After the dead ones among the believers, signified by the ten virgins, have been resurrected, the living believers, signified by one of the two men and one of the two women in Matthew 24:40 and 41 and one of the two in Luke 17:34, who are left and who will still remain until the Lord’s coming, will be caught up at the same time together with the resurrected ones. First Thessalonians 4:17 says, “We who are living, who are left remaining, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and thus we will be always with the Lord.” According to this verse, both the dead and the living believers will be caught up to the Lord. First the dead will be raised, and then together we will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:15 and 17 Paul speaks of those “who are living, who are left remaining unto the coming of the Lord” and of those “who are living, who are left remaining.” This indicates, or at least implies, that there are some living ones who do not remain. These living ones who do not remain are overcomers. There is a difference between the rapture of the overcomers and the rapture of those believers who are alive and remain until the Lord’s coming. The rapture of the overcomers will take place before the last three and a half years, a period known as the great tribulation. In other words, the overcomers will be raptured before the tribulation (Rev. 3:10). But those who are alive and remain will be raptured at the end of the great tribulation, that is, at the last trumpet (1 Cor. 15:52).
The believers who are alive and remain will be caught up “in the clouds” (1 Thes. 4:17).
Verse 17 also says that those believers who are alive and remain unto the Lord’s coming will be caught up “to meet the Lord in the air.” This shows that the difference between the rapture of the overcomers and the rapture of those believers who are alive and remain until the Lord’s coming is not only regarding time but also regarding location. In Revelation 12 the overcomers are raptured to the throne of God in the third heaven (vv. 5-6, 14), but in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 the rapture of those who are alive and remain will be to the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
The majority of the believers, both the dead and resurrected ones and the living ones at the Lord’s coming, after being raptured to meet the Lord in the air, will be always with the Lord to enjoy His presence by seeing Him face to face (1 John 3:2). Then they will enjoy the Lord’s presence much more than what they enjoyed of His presence in their spirit while they lived on earth.
When the Lord Jesus returns, the majority of the believers who have died through all the generations will rise up from the dead. Among them, some are foolish and some are prudent. The prudent ones are ready and will be invited to go in with the Bridegroom to the wedding feast, the marriage dinner of the Lamb. This marriage dinner will occur before the manifestation of the kingdom as a reward of mutual enjoyment with the Lord to the believers who are ready, who are equipped with the infilling of the Holy Spirit before they die. After they go in to the marriage feast, the door will be shut. The foolish ones, who are not ready, will also come to the Lord at His wedding feast but will be rejected. These believers have been regenerated by the Spirit of God and have the Spirit of God indwelling them but are not filled with the Spirit of God such that He saturates their whole being. Hence, after their resurrection, they will still need to pay a price to obtain the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, because of their need to obtain the infilling of the Spirit, they will miss the wedding feast of the Lamb and lose the reward dispensationally.
According to the New Testament, Christ’s coming will be His presence with His believers; this is His parousia. During the Lord’s coming, the dead believers will be the first to rise up and be raptured into His parousia. Those who are Christ’s, that is, the believers in Christ, will be resurrected unto life at the Lord’s coming back before the millennium. This is the resurrection of life. In addition, when the Lord comes back to reward the saints, the overcoming believers will receive the resurrection of the righteous. This resurrection is not only the resurrection of life but also the first resurrection, the best resurrection, the resurrection of reward. This extraordinary resurrection is the out-resurrection, which the apostle Paul sought. It is the resurrection of kingship as a reward to the overcomers so that they may reign as co-kings with Christ in the millennial kingdom. Therefore, blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. This is the highest blessing—to inherit the kingdom of God manifested on earth and even to be co-kings with Christ within the kingdom. This out-resurrection should be the goal and purpose of our Christian life.
After the dead ones among the believers have been resurrected, some of the living believers, those who are left and who will still remain until the Lord’s coming, will be caught up at the same time together with the resurrected ones in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Those who are alive and remain will be raptured at the end of the great tribulation, that is, at the last trumpet. After being raptured to meet the Lord in the air, they will be always with the Lord to enjoy His presence by seeing Him face to face. Then they will enjoy the Lord’s presence much more than what they enjoyed of His presence in their spirit while they lived on earth.