According to Paul the dead will rise and we who are alive will join them to meet the lord in the air. The righteous dead are with him now and will return with him at the second coming to receive their glorified bodies at the rapture
Daniel 7:27 (HCSB)
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27 [/SUP] The kingdom, dominion, and greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven will be given to
the people, the holy ones of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will serve and obey Him.’
1 Thessalonians 3:13 (NIV)
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13 [/SUP] May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our
Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
Jude 1:14-15 (HCSB)
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14 [/SUP] And Enoch, in the seventh ⌊generation⌋ from Adam, prophesied about them: Look! The
Lord comes with thousands of His holy ones
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15 [/SUP] to execute judgment on all and to convict them of all their ungodly acts that they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things ungodly sinners have said against Him.
Zechariah 14:3-5 (ESV)
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3 [/SUP] Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle.
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4 [/SUP]
On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward.
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5 [/SUP] And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then
the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.
Yes that describes the Second Coming, when HIS FEET TOUCH the Mount of Olives and SPLITS IT IN TWO. But there is also an APPEARING in the clouds, when HIS FEET DO NOT TOUCH the Earth.
Titus 2:13-14 (NKJV)
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13 [/SUP] looking for the blessed hope and
glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
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14 [/SUP] who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself
His own special people, zealous for good works.
What is the Biggest Difference between His appearing and His Second Coming ? ? ?
Luke 17:24 (NRSV)
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24[/SUP]
For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (HCSB)
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13 [/SUP] We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
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14 [/SUP] Since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.
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15 [/SUP] For we say this to you by a revelation from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly have no advantage over those who have fallen asleep.
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16 [/SUP] For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
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17 [/SUP] Then we who are still alive
will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we will always be with the Lord.
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18 [/SUP] Therefore encourage one another with these words.
1 Corinthians 15:51-55 (HCSB)
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51 [/SUP] Listen! I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed,
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52 [/SUP]
in a moment, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.
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53 [/SUP] For this corruptible must be clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal must be clothed with immortality.
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54 [/SUP] When this corruptible is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place: Death has been swallowed up in victory.
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55 [/SUP] Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?
The APPEARING happens VERY FAST and is as BRIGHT as lightning, AND he is coming as:
the Son of Man to Call out HIS BRIDE.
The Second Coming happens SO SLOW that all the Armies of the World have time to gather as Armageddon to MAKE WAR on HIM who is coming to MAKE WAR ON NATIONS as KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Revelation 19:11-21 (YLT)
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11 [/SUP] And I saw the heaven having been opened, and lo, a white horse, and he who is sitting upon it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness doth he judge and war,
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12 [/SUP] and his eyes
are as a flame of fire, and upon his head
are many diadems--having a name written that no one hath known, except himself,
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13 [/SUP] and he is arrayed with a garment covered with blood, and his name is called, The Word of God.
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14 [/SUP] And the armies in the heaven were following him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen--white and pure;
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15 [/SUP] and out of his mouth doth proceed a sharp sword, that with it he may smite the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, and he doth tread the press of the wine of the wrath and the anger of God the Almighty,
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16 [/SUP] and he hath upon the garment and upon his thigh the name written, `King of kings, and Lord of lords.'
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17 [/SUP] And I saw one messenger standing in the sun, and he cried, a great voice, saying to all the birds that are flying in mid-heaven, `Come and be gathered together to the supper of the great God,
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18 [/SUP] that ye may eat flesh of kings, and flesh of chiefs of thousands, and flesh of strong men, and flesh of horses, and of those sitting on them, and the flesh of all--freemen and servants--both small and great.'
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19 [/SUP]
And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, having been gathered together to make war with him who is sitting upon the horse, and with his army;
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20 [/SUP] and the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who did the signs before him, in which he led astray those who did receive the mark of the beast, and those who did bow before his image; living they were cast--the two--to the lake of the fire, that is burning with brimstone;
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21 [/SUP] and the rest were killed with the sword of him who is sitting on the horse, which
sword is proceeding out of his mouth, and all the birds were filled out of their flesh.
You have to learn which is which, when you are looking at the Prophetic Scriptures. One event, the Calling Out of HIS Bride happens so fast it compares to Lightning flashing across the Sky, while the Second Coming happens so slow, all the armies of the world have time to gather in the Valley of Megiddo. IN BOTH EVENTS, HIS HOLY ONES COME WITH HIM.