The Rapture as Recorded in Thessalonians

Paul is declaring that when Jesus comes to take us to the place He has prepared for us,…

John 14:1-3 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

…we who are still alive will be preceded in our translation from corruptible to incorruptible by the resurrection of the dead in Christ. This transition is more clearly explained in his letter to the Corinthians.

1Cor. 15:51-54 Behold, I shew 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 trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

In the next section of verses Paul adds even more detail regarding this wonderful time of resurrection.

1Th. 4:16-17 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.

The chronological flow as I see it is as follows.

1) The Lord will descend from heaven with:
a) A shout – The Greek indicates a “command.”
b) The voice of the archangel – Michael is the only archangel identified in scripture. He is designated as the “great prince that stands for the nation of Israel.” (Daniel 12:1)
c) The trump of God. – This would seem to reference the voice of God the Father. The voice of the Lord is described as a trumpet in Revelation.

Rev. 1:10-11 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last:

The Greek for the word trump references “a reverberation or vibration as well as a trumpet.” In that regard, it makes me think of thunder, and there are other scriptures that equate the voice of God with thunder.

Job 40:9 Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?
Psa. 29:3 The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth:

Then again, this could be a special trumpet used by God in announcing His purpose.

2) The dead in Christ shall rise first. – The Greek indicates that the word dead is referencing “a corpse.” In other words, Paul is making it clear that it is our earthly bodies that will be physically resurrected to immortality. This is just as it was with Jesus.

3) We who are alive will be caught up together with them (those who had preceded us in death). – The Greek for “caught up” implies being “seized, taken by force.” This just means that this is according to God’s plan and on His timetable; we have no choice as to the timing or the method.

4) We will meet the Lord in the air. – Notice that the reference is to meeting the Lord “in the air”—not on the earth.

5) So shall we ever be with the Lord. – From that point on we will never be separated from the physical presence of the Lord.