Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Thessalonians 4:17
Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
17. then we which are alive and remain ] Better, we that are alive, that remain (or survive). The phrase of 1Th 4:15 repeated; see note. The Apostle distinguishes, as in 1Co 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 Mat 11:12 it is rendered, “The violent take it by force;” in 2Co 12:2; 2Co 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 (Mat 26:68; Act 1:9-11); comp. the “bright overshadowing cloud” at the Transfiguration, and the “voice out of the cloud” (Mat 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 1Co 15:51: “we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed” (comp. 2Co 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” (Luk 12:35-40), will hear His trumpet call and “go forth to meet the Bridegroom” (Mat 25:1; Mat 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” (Joh 12:26; Joh 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” (2Co 5:6).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Then we which are alive – Those who shall then be alive; see 1Th 4:15. The word here rendered then ( 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; Luk 16:7; Gal 1:21; Jam 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 en atomos en rhipe ophthalmou, 1Co 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 harpazo in Mat 11:12, the violent take it by force; Mat 13:19, then cometh the wicked one and snatcheth away; Joh 6:15, that they would come and take him by force; Joh 10:12, the wolf catcheth them; Act 8:39, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip; 2Co 12:2, such an one caught up to the third heaven; also, Joh 12:28-29; Act 23:10; Jud 1:23; Rev 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 – 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. Mat 24:30; Mat 26:64; Mar 16:19; Mar 14:62; Rev 1:7; compare Dan 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; Mat 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.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
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, Act 1:9, and so will return again, Mat 24:30, he making the clouds his chariots, Psa 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, 1Co 15:51.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
17. we which are alive . . . shallbe caught upafter having been “changed in a moment”(1Co 15:51; 1Co 15:52).Again he says, “we,” recommending thus the expression toChristians of all ages, each generation bequeathing to the succeedingone a continually increasing obligation to look for the coming of theLord. [EDMUNDS].
together with themalltogether: the raised dead, and changed living, forming one jointbody.
in the cloudsGreek,“in clouds.” The same honor is conferred on them as ontheir Lord. As He was taken in a cloud at His ascension (Ac1:9), so at His return with clouds (Re1:7), they shall be caught up in clouds. The clouds are His andtheir triumphal chariot (Psa 104:3;Dan 7:13). ELLICOTTexplains the Greek, “robed round by upbearing clouds”[Aids to Faith].
in the airrather,”into the air”; caught up into the regionjust above the earth, where the meeting (compare Mat 25:1;Mat 25:6) shall take placebetween them ascending, and their Lord descending towards the earth.Not that the air is to be the place of their lasting abodewith Him.
and so shall we ever be withthe Lordno more parting, and no more going out (Re 3:12). Hispoint being established, that the dead in Christ shall be on terms ofequal advantage with those found alive at Christ’s coming, he leavesundefined here the other events foretold elsewhere (as not beingnecessary to his discussion), Christ’s reign on earth with His saints(1Co 6:2; 1Co 6:3),the final judgment and glorification of His saints in the new heavenand earth.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Then we which are alive and remain,….
[See comments on 1Th 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 Re 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.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Then (). The next step, not the identical time (), but immediately afterwards.
Together with them ( ). Note both (at the same time) and (together with) with the associative instrumental case (the risen saints).
Shall be caught up (). Second future passive indicative of , old verb to seize, to carry off like Latin rapio.
To meet the Lord in the air ( ). This special Greek idiom is common in the LXX like the Hebrew, but Polybius has it also and it occurs in the papyri (Moulton, Proleg., p. 14, n. 3). This rapture of the saints (both risen and changed) is a glorious climax to Paul’s argument of consolation.
And so ( ). This is the outcome, to be forever with the Lord, whether with a return to earth or with an immediate departure for heaven Paul does not say. To be with Christ is the chief hope of Paul’s life (1Thess 5:10; Phil 1:23; Col 3:4; 2Cor 5:8).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Together with them [ ] . %Ama, at the same time, referring to the living. We that are alive shall simultaneously or one and all (comp. Rom 3:12) be caught up. Sun aujtoiv along with them, i e., the dead. Thus ama is to be const. with shall be caught up. The A. V. and Rev. are inaccurate. 29 These are the important words as related to the disquietude of the Thessalonians.
Shall be caught up [] . By a swift, resistless, divine energy. Comp. 2Co 12:2, 4; Act 8:39.
In the air [ ] . Rend. into the air, and const. with shall be caught up. Ahr the atmosphere with the clouds, as distinguished from aijqhr the pure ether, which does not occur in N. T.
And so. After having met the Lord
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “Then we which are alive and remain” (epeita hemeis hoi zontes hoi perileipomenoi) “Then we,-the ones living, those remaining”, of like faith and order, of like kind, followers of the Churches of the Lord, Church members as specifically addressed in this church letter, 1Th 1:1; 1Th 2:14; also 1Co 15:51.
2) “Shall be caught up together with them in the clouds” (hama sun autois harpagesometha en nephelais) “in close affinity or colleague with them shall be seized or snatched up in clouds”; This is the Blessed Hope of the Church; As our Lord went away blessing them in a restricted, definitive way, He shall come to receive them, his church, in like manner, Act 1:10; Act 1:1; Mar 13:34-35; 1Ti 3:15; Eph 3:21; 2Co 11:2.
