Afterwards we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
Truth to Learn
Living Christians will join the “dead in Christ” at the rapture.
Behind the Words
“Afterwards” is from the Greek word epeita, which is made up of epi meaning “upon” or “at” and eita, a particle of succession. Hence, epeita means “then,” “afterwards,” or “next.”
The words “who are alive” are translated from dzao, meaning “to live.” It is preceded by the plural definite article oi, thus it could be translated “the living ones.”
“Remain” is from the Greek word perileipō, which we saw a couple verses back, meaning “the ones left behind” or “the remaining ones.” When we combine this with oi dzaō, which we just talked about, it means “the remaining living ones.”
“Shall be caught up” is the translation of the Greek verb harpadzō. This verb means “to seize by force” or “to snatch away.” In the Latin translation of the Bible it is translated as a form of rapare, from which we get the English word rapture.
The words “together with” are from two Greek words. They are hama, meaning “at the same time” and sun, meaning “with.”
Nephelē is the word translated “clouds.” This is the diminutive form of nephos, meaning “clouds.” Thus, nephelē literally means “little clouds” or “cloudiness.” The Greek text does not contain the definite article (the), so a more accurate translation would be “in clouds,” not “in the clouds.”
“Meet” is from apantēsis, a form of apantaō, meaning “to meet, coming from different directions.” The form of apantēsis used here literally means “a meeting.”
“In the air” is from eis aera, meaning “into air” or “into the atmosphere.”
Meaning Explained
In the previous verse we learned that those “who sleep in Jesus,” Christians who have died physically, will be raised from the dead first. Now we learn that right afterwards, Christians who have not yet died will be snatched away from the earth. These two groups of Christians will be joined together in clouds. This could be a description of the weather conditions at the time (cloudiness) or, more likely, it means that there will be clouds of people being raised up off the earth for a meeting with the Lord Jesus Christ.
This glorious meeting will take place “in the air” or “in the earth’s atmosphere.” This is a significant statement because it indicates that our Lord will not come to the surface of the earth, just into the atmosphere. In other words, this is not “the second coming of the Lord,” which occurs on the “Day of the Lord.” According to the prophet Zechariah, on the day of the Lord, the Messiah will come to the surface of the earth and stand on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:1-4). Remember, the day of Christ (the rapture) is a time of celebration and joy, whereas the Day of the Lord is a day of judgment and woe.
From the moment of the rapture, for the rest of eternity, we will be with our Lord. Also, note again that Paul says “we who are alive.” Paul expected to be alive for the rapture.
Application
If you have committed yourself to the Lordship of Jesus Christ through belief of His death and resurrection, you will be part of the rapture. Are you looking forward to this event which could happen any day now? I sure am!
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved