1 Thessalonians 4

So then, fellow believers, {here is} the rest {of what I want to write to you}. {When we visited you,} we taught you how you should behave in a way that honors God, and that is how you are behaving! Now we urge you, because God has united you to the Lord Jesus, to continue to behave in this way more and more.

You remember what we commanded you {to do as we spoke} for the Lord Jesus. \*

For example, God desires that you act in pure ways. That means that you should not have improper sex.

{That also means that} you all should learn to control how you desire to have sex. {That way,} you will be acting purely and honoring {God}.

{You should} not have any improper sex that you greatly desire. That is what non-Jews who do not trust in God do.

{You should do what God desires} concerning having sex so that you will not sin by mistreating a fellow believer. {You should avoid sinning in that way} because the Lord {Jesus} will punish {all people who have} any kind of improper sex. We already declared that to you {when we were with you}. \*

Indeed, God chose us so that we would belong to him. {He did} not {choose us} so that we would do impure things.

So then, anyone who disobeys {what we have commanded you} is not {simply} disobeying a human. Rather, {that person is disobeying} God. He is the one who sends the Holy Spirit to you. \*

We do not have to tell you anything about how to care for fellow believers. {That is} because God instructed you so that you care for each other.

{That is} also because you {already} care for all the fellow believers throughout Macedonia {province}. Fellow believers, we exhort you {to care for fellow believers} even more.

{We} also {exhort you} to try very earnestly to live peacefully, to focus on your own tasks, and to earn what you need to live. In fact, {that is} what we told you to do {when we were with you}.

{We urge you to do these things,} so that you can set a good example toward those who do not believe in the Messiah {by how modestly you live.} Then you would not have to depend {on others} to provide what you need {to live}. \*

Also, {our} fellow believers in the Messiah, we want you to be aware about {what will happen to} believers in the Messiah who are dead. You should not be like the rest of humanity, which does not believe in the Messiah. They are deeply sad because they do not confidently expect that people will resurrect after death.

Certainly, we {apostles} are convinced that Jesus died and resurrected. This is why we also are convinced that God will {resurrect} the dead people who are united to Jesus. Then God will send them back with Jesus {when he returns to earth again}.

In fact, what we {apostles} are now telling you is a message from the Lord {Jesus himself}. When the Lord {Jesus} comes again{, all believers in the Messiah will greet him}. First, those {believers in the Messiah} who have {already} died will certainly greet him, and then we {believers in the Messiah} who are still alive. \*

{This is how} the Lord {Jesus} will come down from heaven: the Lord {Jesus} himself will personally give the command {for all to resurrect}. The chief angel will shout. God’s trumpet will blast. Then {all} the dead who are united to the Messiah will be the first to resurrect {from the earth}.

After that, God will snatch up all of us believers in the Messiah who are still alive on earth so that we can meet the Lord {Jesus} in the air. Both groups of believers in the Messiah will meet together on the clouds. This is how we will remain together with the Lord {Jesus} forever!

As a result, you must encourage each other with this message! \*