1 Thessalonians 4:15 — By No Means Outstrip

15 For this we are saying to you by the word of the Lord, that we, the living, who are surviving to the presence of the Lord, should by no means outstrip those who are put to repose,

Paul makes known what will happen at the parousia of the Lord. Parousia refers to His presence, not merely to the moment of His arrival. Paul speaks emphatically of “we, the living, who are surviving”. He thus includes himself among those who will still be alive then. Elsewhere, however, he also includes himself among those who will be raised (2 Corinthians 4:14). This wording is therefore not a prediction about his lifespan, but an identification with the believers he is speaking about.

Paul then assures them that the living will by no means outstrip those who have fallen asleep. The Greek contains a particularly emphatic negation. The Thessalonians did not need to fear that their deceased brothers would miss out on anything. On the contrary, the living have no priority whatsoever over those who have since fallen asleep.

In the next verse, Paul explains why. The Lord will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Only then will the living who remain be snatched away together with them (verse 17). The word of the Lord that Paul had received thus includes both the living and those who have fallen asleep. But in an explicit order: first those who have fallen asleep, then the living!

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