First Thessalonians Chapter 4

1 Thessalonians Chapter FOUR.

1 Thes. 4:1-8, Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.

Verse 1, Whenever Paul uses the word finally, he does not use it in the sense that we use the word. He says finally then goes on to give four more chapters sometimes. Paul's meaning in using the word finally or furthermore was, in light of what you have just heard, here is an exhortation, and it could be an extended exhortation.

The two verbs, urge and exhort are two very strong verbs, indicating that Paul is very serious in his exhortation. He is not saying this in a harsh manner, but in light of the kind of society in which the Thessalonian believers lived this is to be a serious exhortation. Paul does not use authoritative words because of his position but because of his stewardship and his accountability to God.

Notice his urging and exhorting was by the Lord Jesus Christ as a servant of the King. This is a general exhortation for them to abound more and more and to walk in the vocation to which they have been called. It is a broad exhortation, to walk like a believer. In essence he is saying, "you are doing good, but do more and more." Paul did not want them to think that they have arrived, that they have accomplished, that they had attained the height of spirituality, or that their life is circumspect enough.

If they thought, or if we think like that it creates big problems. We will become satisfied with the spiritual status quo, this will cause stagnation and even backsliding in our Christian walk. We will never reach the spiritual plateau in this earthly body to where we cannot go any higher. We are to grow spiritually until Jesus comes, then we will be exactly as he is.

Verse 2, The secret of progressing in excellence was to continue to follow the instructions, the behavioral standards already made known to them by Paul. These precepts did not originate with Paul, they originated with the Lord Jesus.

Verse 3, The will of God for our lives is our sanctification. Sanctification means to be set apart. You are not your own, you were bought with a price, you belong to God. There are three ways this concept is used in the N.T.:

(1) The moment you were saved, the moment you trusted Christ for your salvation, the Bible teaches that you were sanctified or set apart. You were set apart from the world and this world's system.

(2) The Bible also teaches that as we live we are to be progressively set apart, sanctified or more and more conformed to the image of God's Son. We are to grow in grace and in the knowledge on Jesus Christ. There is no immediate sanctification whereby we are sanctified and we need no further sanctification. Sanctification is progressive, it takes time because it is based on the maturing process and that is a life long process. We are being conformed to the image of God's Son.

(3) The third way in which you are sanctified is when Jesus returns you will be changed and made like Him, you will be as He is. You will not think wrong thoughts or do wrong things, this is when the sanctification process will be completed.

Then you are to abstain from sexual immorality. See if you are sanctified you are set apart from all that is unclean. Fornication is translated from the Greek word PORNEIA (por-ni'-ah). It means harlotry including adultery and incest and all other sexual sins; figuratively, it means idolatry.

This was not a corrective measure for this Church, for there is no indication that these believers were involved in such sins. It was a preventive measure. I believe the reason for this admonition was because of the culture of their day. It was a very sexual permissive society. Sexual drives were being satisfied outside of the marriage union and it was thought to be okay. Even religion had its male and female prostitutes at the temples and fornicating was considered as a part of the worship of that day. Sexual deviation permeated that society, Paul realizing that, deals with the issue and uses it as a preventive measure in warning the believers. So he tells them that it is God's will for them to be set apart, holy and to abstain from sexual sins.

I would suggest to you that, that statement has to be said today in our churches not only as a preventive measure but also as a corrective measure. I mean, can anyone contest, that we live in a sexual permissive society. Back in those days it was the heathen temples where sexual sin were committed. In our day, it is churches who name the Name of Christ to one degree or another where sexual sins are practiced. We have to be reminded again and again that to participate in such things is an abomination to God and God, who is a consuming fire, sees our every activity.

Figuratively, from the stand point of idolatry, the church is guilty of spiritual adultery. We have put our desires, our feelings, television shows, sports, hunting, fishing, above praying, studying God's Word, and obeying God's Word, that is idolatry. We choose to obey man made rules and regulations, we choose to abide some denomination's doctrine, we choose to believe what the preacher says, above what the Word of God says, that is idolatry, and it is a stench in the nostrils of God. It is time for the church to repent and get back to obeying the Word.

