1 Thessalonians 4

Koot van wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)

Visiting Professor

Kyungpook National University

Sangju Campus

South Korea

Conjoint lecturer of Avondale College

Australia

10th August 2012

             When we come to this chapter of Paul, we realize that everything is not just moonshine and roses. There was unfinished business for Paul at Thessalonia. Paul said "for the rest" brothers we asked you and plead to you in the Lord Jesus, that just as you received from us how you have to walk and please God and just as you have walked, so that you may excel more (ina perisoeute mallon)" (1 Thessalonians 4:1). Yes, they are walking with God but extra instructions were given and the hope is that they will excel more. Why more? Because it is not enough and lack something and in need of excelling more to fill up the expectation or standard. And that is a church not yet with moonshine and roses.

           Paul says that they know what (tinas) commandments they have given them through (dia) the Lord Jesus (1 Thessalonians 4:2). Normally the ten commandments are indicated with the Greek word entollas but here paraggelias is used.

           Christ brought freedom and that all Christian denominations are eager to announce. Paul here explain that freedom further by saying "for this is the will of God, your sanctification (hagiasmos)" (1 Thessalonians 4:3). What you learn here is that the entolas tou theou (commandments of God) is the same as the paraggelias dia tou kuriou Iesou (commandments through the Lord Jesus). The one is an exposition of the other. Christ came to interpret the Torah of God in the Old Testament the way it was supposed to be understood. Is the Torah nailed to the cross and replaced by Christ's commandments? No.

           Sanctification for the Thessalonians will mean "that you abstain yourself from sexual immorality (tes porneias)" (1 Thessalonians 4:3). What is sexual immorality? Are there people genetically weak that cannot help themselves to be homos, lesbians, perverts, addicted, enslaved, prostituted, comforted, aroused, pleased, released of tension, wanted, seeked for, embrased, "loved", sought for, available for, waiting for, seeking for, watching at (videos, channels, internet links etc), reading for? The whole network works through our senses. To abstain is not only not to do but also not to watch or read. Why? Image and text are powerful tools to the mind. It creates in the mind copies like artist paint that is then used by creative imagination of the person to "reshape, recreate, set up idols, so to speak". Our own mind recreate a wanted woman or man in our mind with the shape of a body and posture and actions that pulls our desires into dark corners of our minds, at first. It is later that the streets and dark alleys of cities and towns can find a willing and seeking match of the image of the imagination. That is sexual immorality. Jesus said that if you desire a woman that is married in your mind, you are committing adultery. It is the strong role of Image and Text in the mind that Jesus is referring to. So how to solve this problem? Abstain 100%. If you do not watch you do not desire since the imagination has a hard time to create the desire object or idol. Sin has a relative character as well. For some a sin is a greater attraction than for others. Everyone has to analyze themselves as to what their weakness is and then abstain completely in that area from anything connected to it. If someone is involved in sexual immorality and want to stop, stop looking at people's bodies. Period. You cannot appreciate the beauty of shape and at the same time expect not to desire it. Appreciation and desire are brother and sister. They go together. Control the one and you control the other. The Thessalonians had a problem here. Adultery may have been at the order of the day. Peter, who was in jail with Paul, wrote using the word vessel as referring to one's wife, "the weaker vessel". Strong vessel and weak vessel. Now Paul is saying that one is to know each one his own vessel to possess in holiness and honor. The vessel (skeuos) is seen by some dictionaries as anchor, wife, instrument, object, body, sail and a wide range of possibilities. Some scholars interpreted it in the light of the sexual immorality of the previous verse as "body". We need to possess our bodies in holiness and honor. Contextually this is the best option but seeing that Paul and Peter was in jail together, one may think that both would use the jargon "vessel" with the same meaning, thus "wife". In one meaning it will be that we need to possess our sexual tools with holiness and honor. In another way we need to possess our wives with holiness and honor. The problem with the later reading, is that the context is not talking about husbands and wife relationships.

           Paul says that we possess our sexual tools in holiness and honor not in lustful passion (en pathei epithumias) like the Gentiles who do not know God (1 Thessalonians 4:5).

