1Finally then, brothers, we urge and exhort you in the Lord Jesus: as you received from us how you ought to behave and please God, ⁴²do so even more

2—you know what instructions we gave you through Sovereign Jesus. ⁴³

Sanctified sex

3Now this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you stay away from fornication; ⁴⁴

4that each of you know how to gain possession of his own ‘vessel’ in sanctification and honor,

5not in lustful passion (like the heathen who do not know God);

6that no one trespass and defraud his brother in this matter, ⁴⁵because the Lord is the avenger of all such behavior, ⁴⁶as, indeed, we have already told you and warned you.

7Because God did not call us for uncleanness, but by holiness. ⁴⁷

8So then, the rejecter is not rejecting man, but God, the very One who gave you ⁴⁸His Holy Spirit. ⁴⁹

An impressive life style

9Now about brotherly love you do not need to be written to, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another,

10because in fact you are doing so toward all the brothers throughout Macedonia. ⁵⁰Still, we exhort you to do even more, brothers,

11to make it a point to be peaceable and to mind your own business, to work with your hands (as we instructed you),

12so that outsiders may be well impressed by your life style, and that you may have no lack. ⁵¹

The Rapture4:13 This paragraph defines the Rapture: Jesus comes down into the atmosphere of this planet (‘clouds’) and collects all those who belong to Him; the bodies of those who have died physically will be resurrected and reunited with their spirits; those still living will not have to die (death is separation); all their bodies will be glorified; the Christ will have His Bride.

13Now then, brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who have ‘fallen asleep’, ⁵²so that you do not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.

14Because since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, just so will God bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.

15For this we say to you by a word of the Lord, ⁵³that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will absolutely not precede those who have fallen asleep;

16because the Lord Himself—with a commanding shout, ⁵⁴with the archangel's voice ⁵⁵and with God's trumpet—will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first;

17then we who are still alive, who are left, will be snatched up together with them in clouds to meet the Lord in the air. In precisely this way we will always be with the Lord. ⁵⁶

18So then, comfort one another with these words.