JESUS' RETURN TO RAPTURE BELIEVERS

JESUS WAS COMING TO RAPTURE BELIEVERS
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
1 Thessalonians4:17 17
After that, we who are still alive
and are left will be caught up together with them in
the clouds to meet the LORD in the air. And so we will
be with the LORD forever.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
The Order Of Events At The Second Advent
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
T. Croskery The apostle justifies his statement by a fuller revelation of the truth. He sets forth the
order of events.
I. THE DESCENT OF THE LORD FROM HEAVEN. "For the Lord himself shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God."
1. It will be a descent of our personal Lord. "No phantom, no providential substitute, no
vicarious spirit;" the same Person that ascended is he that will descend
2. It will be a descent with awe-inspiring accompaniments.
(1) "With a signal shout" by the Lord himself, which will be taken up and prolonged by
(2) "the voice of the archangel;" for he is to come, "bringing with him all the holy angels"
(Matthew 25:31); and
(3) "the trump of God," for "the trumpet shall sound" (1 Corinthians 15:52), and "he shall send
his angels with a great sound of a trumpet" (Matthew 24:31). It is God's trumpet because
employed in his heavenly service. It will be the sound of a literal trumpet, like that which was
heard upon Sinai (Exodus 19:16, 19). These various sounds are to herald the descent of the Lord,
and to gather the elect together from the four winds of heaven.
II. THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD SAINTS. "And the dead in Christ shall rise first."
There is no allusion to the resurrection of the wicked. The apostle is concerned at present with
the destinies and glories of a single class. So far from the sainted dead being overlooked, the
priority of resurrection is to belong to them.

III. THE CHANGE OF THE LIVING SAINTS. This wonderful transformation is here rather
implied than asserted. "For we shall not all die, but we shall be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:51).
IV. THE SIMULTANEOUS ASSUMPTION OF BOTH CLASSES OF SAINTS. "Then we
which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air."
1. As one united band, the saints, in spiritualized bodies, will be caught up in clouds - those
"clouds which are his chariot" - just as he himself ascended "in a cloud," and "a cloud received
him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9). The new bodies of believers will be able to pass with ease
through the air.
2. The saints will then "meet the Lord in the air - not in heaven as he leaves it, nor in earth as he
approaches it, but between heaven and earth. The apostle does not say whether they will at once
descend to earth and return with him to heaven. He is silent upon the question of the judgment or
the entry into final glory.
V. THE PERPETUAL RESIDENCE OF THE SAINTS WITH THE LORD. And so shall we
ever be with the Lord."
1. It will be a meeting without a parting. The intercourse begun will have an endless duration.
Believers shall "go no more out."
2. It implies an intimate fellowship with the Lord.
3. It will be the fulfillment of our Lord's prayer: "That they also whom thou hast given me be
with me where I am, that they may behold my glory" (John 17:24).
VI. THE CONSOLATORY INFLUENCE OF ALL THESE TRUTHS. "Wherefore comfort one
another with these words." Chase away your sorrow; the dead are not lost or forgotten; they shall
share in the glories of the advent. There was surely deep and lasting consolation in such truths. -
T.C.
Biblical Illustrator
For the Lord shall descend from heaven with a shout
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
The second coming of Christ
J. Hutchison, D. D., Bp. Alexander.I. THE LORD'S DESCENT. "He" and no other, in His
august personal presence, in that same human body, too, with which He ascended into heaven
(Acts 1:11). And yet, while Himself unchanged, how changed the surroundings! He will
descend, not in humiliation to tabernacle with men, but to take His people to Himself, in heaven;
not emptied of His glory, but with the symbols of majesty and Divine power.

1. With a shout, one which indicates command. The word is used of a charioteer's call to his
steed, a huntsman's call to his dogs, the call, by voice or sign, of the boatswain giving time to the
rowers, the music played to set an army or fleet in motion. The angelic host and company of the
spirits of the just are compared to a vast army, and Christ, the Captain of salvation, by His word
of command, sets it in motion, and it, in the alacrity of joyful obedience, accompanies Him to
judgment (Jude 1:14). The shout will possibly be, "Behold the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to
meet Him."
2. The voice of the archangel. "The Lord Himself" and "the archangel" cannot be identified. Here
and in Jude 1:9, the word designates the leader of the angelic hosts. Angels have been, and will
yet be, Christ's ministering spirits. They served Him when on earth; they ascend and descend
upon Him in the advancement of His cause; they will be His ministers of judgment hereafter.
The shout may be that of command caught up by the archangel from the lips of the Lord, and
repeated to the gathering hosts.
3. The trump of God, belonging to God, used in His service; that probably of Revelation 11:15.
Under the old dispensation there is special prominence assigned to the trumpet. By it assemblies
were summoned, journeys started, feasts proclaimed. It is employed by our Lord, as in the text.
Paul calls this "the last" (1 Corinthians 15:52); and as such it will gather up all previous
meanings. It will call together the rejoicing saints to the heavenly Zion; like Joshua's trumpet, it
will be to some the signal of dismay; it will mean weal or woe according to the character of those
who hear.
II. THE RESURRECTION AND CHANGE OF CHRIST'S PEOPLE AT HIS COMING.
1. "The dead in Christ shall rise first." The emphasis rests on "first," and is designed to bring
comfort to the Thessalonian mourners. Their departed friends, so far from being placed at a
disadvantage, were to occupy a position of privilege. Those who are living will be "caught up."
"We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed," not unclothed of their bodies, but clothed
upon with immortality, a kind of death and resurrection in one. Thus changed, these shall be
caught up "together" with the others in one united and rejoicing company; "caught up" with a
quick and resistless rapture, as the word implies, rising from the troubled and imperfect earth —
changed and sublimated, as the blossom of the fabled Indian tree, transformed into a bird, flies
upward into heaven. "In the clouds"; not into, nor in multitudes (Hebrews 12:1), but as if in a
triumphal chariot. Nor do clouds represent a veiling of the awful transaction, but simply supply
an imagery which lends grandeur and awe to that event which is awful beyond all human
language and thought.
2. The meeting place: "In the air." We naturally place alongside this the ascension of Elijah, or
that of our Lord. In this, as in all else, He has gone before His people and pointed out for them
the way. "The air" is not the atmosphere, but infinite space as opposed to earth. The ancients
fancied that the milky way is the path trod by the immortals to the palace of the King. The fable
is but a distorted reflection of the truth. What it fancied the apostle declared — a pathway in the
skies on which the saints are yet to pass to meet their Lord, that He may conduct them home.
3. "And so shall we ever be with the Lord." Less than this can never satisfy Christ's saints; more
than this they cannot desire or conceive — perfect security, sinlessness, happiness, glory.
(J. Hutchison, D. D.)Of all the solemn associations connected with this verse few can surpass the
following: "At the earthquake of Manila (1863), the cathedral fell on the clergy and
congregation. The mass of ruin overhead and around the doomed assemblage was kept for a time

from crushing down upon them by some peculiarity of construction. Those outside were able to
hear what was going on in the church, without the slightest possibility of clearing away the ruins,
or of aiding those within upon whom the building must evidently fall before long. A low, deep,
bass voice, doubtless that of the priest officiating, was heard uttering the words, "Blessed are the
dead which die in the Lord." As this sentence came forth, the multitude burst in a passion of
tears, which was soon choked. For some deep groans issued from within, apparently wrung from
the speaker by intense pain, and then the same voice spoke in a calm and even tone, as if
addressing a congregation, and all heard the words: "The Lord Himself shall descend," etc.
(Bp. Alexander.)
Christ's coming
J. Gritton, D. D.One coming — once, for one act — the simultaneous gathering of all before the
judgment seat. All this is a far-off view — the regarding the Second Advent in a kind of
prophetical foreshortening. Seen near, this one event is manifold, having chronological order,
and falling into many acts.
I. THE ACTUAL COMING OF JESUS CHRIST AND ITS GLORY.
1. In the glory of His Father (Matthew 16:27).
2. In His own glory (Luke 9:26).
3. With His angels (Matthew 16:27; Mark 8:33; 2 Thessalonians 1:7).
4. Coming in the clouds of heaven (Matthew 26:64; Acts 1:11).
5. Bringing His saints with Him (1 Thessalonians 3:13; Colossians 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14).
II. THE EVENTS WHICH WILL FOLLOW THE COMING OF CHRIST IN THE AIR.
1. The resurrection of the bodies of the sleeping saints. "The dead in Christ Shall rise first."
2. The change into a glorified condition of all the living saints (1 Corinthians 15:51). All shall
meet the Lord in the air. All this august series of events precedes judgment. This is the very
dawn of the day of the Lord. Later on will be the judgment on the nations, judgment on Israel,
judgment on apostate Christendom, judgment on Satan; but from all that the saints are safe; they
are already and forever with the Lord.
III. THIS COMING OF THE LORD IS FOR SAINTS — raised saints, living saints, both quick
or dead, quickened or changed saints, and saints only.
1. Will His coming be for me? Shall I certainly have part in that glorious first resurrection? If I
remain till He come, shall I certainly be changed in that moment of wondrous rapture?
2. Consider who are saints (1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 1:1; 2 Timothy
2:22; 1 Peter 2:9). Such only are looking for that blessed hope; and such only will see Christ with
joy.
(J. Gritton, D. D.)
The doctrine of the resurrection
C. Simeon, M. A.I. THE CERTAINTY OF THE RESURRECTION. The heathen quite derided
the idea of the resurrection (Acts 17:18, 32), deeming it incredible (Acts 26:8); and some who
professed Christianity explained away the doctrine relating to it, and represented the resurrection
as a merely spiritual change which had passed already (2 Timothy 2:18). Even some of the

Thessalonian Church did not appear to be well grounded in it; and hence St. Paul affirmed that it
was a doctrine on which they might fully rely.
1. They did believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. On these two facts all
Christianity was founded. If Jesus had not risen, all their faith in Him, and all their hope from
Him, was altogether in vain (1 Corinthians 15:13-18). These two facts admitted, the resurrection
of man would follow, of course. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was both an evidence that God
can raise the dead, and a pledge that He will. The same omnipotence that raised Him can raise
us. He is "the first fruits of them that sleep."
II. THE ORDER IN WHICH THE RESURRECTION WILL BE EFFECTED. This, perhaps, is a
matter of curiosity, rather than of any great practical importance; but Paul would not that the
Thessalonian Christians should be ignorant of it, and therefore it is worthy of our attention.
1. The dead will be raised from their graves. All that have ever departed out of the world will be
restored to life, each clothed in his own proper body.
2. Those who remain alive upon the earth will be charged. They will remain unchanged until all
the dead are raised. Their change will be instantaneous. Without dissolution as preparatory to it,
the mortal will put on immortality, the material will assume the spiritual. All will then be in that
form which they will bear through the ever lasting ages. What an amazing difference will then
appear in them! The godly — how beautiful! the ungodly — how deformed! and both having
either heaven or hell depicted in their very countenance!
3. Then will they be caught up to meet the Lord. Yes, into the presence of their Judge they must
go; and as the earth would not be a theatre sufficient for such an occasion, they must meet the
Lord in the air. Blessed summons to the godly! awful indeed to the ungodly!
III. THE ISSUE OF THE RESURRECTION TO THE SAINTS.
1. They will receive a sentence of acquittal, or, rather, of unqualified approbation — "Well done,
good and faithful servants."
2. They will ascend with Christ and His bright attendants to the heaven of heavens.
3. They will then behold His glory which He had with His Father before the world was. Oh, how
bright their vision of His glory! how unbounded their fruition of His love! Nothing now could
add to their felicity; nor could anything detract from it. That, too, which constitutes its chief
ingredient is — that it will be "forever." Were this supreme happiness to be only of limited
duration, it would be incomplete; the idea of its ultimate termination would rob it of half its
value. But it will be pure and endless as the Deity Himself.
(C. Simeon, M. A.)
The dead in Christ
T. G. Horton.I. THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST DIE. They are not exempted from the common
fate.
1. To walk by faith, not sight, is their rule of life; hence there is this barrier between themselves
and the unseen universe.
2. Subjection to death is an essential part of moral discipline to the righteous. Christ Himself
became obedient unto death, and was made perfect through suffering.

