A Closer Look at 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

1. Introduction and Summary

As I wrote in an earlier blog article:

The world seems “on fire” and is headed to a world-changing cataclysmic event. It appears reasonable to say that World War III is imminent. World War III could very likely be the beginning of the “great tribulation.” Holding to pretribulational premillennialism, the rapture of the church will be before the “great tribulation. Therefore, the rapture may be very soon.

This article takes a closer look at 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

As a summary, the single correct interpretation of this passage is below:

Paul intended to comfort his audience (believers in Thessalonica) and give them hope about the future of previously deceased believers. Based upon the authority of God’s Word, upon an audible command, Jesus will descend from heaven bringing with Him (the immaterial part of) all previously deceased believers. At the same time and prior to any action on the alive believers, all previously deceased believers will experience a physical bodily resurrection and begin to ascend toward Jesus. Immediately afterwards, all believers alive at that time will be snatched up (raptured) and will join with the physically bodily resurrected believers where together they will meet Jesus in the air and be with Him forever.

Please note that there a couple of basic things that must also take place upon the believers (resurrected and snatched up), but Paul does not explicitly mention.

First, for each previously deceased believer, their resurrected body and immaterial part will join to form a complete glorified body. See 1 Corinthians 15:50-53. Second, the snatched up believers who are alive at the time will receive their glorified bodies. See Romans 8:17. 30; 1 John 3:2. This means that all of the believers in their glorified bodies will be with Jesus forever.

My legitimate applications that come out of the above single correct interpretation as supported by the analysis are:

(1) I need to live my life filled more with the certain hope of spending eternity with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

(2) I need to be more intentional about spreading the saving gospel of Jesus Christ because the rapture could happen at any time.

(3) I need to be on the lookout to encourage other believers with the biblical truth that we will spend eternity together with Jesus Christ.

2. The Text: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

The primary translation is the more literal New American Standard Bible (1995 update). To gain additional insight, I use the more expansive Wuest translation and the thought-for-thought New Living Translation. 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 (NASB95) reads:

¹³ But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 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 not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore comfort one another with these words.

The Wuest translation of 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 (WUESTNT) reads:

¹³ Now, we do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who from time to time are falling asleep [dying], in order that you may not be mourning in the same manner as the rest who do not have a hope. For in view of the fact that we believe that Jesus died and arose, thus also will God bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through the intermediate agency of Jesus. For this we are saying to you by the Lord’s word, that as for us who are living and are left behind until the coming of the Lord, we shall by no means precede those who fell asleep, because the Lord himself with a cry of command, with an archangel’s voice, and with a call of a trumpet sounded at God’s command, shall descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ shall be raised first, then as for us who are living and who are left behind, together with them we shall be snatched away forcibly in [masses of saints having the appearance of] clouds for a welcome-meeting with the Lord in the lower atmosphere. And thus always shall we be with the Lord. So that—be encouraging one another with these words.

The New Living Translation of 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 (NLT) reads:

¹³ And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. ¹⁴ For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. ¹⁵ We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. ¹⁷ Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸ So encourage each other with these words.

Finally, for the sake of completeness, the Greek text in the Nestle-Arndt 28^th edition (NA28) is below:

¹³ Οὐ θέλομεν δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοί, περὶ τῶν κοιμωμένων, ἵνα μὴ λυπῆσθε καθὼς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ οἱ μὴ ἔχοντες ἐλπίδα. ¹⁴ εἰ γὰρ πιστεύομεν ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἀπέθανεν καὶ ἀνέστη, οὕτως καὶ ὁ θεὸς τοὺς κοιμηθέντας διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἄξει σὺν αὐτῷ. ¹⁵ Τοῦτο γὰρ ὑμῖν λέγομεν ἐν λόγῳ κυρίου, ὅτι ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες οἱ περιλειπόμενοι εἰς τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ κυρίου οὐ μὴ φθάσωμεν τοὺς κοιμηθέντας· ¹⁶ ὅτι αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος ἐν κελεύσματι, ἐν φωνῇ ἀρχαγγέλου καὶ ἐν σάλπιγγι θεοῦ, καταβήσεται ἀπʼ οὐρανοῦ καὶ οἱ νεκροὶ ἐν Χριστῷ ἀναστήσονται πρῶτον, ¹⁷ ἔπειτα ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες οἱ περιλειπόμενοι ἅμα σὺν αὐτοῖς ἁρπαγησόμεθα ἐν νεφέλαις εἰς ἀπάντησιν τοῦ κυρίου εἰς ἀέρα· καὶ οὕτως πάντοτε σὺν κυρίῳ ἐσόμεθα. ¹⁸ Ὥστε παρακαλεῖτε ἀλλήλους ἐν τοῖς λόγοις τούτοις.

