FIRST THESSALONIANS

First Thessalonians 4

1 ¶ And now brethren, this is what we ask and urge you to do in the Lord Jesus, that as you learned from us how you ought to live and be pleasing to God, that you would do so more and more.

2 For you know what commands we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality:

4 That every one of you should know how to control his body and take a wife in a way that is holy and honorable;

5 Not in the passion of lust, like the heathen who do not know God:

6 And that no man should wrong his brother cheat him or take advantage of him in any matter: because the Lord is the avenger of all such sins, as we previously told you and warned you.

7 For God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness.

8 Therefore whoever shows contempt for this instruction, is not showing contempt for man, but for God, who has given us his Holy Spirit.

9 ¶ Now when it comes to brotherly love there is no need for me to write to you: for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another.

10 And in fact you do show love to all the believers throughout Macedonia: yet we urge you, brethren, to do so more and more;

11 And that you do your best to live quietly, mind your own business, and work with your own hands, as we directed you;

12 That you may deal fairly and honestly with those outside the faith, and lack nothing.

13 ¶ Now, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do those who have no hope.

14 For as we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring those who have fallen asleep in Jesus with him.

15 For we are telling you only what the Lord has told us, that we who are alive and remain at the coming of the Lord will not precede those who are asleep.

16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ will rise first:

17 Then we which are alive and remain will 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.

  1. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

[Note: Compare what verse 16 says about the last trump with 1Corinthians 15:52 and Revelation 11:15.]