The
1
Thessalonians (NIV)
By
Syd Cleveland
(©
1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2006 and Revised
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1 Th 1:2
ALWAYS THANK = The Greek "eucharistumen" (Strongs #G2168)
is in the 1P Pl Pres Act Ind, meaning "we are giving thanks."
1 Th 1:5
THE HOLY SPIRIT = See note on Galatians
1 Th 1:6
JOY GIVEN BY THE HOLY SPIRIT = See note on Galatians
1 Th 2:4
GOD, WHO TESTS OUR HEARTS = Satan tempts in an attempt to get us to
sin (Matthew 4:1). But God tests us to
show us our weaknesses and to demonstrate our loyalty to Him (Deuteronomy 8:2; Psalm
17:3; Psalm 26:2; Psalm 139:23-24).
1 Th 2:13
WORD OF GOD = This phrase
("word of God") is used
throughout Scripture to mean:
(1) a prophecy or
directive from God to a prophet (1 Chronicles 17:3-4; Luke 3:2);
(2) the entire
cannon of Scripture (Proverbs 30:5; Matthew 15:6);
(3) the spoken
word/preaching (Acts
(4) the
"sword of the Spirit" (Ephesians
(5) "Christ
in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians
(6) literally the
word from God (1 Thessalonians
(7) In John 10:35,
"the word of God" is synonymous with "the Scripture."
(8) In Acts 6:7;
8:14, "the word of God" is synonymous with Christianity.
(9) In Revelation
19:13 "the Word of God" is a title for Jesus Christ.
1 Th 2:14
IN CHRIST = We are "in Christ" when we hear and believe
the Gospel (Ephesians
1 Th 3:2
TIMOTHY, WHO IS OUR BROTHER = Here “brother” is used as
a term of spiritual equality and endearment as when Paul refers to Timothy as
“my son” in 1 Corinthians
1 Th 3:3
NO ONE WOULD BE UNSETTLED = The Greek “saino” (Strongs
#G4524) means “to wag, to be agitated, shaken.” In this case it means to be shaken out of
Christianity (see Ephesians
BY THESE TRIALS = The Greek “thlipsis” (Strongs #G2347)
means “pressure, to crush, trials.”
At that time the Thessalonians were going through a time of persecution (see
1 Thessalonians 3:4, 7).
1 Th 3:8
NOW WE REALLY LIVE = The good news that the Thessalonians are
continuing to be strong Christians even in the face of vicious persecutions was
a great relief to Paul, for his work was not in vain (see Galatians 4:11). Nothing is more discouraging for a true
shepherd than to work untiringly for a congregation only to see them slide
backwards and lose all he had struggled at great sacrifice to gain.
1 Th 3:13
BLAMELESS AND HOLY = The Greek “amemptos” (Strongs
#G273) means “blameless, without fault.” It does not mean “perfectly without
sin.” Rather, it means the sinner
has been wrapped in Christ’s blood-red robes of forgiveness and now
stands before God without anything that can be judged inadequate (see Matthew
26:28; Matthew 3:23; Romans 4:7; 1 John 1:9).
“No man is
perfectly holy in this life; no man is without sin in himself, or lives without
the commission of it; holiness in the best is imperfect; no man, as yet, is in
himself sanctified wholly; there is no unblamable holiness but in Christ; and
in him the saints are without spot and blemish.” – John
Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Seventh-day
Adventists and many other cultic groups teach that a person must be personally
perfectly free of all sin in order to stand before God without a mediator. This false doctrine was known as “holy
flesh” in the 1800’s, and when it is combined with a second false
doctrine teaching that Jesus will cease His mediatory work shortly before His
second coming, causes adherents great fear and guilt. Typically these cults teach their members
that salvation is always in doubt because it depends upon a person’s
efforts to overcome sin. The careful
Bible student will quickly remember that Scripture states Jesus is our
“High Priest forever” and has a “permanent priesthood”
(Hebrews
1 Th 4:3
IT IS GOD'S WILL = For other direct statements regarding God's will
also see Romans 12:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:9; 1 Peter 2:15; 3
John 1:2.
""Have
you ever wondered to yourself, 'I wish I knew what the will of God is for my
life'? This is the most direct answer to
that question in all the Bible: the will of God is your sanctification (which
is the same root word for holiness) -- specifically, that you would 'abstain
from sexual immorality.' The
sanctification refers to the process of being holy and set apart unto God for
His service. ... If men and women do not get their sexuality under God's control,
they will not be able to become people of holiness. Sexual immorality is a threshold sin. On one side of the threshold is immorality
and on the other is purity. On one side
are guilt, lying, deceit, addiction, and shame, and on the other side are
freedom, honesty, transparency, liberty, and a clear conscience. Believers who are in bondage to immorality
find that unless they experience victory in this area, they cannot grow in
holiness or serve the Lord with passion and power." -- Victory Over Temptation,
Bruce Wilkinson, pages 170, 171.
BE SANCTIFIED = Sanctification is the process of making something
or someone holy. It involves being set
apart from what is common or secular.
"The most
common understanding of sanctification is the growth in holiness that should
follow conversion. ... In justification, God, at the beginning of Christian
life, declares us acquitted. In
sanctification, God accomplishes His will in us as Christian life proceeds. Sanctification never replaces
justification. Sanctification is of the
Spirit, and is the outflow of an overflowing life within the soul, the 'fruit'
of the Spirit. How far does
sanctification go? The Greek root
'telei' does not mean 'sinless,' 'incapable of sinning, but 'fulfilling its
appointed end, complete, mature.' Such
maturity is clearly part of the Christian's goal. Paul's denial that he is already 'perfect,'
and his exhortations to ongoing sanctification, show that he does not think a
final, complete sanctification can be claimed in this life." -- The
Concise Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Walter A. Elwell, editor, page 446.
"Sanctification
refers to the process of being holy and set apart unto God for His
service." -- Victory Over Temptation, Bruce Wilkinson, page 170.
AVOID = The Greek "apechomai" (Strongs #G567) means
"to refrain from, to abstain from, to avoid, to hold one's self away
from." It requires an act of the
will, a firm decision resulting from personal choice.
SEXUAL IMMORALITY = The Greek "porneia" (Strongs #G4202)
means "fornication, harlotry, adultery, lewdness, any sexual
sin." Here Paul uses this word to
include the broadest possible arena of sexual activity.
"'Sexual
immorality' is translated from the word 'porneia' which is a broad one and
includes all sexually immoral practices such as adultery, premarital and
extramarital intercourse, homosexuality, pornography (did you notice that
pornography and 'porneia' have the same root?), and other sexual
perversions. Listed below are the more
obvious sexual sins: sex before marriage, sex outside of marriage (affair),
sexual activity with another man or a child, practicing a sexual perversion,
looking at/reading printed pornography, viewing sexual activity on TV/Video,
calling the 900 Sex lines, engaging in erotic situations on the Internet,
visiting striptease or sexual massage, lusting after another person sexually,
indulging sexual addictions in your private life." -- Personal Holiness in
Times of Temptation, Dr. Bruce H. Wilkinson, page 42.
1 Th 4:8
HIS HOLY SPIRIT = The fact this Scripture refers to the Holy Spirit
as God's Spirit in no way reduces the personality of the Spirit than the texts
which refer to Christ as God's Son. Just
as Jesus is a Personal Being even though He is at times called God's Son, so
the Holy Spirit is a Personal Being even though He at times is called God's
Spirit.
Contrary to the
Jehovah Witnesses' belief that the Holy Spirit is just an "active
force" like electricity, "the idea of 'spirit' excludes not only the idea
of material substance, but also that of inanimate substance. It implies that God (or in this case, the
Holy Spirit) is alive." -- Lectures in Systematic Theology, by Henry C.
Thiessen, Eerdmans, p. 76.
1 Th 4:11
MAKE IT YOUR AMBITION = The three characteristics of a Christian
lifestyle are: (1) "to lead a quiet life;" (2) "to mind your own
business;" and (3) "to work with your hands." The purpose of this lifestyle is "so that
your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be
dependent on anybody" (1 Thessalonians
1 Th 4:13
THOSE WHO FALL ASLEEP = This is a Biblical metaphor for death. It is contrasted with "we who are still
alive" in 1 Thessalonians
The Bible
repeatedly depicts the death of the body as a "sleep" awaiting the
resurrection at Christ's second coming (1 Corinthians
"The notion
of soul-sleep is just as foreign to the New Testament as to Judaism; the image
of sleep is introduced ... simply as an euphemistic description of death."
-- Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Kittel, vol. 1, p. 147
NO HOPE = See 1 Corinthians
1 Th 4:14
WE BELIEVE ... AND SO WE BELIEVE = Here the fact of Christ's death
and resurrection provides us with the certainty of the resurrection of the
saved at Christ's second coming.
"The facts of
Christ’s experience are repeated. He died and then rose: so believers
shall die and rise with him." -- New Commentary on the Whole Bible.
"Just as
certainly as Jesus died and was resurrected by the Father, so God will unite
the resurrected dead in Christ with their Savior at His coming." -- The
Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament.