3) “To meet the Lord in the air” (eis apantesin) “unto a particular meeting”, (the judgment seat of Christ and the wedding) (tou kuriou eis aera) “of the Lord in mid-air”, above the earth. This is to occur in the air, in the heavens, above the earth, before the Lord comes down to the earth, “with His saints”, to put down Armageddon and begin His reign, seems evident, Rev 19:1; Rev 19:5-16; 2Th 1:7-10.
4) “And so shall we ever be with the Lord” (kai houtos pantote sun kurio esometha) “And thus shall we (the church in particular) be always with the Lord,” never separated from Him thereafter. That some believers then living, at His coming, may be left behind, at the Lord’s coming in the air, to be beheaded, tormented for not taking the mark of the beast, seems evident by our Lord’s warnings and declarations; “to them who look for him shall he appear”, without sins punishment unto deliverance, Heb 9:28. Blessed are the children of light–the church “we and ye” on whom this day must not come unaware, 1Th 5:4.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
17 And so we shall be ever. To those who have been once gathered to Christ he promises eternal life with him, by which statements the reveries of Origen and of the Chiliasts (588) are abundantly refuted. For the life of believers, when they have once been gathered into one kingdom, will have no end any more than Christ’s. Now, to assign to Christ a thousand years, so that he would afterwards cease to reign, were too horrible to be made mention of. Those, however, fall into this absurdity who limit the life of believers to a thousand years, for they must live with Christ as long as Christ himself will exist. We must observe also what he says — we shall be, for he means that we profitably entertain a hope of eternal life, only when we hope that it has been expressly appointed for us.
(588) See Calvin’s Institutes, vol. 2.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
Text (1Th. 4:17-18)
17 then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Translation and Paraphrase
17.
Then (after that,) we who are living (and) remaining shall at the same time be caught up with them (the resurrected saints) in (the) clouds, unto (the) meeting with the Lord in the air. And in this manner we shall be (united) with the Lord (to be with him) always.
18.
Wherefore (seeing that we have such a glorious hope), comfort (and exhort) one another by these words.
Notes (1Th. 4:17-18)
1.
There is a gospel song entitled, The Meeting In the Air. That is a fine title. 1Th. 4:17 talks about meeting the Lord in the air, and the word meeting is actually a noun (Gr., apantesis, meaning meeting). Will you join in that meeting in the air with the Lord?
2.
I am sure that no Christian will have acrophobia (fear of heights) when our bodies have been transformed, and we have been caught up in the air. Caught up means to seize, carry off, snatch out or away. It is the same word used in Act. 8:39 to describe how the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip after he baptized the Ethiopian.
3.
Many Scriptures teach that the Lord is coming with clouds. Rev. 1:7; Mat. 24:30. The Lords presence is often associated with clouds and smoke. Exo. 19:18; Isa. 6:4; Psa. 18:11-12; Mat. 17:5
4.
Note that we are to meet the Lord in the air, the atmospheric region.
5.
The glorious meeting with the Lord shall never end.
6.
This Scripture brings to our minds other blessed passages:
Joh. 14:3I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also.
Joh. 17:24Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am. (Jesus wants us to be with him. Death can be a fulfillment of the desire of Jesus for us to be with him personally.)
Rev. 21:3; Rev. 22:3 speak of eternally dwelling with God.
7.
Because of all the glorious hope we have in Christs second coming, we are commanded to tell Christians who mourn, that they will meet their dead in Christ on that day when Christ appears, and that in sweet union and communion they will ever be with their Lord and their loved ones.
8.
The word comfort is the same word also translated exhort. The coming of Christ and the resurrection of the dead is both a comfort and a stimulus to us to serve Christ more fully. On the meaning of comfort or exhort, see notes on 1Th. 2:3, par. 2.
STUDY SUGGESTION
We urge you now to turn to the Did You Learn? questions which follow immediately, and try to answer (preferably by writing out the answers) questions 27 to 46
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(17) Shall be caught up.Our Assumption, as Bishop Ellicott well calls it. The spiritualising of our natural bodies without death, as described in 1Co. 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 (Eph. 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 Heb. 6:2): it only remains to say that having once rejoined the Lord, they would never be parted from Him.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
17. Then we After the dead have first risen.
Caught up This upward movement is preceded by the change by which this mortal puts on immorality. By that change the glorified body is able to neutralize gravitation by volition. But in this case they are caught up by divine power, the phrase implying great suddenness.
With them The dead in Christ.
In the clouds The passage quoted by Alford from Theodoret, comparing this to our Lord’s ascent upon a cloud, misses the mark. The true parallels are Dan 7:13, and Rev 1:7: “Behold, he cometh with clouds;” an image of altitude and misty grandeur.
In the air Simply a designation of locality or region; aerial space. Eph 1:3; Eph 2:2. The grand congregation of the judgment may be in pure space; for these resurrection bodies, absolved from the power of gravitation, and of power by pure volition, can tread upon a plane of pure space as easily as Jesus trod upon the sea, or as we tread upon a pavement. Of a burning world, a resurrection and condemnation of the wicked, and a new earth, no account is here given; for, as Lunemann well notes, St. Paul does not here profess to give a full picture of the last things, but simply such a glimpse as shall meet the doubt and grief in regard to the late deceased Christians.
Ever be with the Lord Not as limited to this one mid-space region, though it and the new earth may be within their future range; but in the highest heaven, the capital of the great system centred by the throne. And now science demands, Where is the final heaven of the glorious resurrection, as distinguished from the intermediate paradise of the blessed disembodied spirit? And where is the final hell, gehenna, as distinguished from the hades or Tartarus of the intermediate state of the impenitent? See note on 2Co 12:1-4; Eph 1:2; Eph 4:8-10.
Astronomers of the present day assure us that all planets are destined, in time, to narrow their orbits, lose their heat, and fall into the sun. The sun, as satellite to a greater sun, is to fall into and be swallowed by its central sun; and finally, the utmost central sun will swallow the whole system of stars and suns, from which all heat will have departed and form a final lifeless, frozen char. It may be, then, that our whole material system of worlds, as well as our earth, is under the doom of sin, sin older than the fall of Adam, and so may be destined to become the eternal abode and monument of sin and wrath. The “everlasting fire” of Mat 25:41, was prepared for sinners older than man, namely, the devil and his angels. This may be the final Gehenna. But whither goes the energy, which scientists tell us is departing with the heat from the present entire material system, and pouring into immensity? The ingenious authors of the “Unseen Universe” suggest that it goes to crystallize into a future universe, including that Future State, that Heaven of the resurrection, to which our faith is looking. So he who is Lord of all said to his disciples, “I go to prepare a place for you.” That place may be in the present highest heavens; the circumambient zone that girds our starry universe, separating it, perhaps, from other universes, with which our history does not connect. That future state, formed of the pure forces that gave life and power to this dark system, may be the new heavens and earth “wherein dwelleth righteousness.” It may gradually supplant our present stellar system.
The terms distinguishing the regions of the invisible world are so irregularly translated that the English reader may be aided by the following summary: Hades (which should never be rendered hell, but be used in English without change as the generic name of the intermediate abode) occurs in the following passages: Mat 11:29; Mat 16:18; Luk 12:15; Luk 16:23; Act 2:27; Act 2:31; 1Co 15:55; Rev 1:18; Rev 6:8; Rev 20:13.
Paradise, (the blessed phase of hades,) Luk 23:43; 2Co 12:4; Rev 2:7. A comparison of Rev 2:7, with Rev 22:2 suggests, that as in the eternal state beyond the judgment hades is merged in gehenna, (Rev 20:14,) so paradise is merged in the eternal heaven. Tartarus, in verb form, (the adverse phase of hades,) 2Pe 2:4. Gehenna, (hell,) the final opposite of heaven. Mat 5:22; Mat 5:29; Mat 10:28; Mat 18:9; Mat 23:15; Mat 23:33; Mar 9:43; Mar 9:47; Luk 12:5; James 3, 6.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1Th 4:17. Shall be caught up together with them, &c. A cloud conducted by angels was our Lord’s triumphal chariot when he ascended; and such a bright cloud will be his triumphal chariot when he comes down as judge on the great day, Act 1:9; Act 1:11. Rev 1:7. Dan 7:13. And it is here intimated, as if his faithful saints also were thus to ascend into glory. Dr. Heylin reads this verse, After that, such of us as are then alive shall, together with them, be taken up into the air, upon the clouds, to meet the Lord; and so we shall eternally live with him.
Inferences.Who would not wish to be instructed in every thing which might conduce to our walking so as to please God? Who would not delight in frequent exhortations to abound in such a conduct more and more, that every day may improve upon the last, till we perfect holiness in his fear? Blessed be God, the rules are plain, and our own conscience must bear witness to the reasonableness and goodness of them. This is the will of God, even our sanctification; that we should be honoured with his amiable image, and, by sharing something of his moral character, may share something of that happiness which in the perfection of holiness he enjoys. He has, indeed, given us a compounded nature, and has appointed us for a time to struggle with its animal powers, that, by a victory over them, we may approve our duty and obedience, and be fitted for a purer happiness above than this low state of being will admit. Let the professors of Christianity, therefore, learn to possess their vessels in sanctification and honour, and not be captives to the mean lusts of concupiscence and uncleanness; as the heathens, who, not having the knowledge of God, were less inexcusable than we in those indulgences, for which the knowledge of themselves, by the light of their inferior dispensation, would, in some degree, condemn them.
Let us, as we dread the displeasure and vengeance of God, the supreme Guardian of the rights of his creatures, take heed that we do not allow ourselves, even when it is most in our power, to go beyond, or defraud our brethren in any matter; but endeavour to shew that we have, indeed, been taught of God to love one another, and that we have received into our very hearts that maxim which our gracious Redeemer has given us, that we should do unto others as we would they should do unto us. On this principle, likewise, let us diligently employ ourselves in our own proper affairs, that, instead of being the burdens of society, we may, in our respective spheres, be its supports; and, quietly attending to what lies within our own province, let us leave ambitious schemes and projects to others; thinking ourselves happy enough if we may be approved by him, who will one day reward or punish, not according to the distinction and elevation of our stations, but according to the integrity or unfaithfulness with which we have behaved ourselves in them. So shall we secure a testimony even in the consciences of those that are without, who would, perhaps, ungenerously and unrighteously rejoice in an occasion of charging upon the gospel of Christ the follies and irregularities of its professors.
