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THESSALONIANS CHAPTER 4
OBSERVATION
STAGE
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
The
observation stage is to teach an individual to:
(a)
rely on the text at hand, because it is entirely faithful and trustworthy
as it stands,
(b)
learn that individual verses convey immutable truth and are not to be
modified, changed or transformed into something different even from
elsewhere in Scripture,
(c)
help the individual focus on the text at hand which, by and large, has all
the information necessary to understand what it is saying without going on
unnecessary tangents elsewhere in Scripture,
(d)
help the individual focus on the context at hand as conveyed by the
information that is readily available in the text at hand. So let's take a
look at this chapter in its entirety first to see what we can observe from
it alone, then we will double back and provide corroboration and
elaboration as required:
I)
[1 Thes 4:13]:
A)
FELLOW BELIEVERS ARE BEING ADDRESSED
1)
[Compare 1 Thes 1:1, 7; 4:14]:
B)
THE PHRASE "FALL ASLEEP" IS ADDRESSING BELIEVERS WHO HAVE
PHYSICALLY DIED WHO ARE FURTHER DESCRIBED AS 'ASLEEP IN JESUS' AND 'DEAD
IN CHRIST'
1)
[Compare 1 Thes 4:14-16]:
C)
PAUL INDICATES THAT THE REST OF MEN, I.E., THOSE HE IS NOT ADDRESSING IN
THIS EPISTLE = UNBELIEVERS, HAVE NO HOPE AS OPPOSED TO BELIEVERS WHO DO
HAVE THE HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE
1)
[Compare 1 Thes 1:3-5]:
D)
PAUL ADDRESSES AN ISSUE STEMMING FROM THE THESSALONIAN BELIEVERS
UNDERGOING SEVERE PERSECUTION AND DEATHS. THEY MISTOOK THIS PERSECUTION
FOR THE FUTURE WRATH OF GOD, AND SINCE THEY HAD NOT BEEN RESCUED FROM
THIS PERSECUTION BY THE COMING OF JESUS CHRIST, THEY GRIEVED LIKE THE
REST OF MEN WHO HAVE NO SURE HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE
E)
THE THESSALONIAN BELIEVERS WHO WERE GOING THROUGH SEVERE PERSECUTION
WERE TOLD BY PAUL THAT THEIR HOPE IS IN JESUS, THAT HE WOULD RESCUE
ALIVE BELIEVERS FROM THE COMING WRATH, AND ALL BELIEVERS WILL ACCOMPANY
THE LORD AT HIS COMING - SO THEY SHOULD NOT GRIEVE LIKE UNBELIEVERS WHO
HAVE NO SUCH HOPE
1)
[Compare 1 Thes 1:3-5]:
2)
[Compare 1 Thes 1:6-10]:
3)
[Compare 1 Thes 2:14-15]:
4)
[Compare 1 Thes 2:19 KJV with 1 Thes 4:13]:
F)
BELIEVERS WHO ARE ALIVE ON THE EARTH WILL BE RESCUED FROM GOD'S FINAL
WORLDWIDE EARTHLY WRATH BY PHYSICAL REMOVAL FROM THE EARTH AND INTO
CHRIST'S PRESENCE. GOD'S ETERNAL WRATH IS NOT IN VIEW
1)
[Compare 1 Thes 1:8-10]:
G)
TWO DIFFERENT APPEARANCES OF OUR LORD ARE INCLUDED IN THE SURE HOPE: (1)
JESUS CHRIST WILL APPEAR IN THE CLOUDS ABOVE THE EARTH TO RESCUE
BELIEVERS FROM GOD'S FINAL WRATH ON THE EARTH BY PHYSICAL REMOVAL TO
REMAIN WITH HIM FOREVER. (2) JESUS CHRIST IN HIS SECOND COMING WILL
THEREAFTER ARRIVE WITH THE RESCUED BELIEVERS ONTO THE SURFACE OF THE
EARTH TO END THE WRATH AND BEGIN THE REIGN OF HIS KINGDOM
1)
[Compare 1 Thes 1:10]:
2)
[Compare 1 Thes 2:19 KJV]:
a)
[Compare 1 Thes 3:13]:
b)
[Compare 2 Thes 1:10]:
H)
THE THESSALONIAN BELIEVERS ARE REMINDED OF THE SURE HOPE OF RESCUE FROM
THE COMING WRATH IN ORDER NOT TO MISCONSTRUE THE SEVERE PERSECUTION THEY
WERE UNDER FOR GOD'S FINAL WRATH AND THEN CONCLUDE THEY HAD MISSED THE
RESCUE
II)
[1 Thes 4:13-14]:
A)
PAUL TELLS THE THESSALONIAN BELIEVERS NOT TO GRIEVE LIKE THE REST OF MEN
WHO HAVE NO HOPE RELATIVE TO ACCOMPANYING THE LORD AT HIS COMING, I.E.,
ETERNAL LIFE FOR THOSE OF THEM WHO SLEEP IN JESUS WILL BE WITH HIM AND
SO SHALL THEY ALSO
III)
[1 Thes 4:13-17]:
A)
THE LORD SPOKE OF BELIEVERS BEING CAUGHT UP TO HIM
B)
PAUL ASSURES THAT BELIEVERS ALIVE AND ASLEEP IN CHRIST WILL TAKE PART IN
EVENTS AT THE PARTICULAR APPEARANCE OF OUR LORD TO RESCUE THEM WHO ARE
ALIVE AT THE TIME FROM THE COMING WRATH ON THE EARTH
1)
[Compare 1 Thes 1:10]:
C)
COMMENCING WITH THE ARCHANGEL'S LOUD COMMAND AND THE TRUMPET CALL OF GOD
THE COMING OF THE LORD TO RESCUE BELIEVERS IS TO COMMENCE FROM HEAVEN,
WHEREUPON THE DEAD IN CHRIST RISE FIRST, THEN ALIVE BELIEVERS WITH THEM
WILL BE CAUGHT UP TO MEET THE LORD IN THE CLOUDS IN THE AIR TO BE WITH
THE LORD FOREVER
1)
[Compare 1 Thes 1:10]:
D)
BELIEVERS WHO ARE ALIVE ON THE EARTH AND THOSE WHO ARE ASLEEP WILL BE
CAUGHT UP FROM THE EARTH INTO CHRIST'S PRESENCE INTO THE CLOUDS IN THE
AIR - EVIDENTLY AS A RESCUE FROM THE COMING WRATH - THIS IS NOT THE
SECOND COMING
1)
[Compare 1 Thes 1:8-10]:
2)
[Compare 1 Thes 2:19 KJV]:
3)
[Compare 1 Thes 3:13]:
