May I ask if you think there is any evidence at all at what you just pointed out to answer the question, or are you agreeing with me? It is not clear to me and I don't know your eschatology.
I asked:
"Where is the evidence from any scripture to posit an additional coming of Jesus? The pre tribulational rapture theory does that without any evidence and then reinterprets passages of scripture around that even passages like this where it obviously defies the context."
The word translated 'meet' in I Thessalonians 4:17 is used on a number of occasions in Greek to refer to going out to meet someone who is 'heading your way' and escort him to where you came from. Sometimes this is an official context, a dignitary or such.
Liddell–Scott–Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon is one of the major dictionaries for ancient Greek. In the entry for ἀπάντησις, that lexicon lists ordinary “meeting” usage, cites Polybius 5.26.8 and Diodorus 18.59, and separately notes an “escort” sense at Polybius 5.43.3. A second major source, Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament, says the word had become something like a technical term for the official welcome of a newly arrived dignitary. That does not mean the noun itself always guarantees a return to the exact place the greeters came from, but it does show that the word naturally fits scenes where people go out to meet an arriving person and then accompany him onward.
Classical example 1: Polybius 5.26.8
Greek: εἰς τὴν ἀπάντησιν
Transliteration: eis tēn apantēsin
Translation: “for the meeting / reception”
In this scene, leading men at Corinth stir up the young men to go out in reception of the arriving figure. The point is not a random encounter but a public welcome.
Classical example 2: Diodorus Siculus 18.59.3
Greek: ἀπάντησιν … ἐποιήσαντο τῷ Εὐμενεῖ
Transliteration: apantēsin … epoiēsanto tō Eumenei
Translation: “they made a meeting / reception for Eumenes”
Here Eumenes’ supporters go out some distance to receive him. Again, the scene is one of deliberate reception, not mere accidental contact.
New Testament example: Acts 28:15 (KJV)
KJV: “And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns...”
Greek: ἦλθαν εἰς ἀπάντησιν ἡμῖν
Transliteration: ēlthan eis apantēsin hēmin
Translation: “they came out to meet us”
The believers come out from Rome to meet Paul on the road; then the narrative continues into Rome. This is a very natural example of going out to meet an arriving party and then continuing with them.
Matthew 25:6 (KJV)
KJV: “Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.”
Greek: ἐξέρχεσθε εἰς ἀπάντησιν αὐτοῦ
Transliteration: exerchesthe eis apantēsin autou
Translation: “go out to meet him”
Brief explanation: in the parable, the virgins go out to meet the bridegroom, and the story then moves to going in with him. That narrative flow again fits reception rather than mere encounter.
So lets look at I Thessalonians 4. The Lord Jesus returns, and we go up to meet him and escort Him back. That's the most straightforward interpretation, that fits the wording, IMO, and not just my view of course. That was a view that existed before 1827 or whenever Darby came up with his interpretation.
