1 Thessalonians 4:16

“For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven, with. shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first”

“For the Lord Himself”: “The One who will come at the end of this age is no less than ‘the Lord Himself'. It will be no angel or other created being to whom will be committed the task of bringing this age to an end. The Thessalonians are assured that they look forward to nothing less than. Divine intervention” (Morris p. 143).

'”Descend from heaven”: As predicted in Acts 1:11. From heaven where He presently resides at the right hand of the Father (Ephesians 1:20). “With. shout”:. cry of incitement,. shout. “Originally the order which an officer shouts to his troops,. hunter to his dogs,. charioteer to his horses, or. ship-master to his rowers” (Hendriksen p. 116). “Old word to order, command (military command). Christ will come as Conqueror” (Robertson p. 32). “When used to military and naval personnel it was. battle cry. In most places, then, it denotes. loud authoritative cry, often one uttered in the thick of. great excitement. John 5:28 “shall hear his voice” (Morris p. 143). We cannot say that this is. shout that only believers will hear, because John 5:28 makes it plain that "all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice", and this includes the wicked as well as the righteous (1 Thessalonians 5:29).

“With the voice of the archangel”: The term “archangel” means “chief angel”. In Judges 1:9. Michael is called an archangel. Gabriel is another angel mentioned in Scripture, but is never called an archangel (Luke 1:19; Luke 1:26). Michael is viewed as. commander over the other angels, who leads them into battle (Daniel 10:13; Daniel 10:21; Revelation 12:7). Notice how Jesus is distinguished from the angels in the Bible (Hebrews 1:4). Contrary to the teaching of the Jehovah Witnesses, Jesus is not an archangel. Angels are often associated with the Second Coming (Matthew 13:41; Matthew 25:31; Mark 8:38; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; Judges 1:14). We often forget that not only is Jesus coming, “many thousands” of angels are coming with Him (Judges 1:14). Fields notes, “Where did people ever get the idea that Gabriel will blow the trumpet?” (p. 117). “And with the trump of God”: See Exodus 2:13; Exodus 2:16; 1 Corinthians 15:52; Hebrews 12:19. Hendriksen notes that is the sound of deliverance, “For believers this sound will be full of cheer. This is God's trumpet! It is His signal. It is sounded to proclaim His deliverance for His people” (p. 117). Stott notes, “The variety and repetition as indicating the overwhelming. irresistible nature of the summons” (p. 102). “And the dead in Christ shall rise first”: They will not be left behind, and neither will they be left out. They will have. front-row seat! They will be part of the Second Coming from the very beginning.

Carefully consider that nothing is said in this context about "where" on earth this is taking place. Jews in Palestine are buried facing the Golden Gate (one entrance to the old city of Jerusalem), because they believe the Messiah will appear there first. Yet this passage has all the dead in Christ, buried all over the entire planet rising first. Jesus will not appear anywhere "first". Also note that nothing in this section states that Jesus will actually set foot on the earth again (1 Thessalonians 4:17). When Jesus comes the whole earth will know it simultaneously! All the Christian dead-from the Eastern Hemisphere to the Western will rise at the same time.

and Revelation 20:5

Premillennialists try to connect these two sections of Scripture, especially keying in on the word "first" in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and linking that with the "first resurrection" in Revelation 20:5 :

· Revelation 20:1 is obviously figurative, because when has anyone on earth visibly seen the events described in 1 Thessalonians 20:1-3? See also 1 Thessalonians 1:1.

· Those resurrected in Revelation 20:5. are specifically singled out as those who had been beheaded (1 Thessalonians 20:4). This is not. resurrection of all Christians, and neither is it. coming for Christians only.

· In Revelation 20:1. there is. 1000-year separation between resurrections, yet nobody that. know of teaches that "first" all the Christian martyrs will be raised and then 1000 years later, the other Christians.

· The word "first" in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 does not mean the "first resurrection", because the Bible only views one resurrection (John 5:28); happening at the “last day”, not almost the last day, and not 1000 years from the last day (John 6:44). Instead the Christian dead are the first group raised in. grand event in which all the dead will be raised and all the living changed (1 Thessalonians 4:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3).

· Consider the parable of the Tares (Matthew 13:40). The tares and the wheat are separated at the same time.

·