The coming final judgment !

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The scofield bible [I owned one many years ago] has made popular a terrible false teaching regarding the second coming of Christ. It makes a distinction between the Day of Christ, and the Day of the LORD, as to suggest that Jesus Christ is not the LORD. It is believed that the passage in 1 Thess 4 means the Day of Christ, but the reference of the second coming in Matt 24 means the Day of the LORD.

Many believe that the Day of Christ is a Mystery and was never foresaw by the OT scriptures, but was a special revelation through Paul the Apostle. These also believe that the Day of Christ will be only related to reward of the Saints [some of them] and that the Day of the LORD relates to only Judgment.

All this is only wresting of scripture though, and denial of the Truth. Does not the scripture teach that Christ is the LORD ? See Lk 2:11;Jn 11:27;Acts 2:36;10:36;11:17;15:11,26;16:31 and I can go on !

Folks, the Day of Christ is the Day of the LORD since Jesus Christ is LORD ! Phil 2:11

And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The Lord Jesus Christ is referred to in a diverse of ways in scripture, but nevertheless, He is the same, for this cause His Day is termed:

That Day 2 Tim 1:18;4:8

18The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.


8Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

" The Day of Christ" Phil 1:10;2:16;2 Thess 2:2

That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ

Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand

" The day of Jesus Christ" Phil 1:6

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

"The Day of God" 2 Pet 3:12,10

Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

"The Great Day" Jude 1:6;Rev 6:17

And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

"In the day of the Lord" 1 Cor 5:5

To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

2 Cor 1:14

As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are our's in the day of the Lord Jesus.

1 Thess 5:2

For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

2 Pet 3:10

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

" The Day of the Lord Jesus " 2 Cor 1:14

14As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are our's in the day of the Lord Jesus.

" The Day of our lord Jesus Christ" 1 Cor 1:8


8Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is observable that that the Thessalonian scriptures which some say belong strictly to the Day of Christ thought, that almost all the references recognize Jesus as Lord like here 1 Thess 4:16-17

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Yet, these deny this being the Day of the LORD !

In fact, He is called LORD seven times in the context 1 Thess 4:15-5:9 ! In both

epistles the He is called Lord over 45 Times !
 
The scofield bible [I owned one many years ago] has made popular a terrible false teaching regarding the second coming of Christ. It makes a distinction between the Day of Christ, and the Day of the LORD, as to suggest that Jesus Christ is not the LORD. It is believed that the passage in 1 Thess 4 means the Day of Christ, but the reference of the second coming in Matt 24 means the Day of the LORD.

Many believe that the Day of Christ is a Mystery and was never foresaw by the OT scriptures, but was a special revelation through Paul the Apostle. These also believe that the Day of Christ will be only related to reward of the Saints [some of them] and that the Day of the LORD relates to only Judgment.

All this is only wresting of scripture though, and denial of the Truth. Does not the scripture teach that Christ is the LORD ? See Lk 2:11;Jn 11:27;Acts 2:36;10:36;11:17;15:11,26;16:31 and I can go on !

Folks, the Day of Christ is the Day of the LORD since Jesus Christ is LORD ! Phil 2:11

And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The Lord Jesus Christ is referred to in a diverse of ways in scripture, but nevertheless, He is the same, for this cause His Day is termed:

That Day 2 Tim 1:18;4:8

18The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.


8Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

" The Day of Christ" Phil 1:10;2:16;2 Thess 2:2

That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ

Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand

" The day of Jesus Christ" Phil 1:6

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

"The Day of God" 2 Pet 3:12,10

Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

"The Great Day" Jude 1:6;Rev 6:17

And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

"In the day of the Lord" 1 Cor 5:5

To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

2 Cor 1:14

As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are our's in the day of the Lord Jesus.

1 Thess 5:2

For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

2 Pet 3:10

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

" The Day of the Lord Jesus " 2 Cor 1:14

14As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are our's in the day of the Lord Jesus.

" The Day of our lord Jesus Christ" 1 Cor 1:8


8Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is observable that that the Thessalonian scriptures which some say belong strictly to the Day of Christ thought, that almost all the references recognize Jesus as Lord like here 1 Thess 4:16-17

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Yet, these deny this being the Day of the LORD !

