Dear Friend,
Longing for Jesus
I want to begin by saying something simple but sincere: I know you long for Jesus. You long for the day when sorrow ends, when justice is done, when the chaos of this age gives way to the clarity of His voice. And if the “rapture” means seeing Him face to face and being gathered to His presence—then in that longing, you and I are the same.
But over time, I’ve come to believe that the popular vision of the rapture—especially as taught in modern dispensational theology—is not what Jesus meant, not what the prophets foresaw, and not what the covenant promises point to.
So I’m writing not to debate, but to open a door. To say: there’s a richer story. A deeper framework. One that doesn’t ask you to let go of your hope—but invites you to follow it further. And you’re already standing on its edge.
Paul and the Clouds: What Did He Mean in 1 Thessalonians?
Paul writes:
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout… and the dead in Messiah will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air…” —1 Thessalonians 4:16–17
This passage is often used as a foundation for rapture theology. But Paul wasn’t inventing a new doctrine of sudden evacuation. He was speaking as a Pharisee who believed in the resurrection of the dead—and more than that, he was using language that any Second Temple Jew steeped in apocalyptic hope would understand.
Let’s unpack it.
“Caught up in the clouds” is bridal and royal language. This isn’t about leaving earth behind. In ancient Jewish weddings, the bride went out to meet the groom and then returned with him. Similarly, when a king approached a city, citizens would go out to greet him and escort him in (cf. Matthew 25:6). The Greek word apantesis (ἀπάντησις), translated “to meet,” is used this way—not to evacuate, but to welcome.
“Clouds” signify glory, not geography. In Scripture, clouds mark divine presence: Sinai, the Tabernacle, the Transfiguration. Stephen saw “the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” in such glory before his death. Paul is not describing the weather—he’s describing a revelation of glory.
“Rising” with the dead is resurrection language. Paul aligns himself with the Pharisaic (and Jesus’) belief in the resurrection of the righteous. This is not a secret rapture of the Church. It’s the unveiling of the just who sleep in the dust, as Daniel said (Dan. 12:2), and as 2 Maccabees boldly affirms.
It’s covenantal, not escapist. This moment is not about disappearing, but about the unveiling of the sons of God (Romans 8:19), as the creation itself is set free from bondage. It’s the culmination of covenant, not a break from it.
In short, Paul is not contradicting the Jewish hope of resurrection—he is confirming it, through the lens of Messiah. He’s pointing to the same event Jesus described in Matthew 24 and John saw in Revelation: not a “rapture,” but the great gathering of those who love God, to welcome Him as He comes to dwell.
The Wrath of God: What Revelation Really Reveals
Some have read the bowl judgments in Revelation—where staggering percentages of the earth’s population are said to perish—as literal events forecasting mass global death. But what if these visions are meant to be read not through the lens of statistical horror, but through prophetic symbolism rooted in the Torah and the Prophets?
Some have read the bowl judgments in Revelation—where staggering percentages of the earth’s population are said to perish—as literal events forecasting mass global death. But what if these visions are meant to be read not through the lens of statistical horror, but through prophetic symbolism rooted in the Torah and the Prophets?
Revelation is not a modern newspaper of doom. It’s a visionary drama deeply steeped in the imagery of Isaiah 63, where God tramples the winepress of nations—not as wanton destruction, but as covenantal justice. This is about the fall of false dominion and the exposure of spiritual corruption.
Paul in Romans 1 says that God’s wrath is revealed not by fire from the sky, but by God “giving people over” to the consequences of their idolatry. Revelation dramatizes this same principle: bowls poured out not just to punish, but to expose. It’s not humanity that is wiped out—it’s idolatry, pride, and counterfeit power that are being dismantled.
The “death” described may be spiritual—a prophetic declaration that vast segments of the world are already operating under judgment, cut off from covenant life. This reading aligns with how Ezekiel and Jeremiah spoke of judgment: not simply as destruction, but as a revealing of what has long been festering beneath the surface.
From a Torat Edom lens, these bowls are not about the world being annihilated. They are about the world being healed through exposure. The true wrath of God is not irrational rage—it is the necessary uncovering of false religion, empire, and injustice. This is not destruction for its own sake. It is divine mercy through judgment, a call to repentance and return, even in the final hour.
And crucially, even in Revelation, after many of these plagues, we read: “And still, they did not repent.” Which means the door remained open.
So what Revelation gives us is not a countdown to catastrophe. It gives us a cosmic courtroom, where empire is on trial, where the Lamb is revealed, and where covenant justice is no longer delayed.
And that, too, is part of our blessed hope.
A Misunderstood Moment: “One Taken, One Left”
Let’s start with something Jesus said often cited to support the rapture:
Let’s start with something Jesus said often cited to support the rapture:
“Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.” (Matthew 24:40–41)
At first glance, it sounds like a rapture. But let’s read it carefully.
Just before this, Jesus says, “As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man… the flood came and took them all away.” (Matthew 24:37–39)
Who was “taken” in Noah’s day? Not the righteous—the wicked were taken in judgment. Noah was left—preserved through the flood.
When Jesus says “one will be taken,” He isn’t promising an escape but warning of judgment. In Luke 17, disciples ask, “Where, Lord?” He replies chillingly, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”
This sounds like the separation God has always done: Noah from wickedness, Israel from Egypt, Lot from Sodom. A covenantal sorting—not evacuation.
Isaiah 66:1 — God Is Not Leaving
Consider Isaiah’s words:
“Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Where is the house you will build for Me? And where is My resting place?” (Isaiah 66:1)
God’s goal has never been to abandon earth but to dwell in it, rest in it, heal it. The biblical narrative from Eden to Sinai to the Tabernacle and ultimately the New Jerusalem is about God coming down—not us going up.
The language of “meeting the Lord in the air” (1 Thess. 4:17) is about welcoming the returning King, not fleeing from Him. We meet Christ and return with Him, as a bride joins her groom, to inhabit the renewed creation.
Sacred Time and the True Sabbath
Jewish tradition teaches history exists in a 7-day pattern (Psalm 90:4). The sages (Sanhedrin 97a) outlined:
• 2,000 years of chaos
• 2,000 years of Torah
• 2,000 years of Messiah
• Followed by a Sabbath millennium of rest, healing, and divine presence
We’re nearing the end of the sixth millennium. What’s next isn’t disappearance, but Sabbath—Shabbat—a Messianic Age of renewal and restoration. The Millennium of Revelation isn’t a delay or diversion; it’s the climax of God’s covenant, where earth is made holy again.
The Sheep and the Goats: Covenant, Not Evacuation
Jesus describes a final sorting of nations in Matthew 25—the Sheep and Goats judgment. Yet the question isn’t about doctrinal accuracy but compassionate action:
“I was hungry and you fed Me… I was a stranger and you welcomed Me.”
This is covenantal alignment. It’s not about escaping earth; it’s about embodying God’s kingdom here and now. The goats aren’t left behind; they’re removed. The sheep remain—to inherit a healed, holy, earthly kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world.
Stephen and Lazarus: True Rapture as Witness
Consider Stephen, stoned and dying. He looked up and saw heaven opened (Acts 7:55–56). He experienced true rapture—not a secret evacuation but a revelation of glory amidst suffering, covenantally gathered into the presence of Christ.
Lazarus, in Jesus’ parable, is carried to Abraham’s bosom (Luke 16:22). This wasn’t a departure from covenant history but entry into its fullness. Both examples redefine rapture: it is entering the unveiled presence of God through faithfulness, not fleeing from trials.
Resurrection vs. Rapture: Pharisees, Sadducees, and Jesus
Most Judaism in Jesus’ day (under Sadducean influence) denied resurrection. Pharisees—and Jesus—affirmed it strongly. The Pharisees shaped Halakah, led the Sanhedrin, and understood resurrection as covenant fulfillment, not evacuation. Jesus stood firmly in this tradition. Resurrection is bodily, covenantal, communal—not escapist.
The Future is Here: Space, Justice, Bitcoin
We’re stepping into the future, physically and economically. Space travel isn’t fantasy; it’s imminent. Economic justice, through decentralized systems like Bitcoin, challenges unjust empires. This isn’t distraction but participation in what’s next—a world being prepared for Messianic fulfillment, where justice, creativity, and exploration flourish.
The excitement isn’t leaving; it’s arriving, growing, expanding—joining God’s mission to heal and renew creation.
Final Word: Deepen Your Hope
My dear friend, keep longing for Jesus. But shape your longing by covenant, not fear.
God isn’t evacuating His people; He’s inhabiting His world.
He isn’t discarding earth; He’s refining it like gold.
He isn’t removing you from history; He’s writing you into its climactic chapter.
So let’s not vanish. Let’s prepare. Build. Set the table. Welcome the Sabbath.
And when the trumpet sounds, it won’t signal retreat—it’ll summon us to dwell in a world restored.
With hope and affection,
Marty
_____________
End notes - Exegetical Insights on 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17
End notes - Exegetical Insights on 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17
The “Air” (Aēr) as Symbolic Space
The Greek word for “air” (aēr) in 1 Thess 4:17 doesn’t just refer to atmospheric sky—it was understood in Jewish and Greco-Roman cosmology as the intermediary realm where spiritual activity took place. Paul elsewhere calls Satan “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2), and yet here the air becomes the meeting place of Messiah and His people. This could be read as a deliberate reversal—Messiah reclaims the contested space, subduing all principalities and powers (cf. Eph 1:20–22).
The Greek word for “air” (aēr) in 1 Thess 4:17 doesn’t just refer to atmospheric sky—it was understood in Jewish and Greco-Roman cosmology as the intermediary realm where spiritual activity took place. Paul elsewhere calls Satan “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2), and yet here the air becomes the meeting place of Messiah and His people. This could be read as a deliberate reversal—Messiah reclaims the contested space, subduing all principalities and powers (cf. Eph 1:20–22).
The “Great Gathering” as Isaiahic Motif
Isaiah speaks repeatedly of a future gathering:
“And in that day… He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will assemble the scattered people of Judah” (Isaiah 11:11–12).
“From one new moon to another… all flesh shall come to worship before Me…” (Isaiah 66:23)
Paul’s language echoes this prophetic gathering—not as disconnection from Israel’s story, but as its covenantal fulfillment. The “cloud gathering” is thus a global in-gathering, not an upward evacuation.
Echoes of Mount Sinai and the Betrothal Motif
The trumpet, cloud, and voice imagery strongly recalls Sinai (Exod 19), where God descended in glory to enter covenant with Israel. That was a marriage proposal, so to speak, where Israel became God’s bride (Jer 2:2). Paul is reframing the return of Jesus as Sinai renewed—a new covenant betrothal moment for Jew and grafted-in Gentile, now made complete in Messiah. This “meeting in the air” is not escapism—it’s a cosmic wedding canopy (like a chuppah), suspended between heaven and earth, inviting the renewed bride to meet her Groom.
Jewish Funeral Imagery Transformed
In 1 Thess 4, Paul uses the term “sleep” to describe the dead. In Jewish burial customs, the righteous were said to be sleeping in the dust until the time of the resurrection (Dan 12:2). But Paul flips the funeral dirge into a trumpet blast of joy—sleep is not the end; it’s the waiting room of glory. This parallels rabbinic ideas that the righteous dead “await the voice of the shofar to rise.” Thus, Paul’s eschatology transforms the mourner’s hope into resurrection certainty, not rapture escape.
The Priestly Role of the Community
If Jesus is the High Priest entering fully into creation to purify it (Heb 9:24–28), then the saints “meeting Him in the air” form a processional of priests—gathered not to leave the earth behind, but to accompany the new Adam as He returns to reclaim and consecrate the sanctuary of creation. This could be paired with the image of the Tabernacle’s cloud and the people’s consecration before entering the land (Num 9–10). It’s a sacred movement of covenant restoration, not a vanishing act.
