A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.

As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

For those of us who are still walking and talking, and seeking to follow the Messiah, this verse is for us!

We will meet the Lord in the air.

As a dispensationalist a hundred years ago, I read this verse in the following manner.

We who are left will be raptured together with the dead in Christ to join Jesus as we head to heaven for ever. It was a blessed hope, as Titus speaks of, but in my re-education of the Second Coming, I understand that to meet the Lord in the air means more than simply joining Him to head to heaven forever.

The word “meet”, apantesis in the Greek, carried a specific understanding when used. In my research, as I read through Vines Expository Dictionary, I found that this term “is used in the papyri of a newly arriving magistrate. “It seems that the special idea of the word was the official welcome of a newly arrived dignitary” (Moulton, Greek Test. Gram. Vol. I, p. 14).””

This term is also used in Acts 28 where Paul is greeted by the saints of Rome, as they came to meet him and then returned to the City of Rome.

Acts 28:14 There we found brothers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome.
Acts 28:15 And the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage.
Acts 28:16 And when we came into Rome, ….

These believers went to Paul, they met Paul and they returned from whence they came. In the Greek culture, when a dignitary came to town, it was customary for some of the citizens to leave their city to meet the dignitary as a sign of respect and honor, and then escort the honored person back to the city.

Is it possible that we who are alive, along with the dead in Christ, meet the Lord in the air, only to return to the earth? Is that what is being described here in this verse? Can you imagine the reaction of those who thought they were going to heaven, actually turn about and head back to earth? Slight surprise?

No matter, for whether heaven or earth, we will be forever with the Lord. And that is the only thing that matters!

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion.