A Response To Marvin Rosenthal's Interpretation Of 1 Thessalonians 3:13

Dr. Robert Gromacki

"so that He mayestablish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at thecoming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints" (NKJV).

Inthe March/April 1997 issue of Zion's Fire, Marvin Rosenthal wrote a featurearticle entitled "The Church's Trojan Horse-The Pretribulation RaptureTheory." In that article, he commented on the meaning of"saints" in 1 Thessalonians 3:13. He confidently asserted:

"Saints"in this verse is an unfortunate and inappropriate translation."Saints" in this verse does not refer to believers, The Greek wordhagios should be translated "holy ones" and is a reference to angelicbeings. These angelic beings will accompany Christ at His coming (parousia)(cf. Mt. 25:31; 2 Th. 1:7-8; Rev. 19:14). In no sense, then, can 1Thessalonians 3:13 be used to support the teaching that the Lord comes for theChurch at the beginning of the seventieth week and then with the church at itsend, as some contend (p.5).

Inthe July/August 1997 issue of Zion's Fire, he repeated this interpretation inan article entitled "He is Coming with all His Saints" (p.5).

1. The meaning of theword "saint"

Hepointed out that hagios canbe translated as "holy ones." He admitted that every true believer isa saint. He wrote: "It is conspicuously clear that the New Testamentrepeatedly uses the Greek word hagios ("saint") as a designation for all true believers (Rom.1:7; 1 Cor. 16:1; Eph. 1:1)"(p.6).

2. The meaning of theword "saint" in the Old Testament.

Hepointed out that the Hebrew word for "holy" (kadosh) is used of God,of believers, and "sometimes used of angelic beings" (p.7). He quotedboth Ryrie and Walvoord in support of an angelic meaning (p.7)

Hethen demonstrated that the Septuagint used the word "angels" inpassages where the Hebrew text had "holy ones". He referred toZechariah 14:5 where the Septuagint used "angels" in place of theHebrew "saints." (p.7). He then concluded: "The expression "andall the saints" {Zech. 14:5} appears to be a parallel of Paul's statementto the Thessalonians, "with all his saints" (1 Th. 3:13). (p.7).

Healso asserted that the Dead Sea Scrolls used the phrase "holy ones"as a designation of angels (p.7).

Hethen concluded: "In the light of these facts, it would be most natural forthe New Testament writers to speak of angels as "holy ones" (hagios).(p.7)

3. An analogy withthe word "Elect"

Hepointed out that the verbal adjective "elect" is used of angels (1Tim. 5:21), of Christ, and of believers. He concluded: "In exactly thesame way, the Greek word hagios, translated "holyones" or"saints," is used to refer to angels or the redeemed. Only thecontext can tell which is in view" (p.8).

4. The context of theword "saint" in 1 Thessalonians 3:13

Hereasoned: "Since he {Paul} is praying that believers on the earth willhave their hearts established at the Lord's coming, he is clearlydistinguishing between believers on earth and the "saints" (holyones) who will come with the Lord from Heaven. It is impossible for the Churchto be in two places at the same time. They can't have their hearts"established" (the idea is firm and unmoved) until Christ comes andat the same time accompany Him at His coming" (p.8).

Hethen pointed out that the "archangel" is mentioned at the return ofChrist (1 Thess. 4:16) and that "mighty angels:" accompany Christ atHis return (2 Thess. 1:7). He then affirmed that the Gospels identify angelswith the return of Christ (Matt. 13:41; Mark 8:38, Luke 9:26).

Heconcluded: "First Thessalonians 3:13 cannot be used as a proof text bythose who teach that Jesus is going to rapture the Church and then return withthe Church (with all His saints) seven years later. The text is clearly speakingof angelic beings" (p.8).

1. The adjective"holy" is used with the noun "angels" three times in theNew Testament (Matt. 25:31; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26). Once it is used with thesingular noun "angel" (Acts 10:22).