They will never be able to charge any thing on the gospel itself, if they take their ideas of it from the writings of these, its authentic teachers. And let it be remembered, that they gave such abundant evidence of the authority with which they taught, that he who despiseth them, despiseth not man, but God, from whom they derived the Spirit by which they preached and wrote. His voice let us hear with reverence, his dictates let us humbly obey. The hour is near in which he will assert the honour of his word, and demonstrate to all the world the wisdom of submitting to its dictates.
Again. Who can be sufficiently thankful for the strong consolations which the latter part of this chapter administers! How many drooping hearts have been cheered by them in every age, while successively mourning over the pious dead! How often have we ourselves been driven to them, as to a sacred anchor, when our hearts have been overwhelmed within us! and if God continue us a little longer, what repeated occasions may arise of flying to them again! When Providence is pleased to make such breaches upon us, let us not sorrow as those who have no hope, for our pious, deceased friends, or for ourselves. Surely we cannot doubt the very first and most fundamental articles of our faith, the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God; and if we do, indeed, assuredly believe these, what a blessed train of consequences will they draw after them! and this consequence most apparently, that they who sleep in Jesus shall not finally perish, but shall he brought with him to grace his triumph.
And, O what a triumph will that be! Let us now anticipate the joy with which, if faithful here, we shall then lift up our heads, and see our complete salvation drawing nigh. What though we die, and moulder in the grave? the saints then alive shall not prevent us: though the last memorial of our names may long have perished from the earth, it shall appear that they are written in heaven. And when the Lord himself descends from heaven, with that earth-rending shout, when the trump of God shall sound, his dead shall live, like his dead body shall they revive; they that dwell in the dust shall rise and sing; for his dew is as that falling upon herbs, and the earth shall call forth its dead. (Isa 26:19.)
But who can now conceive the rapture with which so many millions shall start up at once from their beds of dust, all arrayed in robes of glory; and, spurning the earth in which they have been so long intombed, and all that is mortal and corruptible, shall soar aloft in one joyful company, with those faithful saints who shall then be found alive, to meet the Lord in the air; forming a mighty host, bright as the sun, clear as the moon, and awful as an army with banners (Son 6:10.), they shall soar to meet their Lord, attracted by Divine love, and borne on in their flight by an almighty power. They shall ascend to him; they shall be owned by him; they shall be seated near him: for Christ, who is their life, shall appear; therefore shall they appear with him in glory (Col 3:4.).
Nor shall it be merely the triumph of one day, or of any limited period, how long soever. It is the promise of his faithfulness and of his love to his persevering saints, that so they shall ever be with the Lord. It is a glory that shall never decay, a meeting secure from all danger, from all possibility of future separation. In what circumstance of affliction may not these consolations be felt! What torrent of tears are they not able to stop! What groans of distressed nature will they not be sufficient to turn into songs of joy! Thanks, everlasting, ever new, ever growing thanks be to God, who always causeth his believing people to triumph in Christ, in the views of such a felicity! And let the whole choir of saints, the living and the dead, unite in one joyful Amen.
REFLECTIONS.1st. We have,
1. An exhortation to obedience. Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, in his name and by his authority, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk, and to please God, so ye would abound more and more, with greater watchfulness, diligence, and zeal, according to God’s holy word. For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus, so clearly that none can plead ignorance, and urged upon your consciences with those most powerful arguments which should engage your obedience thereunto. Note; the more clearly the path of duty is marked out to us, the more steadily are we bound to walk in it.
2. A caution against all impurity, as most opposite to the Christian character. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should be in heart and conduct obedient to all his commands; particularly that ye should abstain from fornication, that common sin among the Gentiles, and to which, in the days of your unregeneracy, you may have been addicted; that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel, his body, in sanctification and honour, with such purity and chastity as never to be guilty of an action unworthy those who are the temples of the Holy Ghost, and that would defile and disgrace you in the sight of God and every real Christian; not in the lust of concupiscence, indulging the vile affections of the natural heart, even at the Gentiles which know not God: that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter, not only abstaining from every act of injustice, but especially from robbing them of that which is dearer to them than any earthly goods, the affections or the person of their wife; or drawing them into any horrid and unnatural acts of lewdness: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified, and will execute condign punishment on such workers of iniquity. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness, in his gospel enjoining all purity of heart and conversation on his people. He therefore that despiseth our admonitions, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit, by whose inspiration I speak, and whose office it is to sanctify the bodies, souls, and spirits of the faithful, and prepare them for the glory which is promised. Note; Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge; and into his kingdom shall nothing enter which defileth or maketh unclean.
2nd, The Apostle inculcates,
1. The great duty of brotherly love. But as touching brotherly love, ye need not that I write unto you; for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another, and are exemplary for your fervent and enlarged charity: and indeed ye do it, not only towards the members of your own church, but toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia. But, as there is still room for much higher advancement, we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more. Note; (1.) We are never so high in grace, but we have summits of holiness yet to climb, and shall continue to have, till we reach the heavenly Zion, and come to join the spirits of the just there made perfect. (2.) All good comes from God: unless we are taught of him, as every true believer will be, no human lessons can lead us into the spirit of Christianity.
2. Of quietness and industry in our callings. And that ye study to be quiet, make it your holy ambition to live in peace with all men, not officiously intruding into other people’s affairs; and to do your own business, minding the concerns of your own family and calling; and to work with your own hands, as many as by your station must earn your bread by daily labour, as we commanded you, idleness and Christianity being utterly inconsistent: that ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, paying every man his due; and that ye may have lack of nothing, but be furnished with all that yourselves and families may need, and not be burdensome to any.
