Many Christians believe 1 Thessalonians 4:15–18 is a still-future event. However, the biblical evidence shows it must have happened in the first century. Here’s what the passage says:
“15 For this we [apostles] say to you [Thessalonians] 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 [have died]. 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. 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. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:15–18).
First, notice that the writer of Thessalonians, Paul, said this event would happen at the coming of the Lord (v. 15). And when did the Lord himself say he would come? Answer: Within the lifetimes of his first-century audience: “Assuredly, I [Jesus] say to you [first-century audience], there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom” (Matt. 16:28; Matt. 10:23; 24:30, 34; 26:64; Rev. 22:12).
Even in the Thessalonians passage under discussion, Paul said some of his audience would still be alive when Jesus came: “Then we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep [have died].” (1 Thess. 4:15). This event must have happened in the first century.
Possible Objection: Critics deny that Paul was suggesting Jesus would come within the lifetimes of the Thessalonians he was addressing. Paul knew his letter would be read by Christians down through history, they argue, and he was simply referring to whatever Christians happened to be alive when Jesus came.
Response: There are many problems with this view. One, what’s the difference between Paul saying, “We who are alive and remain until Jesus comes” (1 Thess. 4:15, 17) and Jesus saying, “There are some standing here who shall not taste death [die] until the Son of Man comes” (Matt. 16:28)? Aren’t they both essentially saying the same thing, namely, that Jesus would come within the lifetimes of their audiences?
Two, many scholars have pointed out that Paul was merely repeating what Jesus had previously said in the Olivet Discourse; that’s why Paul said: “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord…” (1 Thess. 4:15). See more about this point below.
Three, Paul specifically addressed this letter “to the church of the Thessalonians” (1 Thess. 1:1)–not to generic Christian’s thousands of years in the future. In fact, Paul was specifically trying to comfort these first-century Thessalonians because they were being persecuted by the Jews of that day: “Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:18). How would Paul’s words have been any comfort to the first-century Thessalonians if the letter was not even intended for them? Those who claim Paul was writing to Christian’s thousands of years later rip Paul’s promise away from the original recipients and give it to people thousands of years later, whom Paul did not even mention.
It makes much more sense to conclude that “We who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:15) refers to Paul’s first-century audience, which means 1 Thessalonians 4:15–18 must have been fulfilled in the first century.
Second, Paul is describing the same coming in 1 Thessalonians 4:15–18 that Jesus spoke about in the Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24:30–34). As pointed out above, Paul begins his discussion by saying: “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:15). Paul was simply repeating what Jesus had said twenty years earlier in the Olivet Discourse! And sure enough, when we compare Paul’s description (in Thessalonians) with Jesus’s description (in the Olivet Discourse), we find the exact same elements: the coming of the Lord (Matt. 24:30, 1 Thess. 4:15), with angels (Matt. 24:31, 1 Thess. 4:16), on clouds (Matt. 24:30, 1 Thess. 4:17), with the sound of a trumpet (Matt. 24:31, 1 Thess. 4:16), / (Matt. 24:31; 1 Thess. 4:17, 2 Thess. 2:1). Clearly, Paul and Jesus were describing the same event.
Furthermore, both Jesus and Paul said it would happen within the lifetimes of their audiences. Jesus said he would come before “this generation” passed away (Matt. 24:30–34), and Paul said that some of the Thessalonians he was writing to would still be alive when Jesus came (1 Thess. 4:15, 17; see also 2 Thess. 2:1–2). This is the same event. A biblical generation equals about forty years (Heb. 3:8–10, Num. 14:30–34, Neh. 9:21).
It is inconceivable that Paul would have been referring to a different coming (in Thessalonians) than Jesus (in the Olivet Discourse) because the coming that Jesus spoke about had not even happened yet! Remember, Jesus gave his discourse in around AD 33, and he linked his coming to the destruction of the temple (Matt. 24:2, 30, 34)–which did not happen until AD 70. In the meantime, Paul, in approximately AD 50, also spoke about this coming to the Thessalonians. Had Paul been referring to a different coming than Jesus, Paul would have said so. He certainly would not have (1) said he got his information from the Lord, (2) used the exact same descriptions as Jesus, and (3) given the exact same fulfillment time frame as Jesus–yet had a different event in mind. Paul and Jesus were clearly describing the same coming, the one that happened in AD 70.