Apantaō means to meet, go to meet, or encounter — typically describing a face-to-face meeting, whether expected or unexpected. It appears in contexts of meeting Jesus, meeting the bridegroom, and encountering enemies or supernatural beings.
The verb apantaō takes on eschatological significance in 1 Thessalonians 4, where related vocabulary describes believers going out to meet the returning Lord — an image drawn from the custom of a city going out to meet an arriving dignitary. The meeting of believers with Christ at His return is the grand climax of salvation history.