3rdly, The Apostle suggests the most encouraging arguments to support the Thessalonians under the loss of their near and dear relatives. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, and departed in the faith of Christ, that ye sorrow not even as others which have no hope, as the heathen who make such howling and lamentation for the dead; since we have a hope full of immortality: for if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him, raising their bodies from the dust at the last day, as his was raised from the tomb. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive, and remain unto the coming of the Lord, even those members of his church who will be numbered among the living in the great day of his appearing and glory, shall not prevent them which are asleep, so as to anticipate their resurrection: for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout of triumph and exultation, with the voice of the archangel that shall attend his orders, and with the trump of God, like that tremendous sound which once issued from Sinai’s top; and the dead in Christ, those who departed in his faith and fear, shall rise first, in virtue of their union with their exalted Head; then we which are alive and remain, as many saints as will then be found among the living, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so all we ever be with the Lord, enjoying that eternal blessedness in his immediate presence, which is the summit of our felicity. Wherefore comfort one another with these words, under all your present trials and discouragements, and in the prospect of your own approaching dissolution. Note; (1.) They who die in the faith of Christ, return to his bosom, and their dust sleeps sweetly under his care, waiting a resurrection day. (2.) The faithful shall shortly meet together in bliss, around the Redeemer’s throne, and spend a happy eternity in his unceasing praises. (3.) This reviving hope is the comfort and support of the faithful Christian, living and dying.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
1Th 4:17 . ] i.e. with the raised .
] we will be snatched away . The expression (comp. 2Co 12:4 ; Act 8:39 ) depicts the swiftness and irresistible force with which believers will be caught up. But, according to 1Co 15:50-53 , the apostle must have conceived this 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.
] not instead of (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 (Psa 104:3 ), God rides on clouds as on a triumphal chariot. Also the Messiah appears on clouds (Dan 7:13 ). According to Act 1:9 , Christ ascended to heaven on a cloud; and according to Act 1:11 , Mat 24:30 , He will return on a cloud. Theodoret: , . . .
] to the meeting of the Lord, i.e. in order to be led towards the Lord. , corresponding to the Hebrew , is united both with the genitive (Mat 25:1 ; Mat 25:6 ), as here, and with the dative (Act 28:15 ). From the words it follows that the apostle did not think of Christ descending completely down to the earth.
] into the air, belongs to , and can as little be considered as equivalent to (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 2Co 5:1 , the future eternal abode of Christians is . [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 are 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: ] and so shall we ever be united with the Lord .
] so , that is, after that we have actually met with Him. It refers back to .
] imports more than . It expresses intimate union, not mere companionship.
] comprehends as its subject both and the .
[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.”
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Ver. 17. Then we which are alive ] He speaketh thus of himself as alive at Christ’s coming, because we should daily expect it, and even hasten to it.
Shall be caught up together ] This is that mystery mentioned 1Co 15:51 , and not till now made known to the world. See Trapp On “ 1Co 15:51 “
In the clouds ] As Christ also ascended, Act 1:9 . These be the wagons and chariots that Christ will send for us, as Joseph sent his father’s family down to Egypt.
And so shall we ever be, &c. ] Oh, blessed hour! oh, thrice happy union! Nothing ever came so near it as the meeting of Jacob and Joseph, or of those two cousins, Mary and Elizabeth, Luk 1:39-45 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
1Th 4:17 . , the ordinary method of sudden rapture or ascension to heaven (Act 1:9 ; Act 1:11 ; Rev 11:12 ; Slav. En. iii. 1, 2). . So in Sap. 1Th 4:11 , the righteous man, (1Th 4:1 ) (1Th 1:4 ), is caught up ( ). , the future bliss is a re-union of Christians not only with Christ but with one another. , a pre-Christian phrase of the koin ( cf. e.g., Tebtunis Papyri , 1902, pt. i., n. 43, 7, , . . ., 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 (1Th 3:13 ; cf. 2Th 1:10 ), whether, e.g. , they are to sit as assessors at the judgment (Sap. 1Th 3:8 ; 1Co 6:2-3 ; Luk 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 Mat 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. (no more sleeping in him or waiting for him).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Then. Greek. epeita, thereupon, thereafter.
caught up. Greek. harpazo. See Act 8:39. 2Co 12:2, 2Co 12:4. Rev 12:5.
together. Greek. hama.
the. Omit.
meet. Greek. See Mat 25:1.
in. App-104.
so. i.e. by resurrection, or translation.
ever. App-151.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
1Th 4:17. ) Ammonious, , , is an adverb of time, of place. You see here the propriety of the apostles language.- , 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.- , 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.-, [ever] always) without any separation.- , with the Lord) not only in the air, but in heaven, whence He came.-, we shall be) both [the living and those raised from the dead].
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
1Th 4:17
then we that are alive, that are left,-[The phrase of verse 15 is here repeated, thus distinguishing as in 1Co 15:51-52 between those living and those dead in Christ at the time of his advent, marking the different positions in which these two divisions of the saints will be found. Just what is involved in the physical transformation is not disclosed and speculation is worse than useless.]
shall together with them be caught up in the clouds,-Together with implies full association. Sundered as the saints will be at the Lords return, some in their graves, others alive, and all scattered over the whole earth, they then shall be reunited nevermore to part.
to meet the Lord in the air:-Not heaven, not in some sphere infinitely remote from this world, but in the upper regions of the lower atmosphere. As they ascend to meet him their bodies shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye (1Co 15:51-52), thus their bodies shall be changed from natural into spiritual bodies, which, being fashioned after the likeness of his glorious body, shall be able to endure the brightness of his presence, which those in the flesh could not. (Rev 1:17.)
and so shall we ever be with the Lord.-On the night before his crucifixion, Jesus said to his disciples: I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (Joh 14:2-3.) And he prayed on the night of his betrayal: Father, I desire that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. (Joh 17:24.)
