I have documented over 25 parallels between Jesus and Paul’s eschatological teaching, demonstrating clearly that Paul is dependent on Jesus’ Olivet Discourse, contra preterism and pretribulationism. Up to this point, I have overlooked another parallel, a conceptual and verbal parallel: “meeting” (apantesis).
In Paul’s teaching, he is referring to the rapture when he mentions “meeting” the Lord in the air:
“Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet (apantesis) the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” (1 Thess 4:17 ESV)
And Jesus using the parable of the ten virgins to illustrate the gathering of the elect at the parousia in verses 30-31 says:
“Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet (apantesis) him.” (Matt 25:6 ESV)
Not only do you have the conceptual parallel of “meeting” in the parousia context, but you have the verbal parallel apantesis, a term used only one other time in the New Testament besides these two instances.