Verse 4, Paul went on to say that for believers, keeping away from immorality involves knowing how to possess your own vessel. Now there is a debate on the part of Bible scholars over the expression "own vessel." Many take "own vessel" to mean "own wife", saying that you are to possess your own wife in sanctification and honor. This view emphasizes that the purpose of marriage is greater then sexual indulgence. Unbridled lustful passion that treated the wife as mere sex objects characterized many heathen marriages. A marriage that does not show respect and honor for the wife is not likely to help a person avoid immorality.

The Greek word for "possess" is KTAOMAI (ktah'-om-ahee); "to procure for oneself, acquire, obtain," hence, "to possess" has this meaning in (Luke 18:12) and (1 Thes. 4:4); in (Luke 21:19,) RV, "ye shall win" (KJV, "possess ye"), where the probable meaning is "ye shall gain the mastery over your souls," i. e., instead of giving way to adverse circumstances. The Greek in this verse is not conclusive. "Possess" is often used of acquiring something and could be used for acquiring a wife. However, the Bible declaration is that in fornication which means any sexual immorality the sin is against one's own body (1 Cor. 6:18). This would seem to favor taking "vessel" here to mean one's own "body."

Verse 5, Our vessels must be kept in honor, not in lustful passion in the manner of Gentile pagans who did not know God. What Paul is saying is, if one really knows God he will learn to gain control of his vessel in such a way as to maintain its dedication to God.

I would like to add here that sexual immorality begins in the mind. What is worked out in the body is a manifestation of what a person is thinking about. This is why it is so important to cast down every vain imagination that sets itself up against God. You may not be able to control all the thoughts that come to your mind, but you can control; what thoughts will stay in your mind for you to dwell on. If a thought comes to you that is not wholesome or godly, use the authority that is yours in Christ Jesus and cast it out of your mind. If you will do this, you will not be subject to sexual immorality.

Verse 6, No one should take advantage or defraud his brother in this matter. Do you know that you defraud in premarital sex. You defraud the woman that you will eventually marry, you defraud the young lady out of her virginity, you defraud the man that young woman marries. Adultery defrauds the marriage partner.

Homosexuality cheats one out of the kind of relationship that God intended from the beginning (Matt. 19:4-5). It is impossible to participate in these things without harming other people and damaging your relationship with God. Understand that God is the avenger. The Greek word for avenger is EKDIKOS (ek'-dik-os); it means that God is the one who will carry out justice in this matter, i.e. a punisher.

Paul then goes on to say that, they know this because they were forewarned and told about it before. Christians today, have been forewarned and told about it through the Word, so we all stand here without any excuse to get involved in immorality. If we are guilty we need to repent and go on in God. We will have to live with the consequences because we reap what we sow, but we do not have to carry a load of guilt.

Verse 7, God did not call us to a life of immorality but to one of personal purity and holiness. Holiness will bring a person into conformity with the will of God.

Verse 8, Those back there who reject the instructions on sanctification and purity, those today who reject the Word of God on the same matter are rejecting God! To disregard Paul's admonition here is to stand squarely against the Holy Spirit. As a believer we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and we are warned against defiling His temple. If you become involved in sexual immorality you sin against the purity that the Spirit desires. God will punish church members who disregard moral purity for the satisfaction of their own lusts. People will be judged for not obeying the gospel.

1 Thes. 4:9-12, But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.

Verse 9, When it comes to brotherly love, Paul says there is no need for him to write about it. Paul did not want the Thessalonians to think his mention of brotherly love suggested any lack of it on their part. They were divinely instructed in this matter. They understood and practiced brotherly love. Paul was saying that he did not have to give a discourse on or remind them of this issue because they understood it.

Brotherly love will help Christians in their battle against immorality. The first word love in this verse is the Greek word PHILADELPHI (fil-ad-el-fee'-ah); it refers to love between brothers, it is a pure natural love, it means fraternal affection. It implies affection, kindness, and consideration for one another.