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
caught up
Not church saints only, but all bodies of the saved, of whatever dispensation, are included in the first resurrection. (See Scofield “1Co 15:52”) as here described, but it is peculiarly the “blessed hope” of the Church (cf) Mat 24:42; Mat 25:13; Luk 12:36-48; Act 1:11; Php 3:20; Php 3:21; Tit 2:11-13.
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
we which: 1Th 4:15, 1Co 15:52
caught: 1Ki 18:12, 2Ki 2:11, 2Ki 2:16, Act 8:39, 2Co 12:2-4, Rev 11:12, Rev 12:5
in the: Mat 26:64, Mar 14:62, Act 1:9, Rev 1:7
and so: Psa 16:11, Psa 17:15, Psa 49:15, Psa 73:24, Isa 35:10, Isa 60:19, Isa 60:20, Joh 12:26, Joh 14:3, Joh 17:24, 2Co 5:8, Phi 1:23, 2Pe 3:13, Rev 7:14-17, Rev 21:3-7, Rev 21:22, Rev 21:23, Rev 22:3-5
Reciprocal: Job 14:15 – shalt call Psa 50:5 – Gather Psa 84:7 – in Zion Psa 140:13 – the upright Hos 12:4 – spake Luk 17:34 – two Joh 11:20 – as soon Joh 11:28 – and called Col 3:4 – ye 1Th 1:10 – wait 1Th 4:14 – God 1Th 5:10 – whether 2Th 1:7 – when 2Th 2:1 – and by 2Ti 2:11 – we shall Heb 9:28 – unto
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
WORDS OF COMFORT
So shall we ever be with the Lord.
1Th 4:17
These words come to us as words of comfort, words of hope, in our hours of bereavement. They emphasise one of the great lessons taught us by the Resurrection, that because Christ rose from the dead the future of the believer is assured.
I. Our blessed dead.We are often puzzled about the state of our blessed dead, but Gods Holy Word tells us all we need to know about them. No doubt it leaves much to be revealed at that great day when all secrets shall be disclosed; but the Apostle tells us clearly (1Th 4:13-14) that the soul which has passed away in the faith of Christ is with Jesus. Them also which sleep in Jesus is the phrase used, and there could not be a more beautiful description of the faithful departed. Truly St. Paul had ground for rebuking unseemly grief. We are not to sorrow as those who have no hope; we have a sure and certain hope, and it is fixed upon the Risen Saviour.
II. It was this great doctrine of Jesus and the Resurrection that St. Paul first preached to the Thessalonians (Act 17:3); and now, when he is writing to them, calling them to sanctification, he reminds them again that it is Jesus and the Resurrection which is their one hope for this world, the world to come, and through all eternity.
III. But the Apostle looks forward.He knows something of the depth of human sorrow: he knows how the heart bleeds when a loved one is taken from our side; he knows how eagerly we anticipate the great reunion. And in great and solemn words he tells us that when the Lord shall come the second time the dead in Christ shall rise first, and then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. That is our hope for our loved ones who have gone before; that is our hope for ourselves who will follow afteran eternity spent together with the Lord.
IV. Let us learn some practical lessons for our own comfort from these words of the Apostle.
(a) The chief joy of heaven. To us the chief joy of heaven will be that we shall be in the presence of Jesus. To be with Christ, that is the deepest aspiration of the Christian heart.
(b) The union of Christ and the believer. Do not these words of St. Paul to the Thessalonians emphasise the closeness of the union which exists between Christ and the believer? In Jesus (1Th 4:14), In Christ (1Th 4:16)could anything be closer? This beautiful idea sends us back to the words of the Master Himself. I go to prepare a place for you. I will come again and receive you unto Myself, that where I am there ye may be also. No separation; absolute identity; and, for ever with the Lord. And as the believer is, and will be, one with Christ, so in that great Resurrection Day shall we be one with each other. That will be the great reunion
Father, sister, child, and mother
Meet once more.
We are looking forward to that day. At every Eucharist, when we thank God for His servants departed this life in His faith and fear, we pray that with them we may be partakers of the Heavenly Kingdom.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
1Th 4:17. Alive and remain refers to the Christians who will be living on the earth when Christ ccmes. Caught up together means that after the dead in Christ have been raised incorruptible (1Co 15:52), and the living in Christ have been changed (same verse), then all will ascend in one group to meet the Lord in the air. So shall we ever be with the Lord. The first word refers to the condition just described, namely, the righteous changed into an incorruptible body, and living in the constant presence of the Lord. This denotes that no sin will ever be committed by the righteous after the resurrection. The same grand truth is taught in Rev 22:11.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
1Th 4:17. Then. Immediately after the dead in Christ have risen.
