Ques. 1 Thess. 4:13-1713But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:13‑17). Here the coming is for the Church, is it not? Will all the Old Testament saints, before and after the flood be raised at this time, and caught up to meet the Lord in the air? G. E. F. P.
Arts. Yes, 1 Cor. 15:2323But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. (1 Corinthians 15:23) is quite clear. "They that are Christ's at His coming." All the saints who have died and are at that time in their graves will be raised and caught up together with the changed living ones to meet the Lord. The Old Testament saints are dear to Him, though they are not in the Church.
Verse 14 is Christ's coming with His saints to reign.
Verses 15-18 explain that He comes for them before that. These verses are a parenthesis.
The twenty-four elders in Revelation, include all the heavenly saints, of both Old and New Testaments.
Ques. What does "This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled" mean?
Ans.., It means that the Jews will have the same unbelieving character when the Lord comes to fulfill His word as they had when He was on earth.
What connection has "keeping the body under and bringing it unto subjection" with “salvation”?
C. M.
Ans. Castaway, means: utterly rejected, reprobate, totally bad. "The word castaway troubles some. People have tried to make out that a castaway is not a castaway Paul was perfectly well assured as to himself; hut he says if he had been merely preaching, he would have been falsely assured; but if not merely beating the air, he was rightly assured." (J. N. D. notes on 1 Cor.)
Ans. The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of His Son in the passage, to assure our hearts of our relationship as children to the Father, and that He, loves us with the same love wherewith He "loves His Son. (John 17:2626And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. (John 17:26).)