Chapter 4

1 Finally then, brothers and sisters, we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received instruction from us about how you must live and please God (as you are in fact living) that you do so more and more. 2 For you know what commands we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is God’s will: that you become holy, that you keep away from sexual immorality, 4 that each of you know how to possess his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God. 6 In this matter no one should violate the rights of his brother or take advantage of him, because the Lord is the avenger in all these cases, as we also told you earlier and warned you solemnly. 7 For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness. 8 Consequently the one who rejects this is not rejecting human authority but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. 9 Now on the topic of brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another. 10 And indeed you are practicing it toward all the brothers and sisters in all of Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, 11 to aspire to lead a quiet life, to attend to your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you. 12 In this way you will live a decent life before outsiders and not be in need. 13 Now we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also we believe that God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep as Christians. 15 For we tell you this by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not go ahead of those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command,⁠ with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God,⁠ and the dead in Christ will rise first.⁠ 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be suddenly caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.⁠ 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Texts in conversation

Compare Daniel 7:13 and 1 Thessalonians 4:17

Hebrew Bible · New Testament

Summary

Daniel describes a divine being arriving on the clouds to receive authority, imagery that echoes ancient Near Eastern traditions where gods ride cloud-chariots. 1 Thessalonians uses similar language, where believers meet God in the clouds.

Passages

Daniel 7:13

Hebrew Bible

9 “While I was watching, thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His attire was white like snow; the hair of his head was like lamb’s wool. His throne was ablaze with fire, and its wheels were all aflame. 10 A river of fire was streaming forth and proceeding from his presence. Many thousands were ministering to him; many tens of thousands stood ready to serve him. The court convened, and the books were opened. 11 “Then I kept on watching because of the arrogant words of the horn that was speaking. I was watching until the beast was killed and its body destroyed and thrown into the flaming fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their ruling authority had already been removed, though they were permitted to go on living for a time and a season. 13 “I was watching in the night visions, And with the clouds of the sky, one like a son of man was approaching. He went up to the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. 14 To him was given ruling authority, honor, and sovereignty. All peoples, nations, and language groups were serving him. His authority is eternal and will not pass away. His kingdom will not be destroyed.

200–101 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Daniel

1 Thessalonians 4:17

New Testament

13 Now we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also we believe that God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep as Christians. 15 For we tell you this by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not go ahead of those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be suddenly caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

41–51 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Thessalonians

References

"... Exodus 24:18 has Moses having a theophany within a cloud and Psalm 2 presents God as begetting and installing the chosen king despite the king’s humanity. However, one should note that an encounter with God in a cloud on a mountain is quite different than flying on a cloud in the air. Goldingay himself also notes the weakness of this argument when he points out that only god(s) come(s) “in / on” the clouds in the biblical canon. (This happens with human beings in Josephus, Antiquities 4.4.48; Acts 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:17) ... The parallels between this character and Baal from Ugarit are particularly apparent with the connection to clouds. Baal is known as “the rider on the clouds” (e.g., CTU 1.2 IV 8, 29; 1.3 II 40; 1.3 III 38; 1.3 IV 4, 6; 1.4 III 11, 18; 1.4 V 60; 1.5 II 7), which is one way to understand the phrase in Daniel 7. This parallel would seem to indicate that the figure in Daniel should be interpreted as divine; however, this is not necessarily the case. The phenomenon of de-divinizing Canaanite deities or foreign gods is common, and to parallel Baal, the main threat to Yahweh in the Hebrew Bible, with a human would be a strong statement regarding the ultimate position of the rider on the clouds. Yet, this is most likely not the best way to understand the statement here. Since the ancient mythology is an important component of disguising the dating and message of the apocalyptic book, the symbols are meant to parallel the intended understanding rather than critique it ..."

Ellen White, Yahweh's Council: Its Structure and Membership (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2014), 131–132.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

1 Thessalonians5 chapters

Compare Daniel 7:13 and 1 Thessalonians 4:17

Summary

Passages

Daniel 7:13

1 Thessalonians 4:17

References

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