Much has been speculated about the phrase that we will "meet Christ in the air," or "meet Christ into the air" as it says in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, with the often made conclusion that we will physically be raised up into the air to meet Christ in His physical body also in the air.

 

However, the "air" and "birds of the air" are mentioned in other places in the Word, and the other verses point to meeting Christ in truth.

 

Revelation 9:2 (KJV) "And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit." Here, the "air" is darkened, and I should point out that if air can be "darkened," the air can also be "light," which is to say that the air represents truth here, or in the case of Revelation 9:2 in its context, the truth darkened. So that air generally means truth when not used in the negative sense.

 

Less obviously, "And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air," signifies the state of the church manifested in regard to all things of thought.

 

And 'birds of the air' mean intellectual truths and so thoughts.