This is a small excerpt from my manuscript, Waiting For The Day And Hour:
What did Paul mean by the phrase, ἐν νεφέλαις (en nefélais) “in the clouds?” Some believe it means that when the rapture happens the body of Christ, both living and dead, will meet the Lord Jesus literally in the atmosphere, the clouds. The reason could be because Paul added, εἰς ἀέρα (eis aéra) “in the air.” So, did he mean the church would meet Jesus in the noctilucent (night-shining) clouds,[1] the highest clouds in the air? Noctilucent clouds are in the mesosphere, the third layer in the Earth’s atmosphere. Their formation is about 47 – 53 miles above the earth’s surface. Or, did he mean the church would meet Jesus in the cumulus clouds,[2] or the stratus clouds,[3] which are the lowest in the sky? Their formation is about 0.2 – 1.24 miles above the earth’s surface. I disagree with this theory.
I believe that when Paul wrote the church, both the living and dead, will be caught up en nefélais (in the clouds) to meet the Lord eis aéra (in the air), that it is an allusion to the church suddenly appearing in the heavenly realms. One minute the living will be on the earth, and then in a ἄτομος (átomos) flash, or moment, an indivisible unit of time (a chronon),[4] they will be in the heavenly realms. One minute the dead in Christ will be in heaven in spirit and soul, then in a chronon their earthly bodies will be recreated into heavenly bodies as the living believers join them in their heavenly bodies to be with Jesus forever: “Listen, I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. For this corruptible body must be clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body must be clothed with immortality.” (1 Cor. 15:51-53, CSB). I believe that what Paul had in mind when he wrote the church would be caught up in the clouds was, a picture of Israel being led by God בְּעַמּוּד עָנָן (beeamud anan) “In a pillar of cloud” (Ex. 13:21a). The cloud sometimes symbolizes the divine presence of the Lord, his glory. Example: When Jesus and his three disciples went up to Mount Hermon (supposedly), he was transformed before them (Matt. 17:1-2). Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared in their glorified bodies—heavenly bodies (Matt. 17:3; Lk. 9:30-31). Peter started to talk to Jesus and at once a bright νεφέλη (neféli) “cloud” overshadowed the group, and from the cloud God the Father spoke to the disciples (Matt. 17:4-5). This cloud (neféli) was allusive to the presence of God Almighty. Therefore, when Paul wrote that the church would be caught up in the clouds, I believe he was stating that the body of Christ, both the living and dead, would be caught up to the presence of God. Caught up to his glory. And “in the air” (eis aéra), is allusive to a transition from the earthly realm into the heavenly realms.
Some say, that because Jesus was
hidden by a cloud when he ascended into heaven after forty days and the
disciples could not see him anymore, that it means the body of Christ will also
be taken up in a cloud and then disappear from the eyesight of those watching
this event happen (Acts 1:9). This is likely why we see pictures created
showing Christians ascending into clouds at the moment of the rapture. But
could it be that Jesus’ ascension was not meant to correspond with the rapture
of the body of Christ? His ascension was meant to correspond with his 2nd
coming instead of the rapture. The two angels that suddenly appeared said as
much. They told the disciples that Jesus would come back to the earth in the
same way he ascended into heaven (Acts 1:10-11; Matt. 24:30; Rev. 1:7). Jesus will
come back to the Earth on the final day of Israel’s 70th week
period, and not the hour when the rapture occurs.
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