1 Thessalonians 4:17Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

"We shall be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air." Why will the catching up into the air be necessary? Because otherwise the meeting of the Lord could not take place.

On the spherical earth, the light-bearing countenance of the God-man could be seen only from certain points on the earth's surface. But in the higher heavenly spheres an extraordinary expanse will be opened.

There the countless millions of saved and glorified human beings will behold with their eyes the coming Savior.

"And so we shall always be with the Lord." Will the place of meeting also be the place of continual abiding with the Lord? No.

"In the higher spheres of the atmosphere, during the passage to the heavenly dwellings, those blessed of His Father will only meet Christ, not remain there. They will abide with the Lord, but not in the air.

They will abide where He is. He is at the right hand of the Father, though where exactly this is has been hidden from us. They will be around Him, or beside Him, each in his own rank.

There, having drawn near, face to face, in blessed communion, we shall no longer be parted from Him. This is the summit of the expectation that inspires Christians" (Bishop Theophan).

For the sake of such joyful and radiant promises, which will be fulfilled for believers in Christ after the resurrection of the dead, the Church always appoints this reading from the Epistle to the Thessalonians at the sorrowful rite of burial.

She does this so that natural grief for the departed may be softened by the inspired apostolic words.

"As the Master Himself ascended on a radiant cloud, so those who have believed in Him, both those raised from the dead and those still living, will be carried on clouds. They will meet the Judge of the universe and abide with Him for endless ages" (Blessed Theodoret).

"Why shall we be caught up?" asked St. John Chrysostom. He answered: "For honor. When a king enters a city, the honored citizens go out to meet him.

We shall be borne on the Father's chariot. For as He took Him, Christ Himself, up on the clouds (Acts 1:9), so we too shall be caught up on the clouds. Do you see what honor awaits us?"

To this His Grace Theophan adds: "The place of meeting can only be in the air, above, in the higher spheres of the atmosphere, during the passage to the heavenly dwellings. And Christ will come on the clouds (Acts 1:11).

Comfort one another, so that you may not grieve over the dead like the rest, who have no hope. This is the purpose for which St. Paul touched on the resurrection of believers and their blessed portion after the resurrection."

Thus all will fly in solemn procession on the clouds into the air, to meet the Lord coming from heaven. And in such friendly nearness to Him they will always remain. With this the Thessalonians may comfort themselves (vv. 17-18).

The Apostle does not touch on this, because it did not belong to his aim. He quickly transfers attention to the final and most consoling moment of this dread final event for believers: meeting the Lord and abiding with Him forever.

Having become equal in mode of existence with the departed, the living will have the same privilege as they do, to meet the Lord in the clouds.

“Together with them” means equally with them. Nothing more than they have will fall to us.

“We shall be caught up.” We shall rise to a place akin to those resurrected in renewed nature. This is said to indicate the swiftness of the movement, in accordance with the longing and irresistible desire of those who love the Lord to be with Him.

“Caught up in the clouds.” The Lord ascended on clouds (Acts 1:9), and He will come again on clouds (Acts 1:11; Mt 24:30). On clouds He will also make believers worthy to meet Him.

“As the Master Himself ascended on a radiant cloud, so those who have believed in Him, both those raised from the dead and those still living, will be borne on clouds and will meet the Judge of the universe. They will abide with Him unto endless ages” (Theodoret).

“To meet the Lord.” The Lord will descend from heaven to take His own, and they will hasten from earth to meet Him, like the virgins in the parable (Mt 25:1-6).

The place of meeting can only be in the air, above, in the higher regions of the atmosphere, during the passage into the heavenly dwellings. But there they will only meet Him, not remain there.

They will be with the Lord, but not in the air. They will be where He is. He is at the right hand of the Father, and they will be around Him, or beside Him, each in his own order.

“And so we shall always be with the Lord,” as partakers of His glory and blessedness. Having met the Lord and stood near Him, face to face in blessed communion, we shall no longer be separated from Him.

This is the summit of the expectations that inspire Christians. The Lord Himself promised this: “I will come and take you to Myself, that where I am, you may be also” (Jn 14:3).

He prayed about this to the Father: “Father, I desire that those whom You have given Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me” (Jn 17:24).

With this the holy Apostle comforted believers in their sufferings for the faith: “If children, then heirs: heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified with Him.

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us” (Rom 8:17-18; similarly Col 3:3-4; 2 Tim 2:12).

Chrysostom writes: “If the Lord intends to descend, why shall we be caught up? For the sake of honor. When a king enters a city, the honored citizens go out to meet him, while criminals wait inside for the Judge.

“And when a tender father returns, the children and those worthy to be called children ride out in a chariot to meet him, to see and greet him. But those of the household who have offended him remain at home.

“We shall be carried on the Father’s chariot. For as He, the Father, took the Lord Himself up on clouds (Acts 1:9), so we too shall be caught up on clouds. Do you see what honor awaits us?

“We shall meet Him as He descends, and what is most joyful, we shall be with Him in this way. Who shall declare the powers of the Lord and make all His praises heard (Ps 105:2)?

“What blessings He has granted to the human race. The departed will rise first, and thus all will meet Him together. Abel, who died before all, will then go out to meet Him together with those remaining alive.

“Those who remain alive will have no advantage in this. The one who decayed and lay in the earth for so many years will meet Him together with the living, as will all the rest.”

Photius, in Oecumenius, answers the question that naturally arises here. Why does the Apostle speak only of the lot of believers on the last day, without mentioning the lot of unbelievers and the wicked?

“Do you notice that in describing the resurrection, the Apostle does not mention those who will rise for punishment and torments? I think he does this for three reasons.

“First, he writes to the Thessalonians about the resurrection in order to console them. It would have been unfitting for one writing with the aim of consolation to mention bitter and sorrowful things.

“By doing this, he would have increased grief rather than given consolation. Second, he was writing about the resurrection to believers. It was fitting for him not to mention those who will be led away to torment.

“For believers who live according to the commandments of the Lord will not be subject to any punishment. They will abide in eternal joy and eternal blessedness.

“Therefore there was no need to mention the torments of outsiders when writing to believers about the glory, blessedness, and joys prepared for the faithful.

“Third, he interprets the resurrection here as it is in itself and for what purpose it exists. God appointed the resurrection for the salvation of men, so that they might taste eternal blessings in ineffable glory.

“But He prepared Hades for the devil and his angels, as the Gospel says, and not for men. If some, by their injustices, choose what was prepared for the devil instead of the blessings prepared for them, this occurs against the desire of the man-loving Master.

“Therefore Saint Paul, writing about the very essence of the resurrection and about the purpose for which the Creator of all appointed it, rightly keeps silence about those who will go into eternal torment.”