Carefully notice
that Paul is not saying that only those "who have fallen asleep"
(died) before Christ's first coming and ascension will go to heaven "with
Jesus." Instead, Paul is saying
that all believers, whether they have died or remain alive at Christ's second
coming will ascend with Christ after the resurrection at His second
coming. The purpose of the Second Coming
is to raise the dead bodies of the saints back to life. This is accomplished by bringing "with
Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him" (i.e. the spirit/soul is
replaced in the resurrected body).
GOD WILL BRING WITH JESUS = The Greek literally reads: "For if
we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also the (ones) having slept
through Jesus God will lead with him."
Compare this with the literal Greek in verse 15 for a conclusive
portrayal of the resurrection being a uniting of the spirit/soul with the new
body.
WILL BRING = Primary word of the Greek "ago" means
"to lead." The same word is
used in Matthew 21:2.
WITH JESUS THOSE = This refers to all the saved who have:
a. Died the first
death on this earth,
b. Those who were
taken bodily to heaven such as Elijah
c. Those who were
resurrected at Christ's first coming and followed Him into heaven at His
ascension (Matthew 27:52, 53; Ephesians 4:8; 1 Corinthians
The thought is
that if we believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, then we must also
believe that God will also raise the saved dead to life. The whole issue is centered on verse 13,
where Paul is opposing the idea that when a person dies there is no hope of a
resurrection (see 1 Corinthians
THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP = This is a Biblical euphemism for
death based upon the way a dead human body appears to be sleeping. It is contrasted with "we who are still
alive" in 1 Thessalonians
1 Th 4:15
WE WHO ARE STILL ALIVE = Some have thought Paul wrongly believed he
would remain alive until Christ's second coming. This is incorrect. See note on 1 Corinthians 15:51 and Paul's
statement indicating he expected to die and be raised from the dead at Christ's
second coming (1 Corinthians 6:14).
Those who are "still alive" at Christ's second coming are
contrasted with "those who have fallen asleep" (1 Thessalonians
WHO ARE LEFT = The Greek "perileipo" (Strongs #4035)
means "remainder, left over, survivors."
WILL CERTAINLY NOT PRECEDE THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP = Some
commentators wrongly teach the opposite: that "those who have fallen
asleep" will precede those who remain alive at Christ's second coming (see
notes on 1 Thessalonians
THE COMING OF THE LORD = The Greek "parousia" (Strongs
#G3952) means "coming to a place, presence, arrival". This word, in the context of the next two
verses (1 Thessalonians
1 Th 4:16
THE LORD HIMSELF WILL COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN = This is not a secret
rapture -- rather it is the glorious second coming of Jesus Christ accompanied
with "a loud command," ... "the trumpet call of God" during
which the "dead in Christ" are raised to life.
COME DOWN = The Greek "katabaino" (Strongs #G2597) means
"come down, descend."
VOICE OF THE ARCHANGEL ... TRUMPET CALL OF GOD = This verse has the
reputation of being the "noisiest verse in the Bible" -- something
that the proponents of a "secret rapture" have to overlook!
Notice carefully
the text does not say: "the voice of the Son of God," but rather,
"the voice of the archangel."
This distinction is important to understanding what the Bible is
teaching us here (also see notes on John
For those who
wrongly teach that Jesus is "Michael" the archangel (Jehovah's
Witnesses and Seventh-day Adventists) let me challenge them with the following
thought: if Jesus' return "with the voice of the archangel" makes Him
Michael the "archangel" than we must also believe that His returning
"with the trumpet call of God" makes Him a trumpet! The problem for SDAs is that they would
rather believe their false prophet Ellen White than Scripture, thus they turn
the grammar of 1 Thessalonians
THE DEAD IN CHRIST = Those who have died faithful to the Lord. This group does not include unrepentant sinners.
WILL RISE = Greek "anistemi" (Strongs #G450) means
"to stand again, stand upright, raise up again." Here it means "raised to life, return to
life." It does not mean the
resurrected dead will precede the living to be with Christ (see note on 1 Thessalonians
1. The Lord
himself (Jesus Christ) will come down from heaven
2. with a loud
command, with the voice of the archangel (the archangel is Michael) and with
the trumpet call of God,
3. and the dead in
Christ will be raised to life (raised from the dead, not raised up into the
air)
4. We who are
still alive and are left will be caught up together (both the resurrected dead
and the living) rise together to the clouds
5. to meet the
Lord (Jesus Christ) in the air.
FIRST = Greek grammar uses this in a correlative sense: first the
dead are raised, and then the living are raised. This cannot be construed to mean the dead were
raised long before and then the living will be raised at Christ's second
coming. Nor can it mean the resurrected
dead meet the Lord before the living.
1 Th 4:17
AFTER THAT = The Greek "epeita" (Strongs #1899) means
"after that, afterwards, then, subsequently." In the context of the previous verse (1
Thessalonians
WE WHO ARE STILL ALIVE = The Greek "zao" (Strongs #G2198)
means "to live, to be alive."
Paul was not saying that he expected to remain alive until the second
coming of Christ (see commentary on 1 Corinthians
ARE LEFT = In context, the Greek "perileipo" (Strongs
#G4035) means "those who survived, those who did not die, those who
remained after the dead were raised to life." This does not mean the dead
ascended before the living, but rather contrasts the living who have never seen
death with those who were raised from the dead.
When we examine
the context of verse 16 ("loud command," "voice of the
archangel," "trumpet call of God," and the raising of the
"dead") there is no reference whatsoever to a "secret
rapture." Instead, this is a
distinct reference to the second coming of Christ where the righteous dead are
raised to life first, and then immediately afterwards both the living saints
("those who did not die") and the resurrected saints are "caught
up together" to "meet the Lord in the air."
CAUGHT UP TOGETHER = The Greek "harpazo" (Strongs #G726)
means "to openly seize, openly snatch," giving us a picture similar
to Christ's ascension (Acts 1:9). This
is in contrast with the Greek "klepto" (Strongs #G2813) which means
"to steal secretly." Thus
there is no support in the grammar here for the "secret rapture"
theory.
The picture is of
the saved rising up, not the Lord coming down and setting foot on this
earth. Nothing is said here about the
Lord establishing a millennial kingdom on this earth as the World Wide Church
of God, United Church of God, and
TOGETHER WITH THEM = The Greek "
IN THE AIR = The Greek "aer" (Strongs #G109) means
"air," and when combined with "clouds" (Strongs #G3507)
there is no mistaking that the "sky" is meant. The Greek "aer" is also used in
Revelation 9:2 to indicate "up in the sky where the sun is;" in Acts
22:23 to indicate throwing dust "into the air" as opposed to on to
the ground; in Revelation 16:17 to indicate "into the air" as opposed
to on to the ground; in 1 Corinthians 9:26 as a figure of speech from the arena
depicting a gladiator who misses a stroke; in 1 Corinthians 14:9 as a figure of
speech to indicate someone is talking nonsense; in Ephesians 2:2 to indicate
the location of Satan's kingdom (in the air rather than on the ground). The facts are plain that the saved do not
reside on this earth with Christ in a millennial kingdom, but leave the surface
of this planet. When Acts
AND SO = Greek "houtoe" (Strongs #G3779) summarizes the
preceding thought. The only time either
the "dead" or the "living" are with the Lord is at the
second coming of Christ. The exception
is the "first fruits" mentioned in my commentary on verse 14, but
even they went bodily to heaven.
1 Th 5:2
LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT = Paul clearly indicates his comparison
of Christ's second coming to a "thief in the night" has to do with
the thief's unexpected, sudden attack (see the next two verses, 1 Thessalonians
5:3-4). There is nothing here to support
a "secret rapture" (see notes on Matthew 24:43 and 1 Thessalonians
1 Th 5:3
DESTRUCTION WILL COME ON THEM = In the context of the previous six
verses, this "destruction" is the loud, visible, unexpected second
coming of Jesus Christ which destroys the wicked (2 Thessalonians 2:8).
The Greek
"OLETHROS; gen. 'olethrou,' masc. noun, from 'ollumi' (n.f.), to destroy,
kill. Ruin, destruction. Used of divine punishment (1 Corinthians 5:5;
1 Thessalonians 5:3; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; 1 Timothy 6:9; Septuagint: Proverbs
21:7). The verb 'ollumi' (n.f.) does not
occur, but its derivative, 'apollumi' (Strongs #G622), to destroy, does. The fundamental thought is not annihilation
by any means, but unavoidable distress and torment." -- The Complete
Wordstudy Dictionary, New Testament, Zodhiates, AMG Publishers, p. 1036.
SUDDENLY = The Greek "aiphnidios" (Strongs #G160) means
"sudden because it is unexpected, unforeseen, not anticipated" (see
Matthew 24:36; Matthew 24:43-44; Matthew 25:13; Luke 21:8; Acts 1:7). This word, "aiphnidios" is used
only twice (see Luke
AND THEY WILL NOT ESCAPE = There is no "second chance" for
the unsaved after Christ's second coming as the World Wide Church of God, the
Church of God International, and other cults teach. Christ's second coming marks the end of all
living sinners' opportunity for salvation.
