After the Acts period, while in a Roman prison, Paul wrote Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians as well as the pastoral epistles of I and II Timothy and Titus. They are, therefore, among those epistles known as the prison epistles. These epistles are unique in many ways. There is no mention of water baptism, the Lord’s Supper, physical circumcision or miracles. There is no mention of Abraham, while Paul mentioned Abraham 9 times in Romans, once in II Corinthians, 8 times in Galatians, and 6 times in the book of Hebrews. In the prison epistles there is no mention of the New Covenant, while he specifically referred to the New Covenant in I and II Corinthians and Hebrews, and he alluded to the New Covenant in various other places such as in Galatians 4. The only three places where the Church, the Body of Christ, is specifically referred to is in these prison epistles, and those three places are Ephesians 1:22–23, Colossians 1:18 and Colossians 1:24.

Another important distinction between Paul’s pre-prison and prison epistles is found in Paul’s use of the word parousia (coming) and the words epiphaneia (appearing) and phaneroo (shall appear). Paul consistently uses the word parousia in the pre-prison epistles when speaking of the return of the Lord, but he consistently uses the words epiphaneia or phaneroo in the prison epistles when referring to the return of the Lord. For example, to the Corinthians he wrote:

1 Corinthians 15:22-23
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.
23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming. (NKJ)

But to the Colossians, he wrote:

Colossians 3:4
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (KJV)

Paul’s description of the coming of the Lord in I Thessalonians 4 is very similar to Christ’s description of the coming of the Son of Man in Matthew 24. In both passages we see the rapture of believers, the trumpet sound of angels, and Christ’s return in or on the clouds.

1Thessalonians 4:15-17
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. (NKJ)

Matthew 24:29-31
29 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
30 "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 "And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (NKJ)

It is significant that Jesus said the coming of the Son of Man would occur after the tribulation period, and it is also significant that the coming of the Son of Man was a subject of Old Testament prophesy as seen in Daniel 7.

Daniel 7:13
13 "I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. (NKJ)

By contrast, the appearing of the Lord is revealed only in the prison epistles as part of the revelation of the Church which is the Body of Christ. It is also evident that the Church, the Body of Christ, will be raptured before the tribulation period because Paul’s description of the perilous last days of the Church in II Timothy 3 have no similarity to the events of the tribulation period.

After the rapture of the Church, many people will put their faith in Jesus Christ as great tribulation shakes the foundations of the earth. After the tribulation of those days,

1Thessalonians 4:16-17
16 . . . the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then (believers) who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus shall always be with the Lord. (Jim Roberts’ interpretation)

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Other church links:
http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/
http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/
http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/