The second love in this verse is the Greek word AGAPAO (ag-ap-ah'- o); this is the God kind of love, it is a selfless love, it is a love that loves when a person does not deserve it. This is the kind of love they were taught by God. Paul is saying, because they understood the God kind of love they do not need to be schooled in brotherly love, because if they are demonstrating the God kind of love they cannot help but demonstrate brotherly love. God wants to make believers channels of His love toward all people, by Christians showing their love towards their brothers and sisters in Christ.

Verse 10, These people did not limit their love to members of their own group. They expressed their love to all believers in the country. They did not pick out those who were nice to them, who agreed with them, who were like them, nor did they limit their love to those of their denomination. God shows no partiality, no respect of persons in His love. Neither did they. But Paul urged them to increase more and more in their love.

We will never reach a point in the here and now to where we have all the love of God there is to receive, therefore, there is always room for us to increase the output of God's love from our lives. We are being (present progressive) conformed to the image of His Son, this being will continue until we are made completely like Him at His coming.

Verse 11, the word "aspire" here means to labor, study, strive to lead a quiet life and mind their own business. That by the way does not mean to zipper your lips and don't question anything. It means that Christians must be careful, that love and concern for others don't turn them into spiritual busybodies, always poking their noses into other people's business.

Paul asked the believers to do three things to balance their outgoing love:

First, they were to make it their aim to live a quiet life, Christians are not to try to be spectacular or flamboyant. They are not to seek to be the center of attention, demanding that the spotlight be focused on them. They are to let God do the promoting and the lifting up as they exalt and lift up Christ.

Second, they are to busy themselves with their own affairs, minding their own business, taking care of their own homes. This will give them enough to do without meddling and trying to run other people's lives.

Third, believers are to work with their own hands. The reason for this admonition will be developed more fully in 2 Thes. 3:10-12, where it says, For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread. It is apparent that Paul had heard of this problem when he wrote his first letter and he picks it up again in his second letter to them.

Verse 12, The reason for working with their own hands was so they could walk honestly (behave decently) toward outsiders (non-believers). The able-bodied Christian is not to depend on others to support him and his family. Nor is he to expect a continual supernatural supply just because he is to lazy to get out and work. By his own labors is he to have no lack of anything he really needs.

One of the concerns of the church in Thessalonica was: Paul had taught them that Jesus was coming again and that God would be triumphant and judge the wicked who were persecuting them. He also taught them about a great and glorious day that is ahead that they would participate in. Great and wonderful theology. But, after only a short time with them, Paul is forced to leave the area. It has only been a few months since he left the church. In this short time since Paul left, it is evident that some people died. This causes a deep concern for these people about what happens to those who has died in Christ. They may have said, "Paul you told us that Jesus was coming back again, you told us that we were going to be with Him, you told us that we would be with Him forever. Oh wonderful, we are to await His coming and be active until He comes. But, Paul some of us have died, what happens to them?"

They were very concerned about loved ones who had died. That is the background for the teaching in verse 13 and following. You must understand the problem. They were living with the expectation of Christ's return to the point that some of them were not even working (we will develop that thought further a little later). Some people packed it all in, they said, "the Lord is coming back, what is the use to work, let's go to the mountain and await His return." That was the atmosphere, but they were wondering what happens to the ones who had died. So Paul begins to deal with that.

1 Thes, 4:13, But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.

When Paul uses the word "ignorant" what does he mean. Does he mean obnoxious behavior? No. The word "ignorant" is translated from the Greek word AGNOEO (ag-no-eh'-o); it means not to know (through lack of information or intelligence); by implication, to ignore (through disinclination): not know, not understand, unknown because you have not been informed about it.

Every time Paul says, "I would not have you to be ignorant," what do you think they were? Ignorant, now he does not mean dumb, he means they were thinking wrongly about that particular issue. The Thessalonians were ignorant (thinking wrongly) about those of their family, their loved ones and those who are members of the church who had died in Christ.

