EasyEnglish Bible 2018
1 Thessalonians 4:15
15We are telling you the message that the Lord has given to us. This is what will happen when the Lord returns. Those of us who are still alive will not go to meet the Lord first. We will not go before those people who have already died.
1 Thessalonians 4:15 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
- New International Version (NIV)According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
- English Standard Version (ESV)For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
- New King James Version (NKJV)For this we say to you 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.
Context of 1 Thessalonians 4:15
13Our Christian friends, we want you to understand properly about your friends who have died. Then you will not continue to be sad about them. People who do not hope for any life after death are sad when their friends die. But you should not be upset like those other people. 14We believe that Jesus died and he rose again after death. So we also believe that people who have died as Christians will rise again. When God brings Jesus back, he will take the Christians to go with Jesus. We are telling you the message that the Lord has given to us. This is what will happen when the Lord returns. Those of us who are still alive will not go to meet the Lord first. We will not go before those people who have already died. 16On that day, the Lord himself will come down from heaven. He will shout with authority. People will hear the voice of the leader of God's angels. They will hear the sound of God's trumpet. Then those people who have died as Christians will become alive again. They will be the first people to rise up. 17After that, those of us who are still alive will join together with them. God will suddenly take us up into the clouds. In that way, we will all meet the Lord in the sky. So we will all be with the Lord for ever.
Read all of 1 Thessalonians 41 Thessalonians 4:15 word by word
Τοῦτο γὰρ ὑμῖν λέγομεν ἐν λόγῳ κυρίου ὅτι ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες οἱ περιλειπόμενοι εἰς τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ κυρίου οὐ μὴ φθάσωμεν τοὺς κοιμηθέντας·Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Forγάρgar · forG1063
- thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
- we sayλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- unto youσύsu · youG4771
- byἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- the wordλόγοςlogos · wordG3056
- of the Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
- thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
- weἐγώegō · I/weG1473
- which are aliveὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- which are aliveζάωzaō · to liveG2198
- remainπεριλείπομαιperileipō · to remainG4035
- untoεἰςeis · towardG1519
- the comingπαρουσίαparousia · comingG3952
- shallφθάνωphthanō · to precede/arriveG5348
- notοὐou · noG3756
- notμήmē · notG3361
- them which are asleepκοιμάωkoimaō · to sleepG2837
Cross-references for 1 Thessalonians 4:15
- 1 Kings 13:1King Jeroboam was standing in front of the altar at Bethel. He was ready to make an offering. At that time, the Lord told one of his servants to go from Judah to Bethel.
- 1 Kings 20:35At this time, the Lord gave a message to a prophet who belonged to a group of prophets. He told the prophet to say to one of his friends, ‘Hit me with your stick.’ But his friend refused to do it.
- 1 Kings 22:14But Micaiah said, ‘I can only speak what the Lord tells me to say. As surely as the Lord lives, that is what I must do.’
- 1 Corinthians 15:51Listen to me. I will explain a great secret to you. Not all of us will die, but God will change all of us.
- 2 Corinthians 4:14God raised up the Lord Jesus, to become alive again after his death. Because we belong to Jesus, we know that God will also raise us up after we die. Together with you, God will take us to be where he is.
- Job 41:11Nobody has ever won against me to make me pay them anything. Everything in the whole world belongs to me.
- Psalms 88:13But as for me, Lord, I call to you for help. Every morning I pray to you.
- Psalms 119:147I wake up before dawn and I cry to you for help. I trust your promises to be true.
- Matthew 17:25Peter answered them, ‘Yes, my teacher does pay the tax.’ Then Peter returned to the house where Jesus was staying. Before Peter could say anything, Jesus spoke to him first. He said, ‘Here is a question for you to answer, Simon. Who are the people who must pay taxes and money to the kings in this world? Do the rulers take taxes from their own people? Or do they take taxes from other people?’
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13Our Christian friends, we want you to understand properly about your friends who have died. Then you will not continue to be sad about them. People who do not hope for any life after death are sad when their friends die. But you should not be upset like those other people.
Commentaries on 1 Thessalonians 4:15
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15This we say unto you by the word of the Lord - This I have, by express revelation, from the Lord: what he now delivers, he gives as coming immediately from the Spirit of God. Indeed, human reason could not have found out the points which he immediately subjoins; no conjectures could lead to them. Allowing even the general doctrine of the resurrection to be believed, yet what follows does not flow from the premises; they are doctrines of pure revelation…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord - By the command or inspired teaching of the Lord. Prof. Bush (Anastasis, p. 265) supposes that the apostle here alludes to what the Saviour says in Matthew 24:30-31, “And they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven,” etc. It is possible that Paul may have designed a general allusion to all that the Lord had said about his coming, but there cannot have been an exclusive reference to that…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-18Verses 13-18 Here is comfort for the relations and friends of those who die in the Lord. Grief for the death of friends is lawful; we may weep for our own loss, though it may be their gain. Christianity does not forbid, and grace does not do away, our natural affections. Yet we must not be excessive in our sorrows; this is too much like those who have no hope of a better life. Death is an unknown thing, and we know little about the state after death; yet…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15By the word of the Lord: The teachings of Jesus gave Paul assurance for the Thessalonians (see Matthew 24:29–31, 40–41). will by no means precede: Paul assures the Thessalonians that when the Lord returns, the dead will not be at a disadvantage. They will participate equally in the resurrection. In talking about the return of Jesus, Paul uses a Greek term (parousia). It is often used to describe an emperor or king's grand arrival in a city (see 1…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1515. by the word of the Lord--Greek, "in," that is, in virtue of a direct revelation from the Lord to me. So 1Ki 20:35. This is the "mystery," a truth once hidden, now revealed, which Paul shows (1Co 15:51, 52). prevent--that is, "anticipate." So far were the early Christians from regarding their departed brethren as anticipating them in entering glory, that they needed to be assured that those who remain to the coming of the Lord "will not anticipate them…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Thessalonians 4:15
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Thessalonians 4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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