“Caught Up in the Clouds”: Paul’s Apocalyptic Imagery and Intent
Comfort, Not Escape – Resurrection Reunion: Paul’s primary intent in 1 Thess 4:16–17 is to comfort grieving believers about those who have died . He assures them that deceased Christians will be resurrected (“the dead in Christ will rise first”), and then both the raised dead and the living will “be caught up together” to reunite with Christ . The emphasis is on all Jesus’ followers being together with Him forever – a grand reunion of the faithful, not an evacuation from earth . The phrase “caught up” (Greek harpazō, source of the term “rapture”) implies being gathered by God’s power, much like God has snatched away servants in biblical stories (e.g. Enoch or Elijah), indicating divine action bringing believers into His presence. Paul’s pastoral tone (“encourage one another with these words”) shows this scenario is meant to instill hope that no believer—living or dead—will miss out on Christ’s coming kingdom.
Clouds and Divine Presence: Being caught up “in the clouds” evokes familiar biblical imagery for God’s glorious presence. In Scripture, clouds often signal a theophany – God’s manifest appearance. For example, when God met Moses at Sinai to establish the covenant, a cloud and loud trumpet marked His descent (Exod 19:16–19). Paul deliberately echoes this Sinai imagery (trumpet, divine voice) , suggesting that Christ’s return will be a new covenantal “Sinai” moment, when God’s presence again openly descends to His people. Likewise, clouds signify God’s glory in the prophets and apocalyptic visions (e.g. Dan 7:13). Jesus Himself ascended to heaven in a cloud (Acts 1:9) and promised to return “on the clouds” (Mark 14:62). Thus, Paul’s mention of clouds signals that the meeting with the Lord happens in God’s domain of glory – not literally in weather clouds for a sky-stroll, but in the heavenly splendor accompanying Christ’s appearing . In Jewish apocalyptic language, “coming with clouds” means divine authority and presence. Paul paints Christ’s coming with the same brushstrokes of majesty.
“Meet the Lord in the Air” – A Royal Welcome: The phrase “to meet the Lord” (Greek eis apantēsin – for a meeting) carries the sense of going out to welcome a dignitary. In antiquity, when a king or honored guest approached a city, the people would go out to meet him and then escort him back in celebratory procession . Paul uses this well-known image: believers will rise to meet Jesus, the world’s true King, in a joyous welcome party. This implies immediate accompaniment of Christ back to the world He is coming to rule . Far from describing believers disappearing to heaven away from earth, “meeting the Lord in the air” signifies honoring Jesus at His arrival. As one commentator explains, the Greek term for “meeting” here refers to “the action of going out to meet an arrival, especially as a mark of honor,” after which the dignitary is guided back to the city . In other words, Christians will rise to welcome Jesus in His descent, celebrating His return and immediately coming with Him as He establishes His reign. Paul has essentially verticalized the typical welcome procession: Jesus descends from heaven’s realm and believers ascend into the sky, the midpoint between heaven and earth, to greet Him in glory.
Trumpet Blast – Victory and Gathering: Paul’s scene includes “the trumpet of God” sounding , which in Jewish tradition signals God’s manifest action on the Day of the Lord. The trumpet at Sinai announced God’s covenant arrival, and later prophets like Isaiah said a great trumpet would blow to gather God’s people from exile . In Jesus’ own teaching about the end, He likewise said a loud trumpet will accompany the Son of Man gathering the elect from the four winds . Thus, Paul’s trumpet imagery underscores that this is God’s triumphant summons of His people. It proclaims victory over death (since “the dead will rise”) and the ingathering of all believers to Christ. In 1 Cor 15:52 Paul calls it “the last trumpet,” when the dead are raised imperishable. His Thessalonian readers would have recognized the trumpet and clouds as apocalyptic signals that God Himself is arriving as King. In sum, “caught up… in the clouds to meet the Lord” means God’s people, both resurrected and living, will be drawn into His glorious presence to hail Christ’s return as King. It is a vivid, symbolic portrayal of resurrection, reunion, and the inception of Christ’s royal reign, meant to reassure that whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord and will share in His presence always.