Shall be caught up together with them in the clouds. This Ascension of the Church to her Lord presupposes the change spoken of by Paul in 1Co 15:52. The bodily ascent will be a token of the new conditions into which the body has passed, and will serve to identify the glorified body of the believer with that of Christ. But, as Luther remarks, this passage is of a symbolical kind, and we most not press each expression to its exact literal significance. The general idea of a gathering to the Lord is conveyed, but a literal representation of all the details here mentioned would fail to furnish us with an accurate picture of what will actually take place. Such an attempt is like painting a picture of the scenes in the Apocalypse, which, the moment they are brought together, are seen to have a prophetic and symbolical meaning, not an artistic unity (Jowett).
Ever with the Lord. It is this which fills the Christians future and makes heaven for him. The restoration to lost friends is much, but is enhanced by the introduction to Christ and everlasting residence with Him, Whatever may be the physical relations and conditions by means of which these words shall be accomplished, they beget the hope that we shall be sensible that the influence of Christ pervades all we have to do with, and especially our own soul.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Observe here, 1. The triumphant ascension both of the living and sleeping saints, together into the clouds; We which are alive shall be caught up together with them in the clouds. This ascension shall be effected by the power of Christ, by the ministry of angels, and by the spirituality of the saints’ own bodies.
Learn hence, that the descent of the saints of God into the grave, is not with so much weakness, ignominy, and abasement, as their ascent after the resurrection, to meet their Lord in the air, shall be with power, triumph, and glory: Christ shall draw them, clouds shall carry them, angels shall conduct them.
Observe, 2. The blessed meeting of all the saints together in one body, to take their flight together to meet the Lord Jesus, who comes from the third heaven to meet them in the lower region of the air, when Christ will own them in their persons, own them in their services, own them in their sufferings, and they shall receive their full and final benediction from the mouth of Christ, and take an everlasting possession of the heavenly kingdom, together with Christ.
Observe, 3. The saints’ cohabitation and fellowship with Christ, together with its extent and duration, they shall ever be with the Lord. This implies the saints’ presence with Christ, their vision and sight of him, their fruition and enjoyment of him, their delectation of him, their conformity to him.
Learn hence, that the top and height of the saints’ blessedness in heaven consists in this, that they shall for ever be there with Christ.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. [Some, mistaking the spiritual resurrection mentioned at Rev 20:4-5; for a literal one, have thought that there are two resurrections, one for the righteous (the first resurrection) and one for the wicked (the second resurrection). Of course such a doctrine is abhorrent to the idea of a single hour of judgment, with the saved upon the right hand and the lost upon the left, but it shall be fully discussed in its own place. Those who hold this theory appeal to this passage in proof of it, reading it thus: “The dead in Christ shall rise first, and the dead out of Christ shall rise second.” But in order to make it read thus they have supplied a correlative clause which is totally foreign to the context, and which crowds out the correlative which Paul himself has given; for “shall rise first” is correlative with “then shall be caught up.” The apostle has been drawing a comparison, not between the righteous dead and the unrighteous dead, but between the dead and the living at the hour of the advent. He began this comparison at verse 15, and he here completes it by showing that the supposition that the living would precede the dead is so contrary to the facts that, on the contrary, the dead will be raised before any ascension is allowed the living, and then after the resurrection of the dead, the living and the dead shall be caught up together to meet the Lord. That glorious change, wherein the mortal puts on the immortal, as indicated at 1Co 15:51; 1Co 15:55 ; will no doubt be simultaneous with the resurrection of the dead. The phrase “caught up” implies the sudden and irresistible power of God. We are not to understand that we are to be caught up with clouds, but that we will meet him who comes with clouds (Dan 7:13; Rev 1:7; Mat 24:30). He makes the clouds his chariot (Psa 104:3). The term “air” is used generally for the region above the earth. No doubt we will be caught up far beyond our atmosphere into the realm of pure space– Eph 1:3; Eph 2:2]
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
Verse 17
In the clouds; in heaven. From the form of the expression used repeatedly in this passage, “We which are alive and remain,” and from phraseology analogous to it, occurring in other places, it has been supposed by some that the time of Christ’s final coming was one of the things not revealed even to the apostles, and that they shared with the church at large in the expectation that that event was to take place in their own day. Such an interpretation of his language, however, as this supposition implies, seems to be distinctly disavowed by the apostle in his Second Epistle to this church. (2 Thessalonians 2:2.)
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
4:17 Then 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.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Then God will catch up the saints alive on the earth into the air and unite us forever with Christ. The word in the Latin Vulgate translated "caught up" is rapturo from which the term "Rapture" comes. In Greek it is harpazo (cf. Act 8:39; 2Co 12:2-4). Living saints will experience translation-their bodies will become immortal-and saints who have died will experience resurrection with immortal bodies. Both kinds of Christians will meet (Gr. apantesis, cf. Mat 25:6; Act 28:15) in the air with Christ with whom we will remain never to experience separation from Him. Since we will always be with the Lord from then on we will return to earth with Him at His second coming, participate in His earthly millennial kingdom with Him, and finally dwell with Him in the new heavens and earth. Old Testament believers will evidently experience resurrection at the end of the Tribulation (Dan 12:1-13; Isa 26:13-19). [Note: See John F. Walvoord, "The Resurrection of Israel," Bibliotheca Sacra 124:493 (January-March 1967):3-15.] Probably Paul included himself in the living group because he believed that the Lord’s return was imminent. He set an example of expectancy for the church of all ages. [Note: J. B. Lightfoot, Notes on the Epistles of Paul, p. 67.]
