Who is the "we" in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 who are caught up together with them?
In 1 Thessalonians 4:17, “we” means Paul and believers, that is, the church. He includes himself with other believers who are alive and remain, and they will be caught up together with them, the other believers, in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
Les explains that when Paul says “we” and “us” in this context, he is talking about himself and believers, never including the unbeliever. In 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul is describing the rapture of the church, the being caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Verse 17 shows the pronoun usage: “then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them.” Les says the “we” includes Paul with the other believers, and “them” refers to the other believers in the clouds. By contrast, chapter 5 presents those who will not be caught up, the unbelieving world.
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
What happens at the rapture according to 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17?
At the rapture, the Lord Himself descends from heaven with a shout. Then those who are alive and remain are caught up to meet the Lord in the air. The term rapture is coined from this catching up to meet the Lord in the air.
What does 1 Thessalonians 4 say about the church being caught up?
First Thessalonians 4 states that we shall be caught up to meet Him in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. This event takes the church up to glory, fulfilling the hope of being with the Crucified, Resurrected, and Ascended Lord.
More Questions
What is the rapture of the church according to 1 Thessalonians 4:17?
1 Thessalonians 4:17 is the rapture of the church: Paul includes himself and other living believers who 'shall be caught up together' with the other believers in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
Why does the pronoun switch from 'we' to 'they' in 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5?
In what Paul says about meeting the Lord, the pronoun 'we' in chapter 4 refers to believers who are caught up to meet the Lord in the air, while in chapter 5 the pronoun switches to 'they' because he is dealing with those left behind, the unbelievers.