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NASB | 1 Thessalonians 4:16 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. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel and with the [blast of the] trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. |
Bible Question: Steve, Could the living be just the Christians still living after the tribulation before Jesus' return? I'm not understanding why Bible scholars think this means the living will be taken away before Jesus returns? Thanks so much, Chusarcik |
Bible Answer: Greetings Chusarcik! I know that this question was addressed to Steve, but I hope you don't mind if I respond. :-) The main reason that Bible scholars believe that 1 Thess. 4:16 refers to a different event than the second coming of Christ is because of the differences in details. In 1 Thess. 4: a) The dead in Christ are raised to meet Christ in the air - v. 16. b) The living are then caught up to meet Christ in the air - v. 17. c) Yet, no mention is made of Christ coming to earth in this passage. All of these events take place in the air. Yet, in Rev. 19:11-16, the details of the second coming are different. a) Christ returns on a horse - v. 11. b) The armies of Heaven are following Him on horses as well - v. 14. c) Christ conquors and rules - v. 15. So, based on the details, these two passages appear to describe two different events. I hope this helps! Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |