Journal: Chafer Theological Seminary Journal
Volume: CTSJ 08:3 (Jul 2002)
Article: The Meeting In The Sky
Author: Thomas D. Ice

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CTSJ 8:3 (July 2002) p. 64

The Meeting In The Sky

Thomas Ice*

[*Editor’s note: Thomas Ice earned his B.A. degree from Howard Payne University, Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary, and Ph.D. from Tyndale Theological Seminary. He presently is Executive Director of the Pre-Trib Research Center in Arlington, Texas. Dr. Ice has also pastored churches in Oklahoma, Texas, and Virginia, is an adjunct professor at Chafer Theological Seminary, conference speaker, and author of several books, including Dominion Theology and Overrun by Demons. His email address is [email protected].]

A while back, Dr. Tim LaHaye, Dr. Ed Hindson, and I spoke at a weekend prophecy conference in the Philadelphia area. As usual, we had a time of questions and answers at the end of the conference. One attendee turned in the following written question:

The Greek word for “meet” in 1 Thess. 4:17 is a technical term, used of an arriving dignitary or special guest, approaching the city of his destination. Residents would then go out to meet him and accompany him back to

his

destination. The word is only used in two other passages: Acts 28:15 and Matt. 25:1, 6. To do justice to the Greek word, Christ’s destination would be

earth

, not back to heaven, we would meet him in the clouds and accompany him back to earth. How do you explain that from a pre-trib view?

This article will point out the errors of assumption represented by this question and to give it a pre-tribulational reply.

False Assumptions

Latent within the above question are false assumptions that must be understood and corrected before anyone can respond to such an inquiry with either a pre-tribulational or anti-pre-tribulational answer. The Philadelphia questioner’s major blunder—and it is huge—is his belief that the Greek word for meet is a technical term. (A technical term, as used here, refers to a word that would have specific connotations implicit in the word itself.) What we find here is an example of a widely held belief in academic circles that is categorically wrong. What is this error? How did it start?

CTSJ 8:3 (July 2002) p. 65

Origin of the Error

Taking the last question first, the source of the error is a German scholar named Erik Peterson. He wrote an article in 19301 saying that the Greek word to meet (apantēsis) “is to be understood as a technical term for a civic custom of ...

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