Paul offers, not the promise of an escape from the great Tribulation.
And very clearly Jesus DID teach that "as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man" (Matt 24:27). St Paul taught in 1 thessalonians 4:16 that "the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a cry of comman, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God"
BOTH passages speak of the second advent as unmistakably obvious. There is nothing secret about lightning, cries of command, angel calls or trumpets
Excellent. Also, as I understand it, we meet Jesus in the air and return with Him immediately, like the custom when an ‘official’ came. People ran out to them and escorted them back. Look at the prodigal son’s father; he ran out to his son and escorted him back. The prodigal was a cherished ‘official’ in that the father gave him a robe and ring and lavished him with love and attention.
The Departure prior to the hour of testing is clearly revealed in The word of God. Servants of satan like you twist the Truth to fit your obsessive evil lies. Your actions were predicted 2000 years ago and now you are real. The Revelation of John Promises that the Body of Christ Believers will be kept even from the hour of the testing to come upon the whole Earth. Your master does not want The Truth to be understood by the masses.
You serve satan with vigor, writing lie after lies, and you start these threads at FR to feed your dead soul needy ego, as proven with your repeated long posts of bovine excrement from your master's evil brilliance.