I Thessalonians 4:17 says, “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.”
In the Last Days book, we mention that the phrase usually translated “to meet the Lord in the air” is literally in the Greek, “to a meeting of the Lord in the air.”
The phrase is usually translated as an infinitive, but the Greek uses a preposition, which makes a difference in how we understand what is being said.
For a quick review of infinitives and prepositions:
Infinitives are a kind of verb: to run to bake to sing to meet |
Infinitives are often followed by a noun: to run a mile to bake the cake to sing a song to meet the Lord |
Prepositions are words like: around at behind in over under to |
Prepositions are usually followed by a noun: around the block at home behind a tree in town over the hill under the shelf to a meeting |
In most translations, I Thessalonians 4:17 has been translated as an infinitive and a noun—“to meet the Lord”—but this is not what the Greek actually says.
The Greek does not have an infinitive “to meet.” The Greek has a preposition and a noun—“to a meeting.”
Most translations say, “to meet the Lord”
The Greek says, “to a meeting of the Lord”
If we want to follow what the Greek says, we should think of I Thessalonians 4:17 as telling us that the believers who have already died and the believers who are still alive will be caught up together to a meeting—a preposition and a noun.
“To a meeting” is not only true to the Greek, but it fits the context as well. Paul wrote I Thessalonians 4:13-18 to encourage believers about those who had already died. Notice that every verse mentions one or both groups of Christians—the ones who had already died and the ones who are still alive when the Lord returns:
Verse 13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who have fallen asleep, so that you don’t grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
Verse 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
Verse 15 We tell you this by the word of the Lord that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
Verse 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Verse 17a After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds
Verse 17b to a meeting of the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
Verse 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
This passage is designed to take away our ignorance, to show us we do not have to grieve, and to give us hope about those believers who have already died (v.13). Every verse gives us information about this meeting, this reunion of believers.
The verses do not say “to meet the Lord in the air” as if the emphasis is our meeting the Lord. Of course, our meeting the Lord will be wonderful, but the purpose of I Thessalonians 4:13-18 is to comfort us and inform us that, when the Lord returns, those who have already died will be at a meeting together with those who are still alive.