15 For this we say to you aby the word of the Lord, that bwe who are alive 1and remain until cthe coming of the Lord, will not precede dthose who have fallen asleep.

16 For the Lord aHimself bwill descend from heaven with a 1cshout, with the voice of dthe archangel and with the etrumpet of God, and fthe dead in Christ will rise first.

17 Then awe who are alive 1and remain will be bcaught up together with them cin the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always dbe with the Lord.

18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Chapter 5

The Day of the Lord

1 Now as to the atimes and the epochs, brethren, you bhave no need of anything to be written to you.

2 For you yourselves know full well that athe day of the Lord 1will come bjust like a thief in the night.

3 While they are saying, “aPeace and safety!” then 1bdestruction 2will come upon them suddenly like clabor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.

4 But you, brethren, are not in adarkness, that the day would overtake you 1blike a thief;

5 for you are all asons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of bdarkness;

6 so then let us not asleep as 1bothers do, but let us be alert and 2csober.

7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get adrunk at night.

8 But since awe are of the day, let us bbe 1sober, having put on the cbreastplate of dfaith and love, and as a ehelmet, the fhope of salvation.

9 For God has not destined us for awrath, but for bobtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

10 awho died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.

11 Therefore 1encourage one another and abuild up one another, just as you also are doing.