The Bible — World English Bible

1 Thessalonians 4

In brief

Paul writes to a young church in Macedonia with two messages. First, an exhortation to grow in a life that pleases God: holiness, which touches the body, relationships and work, along with brotherly love. Then a consolation for those mourning loved ones who died in Christ: Jesus will return, the dead in Christ will rise first, and then the living will be gathered to them to be with the Lord forever. The chapter ends with a simple command: comfort one another with these words.

The chapter in 3 parts

  1. v. 1-8Pleasing God: holiness in the body and in relationships
  2. v. 9-12Brotherly love and a quiet, honest life
  3. v. 13-18The return of Christ: comforting those who mourn their dead

1Finally then, brothers, we beg and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, that you abound more and more.

2For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

3For this is the will of God: your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality,

4that each one of you know how to control his own body in sanctification and honor,

5not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who don’t know God,

6that no one should take advantage of and wrong a brother or sister in this matter; because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we forewarned you and testified.

7For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification.

8Therefore he who rejects this doesn’t reject man, but God, who has also given his Holy Spirit to you.

9But concerning brotherly love, you have no need that one write to you. For you yourselves are taught by God to love one another,

10for indeed you do it toward all the brothers who are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brothers, that you abound more and more;

11and that you make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, even as we instructed you;

12that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and may have need of nothing.

13But we don’t want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, so that you don’t grieve like the rest, who have no hope.

14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.

15For this we tell you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep.

16For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with God’s trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first,

17then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever.

18Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Key verses

Verse 3
For this is the will of God: your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality,

Paul says in one sentence what God wants for his children: their sanctification. The word describes a life set apart for God, which becomes concrete in how we use our body, our relationships and our affairs.

Verse 9-10
But concerning brotherly love, you have no need that one write to you. For you yourselves are taught by God to love one another, for indeed you do it toward all the brothers who are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brothers, that you abound more and more;

Paul commends the Thessalonians for their brotherly love, which reaches all of Macedonia, and invites them to deepen it. Holiness and love go together in this chapter.

Verse 13
But we don’t want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, so that you don’t grieve like the rest, who have no hope.

Paul does not want believers to be ignorant about “those who have fallen asleep.” He does not forbid grief, he accompanies it with hope: we do not mourn like those who have no prospect.

Verse 16-17
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with God’s trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever.

The return of the Lord, the resurrection of the dead in Christ, then the meeting with the living in the air: this text is the origin of the expectation of the rapture of the church. Christian traditions offer several readings of the order of events.

Verse 18
Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Paul concludes with a pastoral application: these words are not meant to fuel debates, but to comfort one another. The teaching on Christ's return first serves to console.

Bible verses to meditate on

Pray about this

What the sermons say

Becoming Holy Means Living at Ease with GodFrom verses 1 to 12, a Japanese pastor explains that sanctification is not a tense life lived under a stern gaze. He sees in it the patient work of the Holy Spirit, who gives a recognizable peace.Read the summary →Living as Children of the Day: The Return of ChristThe message follows 1 Thessalonians 4:13 to 5:8 to answer three questions: in what order will Jesus return, when, and how to wait for this return without losing our balance in daily life.Read the summary →Live as a Child of the LordIn a study of Deuteronomy on the mourning of God's people, the preacher cites verse 13: believers can mourn a brother, but they do not mourn like those who have no hope.Read the summary →End Times (1/3): Don't Confuse the Rapture with the Return of JesusJean-Claude Villa opens a series on the end times. He distinguishes the rapture of the church from the return of Jesus to earth, according to a reading that not all traditions share.Read the summary →Rapture, Judgment Seat, Wedding: What Awaits You in HeavenThe same preacher develops what awaits the church after the rapture: the judgment seat of Christ, rewards and the wedding supper of the Lamb, in a pretribulation reading that he defends.Read the summary →

Frequently asked questions about 1 Thessalonians 4

What does 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 mean?

The text announces that the Lord will come down from heaven, that the dead in Christ will rise first, and then that believers still alive will be caught up with them to meet the Lord. Christians do not all read this passage the same way: some see the rapture of the church before the tribulation, others the glorious return of Christ. All hold to the promise of being with the Lord forever.

What does Paul mean by “those who have fallen asleep”?

In the New Testament, sleeping is an image for the death of believers. It expresses that death is not final: we wake up at the resurrection. Paul uses it to comfort the Thessalonians, who were mourning loved ones who had died before the return of Christ.

What is sanctification in 1 Thessalonians 4?

It is the will of God for his children (verse 3): a life set apart for him. Paul describes it in concrete terms: controlling your body with honor, not wronging your brother in business, loving your brothers. The text also reminds us that God has given his Holy Spirit, which shows that holiness is not a solitary effort.

Is a Christian allowed to mourn their dead?

Yes. Paul does not condemn grief: he says that believers do not grieve like those who have no hope. The pain of separation remains real, but it comes with the promise of the resurrection and of being reunited with the Lord. The chapter invites us to comfort one another with these words.

Articles quoting 1 Thessalonians 4

← All chapters

World English Bible translation — public domain.