2. Paul used the word"angel" (both singular and plural) fourteen times in his epistles. Hereferred to angels (Rom8:30; lCor4:9;6:3,11:1O; 13:1;Gal.3: 19;Col2: 18; ITim3:16); to mighty angels (2 Thess.1: 7); to elect angels (1 Tim. 5:21); to anangel of light (2 Cor. 11:14); to an angel of Satan (2 Cor. 12:7); to an angelfrom heaven (Gal. 1:8); and to an angel of God (Gal. 4:14). Paul, however,never used the word hagios (holy) with the noun angels.

3. Paul used theadjective hagios to identify the Scriptures (Rom. 1:2), the Holy Spirit (Rom.5:5), the Law (Rom. 7:12), the firstfruit (Rom. 11:16), the root (Rom. 11:16) akiss (Rom. 16:16), the temple (1 Cor. 3:17), persons (1 Cor. 7:14), theapostles and prophets (Eph. 3:5), brethren (1 Thess. 5:27), and the divinecalling (2 Tim. 1:9).

4. Paul used theadjective hagios in its plural form as a substantive, as a noun, namely as"the saints" -a designation of a group (Rom. 1:7; 8:27; 12:13; 15:25,26,31; 16:2, 15; 1 Cor. 1:2;6:1, 2; 14:33; 16:1,15; 2 Cor,. 1:1; 8:4; 9:1, 12;13:12; Eph. 1:1, 15, 18; 2:19; 3:8, 18; 4:12; 5:3; 6:18; Phil. 1:1; 4:21(singular), 22; Col. 1:2,4, 12, 26; 1 Thess. 3:13; 2 Thess. 1:10; 1 Tim. 5:10;Philem. 5,7..

In the Book of Acts, the adjective hagios also isused to designate the believers, the "saints" (Acts 9:13,32,41;26:10)

In these usages, the word "saints" isused all alone. By itself it equates to believers. It appears with no otheradjectives or nouns. It is a "class noun", understood by all asgenuine Christians

5. Inthe other epistles, outside of the Pauline epistles, the term"saints" is used of believers (Heb. 6:10; 13:24; Jude vv. 3. 14). Thefirst three passages (Heb. 6:10, 13:24; Jude v.3) refer unquestionably toChristians.

The fourth passage (Jude v. 14) is debatable asto its meaning: "Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about thesemen also, saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of Hissaints." Are these "saints" or "holy ones" redeemedhumans or angels? What was divinely revealed to Enoch? What was hisunderstanding? Is it a reference to Old Testament believers only? If it is areference to angels, then it is quoted out of the Old Testament equation of"holy ones" with angels, with no reference to the distinctive natureof church saints.

6. In the Book of Revelation,the term "saints" is used only of believers (5:8; 8:3,4; 11:18;13:7,10; 14:12; 15:3; 16:6; 17:6; 18:24; 19:8; 20:9).

7. In the Gospels, the term"saints" is used only once. It is a reference to believers (Matt.27:52).

8. Paulused the verb hagiazo (to sanctify or to set apart) of believers (Rom. 15:16;1Cor. 1:2; 6:11; 7:14; Eph. 6:26; iThess. 5:23; 2 Tim. 2:21). The Book of Actsrecords that Paul used the verb of believers (Acts 20:32; 26:18). Paul alsoused the verb for food (1 Tim. 4:15). He never used the verb for angels.

9. Paul used the nounhagiasmos ("sanctification") only of believers (Rom. 6:19, 22; 1 Cor.1:30; 1 Thess. 4:3,4,7: 2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Tim. 2:15).

Theinterpretation of Marvin Rosenthal that "saints" actually refer toangels cannot be demonstrated by a concordance and Biblical study of the wordin the New Testament, especially in the Epistles of Paul. The phrase"saints" in First Thessalonians 3:13 can only refer to believers, tothose believers who died before the Rapture and who will return with Christ.They are the ones "who have fallen asleep" (1 Thess. 4:13). They arethe ones that "God will bring with {Christ}" (1 Thess. 4:13). Theyare the "dead in Christ" (1 Thess. 4:16). They are the"them" with whom the living believers will be caught up (1 Thess.4:17).