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What the word “meet” is telling us is that those who are caught up to meet the Lord in the air is really a picture of a group of people who are caught up in the air to attend a meeting and will actually welcome the Lord Jesus Christ, and escort Him home to earth where He will reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords for an eternity!



Review the four times the word “meet” is used in the Bible in the graph below:


http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QFp9JFIwKuI/Vn7q56EI01I/AAAAAAAA9tU/3ptkrjrM_6w/s640/MEET.jpg


The best example the author can use as to what the word apantesis truly conveys in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, and the other scripture just cited, is comparable to when a group of people gather together at an airport to greet a visiting dignitary. Whenever the President of the United States or the Queen of England visits each other’s country, you will always find a welcoming committee comprised of very special people. You might also find some people standing behind the fence trying to get a glimpse of the dignitaries, but only the “chosen ones” are allowed “to meet” with the VIPs, and thereby, share in the glory of the arriving royalty. Therein lays the reason why there cannot be a secret ‘snatching up’ of any believers solely to return to heaven, anywhere from three and a half to seven years. This is so because the returning Christ wants the whole world to see that those who believe in Him will be rewarded for their faith, patience and trust, and consequently will share in His Glory!

A beautiful example of this truth is found in Colossians 3:4 which states, “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” In Philippians 3:20, it explicitly tells us that although our citizenship is in heaven, the verse goes on to state that, we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body, (Philippians 3:20, 21, NIV).


Most Christians have been indoctrinated to believe that 1 Thessalonians 4:17 includes the church being caught up to have a meeting with the Lord and immediately Jesus turns around and heads back to Heaven. Most folks perceive the following verse (“And so we will be with the Lord forever);” is supposed to confirm their belief. However, that verse does not specify this is the case; but yet believers arrive at that conclusion based on the incessant pounding of such a theory by evangelists, preachers and scholars who have decided to fill in that blank assumption, an inference that is derived based on a verse that is silent as to what follows. Yes, it does say we will be with the Lord forever, but it does not state specifically where.

Most dispensationalists believe that this particular verse is speaking solely about the (secret) Rapture and not the 2nd Advent of Christ, that they conjure up and insert in their imagination that 1 Thessalonians 4:17 speaks about a special Rapture to Heaven (and a subsequent return to earth 1000 years later), followed by Christ’s return with those that were supposedly raptured one thousand years earlier. But they don't provide scripture to back their contention.

This theory begs a more definitive explanation of what transpires during those 1000 years, and what role the church played during that long span of time that has no scripture verse to validate such a claim. Are the saints in Heaven for 1000 literal years, or do they shuttle back and forth to earth to help Christ administer His Millennial reign on earth. There is no scripture to support such folly, and no scripture that explains what is the purpose for a 1000 literal year period of time. In our book The End Times Passover, we provide explicit informations, facts and Bible details that explains this truth in great detail.

For more information about our books, web sites and blogs, please click in Joe Ortiz - See more at: http://son-of-encouragement.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-church-meets-lord-in-air-and-then.html

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