As I read this text, Paul is making a paradigm, bringing up two different groups of people and showing us two very different outcomes at the same moment in time:
FIRST the dead in Christ arise (which event will cause a worldwide earthquake [Mat. 27] )
Next, the two groups:
1. Those alive and in Christ will get raptured ("salvation") and get to live together with Him.
2. Those alive and NOT in Christ will get sudden destruction (from the earthquake caused by the dead in Christ rising.)
In other words, the rapture and the sudden destruction are simultaneous events.
I don't disagree that they are pretty much lock-step! Right!
But here's my thoughts (slightly differing with yours):
--the same word for
"destruction [G3639]" is translated
in 1Tim6:9 as "ruin" (...and the 'and
they shall NOT
escape' is contrasted with those also finding themselves in the trib yrs, who *
will* heed His word [
by contrast], by their [heeding the] 'watch, and pray always, that ye may have strength
TO FLEE OUT OF [same Grk word] each and every thing coming [on the earth, during trib] and to stand before [in a judicial sense]
the Son of man [His Second Coming
TO THE EARTH designation]'--IOW, the "they shall NOT escape" is contrasted with Lk21:36 ppl ALSO *IN* the trib yrs);
--the thing that is
contrasted here (in 1Th5) is "for God hath
not appointed/destined
US for/unto wrath..." (like in 1Th1:10 'the
One delivering
US out-from
THE WRATH COMING')... meaning, those (the 'they' of this passage) who will be left on the earth when our Rapture occurs, this is
not said
of them ;
--the
"suddenness" of said "destruction" seems to parallel the wording in both Lam2:
3-4 (as I've pointed out is parallel language to that of 2Th2:
7b-8a), as well as the language saying, "for
the spoiler shall
SUDDENLY COME UPON us" (
not speaking of 'us / the Church which is His body,' mind you) in a chpt filled with wording such as
"pain, as a woman IN TRAVAIL," and "they shall lay hold on
BOW...; they are
cruel and
have no mercy... roareth like the
sea... ride upon horses, set in array as men
for war against thee, O daughter of Zion" etc (again, similarly to what I've said also parallels Lam2:3-4's language, that being Hab1:6,12, "...O Lord, thou hast ordained them [the Chaldeans/Babylonians] FOR/TO EXECUTE JUDGMENT; and O mighty God, thou hast established them [the Chaldeans/Babylonians] FOR CORRECTION.")
--
just before this "sudden destruction" COMES UPON "them,"
our "SNATCH" takes place *FIRST* (as all of the related passages agree).
This does NOT mean the whole world is destroyed. Yes, the mountains may well move out of their place. But all sinners are not destroyed: some may just get shaken up.
What will cause this worldwide earthquake? In my opinion it will be God bringing together the "dust" that once formed the bodies of the saints. For some, that "dust" may be scattered over acres or miles. This is not written, but when Jesus raised the elders when He was raised, there was an earthquake. When the two witnesses will be raised, John says there will be an earthquake.
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