Those who have died unsaved lost their opportunity for salvation when
they drew their last breath (see Hebrews 9:27; Hebrews 10:26-27; 2 Peter 3:7).
1 Th 5:4
NOT IN DARKNESS ... SURPRISE YOU = Paul's point here is not that
Christians are wiser than others because they know the sequence of events of
Bible prophecy and thus are prepared for Christ's coming. Instead in the next 4 verses Paul makes it
clear that "not (being) in darkness" means being "alert and
self-controlled" (see note on 1 Thessalonians 5:6). Those who use this text as a pretext for
teaching Bible prophecy time charts are simply taking the verse out of
context. It is our relationship with
Christ that prepares us for His coming, not a supposed knowledge of some
invented sequence of eschatological
events.
LIKE A THIEF = See note on 1 Thessalonians 5:2.
SURPRISE = The Greek "katalambano" (Strongs #2638) means
"to seize suddenly, come suddenly upon." There is nothing here about a "secret
rapture." Christ's second coming is
sudden, unexpected, not "secret."
1 Th 5:6
ASLEEP = Here Paul defines being "asleep" as not being
"alert and self-controlled."
In 1 Thessalonians 5:8 Paul adds the requirements of "putting on
faith and love" and "the hope of salvation" as part of what
consists of being "alert and self-controlled." There is nothing here about studying Bible
prophecies and predicting when Jesus will return in order to be
"awake."
1 Th 5:9
DID NOT APPOINT US TO SUFFER WRATH = See notes on Romans
1 Th 5:10
AWAKE OR ASLEEP, WE MAY LIVE TOGETHER WITH HIM = The text clearly
states that if we are "awake" (we have not experienced death) we
"live ... with Him" (at Christ's second coming). It also clear states that if we are
"asleep" (we have experienced death) we "live ... with Him"
(at death). Thus according to this
scripture, there is life after death (see
1 Th 5:18
GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES = It is God's will that His people
give thanks in all circumstances.
"How is this
possible? Notice that God tells us to
give thanks 'in all circumstances' not 'for all circumstances.' God doesn't expect you to be thankful for
evil, for sin, for suffering, or for their painful consequences in the
world. Instead, God wants you to thank
Him that He will use your problems to fulfill His purposes." -- The
Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren, Zondervan, p. 199
IN CHRIST = We are "in Christ" when we hear and believe
the Gospel (Ephesians
1 Th 5:23
SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY = The term "body" represents man's
material, or physical, side while the terms "spirit" and
"soul" represent his immaterial or spiritual side. Thus the entire human -- including every
aspect of his being -- will be affected by Christ's second coming.
"Man cannot
simply be reduced to being either wholly a material or immaterial being. He is both, and the Christian Church has
always viewed man as being comprised of two sides. ... Man's immaterial side is
given many different names in Scripture.
No attempt was ever made by the authors of the Scriptures to define the metaphysical
or philosophical nature or essence of the invisible side of man. It is always described in terms of how man
functions, or how he relates to God, the world around him or the next life. Thus these terms should not be viewed as
referring to separate entities in man but as simply describing man's
multidimensional functions and relationships." -- Death and the Afterlife,
Robert Morey, p. 44
BE KEPT BLAMELESS = The Greek "holoteles" (Strongs #G3651)
means "complete, blameless, sinless."
This is the goal each believer should reach for, but it will not be
achieved on this earth: Proverbs 20:9; John 8:7; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8;
Jeremiah 2:35; Leviticus 5:17.
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Cleveland 1990, 2000, 2005, 2006. All
rights reserved world wide.
Sydney
Cleveland, 172 Suncrest Drive, Greenwood, IN 46143 317 885-8122
Permission to use The Cleveland Bible Commentary in your personal study
is freely given, however this Commentary is not in the public domain. The author retains all copyrights © and
ownership of this commentary, world wide.
This means you cannot copy, revise, change, republish, or distribute The
Cleveland Bible Commentary in any way, including electronically, except as
provided here. Nor may you use it in any
manner other than for your own personal study, except as stated here, without
my written permission. You may quote
from The Cleveland Bible Commentary in materials used in your personal teaching
at educational institutions, including churches and Bible classes sponsored by
your church, as long as the quotation does not exceed twenty-five percent of
the entire Cleveland Bible Commentary verse notes on any single chapter. For example, this means if I comment on
twenty-four verses in Matthew chapter 19, you may directly quote my comments on
six verses of your choice in Matthew 19 without requesting permission.
When quoting, please include the following credit line:
“Quoted from The Cleveland Bible Commentary, by Syd Cleveland, located
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