Rooted in Jewish Resurrection Hope: Pharisees, Jesus, and Second Temple Beliefs and the Pharisaic Faith in Resurrection. Paul’s description aligns seamlessly with Second Temple Jewish expectations of resurrection. As a former Pharisee, Paul shared the Pharisees’ core belief that God would raise the righteous to new life at the end of the age . First-century Jewish historian Josephus confirms that the Pharisees taught the immortality of the soul and a future resurrection – “that under the earth there will be rewards or punishments… and that the souls of the virtuous will have the power to live again” . In fact, Pharisees expected a bodily resurrection “on the last day,” a hope Jesus affirmed (John 11:23–24). Paul’s assertion that the dead in Christ will rise first reflects this same Jewish hope in the resurrection of the faithful. In Acts, Paul even declares, “I am on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead” – a hope he says “our twelve tribes” share (Acts 23:6; 26:6–8). There is nothing in 1 Thess 4 that a devout Jew of the time (aside from the Sadducees who denied resurrection) would find strange; it is thoroughly Pharisaic and biblical: God will restore life to the faithful departed and vindicate them.
Maccabean Martyrs and Apocalyptic Writings: The idea of God “snatching up” or resurrecting His people was a common theme in Jewish apocalyptic literature of the era. For example, 2 Maccabees (a Jewish text from the 2nd century B.C.) extols martyrs who die rather than break God’s Law, confidently expecting resurrection. One tortured youth declares, “the King of the universe will raise us up to an everlasting renewal of life, because we have died for His laws” (2 Macc 7:9). Another says to his persecutor, “You may kill us, but the King of heaven will raise us from the dead to live again forever”, whereas for the wicked “there will be no resurrection to life”(2 Macc 7:13–14). As Bart Ehrman (not my favorite scholar) summarizes, the Maccabean Jews believed “God will raise his faithful from the dead and reward them for their fidelity to his law.” This demonstrates the covenantal logic in Second Temple Judaism: those who remain loyal to God (even unto death) will be vindicated by resurrection. Paul’s teaching operates in the same framework. Christians who had “fallen asleep” (died) in loyalty to Jesus will be awakened and rewarded with life together with Him, just as Jewish martyrs expected reward for their covenant faithfulness. The Apocalypse of Baruch and 2 Esdras (late 1st-century Jewish apocalypses) likewise speak of the dead rising and the Messiah’s kingdom coming. Even the Dead Sea Scrolls community expected resurrection: in one fragment known as the Messianic Apocalypse (4Q521), it is foretold that in Messiah’s time “He will heal the wounded and revive the dead and bring good news to the poor.” . In short, the idea of God raising the dead and gathering His people was “in the air” (both figuratively and, in Paul’s image, literally!) in Judaism. Far from inventing a novel doctrine, Paul is affirming the widespread Jewish hope that death is not the end for God’s people.
