Over the last few weeks, I’ve been diving into the doctrine of the rapture, exploring its biblical and historical foundations. Today, I’m wrapping up this series with my sixth and final post—though truthfully, I could have unpacked even more! If you’ve missed any of the earlier posts, I encourage you to check them out:
Part four: Is the Rapture in the Book of Revelation?
Now, let’s bring this discussion to a close. For many Americans, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 is regarded as the ultimate "rapture passage." These verses are commonly interpreted as God taking his people off to heaven. But is this actually what Paul is saying? Let’s take a closer look at the text:
"Now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. 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. Then we will be with the Lord forever" (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17).
Paul’s words radiate comfort and assurance, offering a promise of restoration. He proclaims that at Jesus’ return, everything will be made new. On that day, the living and the dead will unite to welcome their King in a triumphant, victorious procession. These words are designed to ease the fears of believers, assuring them that whether alive or resting in the grave, they will all share in the resurrection and glory of the Lord.
This Thessalonian passage isn't isolated; it fits into a broader narrative Paul weaves in his letters. In Philippians 3:20-21 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-54, the apostle emphasizes resurrection and transformation as central themes of the Christian hope: Together, these passages form a cohesive narrative: the second coming of Jesus brings total renewal. Mortal, perishable bodies will be changed, becoming incorruptible. This is not an escape from the earth but the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan within creation.
N. T. Wright, a leading New Testament scholar, sheds light on Paul’s use of imagery in this passage:
At Jesus’ “coming” or “appearing,” those who are still alive will be “changed” or “transformed” so that their mortal bodies will become incorruptible, deathless. This is all that Paul intends to say in Thessalonians, but here he borrows imagery—from biblical and political sources—to enhance his message. Little did he know how his rich metaphors would be misunderstood two millennia later.1
Paul isn't talking about an otherworldly escape. Instead, he is addressing what weighed heavily on the Thessalonian believers: what would happen to those who had already died? Would they miss out on the resurrection and the joy of seeing Jesus face-to-face?
Paul made it clear that all believers—living or deceased—will share in the resurrection and be united with Christ in his glorious return. This passage is a promise of hope and restoration, not talking about abandonment but the transformation of creation.
What Does “caught up in the clouds" Mean?
Paul, in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, uses the phrase "caught up"—a dramatic depiction of believers being taken up toward the Lord. However, the original language carries a nuance that is often misunderstood. Noted New Testament scholar Leon Morris explains:
The Greek verb for 'caught up' is harpagesometha. Does it convey the sense of an abduction here? No, it combines the ideas of force and suddenness seen in the irresistible power of God."2
This passage isn’t about "blasting off to heaven like a rocket"—a colorful phrase I once heard an evangelist use. The focus isn't on a sudden disappearance but rather on the Lord's power and might orchestrating an earth-shaking transformation. This passage's trajectory isn't moving the way many Americans imagine. Things here are ultimately moving down, not up.
Far from being an escape, this scene is about an entrance—an arrival steeped in celebration, participation, and unshakable hope. The Apostle Paul paints a vivid picture of a joyous reunion, where both the living, who are changed, and the resurrected, who come back to life, unite to welcome Jesus as he returns to exert his goodness and glory.
To fully appreciate what is going on, we should examine the term Paul uses for “meeting” in 1 Thessalonians 4:17—apantēsis. In Greco-Roman culture, this word carried the specific meaning of a formal reception for a visiting dignitary. It describes a moment of great honor, where prominent citizens would go out to meet a king and then accompany him back into the city in a display of triumph and solidarity.
Rather than depicting believers being whisked away to heaven, it illustrates a powerful communal celebration in the atmosphere of the earth—a royal procession welcoming the victorious King as he takes his rightful place in a newly restored creation.
N. T. Wright provides a compelling explanation of this imagery, firmly rooting it in the cultural and political context of the Roman Empire. He writes:
“Paul borrows imagery—from biblical and political sources—to enhance his message… Paul conjures up images of an emperor visiting a colony or province. The citizens go out to meet him in open country and then escort him into the city. Paul’s image of the people ‘meeting the Lord in the air’ should be read with the assumption that the people will immediately turn around and lead the Lord back to the newly remade world."3
Wright isn't the only scholar who observed this. I. Howard Marshall, former professor of New Testament Exegesis at the University of Aberdeen, writes,
“The Greek word used here [in 1 Thessalonians 4:17] probably carries an allusion to the way in which a visiting dignitary might be met on the way to a city by a representative group of citizens who would then escort him back to the city . . . The Lord’s people go to meet him in order to escort him back to the earth, and that is where they shall always be with the Lord.”4
Noted Evangelical theologian Leon Morris agrees. He says, "The expression translated to meet is kind of a technical term 'for the official welcome of a newly arrived dignitary'…and is very suitable in this context."5
These highly regarded Bible scholars give us a unified reading, interpreting this passage as believers welcoming Christ in a royal procession as he returns in victory. Their observations should invite us to rethink the popular narratives we hear on Christian radio and television.
