1 Thessalonians 4:16

King James Version (KJV)

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Translations

1 Thessalonians 4:16 - Amplified Bible

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud cry of summons, with the shout of an archangel, and with the blast of the trumpet of God. And those who have departed this life in Christ will rise first.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 - American Standard Version

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first;

1 Thessalonians 4:16 - Bible in Basic English

Because the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a word of authority, with the voice of the chief angel, with the sound of a horn: and the dead in Christ will come to life first;

1 Thessalonians 4:16 - Darby Bible

for the Lord himself, with an assembling shout, with archangel`s voice and with trump of God, shall descend from heaven; and the dead in Christ shall rise first;

1 Thessalonians 4:16 - English Standard Version

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 - King James Version

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

1 Thessalonians 4:16 - La Biblia de las Americas

Pues el Señor mismo descenderá del cielo con voz de mando, con voz de arcángel y con la trompeta de Dios, y los muertos en Cristo se levantarán primero.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 - The Message

1 Thessalonians 4:16 - New American Standard Bible

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of {the} archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 - Nueva Biblia Latinoamericana de Hoy

Pues el Señor mismo descenderá del cielo con voz de mando, con voz de arcángel y con la trompeta de Dios, y los muertos en Cristo se levantarán primero.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 - World English Bible

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,

1 Thessalonians 4:16 - Young's Living Translation

because the Lord himself, in a shout, in the voice of a chief-messenger, and in the trump of God, shall come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ shall rise first,

1 Thessalonians 4:16 - Additional Comments

The word for "heaven" here can also be translated "air" or "sky". Jesus will descend to the earth from the sky, similar to the way He ascended. The angels said this immediately after His ascension (Acts 1:11).
When will this happen? No know knows except the Father God, not even Jesus. Specifically, we cannot predict when it will happen - it will surprise us like a thief who comes to your house (Matt 24:36,44,50, 2 Pet 3:10).
Before the end (Matt 24)
- Many will claim to be the Christ; many will fall away to follow them
- There will be many false prophets
- There will be many rumors of wars
- There will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places on the earth
- Many Christians will be killed
- There will be a lot of hate; the love of people will become cold
- Lawlessness will abound
- There will be many scoffers of the things of God (2 Pet 3:3-6)
At the end
- The gospel will have been preached in all the world
- Everyone is encouraged to flee from Judea, without pause, without taking time to collect anything
After the end
- There will be great tribulation, the worst ever
- Those days will be shortened by the coming of Jesus
At that time, what will be happening?
- Preceding His arrival, the debauchery of man will be similar to the low morality in the days of Noah, when God was prompted to eliminate all of mankind, except for Noah's family (Luke 17:26-30). It is also compared to the low morality in Sodom before it was destroyed.
- When Jesus arrives, He will be coming down, as compared to His departure, when He went up.
- Jesus will come with power and great glory (Matt 24:30)
- At Jesus descension, He will only descend to the level of the clouds - He will not come all the way to the earth (see vs 17).
- Just like sheet lightning (intracloud), when it flashes across the sky, there will be a similar impression when Jesus returns (Luke 17:24 ). This may mean His arrival will be seen around the world - not necessarily Him, but the effects of His arrival.
- When He descends, people will hear at least three things - 1-a shout, 2-the voice of an archangel, and 3-the trumpet of God. This trumpet is called the last trumpet in 1 Cor 15:52. It's going to be very loud (2 Pet 3:10) (The Big Bang Theory? This is God's Big Bang!). So, folks will both see and hear the arrival.
- At that time, the sun and the moon will be darkened, the stars will fall from heaven, and celestial bodies in the universe will be shaken (Matt 24:29).
- Before the Christians who are alive are drawn to Him, the dead Christians will first reappear ("rise"); they were dead, i.e. on the earth, and they will reappear on the earth (my interpretation).
- Then, the Christians who were dead and those who are alive will join together to be with Jesus in the air (vs 17). They will be drawn from the far ends of the earth to be physically with Jesus.
- It is the angels who gather the Christians to be with Jesus (Matt 24:31).
- It is God who brings the dead Christians to be with Jesus (vs 14).
- When the Christians are drawn away, the non-Christians will be left behind, no matter how close they were to those who left (Luke 17:31-36).
- Certainly if the dead rise, they will go through some sort of a transformation, a change, before they begin their ascension to be with Jesus. At the same time, those who are alive will also be transformed, be changed (1 Cor 15:52).
- How long will it take for us to be changed? Less than a second (1 Cor 15:52).
- When we are changed, we will go from a mortal, corruptible being to an immortal, incorruptible being (1 Cor 15:53-54).
- After that, Christians will never again be separated from Jesus (vs 17).
- Afterwards, heaven and earth will burn up on the day of judgment (Matt 24:35, 2 Pet 3:7,10). (Some worry about global warming, but God promises a very intense global warming!)
- Consider that all the great accomplishments by man that will disappear in the fire - medicine, transportation means, harnessing electricity, nooks, schools, education, all knowledge of science, harnessing the airwaves for radio, TV, mobile phones, etc., entertainment, including sports, movies, vacations, etc., art, in all its forms, including music, buildings, cities, skyscrapers, technology, including computers.
- Finally, a new heaven and a new earth will be created (Rev 21:1-22:5), in which we will dwell forever.
How are we to respond to this news about the end times? We are to comfort one another (vs 18). And, see 2 Peter 3:11-18 and the notes on those verses.

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