Jesus’ Teaching and the Son of Man: Jesus of Nazareth, standing firmly in the Pharisaic resurrection tradition, explicitly taught the same end-time scenario Paul describes – but in narrative form. In the Gospels, Jesus speaks of “the Son of Man coming on the clouds” with power and glory, accompanied by angels and a trumpet blast to gather God’s chosen ones. For instance, Jesus says in Matthew 24:30–31, “they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” . This is remarkably parallel to 1 Thess 4:16–17: the Lord (the Son of Man) descends from heaven, there is a loud shout and trumpet of God, and God’s people (the “elect”) are gathered to him from across the earth. In fact, Paul’s teaching likely derives from Jesus’ own words (whether by direct tradition or shared Jewish lore) that at the end of the age, the righteous dead will be raised and all God’s people will be brought together by the Messiah. Jesus affirmed the Pharisees’ belief in resurrection when debating the Sadducees (Mark 12:18–27), and He spoke of “the hour when all who are in the tombs will hear [the Son of Man’s] voice and come out” (John 5:28–29). Paul’s imagery of a commanding shout and archangel’s voice causing the dead to rise resonates with Jesus’ claim that His voice will awaken the dead. Moreover, Jesus identified Himself as the Messianic Son of Man who would be vindicated on the clouds (Mark 14:61–62). Early Christians expected Jesus to fulfill Daniel 7:13–14 – the Son of Man coming before God and receiving a kingdom, and the saints possessing the kingdom. N. T. Wright notes that in Daniel’s vision “the people of the saints of the Most High”(symbolized by one like a son of man) are vindicated over the pagan enemy and raised up to share in God’s glory, a theme Jesus applied to Himself and Paul now applies to persecuted Christians . Thus, Paul’s teaching fully aligns with Jewish apocalyptic expectations as taught by Jesus: namely, that at the end of the age the Messiah will appear, the dead will be raised, and God will gather His faithful into His presence. There is no radical departure here from the faith of Israel; rather, Paul shows how Jesus completes that hope. As one scholar observes, early Christians “clearly saw [Jesus] as God’s cosmic agent, who would return in power and glory to rule heaven and earth” and bring the entire world into subjection to God . 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 simply fleshes out this hope: Jesus’ return = resurrection + reunion + reign.
“Always with the Lord” – Covenant Reunion: The climax of Paul’s words is “and so we will always be with the Lord.” This promise of unbroken fellowship echoes God’s covenant promise to Israel, “I will be your God, and you will be My people, and I will dwell among you.” Both Jewish and Christian eschatology looked forward to God dwelling with His people in peace forever (Ezek 37:27-28, Rev 21:3). Paul’s vision is essentially that great covenant reunion – at the coming of the Messiah, God’s people (living and resurrected) will meet the Lord and form the fulfilled covenant community, never to be separated from Him again . This is thoroughly in line with Jewish hope; for example, 2 Maccabees 7:36 speaks of the martyred brothers entering “eternal life because of our covenant with God.” The eternal communion of the righteous with God was always the goal. Paul sees that happening through Jesus: in Christ, Jews and Gentiles who belong to God will together share in the resurrection life promised by the covenant. In summary, nothing in 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 would have struck Paul’s contemporaries as alien to Jewish theology. It is Second Temple Judaism clothed in Christological hope – the age-old expectation that God would raise the dead and vindicate His people when Messiah comes, now understood to be fulfilled in Jesus’ Parousia (coming/presence).
Literal Rapture or Covenant Unveiling? Paul’s Vision in Context
Not an Escapist Rapture – No One “Left Behind”: Reading Paul’s words in context shows he was not describing a secret evacuation of Christians from the world, but using apocalyptic symbolism to unveil God’s plan to renew the world through Christ’s return. The popular idea of a “rapture” where believers vanish into heaven for seven years (leaving cars driverless and the world bereft of Christians) is a modern extrapolation, not Paul’s intent . N. T. Wright flatly states that Paul’s mixed metaphors in this passage “are not to be understood as literal truth, as the Left Behind series suggests, but as a vivid and biblically allusive description of the great transformation of the present world” . In other words, Paul paints a picture – drawn from Israel’s Scriptures – to communicate theological truth: Jesus will personally return as King, the dead will be raised, and the living transformed (“we will all be changed,” 1 Cor 15:51-52). The point is God’s victory over death and the incorporation of His people into Christ’s glory, not the mechanics of space travel. Paul uses metaphor and imagery (trumpets, clouds, meeting) to convey joyful truths: the King is coming, the dead are raised, evil is vanquished, and we will be with our Lord. As an analogy, when we read in apocalyptic texts that “stars fell from the sky” or “the heavens were rolled up” (Isa 34:4, Matt 24:29), we understand this is symbolic language for world-shaking events. Similarly, “caught up in clouds” is Paul’s poetic way to describe the church’s vindication and meeting with Christ, not a geography lesson about where we’ll be floating. Indeed, he doesn’t say “and then we go up to heaven for good” – he simply says we meet Him and will be with Him always. Nothing here suggests an escapist departure leaving the earth to tribulation. As one Bible scholar concludes after examining the text, “Neither here nor in any other verse of Scripture does it speak of a Rapture where Christians go to heaven, with the world ‘left behind’…” . The “Left Behind” notion of Christians absenting the world is foreign to Paul’s Jewish worldview. For Paul, the resurrection at Christ’s advent is the hope for the world itself – it’s when creation will be set free from corruption (cf. Rom 8:19-21), not when creation is abandoned.