3. Historical Context

One very helpful resource to discover information about the historical context is New Testament Introduction and Outlines at the bible.org website (link: New Testament: Introductions and Outlines | Bible.org). Information about Thessalonica is below:

Thessalonica was the largest city of Macedonia. It has been estimated that during Paul’s time its population may have been as high as 200,000. The majority of the inhabitants were Greeks, but there was also a mixture of other ethnic groups, including Jews (according to Acts 17:1-10).

As to their moral standards, the Thessalonians were hardly any different from the citizens of any other large Greek city. Presumably, most were idolaters, though it is certain that some were seeking a different kind of religious experience than polytheism could provide; hence, they attached themselves (loosely) to the local synagogue.

Another resource (Martin, D. M. (1995). 1, 2 Thessalonians (Vol. 33, pp. 21–25). Broadman & Holman Publishers) adds the following historical data:

By the time Paul visited Thessalonica, its residents (and those of Macedonia in general) could boast a long and illustrious history. … By the time of Paul, Macedonia was a senatorial province governed by a Roman proconsul who had his administrative capitol in the free city of Thessalonica. Charges of inciting insurrection against Rome (which some Thessalonians leveled against Paul, Acts 17:6–9) would have been taken seriously in such a politically significant city.

Thessalonica was not only an important city politically but also commercially. One of Rome’s major east-west trade routes passed through Macedonia. The Via Egnatia originated on the Adriatic coast at both Apollonia and Dyrrachium. The two routes quickly joined and proceeded east to Thessalonica and the Aegean coast. Roughly following the coast, the road continued on through Amphipolis, Philippi, and Nicopolis to Kypsela in Thrace—a distance, according to Strabo, of 4,280 stadia (535 miles). Military and commercial travel moving east/ west that could not take advantage of the sea routes further south would have moved along the Via Egnatia. Paul and his coworkers traveled this road as they moved from Philippi through Amphipolis and Apollonia to Thessalonica, leaving it as they turned south toward Athens.

Martin describes the relationship between Paul and the Thessalonians:

According to Acts, Paul established the church in Thessalonica (17:1–10) during his second missionary journey (15:36–18:22). As a result of his preaching in the synagogue, “some of the Jews” and “a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women” were converted (17:4). Some of the Jews who had rejected Paul’s message determined to drive him from the city by inciting a mob to charge Paul and his coworkers with crimes against the empire (17:5–6a).

Though this account in Acts is brief, it implies that the church was made up of converted Jews and God-fearers. It implies that Paul made a large enough impact in the synagogue and in the city to provoke a harsh response from unconverted synagogue leaders who viewed the gospel as a serious threat. It also indicates that certain elements of the city could be stirred to mob action against the new church with little or no evidence of wrongdoing. Paul’s inability to return to Thessalonica (1 Thess 2:18) and his concern for the perseverance of the believers there (1 Thess 3:5) are certainly consistent with the image of the church’s situation painted in Acts. Likewise the animosity toward the church related in Acts is consistent with the references to persecution in the Thessalonian correspondence (cf. 1 Thess 1:6; 2:14; 2 Thess 1:4–7).

Constable (Constable, T. (2003). Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (1 Th 1:1). Galaxie Software) adds the following comments about the date Paul wrote this letter:

It seems clear that Paul wrote this epistle shortly after he arrived in Corinth (1:7–9; 2:17; 3:1, 6; Acts 18:5, 11): about A.D. 51. If one follows the early dating of Galatians before the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15), which I do, this epistle would have been Paul’s second inspired writing. If Paul penned Galatians after the second missionary journey, 1 Thessalonians could have been his first inspired epistle.8 However the first option seems more probable.

My relevant takeaways from the historical context are below:

(1) Thessalonica was a large Greek city (population about 200,000) located in the senatorial province of Macedonia which gave it political importance. Thessalonica was on a major trade route so that it had commercial importance.

