Resurrection of the Saints

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

(1 Thessalonians 4:14-18)

At the end of the Antichrist’s final forty two month reign the event known as the rapture of the church will take place. The apostle Paul describes that event in the above quoted passage of scripture.

As already mentioned, this event will be the final fulfilment of the Feast of Trumpets, for the trumpet of God will sound and dead in Christ will be raised from their graves. We mentioned earlier that all saints that die in the Lord ascend into Paradise where they are currently resting in sleep. This passage declares that the Lord will bring those saints with Him when He returns.

It is these saints that will partake in the first resurrection, for their spirits will enter their natural mortal bodies that have since become dust and those bodies will be instantly recreated into immortal spiritual bodies.

Paul goes on in this passage to tell us that there will be saints alive on the earth at that time. It is therefore self evident that those saints will not experience death, for their natural mortal bodies will be instantly transformed into immortal spiritual bodies.

This passage declares that the moment the saints’ bodies have been transformed they will all ascend in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. This is the event that is commonly known as the Rapture, where two will be in the field and one will be taken and the other left, and two will be grinding at the mill and one will be taken and the other left (Matthew 24: 40-41).

It is important to note in this passage that the saints will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. In other words, Paul is saying that the Lord Jesus will not descend to the earth at that time. The question is therefore asked, why?

Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him. He shall call to the heavens from above, And to the earth, that He may judge His people: "Gather My saints together to Me, Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice."

(Psalms 50:3-5)

The Lord answers the question why, in the above quoted passage. This passage declares that the Lord will gather His saints from both heaven (those who have fallen asleep in Him) and earth (those who remain alive on the earth) so that He can judge them; and He will do that in the spiritual realm called “the air”.

This particular realm is located just above the earth and is currently occupied by Satan and his angels, which is why Satan is known as the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2).

However, scripture teaches us that before the first resurrection takes place, Michael and his angels will go to war with the devil and his angels. Michael and his angels will be victorious in that conflict, resulting in Satan and his angels being evicted from the spiritual realm called the air and cast down to the earth (Revelation 12:7-9). Therefore when Jesus returns He will descend to this realm to meet His saints.

Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

(2 Corinthians 5:9-10)

The Lord’s judgement begins at the house of God (1 Peter 4:17); therefore the saints will be judged first and their judgement will take place at this time. The above passage declares that the saints must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ; not to be judged for salvation but rather for their works. This passage declares that it is the works that each one did while in the body that will be judged, whether good or bad.

The good works will be rewarded, while the bad works will cause the saints to suffer the loss of said rewards (1 Corinthians 3:14-15). It is at this time that the saints will receive their various crowns or lack thereof, thus determining their position in the kingdom of God for all eternity.

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honour and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen." Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?" And I said to him, "Sir, you know." So he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

(Revelation 7:9-17)

After the saints have been judged, the Lord will ascend with His perfected church into heaven where they will finally see God face to face. The above passage describes this event of the church standing before the throne of God for the first time and worshipping before Him.

As an aside, when the elder mentions the great tribulation in this passage, he is not speaking about the period of tribulation that the saints will experience during the reign of the Antichrist. Rather he is referring to the pilgrimage of all saints through this life, which heaven views as a great tribulation.

And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready." And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!' “And he said to me, "These are the true sayings of God."

(Revelation 19:6-9)

It is at this time that the marriage supper of the Lamb will take place and the church will become the bride of Christ. This event is described for us in the above passage.

As an aside, it is important to note that the bride of Christ will be perfect. So what do I mean by that statement? I mean that once the first resurrection takes place, the full number of saints would have been added to the church. In other words, there are a finite number of saints that form the bride of Christ and once that number is reached, for the rest of eternity it can never be changed.

Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

(Revelation 19:11-16)

After the marriage supper of the Lamb, the Lord will return to the earth with His Queen to begin His millennial reign. This event is described in the above passage of scripture. Therefore, from the time of the rapture until the Lord returns, the church will be absent from the earth for approximately 3 years. We know that because 2300 days will elapse from the time the Antichrist enters the temple until it is cleansed at the return of Christ. Of the 2300 days, the Antichrist is allowed to reign from the temple for 42 months (approximately 1277 days), leaving just short of three years to be accounted for.

While the church is absent from the earth for that three year period, the seven trumpets and the seven bowls of God’s wrath will be poured out on the earth (Revelation 8 & 16).

Michael E.B. Maher

Resurrection of the Dead

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