The Thessalonians were from a Greek background where, according to Greek mythology, they supposed the dead went down into the dark underworld from which there was no return. These believers apparently felt that those who died before the return of Jesus would miss all the blessings and benefits of that event. They felt that those who were alive at Christ's return were in some way advantaged over the believing dead. This false understanding which stemmed from false teaching needed to be corrected.

If this teaching were not corrected it would bring sorrow to the believers who remained alive, even as one sorrows who has no hope. "Sorrow" here, means distress, hurt feelings, and mental anguish. In this kind of sorrow they were coming very close to the black despair and empty hopelessness reflected on the tombstones of the heathen of the time. Paul wanted them to know the truth so it would keep them from that kind of grief.

Christians are not like others (the unsaved) who have no hope. This does not mean that we are forbidden to mourn our loss, but we are not to sorrow at all as those who look upon death as an annihilation and have no hope of the resurrection. Death has no sting for the Christian. What is the Christian's hope referred to here? The fact that when Jesus returns, their dead believing loved ones would be resurrected, united with them, and both would be caught up to meet Jesus in the air.

The dead believers would not miss out on the benefits of Christ's return. Listen folks, one of the most negative witnesses to the power of the gospel is the way some Christians respond to the death of a love one. One thing that the bereaved person should portray in that situation is the hope of the resurrection.

Yes we grieve over the physical loss, but if we keep our mind and focus on that, we play right into the devil's hands and we fall apart. This causes us to react as the world acts, losing all sight of the hope that when Jesus comes our love ones will be resurrected. Many of us need to let the power of the Holy Spirit comfort us as we allow Him to do is work through us. The death of a believer is a home going, we can be sad because we have lost a loved one that we can no longer enjoy or interact with as we did in the past and because of the loneliness that we feel. But we ought to rejoice in the gain that loved one now experiences.

1 Thes. 4:14, For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

The word "if" does not imply any speculation or question as to that belief. In the Greek language it is a "first class" conditional clause and would be more properly translated as since. The meaning is, "if we believe" and "we do," there is absolutely no doubt implied here at all. Paul knew that these people knew that the death and resurrection of Christ was an absolute recognized truth and an established fact, therefore he did not have to demonstrate it, he just used a conditional clause.

As it is an established fact that Jesus died and rose again, it is an established fact that when Jesus comes He will bring those saints that have died and the graves will burst asunder as He raises them from the dead, what a day of rejoicing that will be.

1 Thes. 4:15, For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.

"By the word of the Lord," there are two explanations as to what this means:

(1) Some expositors believe that this may have been an expression of Jesus that he taught in his teachings.

(2) Others believe that it may have been a special revelation given by Jesus to Paul. In any case, what is to follow is a direct word from the Lord through Paul and not just Paul's subjective opinion.

Paul made it clear that those who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede (get ahead of, have any advantage over) those who died with their faith in Jesus. Why does Paul say, "alive and remain?" It almost seems redundant to use the word remain with the word alive, because if you are alive you do remain. If all that Paul wanted to get across was the fact that the living will not have any advantage over the dead in Christ at His coming, he could have left out the word remain and just said, "those who are alive until Christ comes will not precede those who are dead in Christ."

The word remain is translated from the Greek word PERILEIPO (per- ee-li'-po); this word conveys the idea of survival. It means according to Strong's # 4035, be left behind, remain, stay, survive. So it carries the idea of those who are alive and have survived. Survived what? The difficult days of the Antichrist during the Great Tribulation. I mean you can even see our English word peril in the Greek word for remain. There are going to be martyrs who did not survive the tribulation but some will survive. This is why God says in Matt. 24:22, that He will cut the Great Tribulation short for the elect's sake, if He didn't no believing flesh would survive. In fact the word remain in the ASV is replaced with the words "are left," left alive after the tribulation is cut short.

