"Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4, that when the 'time of the dead that they should be judged' arrives, the living saints will not anticipate the dead. That is, they will not be gathered together into the presence of Christ before them. When Christ comes, the living will have to wait, until the reproduction of the dead saints is complete. Be the time of this reproduction long or short, the how long is not revealed; this, however, is certain, that 'the dead in Christ shall be restored (anastesontai) FIRST.' He then tells us what is to happen next. 'After that, we the living who remain, together with them shall be hurried away in clouds for a convention of the Lord in the air (eis haera), and so (in that Air), we shall be always with the Lord.' Thus the dead are the subjects of anastasis, or 'restoration' to what they once were; and then, in company with their fellow earthborns in Christ of the generation contemporary with this great anastasis, they go to report themselves for better or worse, at the Judgment Seat in Teman. All of them who are approved, or 'accounted worthy to obtain that aion' (course of things, or Air), are 'clothed with the house from heaven'; and henceforth, appointed to be with the Lord always in the Air" (the political "heaven" of the age to come. -- Eureka, vol. 3, page 609.

Our previous Supplement expounded upon the signs of the times as they are outlined in the symbology of the sixth vial, and made the point that we are living in the very shadow of Christ's second coming. He shall appear as the Sun of righteousness, in the spring-time of God's purpose with man. Spring-time is the time of growth, when new life appears from under the ground, and in accordance with the symbology, the manifestation of the Sun of righteousness in glory, will be immediately followed by the resurrection, at which both flowers and weeds will appear.

We supplied evidence from Scripture showing that the Resurrection will constitute the first work of Christ at his second advent. It will testify that he is here without doubt, though the world will remain ignorant of the fact, because both living and resurrected saints will be taken to the Judgment Seat of Christ.

Paul declared:

"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; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thess. 4:16-17).

Christ Returns With A "Shout"

What does Paul mean by the strange expressions he uses in conjunction with the resurrection?

Each one is of the greatest significance when understood and applied.

He declares that the Lord "shall descend from heaven with a shout."

Will he return with a voice so loud that it will awaken the dead? The idea is incongruous, and is not what Paul taught. The Greek word used, signifies a call or a summons of authority, and that not necessarily audible. The same word is used in the Septuagint version of Proverbs 30:27: "The locusts . . . at the word of command march in rank."

The "word of command" used to summon the locusts is not an audible shout, but the voice of nature, unheard by those for whom it is not intended. Only the locusts "hear" it and act upon it.

The "shout" of Christ is likewise a word of command audible only to those for whom it is intended. Brother Thomas writes in Eureka:

"An angel's whisper can wake the dead, when breathed by the command of Him, who is the resurrection and the life. This would be a 'great sound' though inaudible to the ears of flesh."

Christ will not return with a literal shout, the reverberations of which will be heard from one end of the earth to the other; but with a quiet voice of command, which will cause those responsible to awaken from their sleep of death and stand again in life:

"The hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of condemnation" (John 5:28-29).

This is the "shout" which shall accompany the Lord's return from heaven.

That being so, Paul's comment to the Thessalonians suggests that the resurrection will be the first work of Christ at his coming.

Christ Returns With Archangel Authority

In addition, Paul declared that Christ will return "with the voice of the archangel."

The only archangel mentioned in Scripture is Michael (Jude 9). Michael is mentioned in Daniel 10:21 as Daniel's "prince," who co-operated with Gabriel in guiding the destiny of Israel at the time.

It seems apparent that the angel whom Joshua saw with drawn sword outside Jericho was Michael, for he introduced himself as "prince" of the army of Yahweh (Josh. 5:14), the same title used in the reference in Daniel.

Michael signifies "Who Like Unto El" or God, which, again, suggests an identification with the angel into whose care were placed the affairs of Israel:

"Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for My name is in him" (Exod. 23:20-21).

These Scriptures suggest that Michael was the name given to the archangel who was placed over the affairs of Israel, described as "the angel of Yahweh's presence" (Isa. 63:9). That angel was the name-bearer to Israel, possessing the power of life and death, and the authority to forgive or punish sins.

How significant this is when used in relation to the Lord Jesus.

The exhortation of Exodus 23:20-21 then applies directly to us.

Christ is the name-bearer, for He hath manifested (John 1:6), and declared unto the Apostles, and will do so again (v.26).

He will return, therefore, with the authority to forgive and condemn, to accept or reject, for such is the "voice of the archangel" with which he shall speak.

Christ Returns To Sound The Trump of God

He also will come "with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first."

Under the law, the day of atonement was preceded by the memorial blowing of trumpets (Lev. 25:9; 23:24). This served to call the people together that they might make an offering to Yahweh, and receive covering for their sins. It prefigured the great Day of Atonement, or Coverings, yet to come, when the living and dead in Christ shall be gathered together for the purpose of judgment: that recognition might be given to the approved, and that they might receive their covering: "clothed upon with their house which is from heaven" (2 Cor. 5:2), their "vile bodies fashioned like unto his glorious body" (Phil. 3:21).