In fact, He is called LORD seven times in the context 1 Thess 4:15-5:9 ! In both

epistles the He is called Lord over 45 Times !

It doesn't matter what Bible you consult, the N.T. references to "the day of the Lord" the "day of Christ Jesus" the "last day" the "end of all things" the "day when Christ judges men" - are ALL THE SAME!

Christ Second Coming, the Judgment, the Resurrection, ALL ONE & the SAME.
When Christ was to return in judgment upon Israel of the flesh, He raised the patriarchs of Israel, & the living remnant (the 144k) were saved from God's wrath in the Great Tribulation. AT THE SAME TIME He rewarded the dead Christian saints too (the martyrs for Christ).

As it is written,
The Seventh Trumpet

15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become

the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,
and he will reign for ever and ever.â€
16 And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying:
“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
the One who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power
and have begun to reign.
18 The nations were angry,
and your wrath has come.
The time has come for judging the dead,
and for rewarding your servants the prophets
and your people who revere your name,
both great and small—

and for destroying those who destroy the earth.â€
19 Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm
.[emph. mine]

What Paul is saying is that "we" who are alive, will meet our dead ones in heaven also, when we too die & put off our flesh- 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

The "last day" Jesus spoke of was the last day of the old covenant AND His return to raise the dead literally & the living to heavenly places spiritually.
 
The Body of Christ is in the Tribulation ! -

Many today have been deceived and believe the Church, the Body of Christ would not go through the period of time in human history known as the Great Tribulation Matt 24:21

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Rev 7:14

And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Thats the Church, washed in the blood of the Lamb 1 Pet 1:19

But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

Rev 12:11

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Thats the Church !

And so is this Rev 14:12

12Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

First this group has patience ! In Fact Tribulation worketh Patience Rom 5:3

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

People have been deceived to believe that the Tribulation period is God's wrath, but its not, for His wrath is yet to come.

Now who was Romans written to ? It was written to the Church at Rome, and to the Saints Rom 1:7

To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

In Rev 14:12 it is stated that it is them which keep the commandments of God ! That also characterizes the Church ! Look at 1 Cor 7:19

Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.

Now, was not the Corinthians part of the Church of God ? 1 Cor 1:1-2

1Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

2Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their's and our's:

What about 1 Jn 5:2-3

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Was not 1 Jn written to the Children of God ? 1 Jn 3:1

What about the Faith of Jesus or Jesus Christ ? Is that not the Church ?

Lets look at Rom 3:22

Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:


Gal 2:16

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

Gal 3:22

But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

So why do these false teachers teach that the Church cannot go through the tribulation ?

There is nothing of those in Rev 14:12 that differs them from the Church of Christ, His Body !

They have patience, which the Church had in Rome Rom 5:3

They were called Saints, like them in Rome

They kept the commandments of God like in 1 Jn 5

They kept the Faith of Jesus as those in Rome and Galatia !

They experience Tribulation like those in Rom 5:3
 
Jesus is coming at the Last Trump !

Let's look at Matt 24:31

31And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Many today who remain deceived would have us to believe that these called elect here are confined to ethnic jews, but this is a lie, some ethnic jews may be in the number, however, these will be all people alive on Earth at the time. who had been Chosen in Christ, of God's Eternal Purpose of Election, of both jew and gentile believers ! " Rom 8:33


33Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth."

Same greek word, the word eklektos and means:

picked out, chosen

a) chosen by God,

Now that Trump in Matt 24:31 is the same as that in 1 Cor 15:52


52In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

We know without question this is the Church 1 Cor 1:2

2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their's and our's:

Its also the same Trump in 1 Thess 4:16

16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Also the being caught up together of vs 17 is the same event as the 'Gather together of His Elect from the four winds in Matt 24:31 !

This also means that 1 Thess 4:16-17; 1 Cor 15:52 are God's Elect of Matt 24:31, so the Elect and the Church are the Same. In other words, Jesus is saying in Matt 24:31

31And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his Church from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
 
Jesus is coming at the Last Trump !

We cannot forget the seventh Trump,and the Third Woe of Rev 11:14-19

14The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.

15And the seventh angel sounded[A Trumpet]; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

16And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,

17Saying, We give thee thanks, O LORD God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.