(2) Like other large Greek cities, the residents worshiped idols.

(3) During Paul’s second missionary journey, some Jews and a large number of God-fearing Greeks were saved.

(4) Paul’s preaching must have threatened the unconverted Jews to such an extent they wanted him out of the city. They were successful so that Paul was unable to return to Thessalonica.

(5) Paul probably wrote this epistle in about A.D. 51 shortly after arriving at Corinth.

4. Literary Context

Certain portions of 1 Thessalonians reveal that Paul’s audience (“the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”) had a firm hope in a future in the presence of Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 1:3 (NASB95) reads [emphasis added]:

³ constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father,

1 Thessalonians 3:7–8 (NASB95) reads [emphasis added]:

⁷ for this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith; ⁸ for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord.

Parts of 1 Thessalonians show that these believers were looking forward to Jesus’ return. 1 Thessalonians 1:9–10 (NASB95) reads [emphasis added]:

⁹ For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, ¹⁰ and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.

The above passage supports a pre-tribulation rapture event.

1 Thessalonians 3:13 (NASB95) reads [emphasis added]:

¹³ so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.

1 Thessalonians 5:1–2, 8-10 (NASB95) reads [emphasis added]:

¹ Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. ² For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. … ⁸ But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. ⁹ For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰ who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NASB95) reads [emphasis added]:

²³ Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul’s audience knew they were to live a holy life per 1 Thessalonians 4:3a, 7 (NASB95), which reads:

³ For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; … ⁷ For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification.

My relevant takeaways from the literary context are below:

(1) the believers in Thessalonica were looking forward to Jesus’ return (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; 3:13; 5:1-2, 8-10, 23;

(2) the believers in Thessalonica had a firm hope of a future in the presence of Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:3 ; 3:7–8 ); and

(3) the believers in Thessalonica knew they were supposed to live a holy life (1 Thessalonians 4:31, 7).

The literary context shows that the believers in Thessalonica were familiar with the concept of Jesus’ return with the previously deceased believers at the rapture.

5. Verse-by-Verse Observations

a. Introduction

One of the best ways to carry out better Bible study is to SLOW DOWN!! One way I force myself to slow down is to use the Logos Word by Word Guide, which contains a wealth of grammatical information, in conjunction with a copy of the text in the NASB95 translation. I make notes on a copy of the translation with very large line spacing (e.g., 7). Sometimes it makes sense to diagram the relationships in the text. The attached scan comprises a copy of pages 21-22 of the Word by Word Guide, my worksheet, and a diagram showing the relationships in the text.

Please note that another great resource is at the preceptaustin.org website. A link to the beginning of the discussion at preceptaustin.org about 1 Thessalonians 4 is at 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 Commentary | Precept Austin.

b. Verse 13 (First Greek Sentence)

Paul began verse 13 with a “But” that functioned as a transition from the previous content. It is apparent that the believers in Thessalonica were concerned about the fate of other believers who had died. Paul characterized them as “those who are asleep.” In other words, the physical bodies of the deceased believers were in a condition of death. While Paul did say so, please keep in mind thir immaterial part was present with Jesus Christ. While the physical body is dead, the immaterial part (soul and spirit) live on at physical death. For a believer, upon death their immaterial part goes to be with the Lord according to 2 Corinthians 5:8 (NASB95):

⁸ we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.

Paul had a strong desire to comfort them with the good news that Jesus was coming back in the future rapture of the church so that they would not grieve like the grief over the death of an unbeliever. Here, Paul characterized those that grieved over an unbeliever’s death as “the rest who had no hope.” Such grieving appears to have been continuous. The lack of a future hope for an unbeliever who had died resulted in an ongoing sadness.