Covenantal Unveiling of the New Age: Rather than an escape hatch, 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 describes the unveiling of Jesus as Messiah and Lord in a manner consistent with Jewish covenant hopes. It is covenantal in that it fulfills God’s promises to His people, and apocalyptic in that it reveals hidden spiritual reality through visions and symbols. Paul draws on halakhic imagery (the Sinai trumpet and Torah given in cloud) and apocalyptic imagery (Daniel’s Son of Man, angels, cosmic trumpets) to unveil what God is doing: He is bringing the Messiah to openly reign and vindicating the faithful. In Jewish thought, the ultimate redemption was always tied to God’s covenant faithfulness – God would save His people, judge His enemies, and dwell with His people as He promised. Paul’s scenario is exactly that: the Lord descends (God coming to His people as promised), the dead are raised (God faithful to those who died believing), we meet the Lord (God gathering His people to Himself), and then presumably Jesus establishes His kingdom on earth. This is the moment of “apokalupsis” (unveiling) when Jesus’ true glory and the identity of God’s children are revealed. As 2 Thessalonians 1:10 says, “on the day He comes to be glorified in His saints and marveled at among all who have believed.” It is Christ’s public revelation and the church’s public vindication. Early Christians like Paul were not looking to abandon the world, but to see God’s kingdom come and His will be done on earth as in heaven. They expected “a new heavens and new earth” where righteousness dwells (2 Pet 3:13). In fact, the New Testament vision is that God will remake the cosmos, not discard it: “the creator God will remake heaven and earth entirely, affirming the goodness of the old Creation but overcoming its mortality and corruptibility” . When that renewal comes, “Jesus will appear within the resulting new world” as its rightful Lord . Paul’s description of Jesus’ dramatic arrival fits this narrative of renewal. It is as if a veil is lifted: suddenly the Lord himself is revealed, the graves yield up their dead, and the faithful are gathered into one – a new creation community. This is apocalyptic drama as a vehicle for covenant theology: God, true to His word, rescues and transforms His people. There is no dualistic split where matter is evil and only heaven is good – to the contrary, Paul’s vision entails dead bodies raised (matter redeemed) and the Lord descending to claim dominion over earth.
Vindication of the Faithful: In Jewish apocalyptic texts, imagery often serves to vindicate God’s holy ones. For instance, Daniel 7 (which Paul alludes to) portrays the oppressed “saints” receiving the kingdom when the court of Heaven sits in judgment. Likewise, 1 Thess 4:16–17 is depicting the vindication of the covenant people (now defined by loyalty to Jesus). Those who died in Christ (much like the Maccabean martyrs who died for the Law) are publicly raised to life in glory – a vindication of their faith. Those who endured alive are transformed and caught up – vindicated and gathered as well. This is God’s answer to persecution and death: resurrection and reward. In that sense, Paul’s teaching is deeply “halakhic”, in that it shows God honoring the faithfulness (emunah) of His people to His covenant. The covenantal framework is clear: God promised to bless the righteous and not let death be their end, and here we see that promise dramatically kept. It is God’s justice and mercy unveiled at the end of the age. As one commenter on 2 Maccabees noted, Jews came to believe that “the people of God suffer not necessarily as punishment for sin, but because of evil forces; after this life, God will raise His faithful and reward them for their fidelity.” Paul’s scenario in Thessalonians is exactly this principle applied to Christians: in a world of injustice, God’s faithful (the church) may suffer and die, but at Christ’s return they will be raised and rewarded with unending life in His kingdom. Thus, **nothing is “escaping” – it is God intervening to set things right. The oppressed are vindicated, and Christ is revealed as Lord of all.