The apocalyptic trump of God is no more audible to the ears of flesh than is the "shout" of the Lord, or the "voice" of the archangel. For many centuries the apocalyptic trumpets of Yah have been sounding (Rev. 8:2), but their warning notes are only heeded by those whose ears of faith are attuned to the sound by the study of the Word. We have reached the epoch of the seventh trumpet (Rev. 11:15-18), when the consummation of the secret of God which He has declared through His servants the prophets (Rev. 10:7) shall be ushered in. This is the epoch of "the time of the dead, that they may be judged" (Rev. 11:18); a time of national crisis when the angry nations will feel the wrath of Yahweh.

The great event of this epoch will be the resurrection of the saints.

Now notice the sequence that Paul is teaching in I Thessalonians 4:14-17:

1. The living saints will not precede the dead;
2. Christ will return with a "shout" or word of command that will awaken the dead;
3. He will come with the authority of the archangel: to forgive or condemn; to invite in participation or drive away;
4. He will summon all together at the great assize, as with the trumpet of God in the day of atonement.

With The Lord In The Air

The passage of Thessalonians is therefore figurative of the resurrection and judgment of the responsible. Paul does not specifically deal with the matter of judgment here, but quite clearly implies it in the figures he uses. The expressions "shout," "voice" "trump" are sufficiently significant for that purpose, indicating the authoritative manner of Christ's coming.

The remainder of his comment should be interpreted in conformity with the above expressions.

The living and dead are said to be "caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air," and on the basis of this teaching, the church has its concept of what it terms the Rapture: a bodily ascension of all the approved into heaven.

A careful consideration of the passage will reveal the truth.

Firstly, the idea of being "caught up" is not taught in the Greek. The word is harpazo, and signifies to snatch away, neither up or down. It is used of Philip when he was caught away to Azotus (Acts 8:39), and here, the same word is translated "caught away." It is rendered "catch" (John 10:12), "pluck" (John 10:28), "pull" (Jude 23, Acts 23: 10), and "take" (Matt. 11 :12; John 6:15).

But does not the fact that we read that they shall be "caught up in the clouds" demand the addition of "up"? By no means. The Greek does not have the definite article, and the phrase can read (as it does in the Diaglott): "in clouds," that is, in groups or companies. The expression "cloud of witnesses" in Hebrews 12:1 provides the thought in mind. Saints shall be conveyed to the judgment seat in companies, probably in much the same way as Philip was taken to Azotus: by God's power.

The purpose of the gathering is "to meet the Lord". The word here used is an interesting one. It is apantesis, and according to The Vocabulary Of The New Testament (Moultan and Milligan): "It seems to have been a kind of technical term for the official welcome of a dignitary." When an official paid a visit to a city, a deputation of leading citizens met him to escort him on his final stage. The word occurs also in Matt. 25:6 in relation to the "wise virgins," and in Acts 28:15, for the group of brethren who went out of their way to meet Paul.

The purpose of the gathering, therefore, is to obtain approval from the Lord, and also to meet him in his official capacity as future monarch of the world.

The meeting is to be "in the air." Is it literal or figurative? It cannot be interpreted literally without doing violence to other Scriptures, for the saints are to reign upon the earth (Rev. 5:9-10). The Lord is to sit upon "the throne of David" (Luke 1:32-33), the mortal peoples are to ascend to Jerusalem to worship before him (Zech. 14:16), and that city is to become the "throne of Yahweh" (Jer. 13:7). All these, and many other, prophecies, demand that Christ reign on earth, and the saints reign with him.

In other words, the statement in Thessalonians is to be no more interpreted literally than are the earlier expression used by Paul: "a shout," "voice of the archangel," "trump of God." Understood figuratively, the "air" relates to the political "atmosphere" or aerial of the age to come, from whence shall shine forth the symbolic Sun, Moon and Stars. In Matthew 13:32, the Kingdom of God is likened to a "mustard tree" in whose branches the "birds of the air" shelter. Those "birds" refer to the nations, and are related to the air because of their previous position of authority. Again, the righteous are described as shining forth "as the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (Matt. 13:43) which teaches that they must be lifted up above the air. In like manner, Daniel declares that they shall "shine as the brightness of the firmament . . . as the stars for ever and ever" (Dan. 12:3).

In that areial, the approved will be gathered together a glorious company of the redeemed. For the moment, it will be limited to the judgment seat, but ultimately it will extend throughout the world until all countries acknowledge the authority of the Son. Its symbol is the "stone" of Daniel 2 which grows until it becomes a mountain filling the whole earth.

Concerning the gathering of the saints of every age together, Brother Thomas has beautifully written:

"A cloud of witnesses will be collected, by whom will be concentrated in one general assembly, the living history of all ages and generations. There will be Abel, Enoch, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Elijah, David, Daniel, John, and all the prophets and apostles, with a multitude besides, that no man can number, all in their day, intelligent in the word and zealous for the Truth, in the service of which many were accounted fools, and many lost their lives."

May we find ourselves among that glorious throng.H.P. Mansfield