four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other” (cf. Mark 13:27; 2 Thess. 2:1). The word “meet” in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 is a term used in the ancient world for a delegation going outside the city to meet an arriving dignitary in order to provide an honorable escort back to the city. The word carries this sense in all three of its New Testament occurrences. In Matthew 25:6 the wise virgins go out to meet the bridegroom and accompany him to the wedding banquet; in Acts 28:15 some Christians from