The day of Christ and his coming does not negate the "rapture" according to 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17
first thanks for the reply, second, not saying that you're right or wrong, but consider this.
John 14:2 "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you.
John 14:3 "And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am,
there ye may be also.
that's straight forward, nothing said about going back to heaven yet...
1 Thessalonians 4:17 "Then we which
are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
are you going to be in the air literally for ever? of course not. This is after the destruction of the wicked in spirit, with the sword of his mouth.
now let's consider the word used here.
caught up: G726 ἁρπάζω harpazo (har-pa'-zō) v.
to seize.
{in various applications}
[from a derivative of G138]
KJV: catch (away, up), pluck, pull, take (by force)
as the definition states, the derivative of G138, so lets see what G138 says,
G138 αἱρέομαι haireomai (hai-re'-o-mai) v.
ἕλλομαι hellomai (hel'-lo-mai) [a cognate form, which is otherwise obsolete]
to take for oneself, i.e. to prefer.
[probably akin to G142]
KJV:
choose
this is simply his chosen that he is gathering together. ok, let's go on.
Cloud: G3507 νεφέλη nephele (ne-fe'-lee) n.
1. (properly) cloudiness.
2. (concretely) a cloud.
[from G3509]
KJV: cloud
Root(s): G3509
The root give us the key to understanding the verse
G3509 νέφος nephos (ne'-fos) n.
1. a cloud.
2. (figuratively) a large, dense crowd,
a great number of people.
Supportive scripture, Hebrews 12:1 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so
great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
so the geathering is "GREAT". no one is left fot heaven yet.... now the "AIR" here.
AIR: G109 ἀήρ aer (a-eer') n.
“air” (as naturally surrounding).
[from aemi “
to breathe unconsciously,” i.e. respire: (by analogy) to blow]
KJV: air
Compare: G5594
to breathe is to be "refreshed" or to recover.
To be REFRESHED: the same as Quicken, or to be reanimate, let's check the record.
Exodus 23:12 "Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger,
may be refreshed.
1 Corinthians 15:51 "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep,
but we shall all be changed,
1 Corinthians 15:52 "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed”.
so "to breathe" is to LIVE, where has we seen this at before? let the record speak, Genesis 2:7 "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul".
now where has we see this again at?, scripture, John 20:22 "And when he had said this, he
breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost".
the Holy Ghost is the "breathe" that RESURRECT us.
so we are gathered together and a. resurrected (the DEAD), and b. those (alive) "CHANGED" or "breathe" on by the Holy Ghost, who is JESUS.
so in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 there is two events at one actions. and still no one is gone to heaven... why? Revelation 20:5 "
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Revelation 20:6 "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ,
and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Revelation 20:7 "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Revelation 20:8 "And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Revelation 20:9 "And they went up on the breadth of the earth,
and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Revelation 20:10 "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
well to compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city that means they was here on EARTH before and after the thousand years, so no rapture.
PICJAG