Do you think 1 Thessalonians 3.13, "with all his saints", is just after the Rapture, rather than the manifestation to earth, although "with" is normally associated with that aspect?
The expression in 1 Thessalonians 3.13, "with all his saints", is quite often interpreted to refer to the manifestation of the Lord Jesus to earth, but we believe rather it refers to the period between the events of the Rapture and the Manifestation. A look at the context and an understanding of the word "coming" should help us. Notice the prayerful desire of Paul for the Thessalonians. He writes: "To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ". Holiness in the believer will not reach its finality and perfection when we come out with the Lord at His Appearing, for this will have been gained when we possess our glorified bodies at the Rapture, and since the Judgment Seat of Christ will take place in between the Rapture and the Appearing we cannot conceive of any lack in the saints of holiness during the parousia period in heaven.
The word, "coming", in the verse literally means "presence" and is the Greek word parousia. It is used fifteen times in a prophetic sense of the Lord’s coming, whether of the Rapture or the Appearing. The presence of the Lord will have a beginning at the Lord’s descent to the air (1 Thess 4.15). It will have a course during which the saints will be in heaven while solemn events are taking place on earth. This is the aspect of the parousia that Paul refers to in 1 Thessalonians 3.13 (cp 2.19). In Matthew 24.37-39 the Lord gives the characteristics on earth during the course of His parousia (His presence in heaven with His saints). Finally, it will have a consummation in His manifestation to the world (2 Thess 2.8). While we know that the saints will accompany the Lord in His manifestation to the earth, yet the preposition "with" in 1 Thessalonians 3.13 must not be confused with the Second Advent. 1 Thessalonians 3.13 is only a contrast with the passage in 4.13-18 in that it takes the parousia or presence of the Lord a step further, from the air to His presence with His saints in heaven during at least the seven year period of Daniel’s seventieth week.
John J Stubbs
What did the Lord Jesus mean when, after speaking about a man who had "left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s" (Mk 10.29), He could go on to say, "But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life" (Mk 10.30)?
The preceding incident (Mk 10.17-27) concerns the man frequently referred to as the rich young ruler. Peter now feels the time has come for him to say something so, acting as spokesman for the disciples, he remarks, "Lo, we (in contrast to the young man) have left all (the tense indicates a complete break with the past), and have followed thee" (Mk 10.28) – this tells of what they continued to do.
The Lord Jesus, in His reply, addresses them all: "Verily I say unto you". What He said to them, He says to us. Discipleship calls for sacrifice, but the compensations far exceed the sacrifices alike in kind and degree. Christ’s claim upon His disciples must be given priority over all claims. Our relation to Him is more binding and lasting than our relation to any other, brother, sister, father, mother, wife or child, and our possessions, house or lands, are not really ours.
Whatever the loss, the gain will be disproportionately greater, for the Lord is no man’s debtor. It is interesting to observe that Mark adds the words "and the gospel’s"; although Matthew in his account places the answer of the Lord Jesus in a dispensational setting (Mt 19.27-30), Mark makes the response to suit "service", the theme of his Gospel. The Lord Jesus makes it clear that the reward will be "an hundredfold now in this time"; but how can this be? The terms of the reward forbid a literal interpretation; to possess a plurality of mothers is impossible naturally! The relations the Lord offers now in place of those which have been abandoned for His sake, are spiritual affinities that bind together the members of the family of God. Remember that the Lord Jesus Himself said that "whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother" (Mk 3.35). The possessions (houses…lands) that we have now are spiritual. Lest anyone might mistake the kind of life to which disciples are called, the Lord adds "with persecutions".
The future reward "in the world to come" is eternal life. All believers are, of course, in present possession of eternal life - "I give unto them eternal life" (Jn 10.28). However, those who forsake all are rewarded with a greater capacity for enjoying that life in heaven.
David E West