3. The dying scene affords occasion for the greatest triumphs of grace and displays of God's
mercy and love. How many, by such a spectacle, are moved to repentance and faith in Christ!
4. The death of Christians is needful to render the resurrection of them at all possible. A true and
complete conquest over death demands that his victims should be recovered from his dominion.
5. Saints die to express God's irreconcilable hatred to sin. They just taste one drop of the bitter
cup which Christ has drunk for them, and feel one lash of the chastisement which He has
endured. This gives them a keener sense of the value of salvation.
II. BELIEVERS AFTER DEATH ARE STILL IN CHRIST. They retain their innocence before
God, their purity, their enjoyment of the Divine favour, their hope of final and perfect happiness.
Nay, in all these respects their position is incomparably superior to what it was on earth. They
are with Christ in paradise. Hence death is no real evil to them. It is an immense boon to them. It
cuts them off from some enjoyments, but it enriches them with enjoyments of a far surpassing
order, while also it snatches them away from all care, pain and fear, for evermore. Applications:
1. To believers in anticipating death. Look forward to it calmly, acquiesce in its infliction
resignedly, and triumph over its terrors in the full assurance of faith.
2. Here is comfort for the bereaved. If your deceased friends are among the dead in Christ, you
may be assured of their perfect happiness, and may hope soon to be reunited with them.
3. Address the unconverted. You are not in Christ — yet you will die! And think of the dead out
of Christ — how horrible their eternal doom! Oh! then, now seek an interest in Him, that for you
to live may be Christ, and to die, gain.
(T. G. Horton.)
The resurrection of the dead
Dr. Beaumont.Just as the ripe ears of corn which grew on the plains and the mountain sides of
Palestine wore immediately brought into the Temple, and waved before the Lord, as a pledge
that every ear of corn standing on and growing in Palestine should be safely reaped and gathered
in, so the resurrection of Christ is a demonstration that we, His people, shall be raised again. If
we sleep in Jesus, God will raise us with Him; because He lives, we shall live also. Dry up your
tears, then. Sometimes you go to the churchyard; sometimes you attend the remains of your
relatives to their long homes, you go to "The house appointed for all living"; and sometimes you
see the bones lying round the grave, and you are tempted to take them up, and ask, "Can these
bones live? Can these dishonoured, dishevelled, and denuded bones live? Can the dead live
again?" "Come, see the place where the Lord lay." As surely as the sepulchre of Christ became
an empty sepulchre, so surely the sepulchres of His people shall become empty sepulchres; as
surely as He got up, and sang a jubilee of life and immortality, so surely shall His people come
out of the grave. How beautifully has the Prophet Isaiah expressed it: "Thy dead men shall live,
together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust; for thy dew
is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead."
(Dr. Beaumont.)
And so shall we ever be with the Lord
Ever with the Lord
W. H. Davison.The phrase implies —

I. NEW, LIVING, DIRECT SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE REDEEMER. There is
more intended than being associated together in one glorious scene. It is not only to see Him and
live in His house, one of His family, always in His presence; it is the getting rid forever of what
is unChristlike in character, the gaining of the real perfect sympathy with the Christ life. We are
with our Friend, not only when we are in His society, but when we blend our thought, our love,
our life with His; when we become His other self. There is here the intimacy and closeness of
spiritual fellowship and spiritual resemblance: "We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He
is." We shall be like Him in faith, in spiritual emotions, in purpose, in tendency, in character. We
shall then reach our lost ideals of manhood. The spotless radiance of the perfect Christ shall then
be associated with a perfect Church, which He has loved and redeemed, every member of which
shall be "without spot, and blameless." "Perfect in Jesus Christ." We shall be with the Lord in
perfect holiness, "unblamed and unblamable," and "unreprovable"; in untemptable purity, in
power not to sin. The spirit shall with Him be possessed of indestructible good.
II. We shall be with the Lord also IN THE UNFOLDING LIGHT OF HIS NEW
REVELATIONS. We shall see light in His light. Truth shall no longer be seen in broken parts
and through media which distort and mislead. Now the glass is flawed, and much we see is out of
harmony and proportion. There are faults in ourselves which hinder the perception of Truth's
harmony and beauty. There are also Divine withholdings of Truth which now we cannot bear or
receive. But when we live our life with the Lord, all will be changed. We shall know Him, who
is the Infinite Truth, and "that which is in part shall be done away."
III. We shall be with Him IN THE BLESSEDNESS OF HIS OWN PERFECT LIFE, AND
REIGN AND JOY, Fulness of joy and pleasures for evermore are with Him. Holy desires shall
only be cherished, to be satisfied out of the Infinite fulness. The life will surpass all we have
known or can imagine. We call it, therefore, from its plentitude, and perfection, and blessedness,
Eternal. It is the adjective of quality, not of duration. It exceeds exceedingly; is "a joy
unspeakable and full of glory," "an eternal weight of glory." The joy is the joy of marriage. We
sit down "at the marriage supper of the Lamb." The life is ever new, the joy is ever fresh, the
fulness exhaustless. "Thou shalt make them drink of the river of Thy pleasure."
IV. And the crown of all is SECURITY, CHANGELESSNESS, CONTINUANCE. "Ever with
the Lord." They go no more out forever. No possibility of fall is here. There is no change here.
"Change and decay in all around we see." The familiar faces are missed. Every Sabbath is an
anniversary of our losses. Every act of our life has in it the memory of a past joy, which was and
is not. The social life of heaven will complete its blessedness. The thought throws a halo of
tenderness and affection over that world. The relational emotions are not cut off and sundered by
death. The new life will be ordered by them. What the most hallowed sacramental experience
foreshadows and typifies will be then enjoyed in full sweetness and elevating power. The sacred
signs will not be needed, because we shall have the reality in its unspeakable grace.
(W. H. Davison.)
Forever with the Lord
G. D. Evans.I. THE LOFTIEST IDEA OF THE GLORIFIED LIFE. To be with the Lord. Our
conceptions of the future are coloured by our human tastes and prejudices.
1. To some it is a state. It is all within. Perfect freedom from sin, and the joy of spiritual
fellowship with Christ.
2. To others it is a place. There must be trees, rivers, golden pavements, etc.

3. Probably a combination of both will give us the true idea. State and place combine to make
complete happiness.
4. But more is required — social enjoyments. The idea of those who have been bereaved is
reunion. But the saint exclaims, "Whom have I in heaven but THEE!" "The altogether lovely."
The Saviour reciprocates this desire. "I go to prepare a place for you." "Father, I will that they
whom Thou hast given Me be with Me," etc.
5. The duration augments the joy of this fellowship. Here it is intermittent; there it will be
"forever."
II. WHAT THIS IDEA OF A GLORIFIED LIFE ENSURES.
1. Continual contemplation of Christ. Here that meditation, which is the sweetest of our spiritual
enjoyments, is broken; yonder it shall be uninterrupted.
2. Continual assimilation to Christ. Here it is a slow progress, and incomplete at best; but in
heaven there will be no obstacles, but every help, in growing into the likeness of our Lord.
3. Unceasing reflection of Christ. As long as the sun shines upon it, the water pours forth its
gladness; but often a cloud intervenes, and night shuts out the glory. But when we stand before
the throne, we shall eternally catch the light of Christ's countenance on the polished surface of
our holiness, and He shall be admired of all them that believe.
III. FROM THIS IDEA OF HEAVEN LET US LEARN —
1. That heaven is the one meeting place of the redeemed. Here they are, and must be, separated.
2. That our sorrow for the departed should be restrained.
(G. D. Evans.)
Forever with the Lord
C. H. Spurgeon.We have here —
I. A CONTINUANCE. Nothing shall prevent our continuing to be forever with Him. Death shall
not separate us, nor the terrors of judgment. As we have received Him, so shall we walk in Him,
whether in life or death.
1. We are with Christ in this life. "Your life is hid with Christ in God." If we are not with Him,
we are not Christians. Separated from Him, we are dead. We are constantly with Him —(1) In
the sense of abiding union; for we are joined unto the Lord, and are one Spirit. In consequence
we feel an intense joy, even Christ's own joy fulfilled in us. For the same reason we are bowed in
sorrow, having fellowship in Christ's sufferings. This companionship should be manifest to
others by its fruits. Men should take knowledge of us that we have been with Jesus.(2) In the
sense that His unchanging love is always set upon us, and our love never dies out, "Who shall
separate us," etc.(3) By the continual indwelling of the Holy Spirit.(4) Whenever we are engaged
in His work. "Lo! I am with you alway."
2. We shall be with Christ in death. "Yea, though I walk," etc.
3. After death, in the disembodied state, we shall be "absent from the body," but "present with
the Lord," as was the dying thief. And the body shall sleep in Jesus, and awake and say, "When I
awake, I am still with Thee."