If you will notice, the word "and" preceding remain is italicized, indicating that the word is supplied in the English but it is not in the original language. The only Greek connecting term here is HOI, the definite article (the), which places the two verbs in apposition (the second word added to the first for matter of explanation). The text, therefore literally reads, "the living, the remaining" or "the surviving." Therefore without straining the Greek text, it is clear that the Church will go through the great tribulation (Satan's wrath), but will be taken out from within the great tribulation when God cuts it short for the elect's sake, immediately before the wrath of God begins.

1 Thes. 4:16, For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

The Lord Himself, not an archangel, not someone who represents Him, this event is to personal, He is to loving toward us to have someone else do this job. Listen, there is going to be a shout, the trumpet of God will blow, does that sound like a secret rapture to you. I mean the trumpet is going to sound so loud it is going to wake the dead in Christ! Without a doubt all of the living will know when He comes.

Notice there is going to be a shout, the voice of an archangel, and the trump of God. Not very much is written about the significance of the shout, the voice, and the trump. You look in the commentaries and they pass over it rather quickly. I would like to say something that at least you can think about, if you don't concur with me on this then just discard it. But let me at least suggest it to you. The shout here, I believe, is the victors shout, this was the shout that the Captain of the boat gave to the oarsmen. This was the shout that the charioteer gave to his horses in the arena. This was the shout that a commanding officer gave to his troops in the field. This is the victors shout.

Remember that God created man to have rule over the earth, to have dominion. Satan usurped man's right to rule and to reign, now the whole world system lieth in the wicked one. Satan is the god of the world system, he is the god of this age, he is the prince and powers of the air. Because of the sin of Adam and Eve and Satan's usurping of authority, we have death, disease, sickness and sin. At the return of Jesus He will take back authority over the earth and destroy all evil and right all the wrongs and Jesus will reign forever and forever. Therefore the shout of victory!

"The voice of an archangel" what does that mean? Turn with me to Rev 7:1, After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.

Here we have four angles who are about, as God's servants to execute judgment on the earth as the Day of the Lord is about to begin. It goes on to say in verses 2 and 3, Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, "Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads."

So as the Lord is coming there will be the voice of an angel. I believe, and I will develop it later, that this is the archangel Michael who has a particular relationship with Israel as it says in the Book of Daniel. Here he is heard crying out, "don't hurt anything until we have sealed the 144,000 on their foreheads. So the Lord comes with a victory shout and the voice of an archangel.

What about the trumpet of God? Contrary to what some interpreters maintain, the "last trumpet" mentioned in that passage cannot refer to the last of the seven trumpet judgments. In the first place, those seven trumpets are all blown by angels (Rev. 8:6; 11:15), not by God Himself. Even more significantly, however, if the "last trumpet" were the last of the trumpet judgments, Christians would obviously have to endure the first six executions of God's wrath, from which we are repeatedly assured deliverance. However, if the "last trumpet" is the last trumpet blown by anyone, it will not be the seventh trumpet of Revelation 11, but rather the trumpet blown initiating the return of Israel from Assyria and Egypt after the seventieth week is complete, just before the millennial kingdom (Isa. 27:12,13).

To have the rapture occur at this time would again completely negate all the promises to the church that she would not undergo the wrath of God, in that this trumpet is blown after the seven trumpets judgments, after the seven bowl judgments, and after the battle of Armageddon. And yet technically speaking, that is the "last trumpet" of end time events preceding the Millennium. However, the text says that this is the "last trumpet" of God!

The only other occasion on which God is said to blow a trumpet was during the Maccabean period in the second century BC, when He came to Israel's defense against the blasphemous and merciless Antiochus Epiphanes. In predicting that deliverance the prophet Zechariah wrote, "Then the LORD will be seen over them, and His arrow will go forth like lightning. The Lord GOD will blow the trumpet, and go with whirlwinds from the south. The LORD of hosts will defend them; they shall devour and subdue with slingstones. They shall drink and roar as if with wine; they shall be filled with blood like basins, like the corners of the altar. The LORD their God will save them in that day, as the flock of His people. For they shall be like the jewels of a crown, lifted like a banner over His land--"(Zech. 9:14-16). It is remarkable that in both cases the Lord blows the trumpet to announce His direct intervention in order to destroy Antiochus, the foreshadow of Antichrist, or Antichrist Himself in the last days.

