We can tell from the description that this is referring to the beginning of the attack of Armageddon. The words used are suggestive of an invasion by an army, not a secret whisking away of a select group of Gentiles.

Look carefully at the expression "the dead in Christ will rise first."

The verb "will rise" does not mean rise into the air but rise from the dead; as when we say, "Christ rose from the dead." It has nothing to do with ascending into the air, not at this point.

Forty days elapsed between the raising of Christ from the dead and His ascension into Heaven. The same may be true of us.

The great, historic event, the climax of the Christ Age, the blessed hope of the Church, is not the ascension into the air, it is the resurrection from the dead. This is the destruction of the last enemy—physical death. This is the crowning act of redemption.

Of course, Satan is terrified at the thought of millions of saints of all ages being raised from the dead and clothed with the indestructible power of eternal life.

Do you honestly believe after God's heroes of faith of all history have been raised from the dead and clothed with immortality they must be brought up to Heaven to escape Antichrist and the great tribulation? I do not believe such unscriptural nonsense. The truth is, they have just returned from Heaven, some of them having been there for thousands of years.

What a host will now be on the earth. Do you believe Antichrist could possibly harm them? Antichrist will be terrified. His knees will be knocking like castanets.

The dead in Christ will rise, and the light from them will shine from one end of the heavens to the other. This will be the greatest witness of God's Person, will, way, and eternal purpose in Christ ever to be presented on the earth.

After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (I Thessalonians 4:17—NIV)

Now we come to the catching up. The saints alive on the earth at this time will be clothed with immortality and caught up together with the newly raised saints of history. We will not be caught up to avoid the hour of testing because we already are immortal and cannot be harmed in any manner. It is the resurrection that keeps us safe, not the catching up. Can you see that clearly?

Notice that we meet the Lord in the air. Nothing whatever is stated about the Lord returning to Heaven. Nothing whatever is stated about our returning with the Lord to Heaven. The idea that the Lord Jesus will come down to the level of the clouds, send the deceased saints down to reclaim their bodies, and then bring them and us back to Heaven is not stated anywhere in the Scriptures. Not anywhere! Not one time anywhere!

We are not caught up to return with the Lord to Heaven but to meet the Lord at His return. After we are caught up the wrath of God will be poured on the earth. Did you ever go to the airport or train station to meet someone?

To be continued.