Why will God snatch Christians up into the clouds to meet the Lord in the air? Pretribulationists answer that we will go with Christ to heaven where we will abide with Him in the place He has prepared for us there (Joh 14:1-3). We will receive our rewards at the judgment seat of Christ (2Co 5:10) and await our return with Him at His second coming (Rev 19:14). Thus we will spend the seven-year Tribulation with the Lord in heaven, not on the earth. Posttribulationists respond that Christ never actually returns to the earth in such a view. He has to change direction and return to heaven immediately. This seems unnatural to them. Pretribulationists say this is not unusual in view of what Jesus said about His coming to take His bride, the church, to His Father’s house (Joh 14:3).
Posttribulationists say God will snatch Christians up to meet Christ in the air to join Him as He proceeds to the earth to set up His kingdom. [Note: Ladd, p. 78.] Pretribulationists point out that it is even more unnatural for Christians to change direction and return to earth immediately than it is for Christ to change direction and return to heaven (cf. Joh 14:1-3).
"A meeting in the air is pointless unless the saints continue on to heaven with the Lord who has come out to meet them." [Note: Thomas, p. 279. Cf. George Milligan, St. Paul’s Epistles to the Thessalonians, p. 61.]
Most amillennialists affirm that this catching up will result in Christians going to heaven and not ever returning to the earth, as the following quotation shows.
"Those who meet the Lord in the air (the space between the earth and the heavens in Jewish cosmology) are caught up in a heavenly ascent by the clouds without any indication that they then return to earth." [Note: Wanamaker, p. 175.]
Most amillennialists, of course, do not believe that there will be an earthly messianic (millennial) reign for Christians or Christ to return to the earth to participate in. Barclay took this section as poetry, a seer’s vision that the reader should not take literally. [Note: Barclay, p. 236.]
Posttribulationists believe that since the Scriptures elsewhere present the Rapture as taking place at the end of the Tribulation, they say, it must be Christians who change direction in mid-air rather than Christ.
Are there any other passages of Scripture that clarify when this translation of living saints will occur? Both pretribulationists and posttribulationists agree that this event will happen at the same time as a resurrection of believers from the dead (1Th 4:14-17; cf. 1Co 15:51-52). However we disagree about what resurrection is in view. Some posttribulationists identify this resurrection with one that will take place at Christ’s second coming. [Note: E.g., Reese, pp. 214-15; Gundry, pp. 134-39.] Some of them hold that this resurrection is "the first resurrection" (Rev 20:4-5) and that no resurrection will precede this one, specifically one before the Tribulation. [Note: E.g., Ladd, p. 82.] However, pretribulationists point out that there has already been at least one resurrection, namely, Christ’s. The resurrection of Jairus’ daughter, the widow of Nain’s son, and Lazarus were really resuscitations since these people died again. Consequently "first" must not mean the first ever but first in relation to others, probably the first of the two mentioned in Rev 20:4-5. This "first resurrection" evidently refers to a resurrection of believers that will take place at the end of the Tribulation. The second resurrection, the resurrection of unbelievers, will occur at the end of the Millennium. This interpretation opens the possibility for another resurrection of believers before the Tribulation. [Note: For a very helpful account of the history of the Rapture debate, see Stanton, pp. 306-401.]
Marvin Rosenthal offered a unique interpretation that he called the "pre-wrath Rapture." [Note: Marvin Rosenthal, The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church.] He believed that the only time when God will pour out His wrath on the world will be the last quarter, rather than the last half, of Daniel’s seventieth week (Dan 9:24-27). He equated this 21-month long period with the day of the Lord (Joe 2:1-2). [Note: The chart below is from John A. McLean, "Another Look at Rosenthal’s ’Pre-Wrath Rapture,’" Bibliotheca Sacra 148:592 (October-December 1991):388.]
Most premillennialists have understood the day of the Lord to describe the whole seventieth week (seven years) plus the messianic (millennial) kingdom. [Note: See Showers, pp. 30-40, and Stanton, pp. 70-91, for excellent discussions of "the day of the Lord."] We view the whole seven-year Tribulation as a period of the outpouring of divine wrath (Jer 30:7; Dan 12:1). [Note: For refutations of Rosenthal’s view, see Gerald B. Stanton, "A Review of The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church," Bibliotheca Sacra 148:589 (January-March 1991):90-111; Paul Karleen, The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church: Is It Biblical? and Showers, The Pre-Wrath Rapture View: An Examination and Critique.]
"Just as each day of creation and the Jewish day consisted of two phases-a time of darkness (’evening’) followed by a time of light (’day’) [Gen 1:4-6]-so the future Day of the Lord will consist of two phases, a period of darkness (judgment) followed by a period of light (divine rule and blessing)." [Note: Idem, Maranatha . . ., p. 33.]
A representative amillennial explanation of this passage is as follows.
"Although an attempt has been made here [in his commentary] to organize the details of 1Th 4:16 f. into a reasonably coherent picture of the events of the end, it must be acknowledged that Paul was probably not interested in giving us a literal description. His goal was to reassure the Thessalonians that their fellow Christians who had died would participate on equal terms with them in the salvation experience accompanying the parousia of the Lord." [Note: Wanamaker, p. 176.]
Yet there are no clues in the passage that we should take what Paul said as anything other than a literal description.