Turn to 1 Cor. 15:51-52, Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed--in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. The thing that has happened which has caused a lot of confusion, is that a lot of bible teachers have associated the last trump in this passage with the seventh trumpet of the book of Revelation.

Traditional post tribulation rapturists consider the seventh trumpet of Rev. 11:15-19 to be "the last trump" and understand it to occur at the end of the seventieth week of Daniel. In their view, since the rapture must occur, according to Paul, at the last trump, and the last trumpet occurs at the end of the tribulation period, the rapture must be post tribulational; that is at the end of the seventieth week. Therefore the church must go through the wrath of God. This of course is not what the Bible teaches.

Mid tribulation rapturists also appeal to the time of the last trump for support of their position. They also believe that the last trump is to be identified as the seventh trumpet. However, unlike post tribulationists, men like J. Oliver Buswell place the blowing of the seventh trumpet at the precise middle of the seventieth week. They therefore conclude, based on their understanding of (1 Cor. 15:51&52) that the rapture will occur in the middle of the tribulation.

Pretribulation rapturists do not make strong appeal to Paul's statement that the rapture will occur before the last trump to support their position. Generally speaking, if they mention 1 Cor. 15 in a rapture discussion, it is brief and without determinative significance. The reason is obvious: If the rapture occurs at the last trump, pretribulation rapturism has no way, exegeticaly, to associate the pre-seventieth week rapture with the last trump of God.

It should be absolutely clear, then, that the trumpet spoken of in 1 Thess. 4:16 is exactly what the text says--namely, the trumpet of God, His second and last personal blowing of a trumpet, which will immediately precede the rapture of His church.

The trumpet is used extensively throughout the Bible. It is used a lot in Jewish rituals at the observance of many of their holidays. The feast of trumpets revolves completely around the concept of the trumpet. Trumpets were used for two primary purposes, speaking broadly, (1) to summon God's people to God's presence, whenever you were going to call a solemn assembly a trumpet would be blown. Now when we say to summon God's people to God's presence, where was the presence of God? In the temple. Remember when Solomon dedicated the temple, the presence of God inhabited the temple. So the people were summoned to God's presence by the blowing of the trumpet. (2) The trumpet was also blown whenever Israel was to go to war under divine direction. You see this in when Joshua goes against Jericho the trumpet was used. Gideon, Nehemiah, you read again and again of the blowing of the trumpet in Zion. You will read of the trumpets in Numbers chapter ten.

Jesus is coming, with a shout (the victor is coming), with the voice of an archangel (put the seal on the 144,000 for their protection before the wrath is poured out), and with the trump of God (to start the outpouring of His wrath after the church has been raptured).

1 Thes. 4:17, Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

When Christ comes back with His saints (angels and the ones who are in His presence due to death), He raises the dead, then those who are alive and remain (the survivors of the tribulation period) will be caught up (raptured) together with the raised dead to meet the Lord in the air.

Some people say we should not use the word "rapture" because it is not in the Bible. The Greek word translated "caught up" is HARPAZO (har-pad'-zo); and it means to catch away or catch up. This Greek word was translated into Latin by raptus. From this comes our English word rapture. Thus it is perfectly reasonable to use the word rapture when referring to the snatching away of the Church.

1 Thes. 4:18, Therefore comfort one another with these words.

The comfort that Paul is talking about here is not the fact that when the tribulation enters the church will be gone. Keep in mind that the thing that was making them uncomfortable is that they thought their loved ones who had died would miss out on the blessedness of Christ's return. They did not know what would happen to those who had died in Christ. The words that were to comfort those who had lost loved ones were, "when Christ comes those who died in Christ will be raised and both the living and the raised dead will go to be with Christ and participate in the glorious reign of Christ." The comfort was to the bereaved, not that they were going to escape the tribulation.