18And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

19And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

This is the same Trump as 1 Cor 15:52 and 1 Thess 4:14. Now you may ask where is that which indicates a being caught up or being gathered together ? Look at Rev 11:12

12And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

"Come up Hither" So that means the Two witnesses in this vision are the Church or God's Elect being raptured immediately after the Great Tribulation !
 
The Millenial Reign !

The Millennial Reign of Christ began at Christ's enthronement and lasts until His Second Coming 1 Cor 15:25-28


25For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

26The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

27For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.

28And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

That word reign is the same word used here Rev 20:4

4And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Rom 5:17

17For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

This reign in life is connected with reigning with Him !
 
What to expect !


When the Lord Jesus Christ returns, which will be very soon, there will be a Resurrection and the Judgment of everyone whoever lived in the world Rev 20:11-15

11And I saw a great white throne, and him[Jesus Christ] that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God[Jesus Christ]; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.


Jn 5:28-29

28Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,

29And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

The Resurrection of damnation is Judgment of Rev 20:12

This Day is approaching, it has been appointed by God Acts 17:31

31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

That word appointed means established, God has fixed and established it in His Counsels, Its like when Joseph told Pharoah Gen 41:32

And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.
 
The coming final judgment !

'Many today have corrupted the word of God through their denial of its truthfulness, and the things that it predicts that shall happen. Two things that the word predicts is the coming again of Jesus Christ to Judge the world and the final punishment of the wicked, those not loved by God, and chosen to be vessels of wrath and fitted for destruction, and that everlastingly....'

Elijah here: Inspiration has it in Eccl. 12..
[13] Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
[14] For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

When Christ comes again, this phase of judgement will be ALL SETTLED! The END CONCLUSION of who will be saved or who will be lost.

There is to be the FIRST RESURECTION (Blessed & Holy are these) and then another at the close of the 1000 years of the lost ones will come forth to be executed. This time will define the length of their reward of execution in hell. (Luke 12:47-48 & then Obad. 1:16)

And the 1000 years finds us seen in 1 Cor. 6..

[2] Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
[3] Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

The Eccl. 12 verses find the SEPERATION of the saved from the lost by accurate record books!

And the End of the 1000 years find all of the wicked + satan & crew to be executed. And all of the wicked 's resurection have them come up as they had died, with satan as their leader & to now die the second eternal death. And as Christ documented in Luke 12, there will be different lengths of suffering time before this death.

And this resurection will now again have satan loosed by this set of circumstances with the wicked, as again being his own. Rev. 20:1-3.

But it will be the Second DEATH for all of these ones! Rev. 20:9-10. Compare Nah. 1:9 + Mal. 4:1-4 and the above Obad. 1:16 verse.

--Elijah
 
So whaddayamean 'very soon' ?

Next week? Next Fall?

How do you know?

Dan 8:26 - "The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true, but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future."(NIV)

Given some strong futurist prescription "this hasn't happened yet" glasses I could reason that God says 2500yrs is a long time while 2000yrs is very soon.:shrug
 
Dan 8:26 - "The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true, but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future."(NIV)
Given some strong futurist prescription "this hasn't happened yet" glasses I could reason that God says 2500yrs is a long time while 2000yrs is very soon.:shrug
Are those the tinted kind?


I generally dont bother asking what someone thinks 'soon' means as used in Scriptire, I ask them how they,the user, is defining the term. And that usually leads to an ever decreasing radius resulting is spinning like a top. Based on the finest Christian thinking as well as personal and corporate longings; RAPTURE ME I DONT WANT TO DIE!!!
 
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All the Scripture quoted points to one main, basic fact: always be prepared because you don't/won't know the hour and the day that our Lord returns. If He returns next week, I'm not worried as I try to live each day as though it was my last.

This next paragraph is not intended to be criticism of any one particular person. I try to have respect for everyone.

Are you familiar that history repeats itself every generation? After the Reformation in England, and the Bible was printed in English and distributed, it became a widely-held belief that the end of days was upon them. Pulpits were pounded that the end of the world as they knew it was about to occur. Some people simply stopped what they were doing because they did not want to preoccupied when the final judgment occurred.

History also teaches us that in the final year of each century (since Jesus Christ's days), many people believed that the final judgment was upon them.