Aligning with the Lord in His Descent
Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians paints a vivid picture of the first stage of the resurrection—a moment when believers, both past and present, unite to welcome the Lord as he descends from heaven. This gathering occurs in the lower atmosphere, forming a royal procession that escorts Jesus into the earthly realm. It’s a grand meeting on the "outskirts" of the earth, preparing the way for Jesus' triumphant entry.
Significantly, this passage doesn’t suggest that Jesus will descend partway only to return to heaven with believers in tow. In fact, heaven isn’t mentioned at all in this text. Those who interpret this as a permanent earthly departure are imposing their own assumptions. Instead, Paul emphasizes the victorious descent of our Messiah and Lord.
At its heart, Paul’s message is not about escaping earth but about welcoming the King as he claims his rightful place. It’s not about our departure—it’s about his arrival. This will be a moment of victory, restoration, and the ultimate fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan for creation.
A Historical Perspective
For centuries, 1 Thessalonians 4:13–17 has been widely understood as a declaration of the general resurrection of the saints—a cornerstone of Christian hope. Long before the rapture doctrine appeared in the 1830s, esteemed Bible expositors and commentators consistently interpreted these verses as describing the resurrection of the dead at Christ's glorious and triumphal return.
Matthew Henry, the esteemed Bible commentator, put it this way:
“They shall be raised up from the dead, and awakened out of their sleep, for God will bring them with him… The doctrine of the resurrection and the second coming of Christ is a great antidote against the fear of death and inordinate sorrow for the death of our Christian friends.”6
When we examine the writings of pastors, theologians, and scholars in church history, there is no evidence they viewed 1 Thessalonians 4:13–17 as a rapture passage (at least before the 1800s). Even H. A. Ironside, a prominent Dispensationalist, admitted that the rapture
"is scarcely to be found in a single book or sermon through the period of 1600 years! If any doubt this statement, let them search ... the remarks of the so-called Fathers, both pre and post Nicene, the theological treaties of the scholastic divines, Roman Catholic writers of all shades of thought, the literature of the Reformation, the sermons and expositions of the Puritans, and the general theological works of the day. He will find the ‘mystery’ [of the rapture] conspicuous by its absence."7
It has been only a little over a century since Americans began interpreting 1 Thessalonians 4:13–17 through the lens of the rapture. For many, this perspective has become so ingrained that it’s difficult to read the passage any other way. However, this modern lens obscures the original understanding.
A Message of Hope
Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–17 overflow with assurance and hope. Rather than presenting an escape plan, he proclaims the triumphant return of Jesus and the inclusion of all believers—past and present—in the messiah's glorious victory.
Imagine the scene: a majestic procession of saints, both the living and the resurrected, joyfully uniting to welcome the King as he descends. This is the vision Paul offers: not one of abandonment, but of celebration. It’s not about disappearing, but about Jesus' appearing. It's not about retreating from the world’s struggles but rising to meet the King amid his full exertion of justice.
It’s heartbreaking how often this passage is mischaracterized. Paul wants us to know that God is going to gather the living and the dead together in the clouds to welcome the Lord into this earthly terrain. It is meant to inspire hope and engagement, not to fuel a narrative of personal escape. How tragic that such a profound promise has been re-framed by many as a strategy for evacuation.
For more than a century, millions have been taught a doctrine that lacks clear biblical support. Even 1 Thessalonians 4:13–17, frequently cited as a cornerstone of rapture theology, reveals a resurrection and renewal, not a departure.
Let me make this clear: there is no rapture, but there is a resurrection of the dead at the second coming of Jesus!
As this teaching series draws to a close, my prayer is that you embrace a deeper and richer understanding of the hope we have in Christ. This hope is not about escapism but the transformation of creation under his Lordship. May our eyes remain fixed on Jesus, yearning for the day when he makes all things new.
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N.T. Wright, “Farewell to The Rapture,” Bible Review, August 2001.
Leon Morris, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, Revised Edition (Downer's Grove, Illinois, Intervarsity Press, 1984), 94.
N.T. Wright, “Farewell to The Rapture,” Bible Review, August 2001.
I. Howard Marshall, 1 and 2 Thessalonians (NCB; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983), 131.
Leon Morris, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, Revised Edition (Downer's Grove, Illinois, Intervarsity Press, 1984), 95.
Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706), 1 Thessalonians 4
H.A. Ironside, The Mysteries of God (New York: Loizeaux Brothers, 1908), 50.
This post is part six in a series:
I wrote a book about the Book of Revelation. Check it out here.
I have new book on personal revival coming out through Chosen Books. Check it out here.
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