The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Thessalonians — Section 97

then, to think of the shout 88 given by the archangel in the Name of God, and 118 oom- prehonding the two things which follow. First, the moment that the Lord descends from his heavenly throne, the archangel, apprised of what is to happen, marshals bis innumerable host. The shout of command he gives in this case with the living voice-- the yoic? o~ the archangel. The angels are an or~erly ?1ultitude. "He doeth a.coordiDg to hlB will in the army of heaven and among the mhab1tants of the earth" (with whom the idea of orderliness is not associated). We read of "twelve legions of angels." The angels are led by an archangel. We read in Scripture of the angel Gabriel, and also of the seven angels that stand before God, but only in another place of an archangel who is there named Michael. Our Lord prepared us himself for this glorious accompaniment o~ his coming: '' When the ~on of man shall _come in his glory, and all the angels with him;" "When he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels; " " When he cometh in his own ii:lory, and the glory of the Father, and of the holy angels." An army aBSOciated with royalty gives an impression of power and grandeur. So how mighty and glorious a Persona9e must he be, in whose honour all the lepons of angels are marshalled I They are mighty ahgels, and holy angels, and especially are they ir. sympathy with the work of honouring Christ. As they sang over his birth on earth so do they accompany him in his triumphal descent to earth, having this to rejoic; their hearts, that they also are to share in the glorioos consummation. The archangel having marshalled his host to move iD harmony with the descending Lord, at a subs; quent stage is to give another shout of command, this time not with the living voice, but with the trumpet put into his hand by God. Milton thinks of the trumpet that was used " when God descended" in Horeb, calling the congregation of Israel, as being the same trump of God. Very vividly in 1 Cor. xv. is it associated with the resurrec- tion: "At the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound." 2. First act: llaurrection of the Ohnstian dead. " And the dead in Christ shall rise first." "The trumpet shall sound, &nd the dead shall be raised incorruptible." The trumpet is simply the instru- ment; it is the power of God, communicated through the trumpet, that raises the dead. A trumpet supposes a faculty of hearing; but this trump of God has miraculously t.o supply the faculty of hearing. The remains of onr Christian friends which we lay ill the grave soon mingle with the dust. They hear not any ~ound of earth that passes over them. But there is a trumpet-call, with Divine, all-penetrating power in it, that one day they shall hear in their graves, and hearing they shall start up 118 once they were, and yet how changed ! It was beside the purpose of the revelation to bring into view the resurrection of others than Christians, or the nature of the resurrection-body. The Thesealonians were 80 taken up with the coming, that the resurrection was thrown out of view. It did not enter, or did but little enter, into their understanding of the last things. Therefore their attention is concentrated upon the simple fruitful fact of the resurrection. It meant the presence of their departed Christian friends in the body on the earth ready to meet Christ. And that all fear of their beiLg anticipated might be removed, it is stated not only that the dead in Christ shall rise, but that they shall rise first, i.e. to say, they shall rise before the &Sb1.l.IIlption of the Christian living. The Christian dead now in the resurrection-body, and the Christian living, will be on the earth at the same time, equally ready for the approach of Christ. 3. Sf/CO'Tl,d aa : Assumption of the Christian living. " Then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air." The Christian living are to be swiftly, irresistibly caught up. This implies their transforma- tion in their bodies. They are to be caught up at the same time with the Christian dead who have been raised. The two classes will form one great blessed company, between whom what distinguished them has passed away. How they will be warshalled does not appear. We do read of lee.ding places being assigned to the twelve apostles. That they will be 118 orderly in their multitudinousness as the innumerable company of the angels, we do not doubt. Caught up in the enveloping up bearing clouds in one body, they are to meet their descending Lord with the marshalled army of angels in the air. Ae persons of distinction go forth to meet their prince, so they now, all of them glorified persons, are caught up to meet their Lord in his triumphal descent. 4. Finale: Pe7'?tval, m,foyment of the society of Christ. " And 80 shall we ever be with the Lord." There is a olank here, which it did not lie within the purpose of the revelation to ban tilled up. !'hat the Lord actually descended to earth may be regarded as certain. The air was  98 THE F:RST EPISTLE TO THE 1'HESSALONIANS. [011. 1v, 1-18.