           In the next verse it seems that Paul is referring to sour contracts. People deceive each other with business and Paul is asking that they should refrain from that "not to go over and defraud in practice his brother, since the Lord is an avenger concerning all these things (1 Thessalonians 4:6). Avenging? (ekdikos). Literally it reads "(giving) out to righteousness/lawsuit". Why? Some are angry because of sour contracts and want to go to the court. Paul says, leave it to God who will avenge the contract. In 1933 my grandfather was a stonemasonary and had his own quarry in South Africa in the Freestate. A wealthy man, Faan Naude, asked my grandfather to build him a large house in town that the church can use for the Lord Supper the days when they came with wagons to camp there. No contract was signed but it was an oral contract. After the building of the house, which was done for 4000 Bristish Pounds, my grandfather asked him if he is satisfied. He said yes. And the payments? What payments, if you think you have a case, go to a lawyer. In those days oral contracts were very common. My grandfather said to him "Faan, there is a God in heaven and he will judge between us". Five years later, his daughter knocked on my grandmother's door and asked for a room since they are living only in a two bedroom house. Johanna Naude lived for a year in my grandmother's house. The third day her father Faan came to my grandmother and said: "Miemie, I have done you wrong and how is it that you can help me like this. I have lost everything I had, two farms, the house your husband built in town and today I have nothing, but you help my daughter". She said: "Faan, when someone is in need, we ought to help". Contract avenger and contract avenging. There is a God in heaven over everything. 

Paul has told them before and also warned them before (1 Thessalonians 4:6). He reminds them of something since it has cropped-up again in the church of Thessalonia.

           The word "Nigerian scams" is used on internet to refer to an umbrella of financial crimes that is on the internet that has spread now to all countries. The scam is the same: big money or oil is promised but little deposit is expected to "free" the big amount. That is where the grab and run takes place. Maybe in Paul's church of the Thessalonians, there were Thessalonians scams. Pastors in Nigeria can preach that members should be careful of the Thessalonian scams but the rest of the world preach to their members, watch-out for Nigerian scams, although the scam is from the Eastern Bloc or even in South Africa. Paul says literally "not to go over and defraud in practice". Over what? Sound, legal and just business practices that should not be overstepped.

           Why should they watch out for this? Because (gar) God did not called us upon (epi) uncleanliness (akatharsia) but in holiness (hagiasmoi) (1 Thessalonians 4:7).

           The one who wants not (o atheloon) these (just mentioned, the cleanliness and sanctification), he wants not man but God who gave (didonta) His Holy Spirit unto you. The one who rejects cleanliness and sanctification also rejects the equipment that enables the person to achieve both cleanliness and sanctification and worse than that, God who gave the Spirit to assist the believer towards these aspects (1 Thessalonians 4:8).

           Regarding brotherly love Paul need not write much. Favoritism and selective love and partitional love is not the perfect system God has in mind for them. One has to be an overcomer of this block or barrier that brotherly love (philadelphias) expected. Paul felt that there is no need to write to them instructions regarding that since they have been taught by God (theodidaktoi) unto godly love (agapan) to one another (1 Thessalonians 4:9). Paul is aware that they are doing it to all people who are in Macedonia but there is a lack of standard, since Paul added that they should excel more (perisseuein mallon) (1 Thessalonians 4:10). Again Paul is using in this last added phrase the adversative (de = but). You are good but you should excel more. One can sense the correction here. It also demonstrates the slight need of the Thessalonians. Paul talked about it before in chapter three (1 Thessalonians 3:12). The godly love network links all Christians and that standard cannot prevent a person to agape love (godly love = love in Christ nationless, cultureless, skinless, faceless, aestheticless, 100% unrestrained, historicalless, totally available, serviceable, helpful, kind, friendly, inviting, all of course for the purpose of the gospel and salvation of souls). The church is not a club for business-purposes unless it is God's business of salvation and what goes with it. They need to love to honor rest (philotimeishthai). They need to aspire to rest or to have ambition to rest (esuchazein).

           Rest? In what context? Workaholics cannot rest. Like Michael Jackson they have to keep going until the drop. Paul says that they need to aspire to rest. But, not only rest, also to do (prassein) the own things (ta idia). Practice what own things? And that is not enough. They also should work their hands (1 Thessalonians 4:11) The opposite would mean that they did not work with their hands but just sit at home. They did not practice or do their own things. They did not aspire to rest. Is this the problem of one single person in the church or were some not resting while others rest too much and should work with their hands? It is a composite of problems that Paul talked to them before about (kathoos umin pareggeilamen).

           These labor practices should be so that they should walk worthy (euschemonoos) towards those outside (exo = outsiders of the church context) and no-one (medenos) you have need (chreian).

