Paul wrote: “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 shall not precede (phthano – G5348) them which are asleep” (1Thessalonians 4:15). That is, we shall not be rewarded at the coming of the King before those who had fallen asleep. Years later, Paul wrote to the Jews in Judea to say that the righteous dead would not enter into their reward before the righteous Jews who were alive at the time of the Lord’s return (Hebrews 11:39-40). Keep in mind that the church at Thessalonica was a very immature church in terms of Paul’s Gospel. While they knew Judaism fully (which also preached the dead wouldn’t rise), they didn’t know the Gospel fully. Paul had to leave Thessalonica long before he wanted to, and couldn’t return until the terms of the governors who expelled him expired. Therefore, the Thessalonian believers, although they received the Gospel of Christ, didn’t understand fully how that changed their theology under Judaism.
The fact that they sorrowed over the passing of loved ones, as though there wasn’t any hope for them any longer, tells us their brand of Judaism was more like the Sadducees than the Pharisees. The Sadducees had hope only in this life, and didn’t hope for life after death. Thus, the believers in Thessalonica were sad over other the fact believers had died without receiving their reward at the coming of the Lord. However, Paul corrects their misunderstanding by saying: “If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus… we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede (or come into our reward without) those who have fallen asleep” (1Thessalonians 4:14-15).
First, the Lord descends with a shout, the voice of the archangel and the trump of God, and Paul identifies this as the time of the resurrection (1Thessalonians 4:16; cp. verse-14; 1Corinthians 15:52). Then, those who are alive and remain (verse-15) are caught up in a cloud to meet the Lord in the air (1Thessalonians 4:17).
Most Bible students will read this and believe we are scooped up from the earth and sort’a, kind’a “fly” to the clouds to meet Jesus upon his return, but this is not what the text claims. First of all, the Greek word, apantesis (G529) has the idea of welcoming a dignitary and escorting him back the their place of origin. The dignitary didn’t come to take the people away, but rather to go to be with them. Secondly, the air (G109) is the place the Scriptures claim divine judgment is pronounced (1Chronicles 21:16). It is where the power of the enemies of God is contained and felt (Ephesians 2:2). If we are unable to physically touch the place of divine judgment or the touch the place of the power of the enemy, why would we believe we could physically arrive at the place of Jesus’ return, where his divine judgment was to be exercised upon our enemy? Paul is speaking in metaphor.
There existed an air of contempt and ill will for believers during the first century AD, and that air was a power, which was more or less controlled by the Jewish authorities in Judea. It was the power that influenced others to persecute and kill the innocent. When Christ returned with the dead in Christ with him, the air was changed, because the enemy controlling the power of the air was destroyed. The Old Covenant ceased to exist and the New Covenant was established. At that same moment in time, believers were empowered by Christ to be the only representatives of God upon the earth from that point forward. The Jews were taken out of the way, and Jerusalem was destroyed with its Temple. The elect of God were empowered to bring the Gospel to all nations as Jesus’ representatives, and Paul told his readers to comfort themselves with these words (1Thessalonians 4:18).
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