And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. (Jude 1:14,15)

When the Lord appears with and in His saints He will remove the sinners from the midst of His people.

A study of the context of the above passage will reveal that the "all" upon whom the Divine judgment will be executed are those who assemble with the saints but who actually are wicked.

These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; (Jude 1:12)

The Lord will destroy Antichrist, the False Prophet, and the wicked nations that have invaded Jerusalem.

And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. (Revelation 19:20,21)

The hope of the Thessalonian believers, their vision of the future, was that the Lord Jesus would appear in the power of His Kingdom with His saints and deliver them from suffering and at the same time establish His righteous Kingdom on the earth.

Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; (II Thessalonians 1:6)

The welfare of the deceased saints. But what about the saints who had died before the Kingdom appeared from Heaven?

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (I Thessalonians 4:14)

There is no problem! The Lord is going to bring them with Him. The true and scriptural hope of the Christian who has lost a loved one is that the Lord will bring that person with Him when He returns.

For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [go before or have any advantage over] them which are asleep. (I Thessalonians 4:15)

We who are living on the earth at the time of the Lord's return will not enter the Kingdom before those who are asleep, or have any advantage over them, even though they have died before the Kingdom was installed on the earth. Therefore we are not to be concerned about their welfare.

To be continued.