1 Thessalonians 4:15 (GNV)

Passage

For this say we vnto you by the worde of the Lord, that we which liue, and are remayning in the comming of the Lord, shall not preuent them which sleepe.

Nearby Context

1 Thessalonians 4:13 I would not, brethren, haue you ignorant concerning them which are a sleepe, that ye sorow not euen as other which haue no hope.

1 Thessalonians 4:14 For if we beleeue that Iesus is dead, and is risen, euen so them which sleepe in Iesus, will God bring with him.

1 Thessalonians 4:15 For this say we vnto you by the worde of the Lord, that we which liue, and are remayning in the comming of the Lord, shall not preuent them which sleepe.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himselfe shall descende from heauen with a shoute, and with the voyce of the Archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then shall we which liue and remaine, be caught vp with them also in the clouds, to meete the Lord in the ayre: and so shall we euer be with the Lord.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "vnto", "worde", "lord", "liue", "remayning", "comming", and "shall". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "vnto" and "worde", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "For if we beleeue that Iesus is..." into verse 16's "For the Lord himselfe shall descende from...", so "vnto" and "worde" belong inside that flow. In 1 Thessalonians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "vnto" and "worde" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.