4. In due time the last trump shall sound, and Christ shall come; but the saints shall be with Him
(ver. 14). Whatever the glory of the Second Advent, we shall be with Jesus in it.
5. There is to be a reign of Christ, and whatever that reign is to be, we shall reign also.
6. And when cometh the end and the mediatorial kingdom shall cease, we shall ever be with the
Lord.
II. AN ADVANCEMENT.
1. It is an advancement on this present state for —(1) However spiritually minded, and there fore
near Christ, we may be, being present in the belly we are absent from the Lord. To "be with
Christ," we must "depart."(2) Though our souls are with the Lord, yet our bodies are subject to
corruption, and after death the separation will continue; but the time will come when this
corruptible will put on incorruption, and the whole manhood be perfectly with the Lord.
2. What this glorious state is to which we shall be advanced. We shall be with the Lord in the
strongest sense of the term; so with Him, that there will be no business to take us away from
Him, no sin to becloud our view of Him; we shall see Him as a familiar Friend, know His love
and return it, and this "forever."
3. We shall be with the Redeemer, not as Jesus only, but as the Lord. Here we have seen Him on
the Cross, and lived thereby; but we shall there see Him on the throne, and obey Him as our
King.
III. A COHERENCE. "With" signifies not merely being in the same place, but a union and
identity. Even here our lives run parallel in a sense. We live to Him, die with Him, so shall we
rise and ascend, and then we are to be forever with the Lord.
1. By sharing His beauty.
2. By being made partakers of all the blessedness and glory He now enjoys.Conclusion:
1. This "forever" must begin now.
2. What must it be to be without the Lord?
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
Ever with the Lord
S. Martin.This will be the fruition of the brightest hopes, the fulfilment of the precious promises,
the accomplishment of the purpose of Christ's Advent, departure, and coming again.
I. IN WHAT SENSE with the Lord?
1. Referring to the present state of things, Jesus said, "Where two or three are met together." And
we may not overlook that presence now. He is now with us —
(1)By God's testimony in the Scripture.
(2)By personal ministrations of His Spirit.
(3)By His work within us.
(4)By His providence over us.
(5)By His government of us.And we with Him.
(a)By our faith in His testimony and use of it.

(b)By frequent thoughts of Him, and much love for Him, and close intercourse with Him.
(c)By our work for Him.
2. But the text points to being with Him personally, so as to see His glorified, but now hidden,
humanity, hear His voice, and speak to Him as a man speaketh to His friend.
II. WHERE? In the place prepared by Himself, designed by the genius of His love; built up by
the energy of His power, enriched by the resources of His wealth, adapted to us by the depth of
His knowledge and wisdom. You have looked into the home prepared for the bride; you have
looked into the cot prepared for the first born. Why so beautiful? To receive an object of love.
III. HOW LONG? Only a little time were His first disciples with Him; not long enough to know
Him. None of us are long enough with each other to know each other perfectly. It is only when
some loved one is taken away, and you put the different passages of His life together, and read
them as one continuous story, that you can know what that life has been. While living in the
bustle of life we cannot know each other. But hereafter we shall be with Christ uninterruptedly
forever.
IV. WITH WHAT RESULT? Occasional absence is desirable between man and man. The wife
prefers that the husband should be away for a few hours a day at least following his occupation,
while she follows hers. Children are all the better for leaving home. But this has no application
here. To be always with the Lord is to be always blessed by the Lord. We shall see Him as He is,
be like Him, have the advantage of His ceaseless ministrations. Then all that is involved in being
with Him will be forever.
1. Life forever.
2. Light forever.
3. Love forever.
4. Rest forever.
5. Joy forever.
(S. Martin.)
Being ever with the Lord
J. McKinlay, D. D.These words imply —
I. PERSONAL NEARNESS TO CHRIST. At present the saints may be said to be at a distance
from Him. "While we are at home in the body," etc. Spiritually, of course, Christ is with "two or
three who meet together in His name." But after the resurrection we shall be brought near Him,
body and soul, and in His presence find fulness of joy and pleasures for evermore.
II. IMMEDIATE VISION OF CHRIST. He prayed for His disciples to be with Him, that they
might behold His glory. This was seen once at the Transfiguration; but Christians are not now
fitted to enjoy such glory; it would over power our sight as it did Saul's, and prostrate us as it did
John. We can only see it by the eye of faith, and this partial sight is sufficient to make Christ the
object of our supreme affection and esteem. But the time will come when we shall see Him with
the eye of our glorified body, and be able to bear the stupendous sight. There we shall see that
face, which on earth was marred more than any man's, smiling with more than the brightness of a
thousand suns; that head, which was pierced with thorns, crowned with glory and honour; that

body, which was arrayed in mock majesty, shining with a beauty of which we can form no
conception.
III. PERFECT RESEMBLANCE TO CHRIST. We are predestinated to be conformed to the
image of God's Son. This resemblance commences at regeneration; but the features are faint at
first; but by constant contemplation of the glory of Christ, they become more marked. This now
is the case with the spirit; at the resurrection our bodies will be fashioned like unto Christ's
glorious body. And then the progress of both in likeness to Christ shall be eternal.
IV. A CONSTANT SENSE OF THE PRESENCE, LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP OF CHRIST, We
have these here, but not constantly. Clouds of doubt and sinfulness on our side, and of
displeasure on His, intervene. But in the heavenly world there shall be nothing to bar intercourse
and manifestation for a single moment.
V. SOCIAL ENJOYMENT. Where Christ is all His people are, and none but His people. Here
society is mixed, the bad blended with the good. The good are removed, and leave us to mourn
their departure. But in heaven no one departs, and all are good. It is an inspiring thought that we
shall forever be with all the good.
VI. FELICITY SATISFACTORY IN ITS NATURE AND ETERNAL IN ITS DURATION. Our
best earthly enjoyments are unsatisfactory — they do not fill the soul; transient — they do not
last. Even our highest enjoyments of Christ are not all that we should like them to be. But "we
shall be satisfied when we awake in His likeness."
(J. McKinlay, D. D.)Forever with the Lord! forever! forever! were the last words of Robert
Haldane.
Ever
G. Swinnock, M. A.Oh, how sweet is that word — "ever"! Ever to be happy, and ever happy; to
enjoy Christ fully, immediately, and everlastingly! Certainly, as the word "ever" is the hell of
hell, so it is the heaven of heaven. Frailty is a flaw in the best diamond of nature, and abateth its
price; but eternity is one of the most precious jewels in the crown of glory, which increaseth its
value exceedingly.
(G. Swinnock, M. A.)
Wherefore comfort one another with these words
There is comfort
C. S. Robinson, D. D.I. FOR THE BEREAVED. Our friends are only asleep. They are with
Christ, and we shall one day join them.
II. In the suggestion that PERHAPS WE SHALL NOT HAVE TO DIE AFTER ALL. Who
knows when Christ shall come?
III. In knowing that WHEN CHRIST COMES IT WILL NOTBE AS THE CRUCIFIED
NAZARENE, BUT AS THE SON OF GOD. Our daily prayer will then be answered, and His
will done.
IV. IN HOLDING COMMUNION EVEN HERE WITH A REDEEMER OUT OF SIGHT; for
our highest joys are only a foretaste of the fulness of joy to be revealed when we shall see Him as
He is.

V. In the recollection THAT TIME HURRIES ON TO THE GREAT CONSUMMATION.
Every hour brings the time of the Church's marriage and glorification nearer.
VI. In the thought that EVERY GRACE WE ATTAIN WILL GIVE OUR LORD PLEASURE
WHEN HE COMES. Wealth and social pleasure will then go for nothing. In relation to the
future these can give us no comfort.
VII. In knowing that FIDELITY IS ALL THAT CHRIST REQUIRES TILL HE COMES.
(C. S. Robinson, D. D.)
Christian comfort
T. Massey, B. A.I. CHRISTIANS ARE OFTEN IN CIRCUMSTANCES TO NEED
COMFORT.
1. In time of persecution (2 Timothy 3:12).
2. In the season of affliction (Job 5:7).
3. In the prospect of death.
II. THE WORDS OF SCRIPTURE ARE PECULIARLY CALCULATED TO GIVE
COMFORT (vers. 13-17). Here is promised —
1. A resurrection.
2. A triumph with Christ.
3. Rest in eternity.
III. THIS COMFORT SHOULD BE MUTUALLY ADMINISTERED.
(T. Massey, B. A.)
Words of comfort
R. W. Betts.Comfort means help as well as consolation. When the Saviour was anointed to
comfort all that mourn, it was not to speak words of kindness only, but to reach forth the hand of
beneficence so that sorrow might not only be soothed but turned into joy. This also is the office
of the Paraclete; and Christianity calls us to be fulfillers of the law of Christ by bearing one
another's burdens. Whilst we mourn the departure of Christian friends, let us remember —
I. THAT DEATH IS NO STRANGE THING. "It is appointed unto men once to die." Were death
of rare occurrence, if some only were singled out by the arrows of the last enemy, then our
sorrow might admit of no mitigation, but it is not so; Flesh and blood cannot enter the kingdom
of God.
II. THAT DEATH IS THE LORD'S MESSENGER SUMMONING THE SAINTS TO HIS
PRESENCE. "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." It may be difficult to
see the hand of God in the departure of those we love. Our selfish hearts would have prolonged
their stay, forgetting that death is gain to them.
III. THAT DEATH TERMINATES THE TOIL AND WARFARE OF THIS LIFE. Whilst they
were in this tabernacle they groaned, being burdened; now the burden is lifted and they have
entered into rest. Here they fought the good fight of faith; there they are crowned as conquerors.
Here they suffered; there they enter into the joy of their Lord.

