Epeita is a temporal adverb meaning "then," "after that," or "thereupon." It marks the next step in a sequence, often emphasizing that what follows is the logical or ordained next stage. It appears 16 times in the NT, frequently in Paul's letters to establish theological sequence.
Paul uses epeita to build careful theological arguments. In 1 Corinthians 15, the resurrection sequence is laid out with precision: "Christ, the firstfruits; then [epeita], when he comes, those who belong to him." In Galatians 1, Paul establishes the divine origin of his gospel by tracing his movements: he did not go to Jerusalem first — "then [epeita] after three years I went up to Jerusalem." Sequence matters to Paul because God's plan has a precise order. The eschatological hope is not chaos but an ordered unfolding of God's decreed purposes.