As noted in our last blog, we are told that the brethren in Thessalonica waited for His Son from heaven to return and deliver them from the wrath of God (1 Thess. 1:10). This theme is repeated throughout Paul’s letters to them. In the first letter alone, we have the following mentions:
1. 1 Thessalonians 2:19, “For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?
2. 1 Thess. 3:13 reads, “…so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.
3. 1 Thess. 4:15 reads, “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 not precede those who have fallen asleep. This explains the meaning of Paul’s mention of Jesus coming with all His Saints.  This is the first resurrection and Paul asserts that there will be those to whom he is writing who will be alive, “who remain” until the coming of the Lord. This is affirmed in many texts. The repeated teaching of an expected return of Jesus in that generation is
undeniable. Second, it not only affirms that they will be alive and remain until His coming, but that the dead will be raised, first (1 Thess. 4:15). This explains the statement of 3:13, “the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.” The living will not precede the dead.
4. 1 Thess. 5:23 reads, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Someone, please explain to me how it is possible for their body to be preserved if they were going to be dead before the Lord’s return. Why would Paul give them this hope if he didn’t expect the Lord to return before they died? Certainly, you don’t think that he’s praying that their bodies be well embalmed so that the body is well preserved when he returns thousands of years from now. A recent conversation indicated that, at least, some hold to this idea. Wow! I sure feel bad for the thousands of souls whose body was so mutilated, incinerated and destroyed beyond recognition. They are not going to have a very good looking body (Ha). This thinking is ludicrous and it ignores the scriptures and the power of God that what is sown is not what will be raised (1 Cor. 15:37-50).