Yes, I firmly believe that at some point Christ will return. If I'm still alive at that time, I pray I'm prepared. And when I share the Word with others, I do share that there will be an end times. Still, I stress we must live each day as though it is our last.

Some might think my preparedness is nothing more than 'flower-power' cutsey phrasology. So be it. For me, it's part of my walk. I don't subscribe to the promotion of fear/panic/chaos that end-of-time-is-now'ers try to force upon others.

:wave
 
Are those the tinted kind?


I generally dont bother asking what someone thinks 'soon' means as used in Scriptire, I ask them how they,the user, is defining the term. And that usually leads to an ever decreasing radius resulting is spinning like a top. Based on the finest Christian thinking as well as personal and corporate longings; RAPTURE ME I DONT WANT TO DIE!!!

When you view the Apocalypse through rose tinted glasses it really doesn't seem like the end of the world.:shades
 
Armageddon is a spiritual warfare; in fact its the churches witness for Christ, particularily after satan has been loosed in the last time to deceive the nations, which results in false religions against the Truth !
 
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Waiting on His Return !

1 Thess 1:4-10

4Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.

5For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.

6And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.

7So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.

8For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.

9For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;

10And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

It has always been for the vessels of mercy, those converted by Sovereign Grace, to look for and expect the Glorious Return of Christ, their God and Saviour Titus 2:11-13

11For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

12Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

13Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Now no one knows when this coming of Christ will be, but know for sure it will be, and it will be sudden and unannounced, but when it does happen, it will be momentous and public , and nothing secret about it. [The secret rapture teaching is a deception] At that time the following events will transpire.

The Dead in Christ shall rise First 1 Thess 4:16, This means everyone whoever died in the Faith shall be raised from their graves, wherever they may be ! Jn 5:28-29 ; 1 Thess 4:13-18

And after this, those Living saints shall be caught up in the air Matt 24:31 ; 1 Thess 4:16-17 !
 
Judgment after that !


After the Lord Jesus Christ has resurrected the Dead Saints and Transformed the Living Ones, the Lord then and His Saints will come forward to this Earth to begin the Judgment Jude 1:14-15 and at this Time the Dead outside of Christ shall also be raised, united back with their bodies, to be Judged according to their works, this will be a declarative Judgment ! Rev 20:12-13

12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
 
1 Thess 4:15-17


At the Second Coming of Christ, the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with the voice of an Arch Angel, this voice of the Arch Angel is important because it links the OT Saints with the Second Coming here being described, this Arch Angel was associated with the Saints in the OT i.e Daniel 10:13,21

13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.

21 But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.

Dan 12:1

And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

For He had a special Responsibility for the Saints in that Nation. So at the Second Coming the dead in Christ shall rise first which will include all who died in faith since the beginning of the world, for even the OT Saints had their faith as the NT Saints in the Blood of Christ Rom 3:24-25

24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Which blood bought the Church Acts 20:28

28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Remember what God told His People in the OT Jer 3:15

And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

Eph 4:11-12

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:


Well God was fulfilling that Promise , and this connects the OT Saints and NT Saints together and as being the Church of God, which He purchased with His own Blood ! Also by the presence of Moses [The Law and Elijah [The Prophets] on the Mt of Transfiguration it is recorded that while there, they spoke to Christ about what ? About His death He was about to accomplish in Jerusalem, this indicates that they were aware of their interest along with their believing contemporaries ! Lk 9:30-31

30 And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias:

31 Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.

So the dead in Christ that shall rise first will include Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, along with Jeremiah and Paul and Stephen, Silas,m Timothy, Titus, and Abel,m Seth, Ruth and on and on, and of course the Living Saints at this time will be caught up to meet them and the Lord in the air, for then cometh to past what was anticipated here Matt 25:1-13. Now the mentioning of the Voice of the Archangel, whom is Christ Himself, His Voice, shows us that the Church, His Bride were, all believing from all generations from the beginning of the World, and Now is the Day of Judgment spoken of here Rev 11:18

18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
 
Too often we live our life carelessly towards the things of God. Sodom and Gomorrah were cities that had all that they needed and more yet the very blessings of God led to apathy and a rejection of God by the people who rejoiced in living and the pleasures of a blessed life but were not happy to submit to His Lordship.

John O