           The churches' business practice should be such that they are worthy in society and they have no debts or payments or needs to anyone. They should be free from ties to society organizations around them. The concept that the church should not accept money from governmental agencies for their operations make sense in the light of this verse. Acceptance of church-universities of governmental educational budgets, stipendia, scholarships, investments is definitely not what Paul had in mind here. To be in such a position to have no need to any system, organization, agencies in society means that they are financially independent to survive on their own. The counsel of Ellen White in this regard makes full sense as well. Problems that church-universities in modern times suffer is partly linked to the urge to ignore this verse and parts thereof in order to be "the same as the Canaanites down the valley" (to use a biblical expression). In Colossians 4:5 Paul says: "Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity". The Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy do not give cross-counsel. They are in unison. One cannot ask educational funds or support from the government on the basis of Colossians 4:5 and break the rule not to be in need to any outside organization in 1 Thessalonians 4:12. Making most of opportunities with outsiders means only opportunities that are not against the counsel of the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy.

           Then Paul came to the final part of chapter 4. The issue is that some people will have an advantage over others at the second coming. It is almost as if God has VIP's who will go to heaven before the ones in the graves. They were wondering whether they live in a special situation that they will go to heaven before the ones in the graves.

           Paul starts off by saying that they do not want (thelomen) the brothers to be ignorant concerning those who have died (1 Thessalonians 4:13). The reason is that they do not grieve like the rest of those who do not have hope. Some members in the church had a misunderstanding about those who died. They lacked the doctrinal understanding of the resurrection. Paul said that if we believe that Jesus died and stood up, in the same manner God will bring (axei) with Him (sun autoi) those who have died through Him (1 Thessalonians 4:14). In Calvinism the axei (bring) means that when Jesus comes in the Second Coming, He will bring the souls of those who died so that they can connect with the resurrected bodies on earth. In Adventism the movement is opposite. In the Second Coming Christ will resurrect the bodies and soul of the dead and bring them to God the Father to heaven in the same manner as verse 13 where Christ died on earth and was resurrected and brought to His Father in heaven to sit on His right hand. The "with Him" is vertical from the earth to heaven and not from the heaven to the earth as Calvinists wants to teach.

           So what is the bottomline here?

The people who died will live again and no long grieve is necessary. Just as Jesus died and arose and were taken to His Father to sit next to Him, so Jesus at the Second Coming will resurrect the dead and bring them with Him to His Father also. That is the first issue.

           Another issue is whether those who will be alive at the Second Coming and those living in Paul's days will be in heaven before the dead ones. Will there be a priority of arrival in Heaven among the three groups? Group one the living ones at the Second Coming, Group two, Paul and his company, Group three, the dead.

           "For this we say in the Word of the Lord" that we (hemeis), [and] the living ones, the remaining ones unto the Parousia (Second Coming) of the Lord, the sleeping ones definitely not (ou me) will precede (phthasomen) (1 Thessalonians 4:15). A number of meanings are given for phthasomen: come upon, attain, achieve, reach, come to, precede. Why phthasomen or precede? Since it was the issue among the Thessalonians, namely, who will precede who. They thought that the living ones will have an advantage and also Paul and others but Paul is saying that none will have advantage over the other group. I have interpreted the verse as: we or the living ones or the sleeping ones have no advantage at the Second Coming. Three groups: Now (Paul's group), Then (living ones), Then (sleeping ones). 

Paul is saying that we (now) the living ones (then) and sleeping ones (also then) will not be in priority of each other. Togetherness is the key thought.

           The reason that there will be no priority of one group above the other is that the Lord Himself in loud screaming (keleusmati = screaming of command) in the voice of an Archangel and in the trumpet of God, will come down (katabesetai) from Heaven and the dead in Christ will rise first (proton) (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Why first? It is in relation with the next action. All groups will meet up in the air. We (now living), the living ones = the remaining ones (then), together with (ama sun) with those (autois = resurrected first) shall be taken up with speed (arpagesometha) in the clouds unto the meeting of the Lord in the air and thus (houtos) we shall always (pantote) be (esometha) with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

           Why did Paul explain this to them? So that (hoste) you may strengthen each other with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:18)   

           Notice one thing in the explanation supra of verses 15-18. Some scholars thought that "we" = "the living ones" = "the remaining ones". This formula we have not followed. Instead, "we" is a separate group than "the living ones or remaining ones" and a different group than the "sleeping ones". Did Paul in our interpretation thought that the Lord will come in his day? Our answer is negative. He was well informed with Old Testament prophecy and knew that antichrist or Little Horn of Daniel 7:25 has to be revealed first.