Greek and 1 Thess 4
This line of argumentation isn't quite as immediately useful, but it is very powerful for anyone who takes the time to check it out.
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
The word "coming" in vs. 15 is παρουσια (parousia), a word that in Hellenistic Greek often referred to the welcoming ceremony of a returning king. The citizens would go meet the king in the road and accompany him back to the city. Does the word always mean this? No, of course not. But, since we are talking about the return of a king to his people, there is a high probability of likelihood.
Second, in v. 17, the word "meet" is actually a noun. Rendered literally, the Greek reads, "We will be carried off ... for a meeting." (Note: the direction "up" is not a necessary part of the Greek verb ἁρπαζω, but is inferred from the context of Jesus being in the air). Now, the word translated "meeting" is απαντησις (apanta^sis). This word, which originally meant "an escort" in Classical Greek, often refers to accompanying someone on their journey. So you meet, and then travel with the person where he is going. This word is used in Matthew 25:6, where the bridesmaids go out to meet the groom to accompany him on his journey to the wedding banquet (an eschatological parable). It is also used in Acts 28:15-16 where believers here that Paul is coming to Rome, so they go out to meet him at the Forum of Appias and the Three Taverns and then
turn around and accompany him into Rome. The direction of the "meeters" is determined by the direction of the one being met, and in 1 Thess. 4:16 it clearly says that the Lord is descending. Now, does the word always mean this? No, but again, one is struck by how natural such a reading is.
So, to sum up. Within the space of a few words, and in the context of Christ's coming, we find a word often used for a welcoming procession from a king, and also a word that often means to accompany someone on their journey. How easy it is to read the whole passage as Christ the King's return to his claim his earthly throne accompanied by his people who have been waiting for him! And the best thing is that it fits perfectly into both 1 and 2 Thessalonians, so we don't have to ask "which" coming is talked about in any given passage.
Thank you in advance for the answers.