The grieving over the death of an unbeliever in the 1^st Century is no different then in the 21^st Century. There is no hope for a deceased unbeliever. According to the preceptaustin.org website, an inscription on a pagan tomb in Thessalonica read:

After death there is revival, after the grave no meeting of those who have loved each other on earth

Arndt et al. (Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). In A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., pp. 319–320). University of Chicago Press.

defines elpis (the NASB95 translates as “hope”):

① the looking forward to someth. with some reason for confidence respecting fulfillment, hope, expectation: … ⓑ esp. pert. to matters spoken of in God’s promises, hope … β. of Christian expectation: abs. … As obj. of ἔχω: ἔχειν ἐλπίδα Ro 15:4; 2 Cor 3:12 (cp. Just., D. 141, 3); ἐ. μὴ ἔχοντες (Diod S 21, 12, 1 μηδεμίαν ἔχειν ἐλπίδα σωτηρίας) Eph 2:12; 1 Th 4:13;

Preceptaustin.org elaborates on “hope” as follows:

Hope in Scripture is the absolute certainty of future good. In He 6:11 (note) hope is full assurance. In 1Timothy 1:1 hope is not some abstract concept but is embodied in the Person and atoning world of Jesus Christ Jesus our Hope.

Preceptaustin.org defines the hope (certainty) of Christ’s Return at His Glorious Second Coming is a living hope (1Pe 1:3–note), a blessed hope (Titus 2:13–note), a joyful hope (1Th 2:19–note), a comforting hope (1Th 4:13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18-see note 1Th :13; 14; 15; 16; 17; 18), a hope of glory (Col 1:27–note), aa anchoring hope (He 6;19-note), and a purifying hope (1John 3:3). Whether for the 1^st Century or the 21^st Century believer, the kind of “hope” (elpis) Paul referred to pertained to the hope of salvation.

Like believers in the 1^st Century, believers in the 21^st Century have the certain hope of the rapture of the church. Had they been alive at the time, the Thessalonican believers would have been caught up with their Christian brothers and sisters who had passed away to meet Jesus in the air. The same is true for us today in the 21^st Century! If we are alive at the time of the rapture, we will be caught up with all the previously deceased believers to met Jesus in the air.

There is no hope for a deceased unbeliever. However, in stark contrast, if an unbeliever is still breathing, there is hope by exercising biblical saving faith. At the end of this article is an explanation of God’s Plan of Salvation and a Sinner’s Prayer.

c. Verse 14

In verse 14, Paul gave his audience the reason why they should not grieve over their deceased brothers and sisters in Christ. He told them that if they believe (pisteuomen) that Jesus died and rose again, Jesus (God) would bring back with Him all of the previously deceased believers. Louw et al. (Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). In Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 369). United Bible Societies) defines the Greek verb pisteuomen as:

31.35 πιστεύω^a: to believe something to be true and, hence, worthy of being trusted—‘to believe, to think to be true, to regard as trustworthy

Verse 14a is like the gospel in a nutshell of 1 Corinthians 15:1–4 (NASB95):

¹ Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, ² by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. ³ For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

Verse 14b then described one attribute of the rapture of the church; namely, that at the rapture, the risen Lord Jesus Christ “will bring” (axei) back with Him all those believers who had died. Paul described those deceased believers as “those who had fallen asleep in Jesus.” Arndt et at. (Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). In A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 16). University of Chicago Press) defines the verb to mean:

① to direct the movement of an object from one position to another ⓐ lead, bring, lead off, lead away … W. dat. of pers. (1 Macc 7:2) ἀγάγετέ μοι bring it to me Mt 21:2. τινὰ σύν τινι (cp. PGM 1, 179) 1 Th 4:14.

While the physical body is dead, the immaterial part (soul and spirit) live on at physical death. For a believer, upon death their immaterial part goes to be with the Lord according to 2 Corinthians 5:8. Per the preceptaustin.org website:

Hiebert notes that…Those now in heaven in a disembodied state (2 Cor. 5:8-9) Christ will bring with Him (1Thes 4:14) to receive their resurrection bodies. The raising of their bodies will take place “first,” the first act in the drama to take place at the parousia. (Ibid)

Thus, Jesus will bring back the immaterial part of all previously deceased believers.

What is true in the 1^st Century with respect to the rapture, is true in the 21^st Century since the rapture of the church has not yet taken place.

d. Verses 15-17 (Third Greek Sentence)

Beginning with verse 15, Paul told his audience that the message from Jesus was that those believers alive at His return will not go before those believers who had previously died.