IV. THAT DEATH IS THE BEGINNING OF PERFECTION. The best and happiest of saints
were here imperfect; now they are "the spirits of just men made perfect" in holiness and
happiness; for they are like Christ, because they see Him as He is.
V. THAT DEATH IS A REVIVAL OF SACRED FRIENDSHIPS, AND AN INTRODUCTION
TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND CHURCH OF THE FIRST BORN. Most of us as we
look into the heavenly world can recognize a sacred kindred there. When you pass away it will
be to meet with old associates, and the whole company of the redeemed. Compared with such
fellowship as this, what can earth offer?
VI. THAT DEATH WILL BE A SEASON OF REUNION FOR US. They have only gone
before, a little in advance. The great gulf will be crossed at the Master's call, and our communion
recommence, never to be disturbed again.
VII. THAT EVERY DEATH IS PART OF THAT PROCESS WHICH WILL ISSUE IN THE
DISPENSATION OF THE FULNESS OF TIMES. Heaven is enriched by the departure of every
saint.
(R. W. Betts.)
The duty of comforting one another
A. Farindon, B. D.I. THE PERSONS — "One another."
1. One man is the image of another, because the image of God is upon all. One man interprets
another. We are as glasses, and one sees in another what he is and what he himself may also be.
He may see himself in another's fear, grief, complaints. In another's sickness, he may see the
disease which may sieze on himself; in another's poverty, his own riches with wings; in another's
death, his own mortality. They are also a silent but powerful appeals to his compassion to do as
he would be done by in like ease.
2. "One another" takes in the whole world. One is diverse from another, yet we can hardly
distinguish them, they are so like.(1) From the same rock are hewn out the feeble and the strong.
Of the same extraction are the poor and rich. He that made the idiot made the scribe. Who then
shall separate?(2) Besides this, the God of nature has also imprinted our natural inclination
which carries us to love and comfort one another. One man is as another, by himself weak and
indigent, needing the help and supply of others (1 Corinthians 12:4, 5), and so provided. One
man excels in wisdom, another in wealth, another in strength, that they may serve one another in
love (Galatians 5:13).
3. A nearer relation binds men together — their relation in Christ. In Him they are called to the
same faith, filled with the same grace, ransomed with the same price, and shall be crowned with
the same glory. And being one in these, they must join hand in hand to uphold one another, and
so advance one another to the common glory (Matthew 22:38, 89; 1 Corinthians 12:12). As each
man, so each Christian is as a glass to another. I see my sorrow in my brother's eyes; I cast a
beam of comfort upon him, and he reflects a blessing upon me. And in our daily prayer," Our
Father" takes in "one another," even the whole Church.
II. THE ACT.
1. Comfort is of large signification. It may be to be eyes to the blind and feet to the lame, to
clothe the naked and feed the hungry. Speak and do something that may heal a wounded heart,
and rouse a drooping spirit.

2. To comfort is a work of charity which is inward and outward. What a poor thing is a thought
or word without a hand; and what an uncharitable thing is comfort without compassion. Then I
truly comfort my brother when my actions correspond with my heart. And if they be true they
will never be severed; for if the bowels yearn, the hand will stretch itself forth.
3. We must look to the motive. Our comfort may proceed from a hollow heart; then it is
Pharisaical; it may be ministered through a trumpet, and then it is lost in the noise; it may be the
product of fear. All these are false principles, and charity issues through them as water through
mud — defiled. Christ is our motive and pattern (Mark 9:41).
4. Let us be ambitious to comfort, for we have great occasions. Every day presents some object.
Here is an empty mouth; why do we not fill it? Here is a naked body; why do we not part with
our superfluities to cover it? Here God speaks, man speaks, misery speaks; and are our hearts so
hard that they will not open, and so open mouth and hands (Philippians 2:5).
III. THE MANNER OR METHODS — "with these words."
1. In every action we must have a right method. He that begins amiss is yet to begin, as the
further he goes the further he is from the end. As James speaks of prayer (James 4:3), so we seek
comfort and find not because we seek amiss. Our fancy is our physician. We ask ourselves
counsel, and are fools that give it; we ask of others and they are miserable comforters. In poverty
we seek for wealth; and that makes us poorer than we were. Wealth is no cure for poverty, nor
enlargement for restraint, nor honour for discontent. Thus it is also in spiritual evils. When
conscience holds up the whip we fly from it; when it is angry we flatter it. We are as willing to
forget sin as to commit it. We comfort ourselves by ourselves and by others, by our own
weakness and others' weakness, and by sin itself. But the antidote is poison, or, at best, a broken
cistern.
2. The apostle's method is —(1) In general, the Word of God. For the Scripture is a common
shop of comfort, where you may buy it without money and without price. The comforts of
Scripture are —(a) Abiding (1 Peter 1:23) — its hope (1 Peter 1:3); its joy (John 16:22); its peace
(Psalm 72:7); so all its comforts (2 Corinthians 1:20). All else is perishing.(b) Universal.
Nothing, no one is hid from the light of them. But we must be careful how we apply them and
prepare ourselves to receive them. God's mercy is over all His works, but it will not cover the
impenitent. Nevertheless, the covetous comforts himself by the ant in Proverbs (Proverbs 6:6);
the ambitious by that good ointment in Ecclesiastes (Ecclesiastes 7:1); the contentious man by
the quarrel of Paul and Barnabas; the lethargic in God's forbearance; and thus turn wholesome
medicine into poison by misapplication.(2) In particular, the doctrine of the resurrection and the
coming of Christ. These are the sum of all comforts, the destruction of all ills.
(A. Farindon, B. D.)
A child's faithA gentleman walking in one of the metropolitan cemeteries observed kneeling
beside a tombstone a little girl about ten years of age. In her hand she held a wreath, which she
placed upon the grave. Going up to her, he asked if any one very dear to her lay there. "Yes," she
replied, "my mother is buried here." "Have you a father, or sisters, or brothers, little one?"
inquired the stranger. "No, they are all dead, and I am the only one left. Every Saturday
afternoon I come here, and bring flowers to lay on mother's grave. Then I talk to her, and she
talks to me." "But, dear child, if she be in heaven, how can she talk to you?" "I don't know," was
the artless reply, "but she does, and tells me to be truthful, and do what is right, so that one day
Jesus will take me to live with her in heaven."

The gospel telescopeWhat the telescope does for science, the gospel does for those who believe
it. It converts hazy conjecture into immovable certainty, and interprets the feeble hopes and
dreams which glimmer in the eye of reason into demonstrated and well-defined truths. "Oh, that
all my brethren," said Rutherford, when dying, "may know what a Master I have served, and
what peace I have this day. This night shall close the door and put my anchor within the veil."
An exulting prospectRowland Hill, when very aged, preached for the Rev. George Clayton, of
Walworth. The services exhausted him, and while going feebly down the aisle, after all the
congregation had gone, Mr. Clayton heard him repeating softly to himself the hymn he most
delighted in during his last years: —
"And when I'm to die, receive me I'll cry,
For Jesus has loved me, I cannot tell why;
But this I can find, we two are so joined,
That He'll not be in glory and leave me behind."To my heart, said Mr. Clayton, "this was a scene
of unequalled solemnity; nor can I ever recur to it without a revival of that tender and hallowed
sympathy which it originally awakened."
Preparing for heavenSome years ago a traveller, who had recently returned from Jerusalem,
discovered, in conversation with Humboldt, that he was as thoroughly conversant with the streets
and houses of Jerusalem as he himself was; whereupon, he asked the aged philosopher how long
it was since he visited Jerusalem. He replied, "I have never been there, but I expected to go sixty
years since, and I prepared myself." Should not the heavenly home be as familiar to those who
expect to dwell there eternally?
Heavenly comfortIt is rarely we read anything more touchingly beautiful than the way in which
Catherine Tait, wife of the late Archbishop of Canterbury, tried to comfort her own heart and the
heart of her husband after they were suddenly deprived by death of "five blessed little
daughters." Other parents, who mourn because of empty cradles and desolate places by the
fireside, may be strengthened by their example. Mrs. Tait writes: — "Now, constantly, with our
daily prayers, we say the thanksgiving and commemoration for them: 'Lord, Thou hast let Thy
little ones depart in peace. Lord Jesus, Thou hast received their spirits, and hast opened unto
them the gate of everlasting glory. Thy loving Spirit leads them forth in the land of
righteousness, into Thy holy hill, into Thy heavenly kingdom. Thou didst send Thy angels to
meet them and to carry them into Abraham's bosom. Thou hast placed them in the habitation of
light and peace — of joy and gladness. Thou hast received them into the arms of Thy mercy, and
given them an inheritance with the saints in light. There they reign with Thy elect angels and Thy
blessed saints departed, Thy holy prophets and glorious apostles, in all joy, glory, felicity, and
blessedness, forever and ever. Amen.'".
COMMENTARIES

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(17) Shall be caught up.—“Our Assumption,” as
Bishop Ellicott well calls it. The spiritualising of our natural bodies without death, as described
in 1Corinthians 15:50, et seq., will enable us to be “caught up” equally well with, and in
company with (both of which thoughts are included in “together with”), the resurgent dead.
“Clouds” and “air” will be support enough for material so immaterial. Theodoret says, “He
showeth the greatness of the honour: as the Master Himself was taken up upon a shining cloud,
so also they that have believed in Him.” The absolute equality, then, of quick and dead is proved.
To meet the Lord in the air.—St. Chrysostom says:” When the King cometh into a city, they that
are honourable proceed forth to meet him, but the guilty await their judge within.” The phrase
“in the air” certainly does not mean “heaven.” The word “air”) in itself properly signifies the
lower, denser, grosser atmosphere, in which the powers of darkness reign (Ephesians 2:2); but
here it is only used in contrast with the ground, and means “on the way from Heaven whence He
comes,” of course not to dwell there, but to accompany Him to His Judgment-seat on the earth.
And so.—Now that St. Paul has settled the question of disparity between the dead and the living,
he does not think it necessary to describe what is immediately to follow; that, the Thessalonians
were sure to know (see Hebrews 6:2): it only remains to say that having once rejoined the Lord,
they would never be parted from Him.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary4:13-18 Here is comfort for the relations and friends of
those who die in the Lord. Grief for the death of friends is lawful; we may weep for our own
loss, though it may be their gain. Christianity does not forbid, and grace does not do away, our
natural affections. Yet we must not be excessive in our sorrows; this is too much like those who
have no hope of a better life. Death is an unknown thing, and we know little about the state after
death; yet the doctrines of the resurrection and the second coming of Christ, are a remedy against
the fear of death, and undue sorrow for the death of our Christian friends; and of these doctrines
we have full assurance. It will be some happiness that all the saints shall meet, and remain
together for ever; but the principal happiness of heaven is to be with the Lord, to see him, live
with him, and enjoy him for ever. We should support one another in times sorrow; not deaden
one another's spirits, or weaken one another's hands. And this may be done by the many lessons
to be learned from the resurrection of the dead, and the second coming of Christ. What! comfort
a man by telling him he is going to appear before the judgment-seat of God! Who can feel
comfort from those words? That man alone with whose spirit the Spirit of God bears witness that
his sins are blotted out, and the thoughts of whose heart are purified by the Holy Spirit, so that he
can love God, and worthily magnify his name. We are not in a safe state unless it is thus with us,
or we are desiring to be so.
Barnes' Notes on the BibleThen we which are alive - Those who shall then be alive; see 1
Thessalonians 4:15. The word here rendered "then" (ἔπειτα epeita), does not necessarily mean
that this would occur immediately. It properly marks succession in time, and means "afterward,
next, next in the order of events;" Luke 16:7; Galatians 1:21; James 4:14. There may be a
considerable interval between the resurrection of the pious and the time when the living shall be
caught up to meet the Lord, for the change is to take place in them which will fit them to ascend
with those who have been raised. The meaning is, that after the dead are raised, or the next thing
in order, they and the living will ascend to meet the Lord. The proper meaning of the word,

however, denotes a succession so close as to exclude the idea of a long interval in which other
important transactions would occur, such an interval, for example, as would be involved in a
long personal reign of the Redeemer on earth. The word demands this interpretation - that the
next thing in order after the resurrection of the righteous, will be their being caught up with the
living, with an appropriate change, into the air - though, as has been remarked, it will admit of
the supposition of such a brief, momentary interval ἐν ἄτομος ἐν ῥιπη ὀφθαλμου en atomos en
rhipē ophthalmou, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52) as shall be necessary to prepare for it.
Shall be caught up - The word here used implies that there will be the application of external
force or power by which this will be done. It will not be by any power of ascending which they
will themselves have; or by any tendency of their raised or changed bodies to ascend of their
own accord, or even by any effort of their own will, but by a power applied to them which will
cause them to rise. Compare the use of the word ἁρπάζω harpazō in Matthew 11:12, "the violent
take it by force;" Matthew 13:19, "then cometh the wicked one and snatcheth away;" John 6:15,
"that they would come and take him by force; John 10:12, "the wolf catcheth them;" Acts 8:39,
"the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip; 2 Corinthians 12:2, "such an one caught up to the
third heaven;" also, John 12:28-29; Acts 23:10; Jde 1:23; Revelation 12:5. The verb does not
elsewhere occur in the New Testament In all these instances there is the idea of either foreign
force or violence effecting that which is done. What force or power is to be applied in causing
the living and the dead to ascend, is not expressed. Whether it is to be by the ministry of angels,
or by the direct power of the Son of God, is not intimated, though the latter seems to be most
probable. The word should not be construed, however. as implying that there will be any
reluctance on the part of the saints to appear before the Saviour, but merely with reference to the
physical fact that power will be necessary to elevate them to meet him in the air. Will their,
bodies then be such that they will have the power of locomotion at will from place to place?
In the clouds - Greek, "in clouds" - ἐν νεφέλαις en nephelais - without the article. This may mean
"in clouds;" that is, in such numbers, and in such grouping as to resemble clouds. So it is
rendered by Macknight, Koppe, Rosenmuller, Bush (Anasta. 266), and others. The absence of
the article here would rather seem to demand this interpretation Still, however, the other
interpretation may be true, that it means that they will be caught up into the region of the clouds,
or to the clouds which shall accompany the Lord Jesus on his return to our world. Matthew
24:30; Matthew 26:64; Mark 16:19; Mark 14:62; Revelation 1:7; compare Daniel 7:13. In
whichever sense it is understood, the expression is one of great sublimity, and the scene will be
immensely grand. Some doctrine of this kind was held by the ancient Jews. Thus rabbi Nathan
(Midras Tillin, 48:13) says, "What has been done before will be done again. As he led the
Israelites from Egypt in the clouds of heaven, so will he do to them in the future time."
To meet the Lord in the air - In the regions of the atmosphere - above the earth. It would seem
from this, that the Lord Jesus, in his coming, would not descend to the earth, but would remain at
a distance from it in the air, where the great transactions of the judgment will occur. It is, indeed,
nowhere said that the transactions of the judgment will occur upon the earth. The world would
not be spacious enough to contain all the assembled living and dead, and hence the throne of
judgment will be fixed in the ample space above it.
And so shall we ever be with the Lord - This does not mean that they will always remain with
him in the air - for their final home will be heaven - and after the trial they will accompany him
to the realms of glory; Matthew 25:34, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom,"
etc. The time during which they will remain with him "in the air" is nowhere mentioned in the

Bible. It will be as long as will be necessary for the purposes of judging a world and deciding the
eternal doom of every individual "according to the deeds done in the body." There is no reason to
suppose that this will be accomplished in a single day of twenty-four hours; but it is impossible
to form and conjecture of the period which will be occupied.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary17. we which are alive … shall be caught up—after
having been "changed in a moment" (1Co 15:51, 52). Again he says, "we," recommending thus
the expression to Christians of all ages, each generation bequeathing to the succeeding one a
continually increasing obligation to look for the coming of the Lord. [Edmunds].
together with them—all together: the raised dead, and changed living, forming one joint body.
in the clouds—Greek, "in clouds." The same honor is conferred on them as on their Lord. As He
was taken in a cloud at His ascension (Ac 1:9), so at His return with clouds (Re 1:7), they shall
be caught up in clouds. The clouds are His and their triumphal chariot (Ps 104:3; Da 7:13).
Ellicott explains the Greek, "robed round by upbearing clouds" [Aids to Faith].
in the air—rather, "into the air"; caught up into the region just above the earth, where the meeting
(compare Mt 25:1, 6) shall take place between them ascending, and their Lord descending
towards the earth. Not that the air is to be the place of their lasting abode with Him.
and so shall we ever be with the Lord—no more parting, and no more going out (Re 3:12). His
point being established, that the dead in Christ shall be on terms of equal advantage with those
found alive at Christ's coming, he leaves undefined here the other events foretold elsewhere (as
not being necessary to his discussion), Christ's reign on earth with His saints (1Co 6:2, 3), the
final judgment and glorification of His saints in the new heaven and earth.
Matthew Poole's Commentary Christ will have a church to the end of the world, and some will
be found alive at his coming, and will be
caught up, or snatched up, to denote its suddenness, it may be in the arms of angels, or by some
immediate attractive power of Christ; and it will be
together with them that are now raised from the dead; they shall all ascend in one great body, and
it will be
in the clouds; as Christ himself ascended in a cloud, Acts 1:9, and so will return again, Matthew
24:30, he making the clouds his chariots, Psalm 104:3.
To meet the Lord in the air:
1. To congratulate his coming, when others shall flee and tremble.
2. To put honour upon him; as the angels will also attend him for that end.
3. To receive their final discharge.
4. To be visibly joined to their Head.
5. To be assistants with him in judging of the world, and to reign with him upon earth.

And whether the last judgment will be upon the earth, or in the air, I shall not determine; but
after this Christ and his saints shall never part. Their first meeting shall be in the air, and their
continuance will be with him while he is in this lower world, and after that they shall ascend with
him into heaven, and so be for ever with him. Augustine imagined that the saints that are found
alive shall in their rapture die, and then immediately revive, because it is appointed to all men
once to die; but the apostle saith expressly: We shall not all die, but we shall all be changed, 1
Corinthians 15:51.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThen we which are alive and remain,.... See Gill on 1
Thessalonians 4:15.
shall be caught up; suddenly, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and with force and power;
by the power of Christ, and by the ministry and means of the holy angels; and to which rapture
will contribute, the agility which the bodies both of the raised and changed saints will have: and
this rapture of the living saints will be
together with them; with the dead in Christ, that will then be raised; so that the one will not come
before the other, or the one be sooner with Christ than the other; but the one being raised and the
other changed, they will be joined in one company and general assembly, and be caught up
together:
in the clouds; the same clouds perhaps in which Christ will come, will be let down to take them
up; these will be the chariots, in which they will be carried up to him; and thus, as at our Lord's
ascension a cloud received him, and in it he was carried up out of the sight of men, so at this time
will all the saints ride up in the clouds of heaven:
to meet the Lord in the air; whither he will descend, and will then clear the regions of the air of
Satan, and his posse of devils, which now rove about there, watching all opportunities, and
taking all advantages to do mischief on earth; these shall then fall like lightning from heaven,
and be bound and shut up in the bottomless pit, till the thousand years are ended: here Christ will
stop, and will be visible to all, and as easily discerned by all, good and bad, as the body of the
sun at noonday; as yet he will not descend on earth, because it is not fit to receive him; but when
that and its works are burnt up, and it is purged and purified by fire, and become a new earth, he
will descend upon it, and dwell with his saints in it: and this suggests another reason why he will
stay in the air, and his saints shall meet him there, and whom he will take up with him into the
third heaven, till the general conflagration and burning of the world is over, and to preserve them
from it; and then shall all the elect of God descend from heaven as a bride adorned for her
husband, and he with them, and the tabernacle of God shall be with men; see Revelation 21:1.
The resurrection by the Mahometans is called (q), "a meeting of God", or a going to meet God:
and so shall we ever be with the Lord; now the saints are with him at times, and have
communion with him, but not always; but then they shall be ever with him; wherever he is; first
in the air, where they shall meet him; then in the third heaven, where they shall go up with him;
then on earth, where they shall descend and reign with him a thousand years; and then in the
ultimate glory to all eternity: and this will be the issue and accomplishment of the counsel and
covenant of grace, of the sufferings and death of Christ, and of his preparations and prayers.
(q) Alkoran, Surat. 6. v. 31. p. 113. Ed. Hinckelman.
Geneva Study BibleThen we which are alive and remain shall be {i} caught up together with
them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

(i) Suddenly and in the twinkling of an eye.
EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT CommentaryHYPERLINK "/1_thessalonians/4-17.htm"1 Thessalonians 4:17. Σὺν
αὐτοῖς] i.e. with the raised νεκροὶ ἐν Χριστῷ.
ἁρπαγησόμεθα] we will be snatched away. The expression (comp. 2 Corinthians 12:4; Acts 8:39)
depicts the swiftness and irresistible force with which believers will be caught up. But, according
to 1 Corinthians 15:50-53, the apostle must have conceived this ἁρπάζεσθαι as only occurring
after a change has taken place in their former earthly bodies into heavenly, to qualify them for a
participation in the eternal kingdom of the Messiah.
ἐν νεφέλαις] not instead of εἰς νεφέλας (Moldenhauer), but either in clouds, i.e. enveloped in
clouds, or better, on clouds, i.e. enthroned in their midst. According to the Old Testament
representation (Psalm 104:3), God rides on clouds as on a triumphal chariot. Also the Messiah
appears on clouds (Daniel 7:13). According to Acts 1:9, Christ ascended to heaven on a cloud;
and according to Acts 1:11, Matthew 24:30, He will return on a cloud. Theodoret: Ἔδειξε τὸ
μέγεθος τῆς τιμῆς· ὥσπερ γὰρ αὐτὸς ὁ δεσπότης ἐπὶ νεφελῆς φωτεινῆς ἀνελήφθη, οὕτω καὶ οἱ εἰς
αὐτὸν πεπιστευκότες κ.τ.λ.
εἰς ἀπάντησιν τοῦ κυρίου] to the meeting of the Lord, i.e. in order to be led towards the Lord. εἰς
ἀπάντησιν, corresponding to the Hebrew ‫ִל‬ ‫ק‬ְ ‫ַר‬‫,תא‬ is united both with the genitive (Matthew 25:1;
Matthew 25:6), as here, and with the dative (Acts 28:15). From the words it follows that the
apostle did not think of Christ descending completely down to the earth.
εἰς ἀέρα] into the air, belongs to ἁρπαγησόμεθα, and can as little be considered as equivalent to
εἰς τοὺς οὐρανούς (Flatt) as it can denote through the air, i.e. through the air to the higher regions
(Flatt). Nor, on the other hand, can it be the apostle’s meaning—although Pelt, Usteri, Paulin.
Lehrbegr. pp. 356, 359 (hesitatingly), and Weizel in the Theol. Stud. u. Krit. 1836, p. 935 f.
assume it—that the Christian host would be caught up into the air, in order to have their
permanent abode with Christ in the air. For, according to 2 Corinthians 5:1, the future eternal
abode of Christians is ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.[60] Nevertheless the apostle was constrained to express
himself as he has done. For when Christ descends down from heaven, and Christians are caught
up to meet Him, the place of meeting can only be a space between heaven and earth, i.e. the air.
Comp. Augustine, de civit. Dei, xx. 20, 1 Thessalonians 2 : Quod enim ait … non sic
accipiendum est, tanquam in aëre nos dixerit semper cum domino esse mansuros; quia nec ipse
utique ibi manebit, quia veniens transiturus est. Venienti quippe ibitur obviam, non manenti. But
that Paul adds nothing concerning the removal of the glorified Christian host to heaven,
following their being caught up with Christ, and of the resurrection of all men connected with the
advent, along with the judgment of the world, is naturally explained, because the description of
the advent as such is not here his object, but his design is wholly and entirely to satisfy the
doubts raised by the Thessalonians in respect of the advent.[61] But to effect this purpose it was
perfectly sufficient that he now, specifying the result of the points described, proceeds: ΚΑῚ
ΟὝΤΩς ΠΆΝΤΟΤΕ ΣῪΝ ΚΥΡΊῼ ἘΣΌΜΕΘΑ] and so shall we ever be united with the Lord.
οὕτως] so, that is, after that we have actually met with Him. It refers back to εἰς ἀπάντησιν.

σύν] imports more than ΜΕΤΆ. It expresses intimate union, not mere companionship.
ἘΣΌΜΕΘΑ] comprehends as its subject both ΝΕΚΡΟῚ ἘΝ ΧΡΙΣΤῷ and the ΖῶΝΤΕς.
[60] Also on this account Paul cannot have thought on a permanent residence on the glorified
earth (Georgii in Zeller’s theol. Jahrb. 1845, I. p. 6, and Hilgenfeld in the Zeitsch. f. wiss. Theol.,
Halle 1862, p. 240).
[61] For the same reason also the silence concerning the change of believers who happened to be
alive at the advent is justified. Against Schrader, who thinks on account of this silence that the
author must have conceived the circumstances of the advent “in an entirely sensible manner;”
“the incongruities of this representation, if it is understood sensibly,” cannot be Pauline, because
with Paul the doctrine of the last things has a “purely (?) spiritual character.”
Expositor's Greek TestamentHYPERLINK "/1_thessalonians/4-17.htm"1 Thessalonians 4:17. ἐν
νεφέλαις, the ordinary method of sudden rapture or ascension to heaven (Acts 1:9; Acts 1:11;
Revelation 11:12; Slav. En. iii. 1, 2).—ἁρπαγησόμεθα. So in Sap. 1 Thessalonians 4:11, the
righteous man, εὐάρεστος τῷ θεῷ (1 Thessalonians 4:1) γενόμενος ἠγαπήθη (1 Thessalonians
1:4), is caught up (ἡρπάγη).—ἅμα σὺν αὐτοῖς … σὺν Κυρίῳ, the future bliss is a re-union of
Christians not only with Christ but with one another.—εἰς ἀπάντησιν, a pre-Christian phrase of
the koinê (cf. e.g., Tebtunis Papyri, 1902, pt. i., n. 43, 7, παρεγενήθημεν εἰς ἀπάντησιν, κ.τ.λ.,
and Moulton, i. 14), implying welcome of a great person on his arrival. What further functions
are assigned to the saints, thus incorporated in the retinue of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 3:13; cf.
2 Thessalonians 1:10),—whether, e.g., they are to sit as assessors at the judgment (Sap. 1
Thessalonians 3:8; 1 Corinthians 6:2-3; Luke 22:30)—Paul does not stop to state here. His aim is
to reassure the Thessalonians about the prospects of their dead in relation to the Lord, not to give
any complete programme of the future (so Matthew 24:31; Did. x., xvi.). Plainly, however, the
saints do not rise at once to heaven, but return with the Lord to the scene of his final
manifestation on earth (so Chrysost., Aug., etc.). They simply meet the Lord in the air, on his
way to judgment—a trait for which no Jewish parallel can be found.—καὶ οὕτως πάντοτε σὺν
κυρίῳ ἐσόμεθα (no more sleeping in him or waiting for him).
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges17. then we which are alive and remain] Better, we
that are alive, that remain (or survive). The phrase of 1 Thessalonians 4:15 repeated; see note.
The Apostle distinguishes, as in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, between those “living” and those “dead
in Christ” at the time of His advent, marking the different position in which these two divisions
of the saints will then be found.
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds] In the Greek order: together with them will
be caught up in the clouds, emphasis being thrown on the precedence of the dead: “we the living
shall join their company, who are already with the Lord.” Together with implies full association.
“Caught” in the original implies a sudden, irresistible force,—seized, snatched up! In Matthew
11:12 it is rendered, “The violent take it by force;” in 2 Corinthians 12:2; 2 Corinthians 12:4 St
Paul applies it to his rapture into the third heaven.
“In” signifies not into, but “amid clouds,”—surrounding and upbearing us “like a triumphal
chariot” (Grotius). So Christ Himself, and the angels at His Ascension, promised He should

come (Matthew 26:68; Acts 1:9-11); comp. the “bright overshadowing cloud” at the
Transfiguration, and the “voice out of the cloud” (Matthew 17:5). There is something wonderful
and mystical about the clouds, half of heaven and half of earth, that fits them to be the medium
of such events. They lend their ethereal drapery to form the curtain and canopy of this glorious
meeting. “What belongs to cloudland is no less real than if set down on the solid ground.”
Such a raising of the living bodies of the saints, along with the risen dead, implies the physical
transformation of the former to which the Apostle afterwards alludes in 1 Corinthians 15:51 :
“we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed” (comp. 2 Corinthians 5:1-4; Php 3:21). Some
change had taken place in the sacred body of Jesus after His resurrection, for it was emancipated
from the ordinary laws of matter. And this transformation the Apostle conceived to be possible
without dissolution.
to meet the Lord in the air] Lit., into (raised into) the air. “The air,” like the “clouds,” belongs to
the interspace between the heaven from which Christ comes and the earth to which He returns.
Here He will meet His Church. She will not need to wait until He sets foot on earth; but those
who are ready, “looking for their Lord when He shall return” (Luke 12:35-40), will hear His
trumpet call and “go forth to meet the Bridegroom” (Matthew 25:1; Matthew 25:6). St Paul
employs the same, somewhat rare Hebraistic idiom which is found in this passage of St Matthew,
as though the words of Christ lingered in his ear.
and so shall we ever be with the Lord] Where the Apostle does not say; whether still on earth for
some longer space, or in heaven. The one and all-sufficing comfort is in the thought of being
always with the Lord. This, too, was the promise of Christ, “Where I am, there shall also My
servant be” (John 12:26; John 14:3). Those living in the flesh cannot be so in any complete
sense; “at home in the body,” we are “absent from the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6).
Bengel's GnomenHYPERLINK "/1_thessalonians/4-17.htm"1 Thessalonians 4:17. Ἅμα)
Ammonious, ἅμα μὲν ἐστι χρονικὸν ἐπίῤῥημα· ὁμοῦ δὲ, τοπικόν, “ἅμα is an adverb of time,
ὁμοῦ of place.” You see here the propriety of the apostle’s language.—εἰς ἀέρα, in, or rather,
[caught up] into the air) The ungodly will remain on the earth. The godly, having been acquitted,
will be made assessors in the judgment.—καὶ οὕτω, and so) When Paul has written what needed
to be written for consolation, he treats of [lit. he wraps up] the most important matters in this
brief style.—πάντοτε, [ever] always) without any separation.—σὺν Κυρίῳ, with the Lord) not
only in the air, but in heaven, whence He came.—ἐσόμεθα, we shall be) both [the living and
those raised from the dead].
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 17. - Then we which are alive and remain; or, are left; that is, the saints
who shall then be found alive on the earth. The apostle classes himself among the living, because
he was then alive. Shall be caught up. The expression describes the irresistible power with which
the saints shall be caught up, perhaps by the ministry of angels. Together with them; with the
dead in Christ who are raised. In the clouds. Our Lord is described as coming to judgment in the
clouds of heaven (Matthew 24:30; Revelation 1:7). According to the Old Testament
representation, God is described as making the clouds his chariot (Psalm 104:3). To meet the
Lord; in his descent from heaven to earth. In the air. Not that he shall fix his throne in the air, but
that he passes through the air in his descent to the earth. And so shall we ever be with the Lord;
shall share a blessed eternity in the vision and participation of his glory. The apostle does not

here describe the solemnities of the judgment; but stops at the meeting of Christ and his risen
saints, because his object was to comfort the Thessalonians under bereavement.
Vincent's Word StudiesTogether with them (ἅμα σὺν αὐτοῖς)
Ἅμα, at the same time, referring to the living. We that are alive shall simultaneously or one and
all (comp. Romans 3:12) be caught up. Σὺν αὐτοῖς along with them, i.e., the dead. Thus ἅμα is to
be const. with shall be caught up. The A.V. and Rev. are inaccurate. These are the important
words as related to the disquietude of the Thessalonians.
Shall be caught up (ἁρπαγησόμεθα)
By a swift, resistless, divine energy. Comp. 2 Corinthians 12:2, 2 Corinthians 12:4; Acts 8:39.
In the air (εἰς ἀέρα)
Rend. into the air, and const. with shall be caught up. Ἁὴρ the atmosphere with the clouds, as
from αἰθὴρ the pure ether, which does not occur in N.T.
And so
After having met the Lord.
PRECEPT AUSTIN RESOURCES
PREVIOUS NEXT
1 Thessalonians 4:17 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.
(NASB: Lockman)
Greek: epeita hemeis oi zontes (PAPMPN) hoi perileipomenoi (PPPMPN) ama sun
autois arpagesometha (1PFPI) en nephelais eis apantesin tou kuriou eis aera; kai houtos
pantote sun kurio esometha. (1PFMI)
Amplified: Then we, the living ones who remain [on the earth], shall simultaneously be
caught up along with [the resurrected dead] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and
so always (through the eternity of the eternities) we shall be with the Lord! (Amplified
Bible - Lockman)
Barclay: and then we who are alive, who survive, will be caught up by the clouds
together with them to meet the Lord in the air. (Westminster Press)
Milligan: And only after that shall we who are surviving be suddenly caught up in the
clouds with them to meet the Lord in the air. Thus shall we ever be with the Lord. (St.
Paul's Epistles to the Thessalonians. 1908)
NET: Then we who are alive, who are left, will be suddenly caught up together with
them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.

