Re: Lively Stone @ gracecentered.com forums

Quote Originally Posted by Lively Stone
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.
Why this unnecessary repartition? Obviously those who are "alive" are "left". It must be because some had gone on before at the first rapture to come "before the throne" (Rev. 7.9) before the first trumpet of the Tribulation (8.7) commences. They were ready to be received up as the firstfruits (14.1-5). Whereas those who are raptured with those who are asleep in 1 Thess. 4.14-18 are to meet the Lord in the air. Two different places. The first rapture, therefore, is according to readiness as we see many conditional statements for first rapture (Matt. 24.40-42, Luke 21.36, Rev. 3.10), and the rapture and resurrection that takes place at the start of the 7th trumpet (11.15, 15.2-4) before the 7 bowls of wrath are poured is according to completion (14.14-16). Amen.