In verse 16, Paul then told his audience that Jesus will descend upon a great audible signal. This signal is described in three ways. First. Jesus will descend “with a shout.” The NASB95 translates the Greek noun keleusmati as “a shout.” Louw et al. (Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). In Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 424). United Bible Societies) defines it to be a command:

33.324 κέλευσμα, τος n: (derivative of κελεύω ‘to command,’ 33.323) the voicing of a command—‘command, call of command.’ ὁ κύριος ἐν κελεύσματι, ἐν φωνῇ ἀρχαγγέλου καὶ ἐν σάλπιγγι θεοῦ, καταβήσεται ἀπ’ οὐρανοῦ ‘at the word of command, at the sound of the archangel’s voice, and at the sound of the trumpet of God, the Lord will come down from heaven’ 1 Th 4:16. In a number of languages the expression ‘at the word of command’ may be rendered as ‘when the command is given’ or ‘when the command is shouted.’

Second, Jesus will descend “with the voice of the archangel.” The NASB95 translates the Greek noun phōnē as “the voice.” Louw et al. (Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). In Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 179). United Bible Societies) defines it to mean:

14.74 φωνή^a, ῆς f; φθόγγος^a, ου m: any type of sound, including human speech, but normally a distinctive type of sound as opposed to confused noise—‘sound.’

Third, Jesus will descend “with the trumpet of God.” The NASB95 translates the Greek noun salpingi as “the trumpet.” Louw et al. (Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). In Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 63). United Bible Societies) defines it to mean:

6.89 σάλπιγξ^a, ιγγος f: a wind instrument, frequently used in signaling, especially in connection with war—‘trumpet.’

At least all believers will know when the rapture is taking place! The combination of the shout and the voice and trumpet will signal a command in no uncertain terms that it is time to meet Jesus face-to-face.

In verse 17, Paul wrote that after the audible signal, “dead in Christ” will rise. The NASB95 translates the Greek verb anatēsontai as “will rise.” According to Louw et al. (Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). In Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 215). United Bible Societies.) , it means:

17.7 ἀνίστημι^a: to cause someone to stand up—‘to cause to stand, to raise up.’ δοὺς δὲ αὐτῇ χεῖρα ἀνέστησεν αὐτήν ‘taking her by the hand, he raised her up’ Ac 9:41.

Arndt et al. (Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). In A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 83). University of Chicago Press) defines it:

⑦ to come back to life from the dead, rise up, come back from the dead, 1 Th 4:14; IRo 6:1; B 15:9. Intr. used for the pass. ὑπὸ τ. θεοῦ ἀναστάντα raised by God (from the dead) Pol 9:2; περὶ τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ χριστοῦ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάντων Papias (11:2). Fig., of a spiritual reawakening ἀνάστα ἐκ τ. νεκρῶν arise from the dead Eph 5:14

Thus, what Paul wrote was that all previously deceased believers will resurrect and ascend towards Jesus in the air. Next, those believers who are alive and remain at Jesus’ return will be “caught up” with the rising “dead in Christ” in the clouds. The NASB95 translates the Greek verb pagēsometha as “will be caught up.” Per Louw et al. (Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). In Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 220). United Bible Societies) it means:

18.4 ἁρπάζω^a: to grab or seize by force, with the purpose of removing and/or controlling—‘to seize, to snatch away, to take away

Arndt et al. (Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). In A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 134). University of Chicago Press) defines it to mean:

② to grab or seize suddenly so as to remove or gain control, snatch/take away … ⓑ in such a way that no resistance is offered

Together the previously deceased (and now resurrected) believers and the snatched up (raptured) believers (alive at the time) will together meet Jesus in the air. The NASB95 translates the Greek noun apantēsia as “meet.” According to Louw et al. (Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). In Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 191). United Bible Societies) it means”

15.78 ἀπαντάω; ἀπάντησις, εως f; ὑπαντάω^a; ὑπάντησις, εως f: to come near to and to meet, either in a friendly or hostile sense—‘to draw near, to meet, to meet up with.’

Finally, the ultimate purpose, and what a wonderful purpose it will be, is all believers “shall always be with the Lord.” In his book Prepositions and Theology in the Greek New Testament (Zondervan Academic (2012) at page 203, Murray Harris writes about 1 Thessalonians 4:17b:

As a consequence … of the resurrection of the dead (v. 16), the rapture of the living …, and their joint meeting with he Lord in the air (v. 1a), all believers, both the resurrected dead and those alive at the parousia, will without interruption be in the Lord’s company … in heaven, not only to escape the coming wrath of God (1 Th. 1:10) but to enjoy permanent, corporate fellowship with the Lord Jesus. … Resurrection leads to unmediated mutual communion between the individual and his or her Lord but not in isolation from fellow worshippers.

6. The Single Valid Interpretation of 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17

Based upon the above analysis, in my opinion, the single valid interpretation of the text is below.

Please note that there a couple of basic things that must also take place upon the believers (resurrected and snatched up), but Paul does not explicitly mention.

First, for each previously deceased believer, their resurrected body and immaterial part will join to form a complete glorified body. See 1 Corinthians 15:50-53.

Second, the snatched up believers who are alive at the time will receive their glorified bodies. See Romans 8:17. 30; 1 John 3:2.

This means that all of the believers in their glorified bodies will be with Jesus forever.

7. Legitimate Applications (or Takeaways)

While there may be more, in my opinion, the following are legitimate application of the above interpretation:

(1) I need to live my life filled more with the certain hope of spending eternity with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

(2) I need to be more intentional about spreading the saving gospel of Jesus Christ because the rapture could happen at any time.

(3) I need to be on the lookout to encourage other believers with the biblical truth that we will spend eternity together with Jesus Christ.

8. Conclusion

In conclusion, even though lengthy, I hope you enjoyed reading this article. If you are a believer then you (like myself) have a great and exciting future!

If are not a believer, right now, your eternity is awful. However, that permanently can change by exercising biblical saving faith. Please read and take to heart what follows.

If You Are an Unbeliever

If you are not a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you need to get ready!! Please (1) read through “God’s Plan of Salvation” so you can understand what God did for you through His only unique Son, Jesus Christ, and (2), from the bottom of your heart, pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” meaning every word. If you do, you will be reconciled to God – saved – through Jesus Christ.

God’s Plan of Salvation

In the beginning, God, who is holy, created the entire universe. As a part of His creative actions, He made humans (male and female) in His image to know Him. For a while, everything was right between God and our ancestors, Adam and Eve. But Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God, whereby Adam’s sin was passed down to all of humanity, creating a separation between God and humanity. We cannot do anything to bridge that separation so that without God’s intervention, hell is our eternal destination. Fortunately for us, in His great love and mercy, God provided us with the only means of salvation through Abraham’s lineage by sending the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ, God’s only unique Son. While retaining His deity, God the Son became a man in Jesus, lived a perfect life, thereby fulfilling the Law, and died a substitutionary atoning death on the cross, taking on Himself the punishment for the sins of all people. Jesus rose from the dead, showing that God the Father accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, thereby exhausting God’s wrath against humanity. God now calls on every unbeliever to repent of their sins and completely trust in Christ alone that Jesus died for their sins and rose to life from the dead. Every unbeliever who repents and trusts in Jesus Christ will be forgiven of all their sins (past, present, and future) and born again as a new creation in Christ, possessing guaranteed eternal life with God.

Scripture References: Genesis 1:1, 26, 31; Habakkuk 1:13; Genesis 2:7-25; Genesis 3:1-7, 22-24; Isaiah 59:2; Romans 3:19-20, 23; 5:17-19; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 6:23; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Colossians 1:15; 2:9; Matthew 1:18, 20, 24-25; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:24; Hebrews 2:17; 9:25-26; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 1 John 4:10; John 3:16-18; Mark 1:15; Acts 17:30; 26:20; Romans 1:4; 4:25; John 3:5-8; 1 Peter 1:3.

“Sinner’s Prayer”

Lord, Jesus Christ, the only unique Son of God, thank You for Your free gift of eternal life. I know I’m a sinner who cannot save myself no matter what I do, and I deserve to spend eternity in hell. But, I know that because You loved me so much, You voluntarily died on the cross for me taking my sins upon Yourself, and You physically bodily rose from the grave showing that Your sacrificial death was sufficient payment to give me eternal life in Heaven. I now repent of my sins and completely trust alone in what You did for my eternal salvation. Please take control of my life as I now receive You as my Lord and Savior. Thank You so much for saving me. I am now Yours forever!

(Scripture references: John 1:1-4, 11-14; John 3:16; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:21-26; Isaiah 53:4-6; Mark 1:15; Acts 16:31; Acts 4:12; Romans 10:9-10, 13; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; John 10:27-29).

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Scripture quotations marked “ESV” are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Used by Permission HCSB ©1999,2000,2002,2003,2009 Holman Bible Publishers. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. ¹³ But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are a

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