1 Thessalonians 4:17

15 For this we say to you ^aby the word of the Lord, that ^bwe who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are¹ asleep.

16 For ^athe Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with ^bthe trumpet of God. ^cAnd the dead in Christ will rise first.

17 ^aThen we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them ^bin the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus ^cwe shall always be with the Lord.

18 ^aTherefore comfort one another with these words.

Commentaries:

Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)

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Then (epeita). The next step, not the identical time (tote), but immediately afterwards.

Together with them (ama sun autoiv). Note both ama (at the same time) and sun (together with) with the associative instrumental case autoiv (the risen saints).

Shall be caught up (arpaghsomeqa). Second future passive indicative of arpazw, old verb to seize, to carry off like Latin rapio.

To meet the Lord in the air (eiv apanthsin tou Kuriou eiv aera). 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 (kai outwv). 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 (I Thessalonians 5:10; Philippians 1:23; Colossians 3:4; II Corinthians 5:8).

**Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing 1 Thessalonians 4:17:**

Acts 8:39
1 Corinthians 15:51
2 Thessalonians 2:1
Revelation 11:12

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