The Second Most Embarrasing Verse
C.S. Lewis said the most embarrassing verse in the New Testament was Christ’s claim: “Verily I say unto you, there are some standing here who shall not taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom.” If Jesus meant that some of his disciples would still be alive at His second coming, and all of them have died before His return, then Christians would be embarrassed at the false prediction.
I think there are good reasons why we shouldn’t be embarrassed about that verse. But I know another verse from the Apostle Paul that is hard to understand: “According to the Lord’s word, we tell you we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.” If Paul means the Lord has promised that he (included in the ‘we’) would be alive at the coming of the Lord, then the Lord’s promise would be false. Paul is dead and Jesus hasn’t come back.
Even if the passage that embarrassed Lewis were resolved, how do we resolve this verse? Must we be embarrassed?
The context of the passage is about the Lord’s return at the end, “from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.” It is about the general resurrection of the dead at the End of History. You cannot say Paul is talking about the judgment of God against the city of Jerusalem.
Furthermore, Paul repeats himself. “We who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” If Paul intends to say that the Lord will come back in Paul’s lifetime, it seems that Paul is wrong. What are our options?
Bite the bullet. When Paul wrote the word “we,” he was including himself. However, the Holy Spirit does not have to intend what the human author intends in his mind. Paul was wrong, but the Spirit is right. The Holy Spirit means that whoever is alive at the Second Coming will not be raised before the dead.
Keep reading Paul. While early writings indicate an imminent return of Christ (1 Thess 4, 1 Cor 7, and 1 Cor 15), later writings indicate an awareness that he may be martyred (2 Cor 1, 2 Cor 5), and other writings indicate a preparation for death and a nearby departure to be with Christ (Phil 1-3, 2 Timothy)
Re-examine the situation. Paul cannot deny that Jesus could return at any time, including within his lifetime. Therefore, Paul must write as if the hypothetical is possible. Otherwise, he would wrongly encourage folks to stop waiting with vigilant expectation. That’s why Paul encourages the churches to be open to Christ’s return, which will come like a thief in the night. He must write “we” regardless of his intentions or thoughts about his own situation.
Re-interpret the “we.” Just as Paul can speak with a rhetorical “I” in Romans 7, he can write with a rhetorical “we” in 1 Thessalonians 4. He was encouraging his audience that living Christians would not get “first dibs” on the resurrection at Christ’s return. Dead Christians were not going to “miss out.” No - the dead in Christ shall rise first!
Maybe there are more options than the ones I listed. But this “embarrassing verse” deserves attention. How can we resolve it?