The doctrine of “the Rapture” is based on a particular interpretation of 1 Thessalonians 4:17 which says that Christians “will be caught up…in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” On this basis, many conservative Christians believe that Christians will be literally suctioned up into the clouds at the end of the age, and this is what is called “the Rapture.”
While there are a diversity of perspectives at Woodland on matters pertaining to the end times, our official position is that the rapture doctrine is misguided. For one thing, the rapture doctrine was unheard of throughout the whole of Church history up until the 19th century. Perhaps the most damaging practical consequence of this teaching is that it can easily lead people to embrace an escapist mindset that demotivates working for the well-being of society and our planet. Instead of Jesus-followers suffering with the world and on behalf of the world, those who are waiting for “the Rapture” are hoping to escape the world’s suffering.
To understand Paul’s teaching in this passage, it is important to consider the context of the ancient Greco-Roman world. In ancient Rome, there was a common practice associated with the return of a victorious military leader and his army after a war. When the people of the city, who were waiting to celebrate the victory, finally saw their general and their army out on the distant horizon, they would leave the city to meet this general and escort him back to the city in a celebratory parade. Examples of this are found in ancient writings about Caesar’s or Pompey’s triumphal return to Rome after their military victories.
In this passage in Thessalonians, Paul applies this ancient idea to say that, at the end of the age when Jesus has fully completed his victorious defeat of the kingdom of darkness (including Satan, sin and death), he will “return” to Earth. Paul uses standard apocalyptic imagery of Jesus returning “on the clouds” and with a “sound of a trumpet” to meet Christians “in the air.” This is simply a symbolic expression of Jesus’ returning in glorious fashion. In first century thinking, the “air” was the domain of spiritual authority immediately over the earth, so when Paul says we shall meet the Lord “in the air,” he is saying we will greet him as Jesus assumes authority over the earth and then usher in and celebrate his eternal victory over evil and reign over the earth.
Recommended Resources
- Not Afraid of the Antichrist: Why We Don’t Believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture by Michael L. Brown and Craig S. Keener