NLT: 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 and remain with him forever. (NLT -
Tyndale House)
Phillips: Those who have died in Christ will be the first to rise, and then we who are still
living on the earth will be swept up with them into the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
And after that we shall be with him for ever. (Phillips: Touchstone)
Wuest: 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.
Young's Literal: then we who are living, who are remaining over, together with them
shall be caught away in clouds to meet the Lord in air, and so always with the Lord we
shall be;
THEN WE WHO ARE ALIVE AND REMAIN: epeita hemeis oi zontes (PAP) hoi
perileipomenoi (PPPMPN):
• 1Th 4:15; 1Co 15:52
• Bibliography of Works on Pretribulationalism by Dennis M. Swanson
• 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18: What Happens to Christians Who Die Before Jesus Comes?-Pt
2 - John MacArthur
• 1 Thessalonians 4 Death and Christian Grief - John MacArthur
Literally this is rendered
Then we the living, the remaining
Then (1899)(epeita from epi = upon + eita = point in time following another point) is an adverb
of time and order which marks the sequence of one thing after another and can be rendered: then,
thereupon, next, moreover then, thereafter, after that.
Although then denotes "succession in enumeration,' it does not necessarily indicate any long
interval and in fact 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 makes clear that no appreciable interval between the
raising of the dead in Christ and the transformation of the living saints is implied.
Behold, I tell you a mystery (previously hidden truth now divinely revealed - see
musterion); we shall not all sleep (physically die), but we shall all be changed, 52 in a
moment (Greek = atomos [a = without + tome = a cut, cf temno = to divide] =
indivisible, English "atom"), in the twinkling (Greek = rhipe = A quick motion, such as a
fling or toss, blink of eye) of an eye, at the last trumpet (see discussion); for the trumpet
will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable (not subject to decay or death ), and
we shall be changed (made otherwise - to cause one thing to cease and another to take its
place, to exchange one thing for another). (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)
We who are alive and remain - The fact that Paul uses the first person plural (we) (see
discussion of use of "HYPERLINK "/1thessalonians_415-16#we"weHYPERLINK
"/1thessalonians_415-16#we"" in v15) strongly suggests that he fully expected to meet the Lord
in the air. In other words the great apostle anticipated the imminent return of His Lord. The
English word imminent is interesting as it is derived from the Latin verb imminere (from in =

upon, towards + minere = to project) which means to overhang. One gets the picture of the return
of the Bridegroom to rapture His Bride as an event which "overhangs" the Church (in a positive
and motivating sense) (see Tony Garland's discussion of Marriage of the Lamb especially The
Jewish Wedding Analogy). Certainly, if the Bride lived with this constant mindset, she would
seek to keep her linen bright and clean, which are the righteous acts of the saints (see note
Revelation 19:8) (See doctrine of imminency)
Alive (2198) (zao) means literally to be alive physically thus describing natural physical life as
in this verse - Those who are still (continually = present tense) alive at the parousia.
Remain (4035)(perileipo from perí = an intensifier + leípo= to leave, lack) is a verb which
means to leave over or to leave all around. In the passive voice (as in this verse) it means to be
left remaining, here referring to believers alive at Christ's parousia. It is interesting that Left
Behind is also the title of a popular novel (circa 2000 AD) on the end times that begins with the
Rapture of believers. In marked contrast, once the Rapture has occurred, the ones Left Behind
will be unbelievers, including those who professed faith in Christ but never possessed genuine
faith in Him as evidenced by their supernaturally changed lives and their new desire to "eat" and
obey God's Word and to be led by His Spirit.
SHALL BE CAUGHT UP TOGETHER WITH THEM IN THE CLOUDS TO MEET THE
LORD IN THE AIR: hama sun autois harpagesometha (1PFPI) en nephelais eis apantesin
tou kuriou eis aera:
• 1Ki 18:12; 2Ki 2:11,16; Acts 8:39; 2Cor 12:2-4; Rev 11:12; 12:5) (Mt 26:64; Mk 14:62;
Acts 1:9; Rev 1:7
• 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18: What Happens to Christians Who Die Before Jesus Comes?-Pt
2 - John MacArthur
• 1 Thessalonians 4 Death and Christian Grief - John MacArthur
Does Paul really describe a "rapture"? That seems to be the question of many skeptics and
scoffers. They argue that the word "rapture" is no where to be found in Scripture. In addressing
their argument, it behooves us to keep in mind that the Latin Vulgate was the primary Bible
translation utilized for one thousand years preceding the Reformation. In short, the Latin Vulgate
"reigned" as the primary Bible translation longer than any other translation. In the Latin Vulgate
the Greek word harpazo was translated "rapiemur" which is clearly related to our English terms
"Rapture" or "raptured". So those detractors who argue that the term Rapture does not appear in
the Bible are only expressing their ignorance and are obviously unaware of the prominence of
the Latin Vulgate translation in church history. Setting aside the argument that the word rapture
(which is true) is not found in modern translations, the more important question is what does the
original Greek word harpazo actually mean? Clearly it is a verb in the original Greek and verbs
generally convey action. What is the picture conveyed by harpazo? (Gillian Welch & David
Rawlings - I'll Fly Away)
Shall Be Caught up (726) (harpazo from haireô = take, in NT only in middle voice =
haireomai = to take for oneself, to choose; akin to airo = to raise up) means to snatch up or way,
to seize or seize upon, to steal (see comparison to klepto below), to catch away or up, to pluck, to
pull.
Harpazo means to take suddenly and vehemently, often with violence and speed or quickly and
without warning. The idea is to take by force with a sudden swoop and usually indicates a force

which cannot be resisted. In eschatological terms (future events, prophetically related) as in the
present verse, harpazo refers to what is often known as the "rapture" (Latin = raptura = seizing
or Latin = rapio = seize, snatch)
Harpazo thus can be translated by the verb to rapture which describes the act of conveying or
transporting a person from one place to another or from one sphere of existence to another. The
English word rapture can also convey the idea of ecstasy as with one who is "carried out of"
oneself with joy, but that is not the primary sense conveyed by the NT usage here in 1
Thessalonians.
Harpazo is future passive (so called "divine passive" in this context - the action is exerted by
outside divine force) indicative (this is the mood of certainty which describes a real event,
stating that this is a future fact which we can count on!) first person plural (implying in context
not just individuals but many individuals, specifically the true church composed of all the
believers of the church age).
The picture of individuals being snatched up and away is seenin four NT uses (see the
verses below)…
(1) Of the act of the Spirit of the Lord snatching Phillip away (Acts 8:39)
(2) Of Paul being caught up to the third heaven (Paradise) (2Corinthians 12:2,4)
(3) Of believers being caught up to be with the Lord (1Th 4:17-note)
(4) Of the "child" (Jesus) being caught up to God (Re 12:5-note)
Harpazo conveys the idea of force suddenly exercised, and also well rendered by the English
verb to snatch (to seize, take or grasp something {someone} abruptly or hastily with emphasis
on the idea of suddenness or quickness)
The related word harpage (724) refers to robbery, plunder or seizing of one's possessions (Mt
23:25 = describing scribes and Pharisees who were "full of robbery" {greediness}, Lk 11:39,
Heb 10:34). The adjective harpax (727) is used 6 times in the NT (Mt 7:15 = "ravenous
{rapacious} wolves"; Lk 18:11 = "swindlers", "extortionists", "embezzlers"; 1Cor 5:10; 5:11;
6:10 = same meaning as in Lk 18:11)
The uses of harpazo in the Gospels refer to robbery or the unlawful snatching away of
something or someone (see below - Jn 10:12, 28, 29; Mt 11:12; 12:29; 13:19).
Harpazo was used of rescuing one from a situation of threatening danger as in "snatching them
out of the fire" (see Jude 1:23 below)
Harpazo in secular Greek was used to describe the action of a wolf which entered a flock of
sheep and suddenly snatched up (harpazo) a lamb. (see John 10:12 below)
Moulton and Milligan note that harpazo was often found in secular Greek in petitions
complaining of robbery.
Harpazo as noted can convey the sense of "to steal" but it differs from another Greek word
klepto (English = kleptomania {from kleptes = thief} refers to a strong impulse to steal)
referring to stealing secretly or with stealth whereas harpazo denotes robbing with a more
violent action.
Harpazo is also used to mean forcibly to seize upon, snatch away, or take to oneself (see below
Mt 11:12, John 6:15, Acts 23:10)

Harpazo is used 13 times in the NT…
Matthew 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven
suffers violence, and violent men take it by force (grasping in the sense of either
resisting or laying claim to the Kingdom as their own - see comment).
Comment: This is a difficult verse to interpret and can mean that evil forces from
without sought to violently seize and destroy the kingdom of God or that persons who
were ready for the advent of the King responded vigorously to His announcement,
"violently" seeking to enter the kingdom of God,. The latter interpretation implies the
difficulty with which one enters His kingdom {cp the related passage Luke 16:16 which
has the second meaning.} Both interpretations indicate that John the Baptist's initial
announcement of the coming King and Kingdom met with a "violent reaction" either by
evil opponents or by enthusiastic supporters.
Matthew 13:19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it,
the evil one comes and snatches away (robs, plunders, swoops in and steals away) what
has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.
John 6:15 Jesus therefore perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by
force, to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.
Comment: This use of harpazo illustrates the violent nature of the seizing - here is a
forcibly taking of someone.
John 10:12 He who is a hireling, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep,
beholds the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees, and the wolf snatches them,
and scatters them.
John 10:28 and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall
snatch them out of My hand. 10:29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater
than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.
Comment: Here harpazo underscores the believer's security in Christ, speaking of the
impossibility of anyone snatching a believer out of the hands of Jesus or His Father.
Acts 8:39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched
Philip away (from the presence of the Ethiopian eunuch and drag off to a different place);
and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing.
Comment: This "rapture" entails the movement from one place on earth to another, in
contrast to the "rapture" in 2Cor 12:2,4, 1 Thes 4:17, Rev 12:5, all of which refer to one
being caught up to a supernatural world.
Acts 23:10 And as a great dissension was developing, the commander was afraid Paul
would be torn to pieces by them and ordered the troops to go down and take him away
from them by force, and bring him into the barracks.
2 Corinthians 12:2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago-- whether in the body
I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows-- such a man was caught up
to the third heaven… 4 was caught up into Paradise, and heard inexpressible words,
which a man is not permitted to speak.