Integration of Realms – Heaven and Earth Unite: Notice that in Paul’s depiction the direction of travel is both downward and upward, implying a meeting of heaven and earth. The Lord comes down from heaven; believers are caught up from earth. They meet in “the air,” the space between. This beautifully symbolizes what is happening: the realm of God and the realm of humanity are coming together. It calls to mind the biblical image of the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven to earth (Rev 21:2-3) – God descending to dwell with mortals. Rather than believers being permanently removed to heaven, the end goal is heaven and earth joined in mutual celebration of God’s reign. The **“rapture” is thus better understood as the church rising to greet her Lord as He arrives to renew creation. Like a bridal party going out to meet the bridegroom (Matt 25:6), the church will meet Christ and escort the King to His world, which will at last be openly subjected to His loving rule . This inaugurates the Messianic age long hoped for. Thus, Paul portrays a majestic covenantal drama: the King returns, the dead are raised, the living are transformed, and all the King’s people join Him as He assumes His throne. It is literal in its outcome (resurrection and Christ’s return are real) but metaphorical in its imagery (clouds, air, upward motion convey theological truths more than physics). Paul was unveiling a mystery (cf. 1 Cor 15:51) in terms his readers could grasp: using apocalyptic picture-language familiar from Jewish Scripture and tradition to assure them of God’s plan.
Conclusion – Hope Anchored in Jewish Covenantal Eschatology: In refuting an escapist rapture reading, we find that Paul’s vision is actually one of covenant fulfillment and world-transformation. It stands firmly on the foundation of Jewish eschatology: resurrection of the dead, the Messiah’s victorious appearance, and the gathering of God’s people. Rather than encouraging believers to flee creation, Paul anticipates the Messiah’s advent to redeem creation. His words in 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 are meant to strengthen hope and ethical steadfastness. Just as faithful Jews took courage that God would raise them (so they could face trials without fear of death), Paul encourages Christians that even death cannot bar them from the coming glory. This hope inspires not escapism but perseverance and holy living (“since we belong to the day… let us be sober,” 1 Thess 5:8). Ultimately, Paul’s teaching about being caught up with the Lord unites the narrative threads of Israel’s faith – promise, suffering, resurrection, and glory – all in Jesus Christ. It’s a pastoral picture of our future with God: the Lord coming to dwell with His covenant people, resurrecting and transforming us, so that we might share in the life of the age to come, forever in His presence . This is Good News indeed, far richer than any escapist fantasy – it is God’s faithful love carrying His people through death into New Creation, in fulfillment of the hopes of Israel and the promises of Christ.
Sources: Paul’s imagery draws on Exodus 19 (Sinai theophany), Daniel 7:13-14 (Son of Man vindication), Isaiah 27:13 (trumpet gathering exiles) , and the common Graeco-Roman practice of civic welcome for dignitaries. Second Temple Jewish texts like 2 Maccabees, 4Q521, and Pharisaic traditions attest to beliefs in end-time resurrection and vindication of the righteous . Jesus’ own teaching about his return (Matt 24:30–31; Mark 13:26–27) matches Paul’s description point for point.
Modern scholarship (N.T. Wright, Gary Shogren, etc.) emphasizes reading 1 Thess 4 in this historical-Jewish context, as a metaphor-rich promise of covenant hope rather than a literal “escape from earth” scenario . As Wright neatly puts it, Paul’s colorful metaphors, once understood, invite us to “recapture Paul’s holistic vision of God’s whole creation” rather than a dualistic escape. In our pastoral teaching, we can thus affirm that Paul’s hope was fully consistent with Jewish-rooted eschatology: God will raise the dead and dwell with His people, heaven and earth will finally unite, and Jesus the Messiah will reign over a renewed world – and we will be with the Lord forever. Space is the Place!
