Is There a Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18?

The Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Scripture (semicontinuous)

Old Testament: Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25

Psalter: Psalm 78:1-7

Epistle: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Gospel: Matthew 25:1-13

Scripture (complementary)

Old Testament: Wisdom 6:12-16

Psalter: Amos 5:18-24

Epistle: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Gospel: Matthew 25:1-13

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Prayer

You let us choose, O God, between you and the false gods of this world. In the midst of the night of sin and death, wake us from our slumber and call us forth to greet Christ, so that with eyes and hearts fixed on him, we may follow to eternal light. Amen. (Revised Common Lectionary)

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Reflection

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

In this post, I appeal to N.T. Wright, a prominent New Testament scholar and theologian. Regarding 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, which is often associated with the concept of the “rapture” in some Christian traditions, Wright offers a different interpretation from the popular dispensationalist understanding of the rapture.

In traditional dispensationalist theology, the rapture is seen as a future event where believers are taken up to meet Christ in the air before a period of tribulation on Earth. However, Wright argues that the passage in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 is not describing a secret, pre-tribulation rapture, but rather a future event where believers will meet Christ as he returns to Earth at the end of the age.

Wright emphasizes the historical and cultural context of the letter to the Thessalonians, noting that they were concerned about their fellow believers who had died before Christ’s return. In this passage, Paul is offering them comfort and hope by explaining that those who have died in Christ will be raised to new life when Christ returns, and then living believers will join them in meeting the Lord as he descends from heaven. This event, according to Wright is part of the larger narrative of the resurrection and renewal of all things, which culminates in the return of Christ and the establishment of God's kingdom on Earth.

Wright does not support the traditional dispensationalist interpretation of the rapture. Instead, he sees this passage as describing a future event where believers will meet Christ at his return, which is a part of the broader biblical narrative of resurrection and the renewal of creation. His views on this topic are consistent with his overall theological framework, which places a strong emphasis on the continuity between the present world and the future hope of God’s kingdom.

FOR FURTHER INQUIRY:

N.T. Wright, “Farewell to the Rapture.” https://ntwrightpage.com/2016/07/12/farewell-to-the-rapture/;

“N.T. Wright on Heaven & Rapture Theology,”

PRAYER: Ever-living God, you inscribe our names in your book of life so that we may share in the first fruits of salvation. Grant that we may acknowledge Christ as our redeemer and, trusting in him, be confident that none of your own will be lost or forgotten. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen. (Revised Common Lectionary)

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