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Christ is coming to retrieve His righteous followers, both living and dead:
The Dead Followers will be Raised
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
Only those who have given their lives to Jesus and submitted to His authority will be resurrected at the Second Coming.
And I saw thrones, and they sat up on them, and judgment was given unto them...But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection (Revelation 20:4-6).
In John 5:28-29, Christ tells us that all shall hear His voice. He talks of two resurrections: "the resurrection of life," and "the resurrection of damnation." These two events are separated by a thousand years. The followers of God are to be raised at the first resurrection, or “the resurrection of life.” The rejecters of God will not be raised until the thousand years are finished, at the second resurrection or “the resurrection of damnation.”
The Living Followers will be Translated
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
The living people of God, "we which are alive," will be gathered together with the resurrected righteous to meet the Lord in the air. The living followers will not taste death, but will be translated as Enoch and Elijah were (Genesis 5:24; 2 Kings 2:11).
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:51-54 NKJV).
The living will be changed at the last trumpet. Our bodies will be changed into the likeness of His glorious body. For more information see Philippians 3:20-21, 1 John 3:2-3, and Isaiah 25:8-9.
The next article will discuss what will happen to those who rejected Christ.
Back to The Second Coming of Christ
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This article is adapted from Truth Matters by Professor Walter J. Veith, an international speaker who has studied Biblical issues in-depth in his quest for truth. His popular series Genesis Conflict brings the debate between Creation and evolution to a new climax as he dissects the arguments with a scientific eye. His highly-acclaimed series Total Onslaught sheds light on the state of the world today as we move to a one-world government and an anticipated apocalypse.
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