1 Thessalonians 4:17 (note) 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.
Jude 1:23 save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear,
hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.
Revelation 12:5 (note) And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the
nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up (passive voice indicating God did
the snatching) to God and to His throne. (Comment: This event is described in Acts 1:9-
11 {these verses do not use harpazo} where Jesus was taken up into the cloud).
Harpazo is used 34 times in the non-apocryphal Septuagint (LXX)
Ge 37:33; Lev. 6:4; 19:13; Deut. 28:31; Jdg. 21:21, 23; 2 Sam. 23:21; Job 20:19; 24:2, 9,
19; Ps. 7:2; 10:9; 22:13; 50:22; 69:4; 104:21; Isa. 10:2; Ezek 18:7, 12, 16, 18; 19:3, 6;
22:25, 27; Hos. 5:14; 6:1; Amos 1:11; 3:4; Mic. 3:2; 5:8; Nah. 2:12
A number of the uses of harpazo in the LXX translate the Hebrew word meaning to tear (taraph;
2963) (as of beasts of prey, tear to pieces - Ge 37:33, Ps 7:2, 50:22, Hos 5:14, 6:1) which brings
out the violent aspect of harpazo. None of the LXX uses of harpazo convey the same sense of
rapture as found here in 1 Thessalonians, although there are two OT "raptures", the first of
Enoch who "walked with God and he was not for God took him" (Ge 5:24) and the other of
Elijah who "went up by a whirlwind to heaven" (2Ki 2:11).
Below are some representative uses of harpazo in the LXX…
Leviticus 6:4 then it shall be, when he sins and becomes guilty, that he shall restore what
he took by robbery (Hebrew = gazal, 1497; Lxx = harpazo), or what he got by extortion,
or the deposit which was entrusted to him, or the lost thing which he found,
Job 20:19 "For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor; He has seized (Hebrew = gazal,
1497; Lxx = harpazo) a house which he has not built.
Job 24:2 "Some remove the landmarks; They seize (Hebrew = gazal, 1497; Lxx =
harpazo) and devour flocks… 24:9 Others snatch (Hebrew = gazal, 1497; Lxx =
harpazo) the orphan from the breast, And against the poor they take a pledge.
Psalm 10:9 He (the wicked man) lurks in a hiding place as a lion in his lair; He lurks to
catch (Hebrew = chataph, 2414; Lxx = harpazo) the afflicted; He catches (Hebrew =
chataph, 2414; Lxx = harpazo) the afflicted when he draws him into his net.
To meet - This phrase indicates that the Lord will be coming from one direction and we shall be
coming from another to meet together in the air! What a glorious day that will be!
Martin Luther said he only had two days on his calendar—today and “that day.”
To meet the Lord - Literally reads "into a meeting with the Lord."
Rapture RelatedResources:
• Table comparing Rapture vs Second Coming;
• The Rapture Question - Andy Woods
• Up With the Son - 30' Video Summary of the Rapture - Andy Woods
• Why a Pretribulational Rapture? - Richard Mayhue

• The Rapture and the Book of Revelation - Keith Essex
• The Rapture in Revelation 3:10 - Jeffrey L Townsend
• The Apocalypse Of John And The Rapture Of The Church: A Reevaluation - 60 page
article
• Is The Return of Christ Premillennial? - Dr John Walvoord
• New Testament Words for the Lord’s Coming - Dr John Walvoord
• The Rapture and the Day of the Lord in 1 Thessalonians 5 - Dr John Walvoord
• The Rapture: A Message for Controversy - Will the Church go through the Tribulation? -
(audio and transcript) Bill McRae
• The Rapture: A Message of Comfort (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) - (audio and transcript)
Bill McRae
• The Rapture: The Signs of His Coming, Part Two - The Condition of the Professing
Church (Revelation 17) - (audio and transcript) Bill McRae
• The Rapture: The Signs of His Coming, Part One - 7 signs (Daniel 9, Matthew 24)
• 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 What is the difference between the Rapture and the Second
Coming?
• What is the rapture of the church?
• How can I be ready to be caught up in the rapture?
• How can I be sure I won’t be left behind in the rapture?
• Will there be a partial rapture?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the pretribulational view of the rapture
(pretribulationism)?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the posttribulational view of the rapture
(posttribulationism)?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the pre-wrath view of the rapture?
• When is the Rapture going to occur in relation to the Tribulation?
• Yes, Christians Can Believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture (page 2)
• What is the Tribulation? How do we know the Tribulation will last seven years?
• Who are the dead in Christ in 1 Thessalonians 4:16?
Meet (529) (apantesis from apantáo from apó = from + antáo = to come opposite to, to meet
especially to meet face to face) describes a meeting especially a meeting of two who are coming
from different directions.
In Greek culture the word had a technical meaning to describe the visits of dignitaries to cities
where the visitor would be formally met by the citizens, or a deputation of them, who had gone
out from the city for this purpose and would then be ceremonially escorted back into the city.
Apantesis was often used to suggest the meeting of a dignitary or king, a famous person,
describing people rushing to meet the one who was coming.

Hiebert has a similar comment on the meaning of apantesis writing that "In Hellenistic Greek
the expression had become a kind of technical term denoting "a ceremonial meeting with a
person of position. In papyrus usage it was used of an official delegation going forth to meet a
newly appointed magistrate, or other dignitary, upon his arrival in their district." Hogg and Vine
remark, "Almost invariably the word suggests that those who go out to meet him intend to return
to their starting place with the person met." But Thomas feels that "usage of the noun in LXX as
well as differing features of the present context (e.g., Christians being snatched away rather than
advancing on their own to meet the visitor) is sufficient to remove this passage from the
technical Hellenistic sense of the word. A meeting in the air is pointless unless the saints
continue on to heaven with the Lord who has come out to meet them (Milligan, p. 61)." (Ibid)
NIDNTT says apantesis was a "technical term for the solemn meeting of important persons."
The picture portrayed by the preposition eis (unto, into) is that the meeting occurs between the
Lord coming from one direction and believers coming from another to meet together in the air.
There are 3 uses of apantesis in the NT…
Matthew 25:6 "But at midnight there was a shout, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to
meet him.'
Acts 28:15 And the brethren, when they heard about us, came from there as far as the
Market of Appius and Three Inns to meet us; and when Paul saw them, he thanked God
and took courage.
1 Thessalonians 4:17 (note) 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.
There are 25 occurrences of apantesis in the Septuagint (LXX) (1 Sam. 4:1; 6:13; 9:14; 13:10,
15; 15:12; 16:4; 21:1; 25:32, 34; 30:21; 2 Sam. 6:20; 19:25; 1 Chr. 12:17; 14:8; 19:5; 2 Chr.
12:11; 15:2; 19:2; 20:17; 28:9; Est. 8:12; Jer. 27:3; 41:6; 51:31)
1Samuel 4:1 Thus the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to meet
(Lxx = apantesis) the Philistines in battle and camped beside Ebenezer while the
Philistines camped in Aphek.
1Samuel 6:13 Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the
valley, and they raised their eyes and saw the ark and were glad to see (Lxx = apantesis =
"to meet it") it.
1Samuel 13:10 And it came about as soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, that
behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet (Lxx = apantesis) him and to greet him.
1 Samuel 25:32 Then David said to Abigail, "Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who
sent you this day to meet (Lxx = apantesis) me,
2 Chronicles 20:17 'You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see
the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.' Do not fear or be
dismayed; tomorrow go out to face (Lxx = apantesis = meet) them, for the LORD is with
you."
Jeremiah 51:31 One courier runs to meet (Lxx = apantesis) another, And one messenger
to meet (Lxx = apantesis) another, To tell the king of Babylon That his city has been
captured from end to end;

Together (260) (hama) is a marker of simultaneous occurrence, at the same time, denoting the
coincidence of two actions in time. Hama describes a point of time which is emphatically
simultaneous with another point of time. Here in verse 17 hama depicts a simultaneous
snatching up of bodies of both believers who are still alive and believers who had fallen asleep in
Christ and had been resurrected prior to being raptured.
With (4862)(sun) speaks of intimacy in contrast to meta which speaks of nearness without the
idea of intimacy. An excellent illustration of this difference is the two thieves on the Cross. The
believing thief was crucified (physically but more importantly spiritually) with (sun) Christ (see
word study on crucified with = sustauroo) while the other thief was crucified (physically next to)
with Christ. The first thief experienced intimate union with Christ, while the second experienced
only close proximity to Christ, the result of which was eternal separation from Christ.
Regarding the phrase with them (hama sun) Hiebert writes that this…
is "an unusual expression in the Greek (occurring again in 1Thessalonians 5:10) meaning
here 'simultaneously, with them. The two groups will, united as one company, arise to
meet the Lord. It implies the full association and equality of the two groups. For the
living it will mean not only recognition of, but reunion with, their departed loved ones.
(Ibid) (Bolding added)
This verse leaves no doubt that the believers who are alive at the time of the first aspect of the
Second Advent when the Lord comes for His saints (for His Bride) will be caught up together
with the resurrected dead.
In the clouds - or "amid clouds."
Clouds (3507) (nephele from nephos = a mass of clouds) describes a visible mass of particles of
condensed vapor suspended in the atmosphere. The clouds form the element with which those
caught up are surrounded. That literal clouds are meant seems clear from Acts 1:9 where they
are associated with Christ's ascension, as here with the ascension of His saints. The "second
phase" of His Second Advent (see chart and discussion -Table comparing Rapture vs Second
Coming )
Air (109)(aer from aemi = breathe unconsciously, respire) is the atmosphere with the clouds,
"air" (as naturally circumambient), the celestial air surrounding the earth. The meeting with the
Lord takes place "in the air," between heaven and earth. In five of its seven occurrences in the
New Testament the word aer means the atmosphere.
The Greeks believed it to be the substance that filled the space between the earth and moon.
They considered it to be thick and misty in contrast to the very pure, higher substance which they
called aither, ether.
Reginald Showers in his treatise on the Rapture notes that…
The Scriptures present six raptures. Four have already taken place. Two are still to
come. This book will examine one of those raptures: a major future event foretold in the
Bible, namely, the coming of Christ to take His bride, the church. Most theologians call
this “the Rapture”—from the Latin verb rapto, which means to seize and carry off,—
because 1 Thessalonians 4:17 states that the church will be “caught up” to meet the Lord
in the air. Other theologians have called this event “the Translation,” taking that name
from the Latin word translatio (transporting, transferring) because Christ will transport
the church from one location to another at that time.

JESUS' RETURN TO RAPTURE BELIEVERS

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