What Comes Before the Catching Up to the Lord in the Clouds in the Air (1th 4:16-17) and What Comes After This Event?
1) Direct answer
Before the catching up, the Lord descends with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God—this call gathers and readies the Bride, the dead in Christ are raised, and the living saints are changed. After the catching up, the Bride meets the Lord in the air and goes to the Marriage Supper, while the earth enters the great tribulation and God turns to Israel; then the Lord returns with His saints to reign in the Millennium, followed by the White Throne judgment and the New Heavens and New Earth.
2) Scriptural explanation
- The order itself: “The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God… the dead in Christ shall rise first… then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up… to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17). “We shall not all sleep… at the last trump… the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51–52).
- The Bride made ready before the meeting in the air: “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him” (Matthew 25:6). “His wife hath made herself ready… blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:7–9).
- Kept from the hour that is to try the world: “I… will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world” (Revelation 3:10). “Watch… that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things… and to stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21:36).
- After the catching up: earth’s tribulation and Israel’s sealing and witness (Matthew 24:21; Revelation 7:1–8; Revelation 11). Then Christ returns with His saints (Revelation 19:11–16; note the armies clothed in fine linen, the same linen of the Bride in Revelation 19:8). Then the Millennium (Revelation 20:1–6), the White Throne (Revelation 20:11–15), and the New Heavens and New Earth (Revelation 21–22).
3) Simple clarifying logic
- Now notice the steps in 1 Thessalonians 4: the shout is the call by the Word that awakens and gathers a ready people; the voice raises the sleeping saints; the trumpet changes the living; then comes the catching up to meet the Lord in the air. You see, the meeting is in the air, not on the earth—that’s the catching away of the Bride.
- While the Bride is with the Lord at the Marriage Supper, the earth faces the tribulation. God then deals with Israel, sealing the 144,000 and sending His two witnesses. After that season, the Lord returns with all His saints to reign, and the rest of the prophecy flows into the Millennium, the final judgment, and the eternal order.
4) Reinforcing statement
It’s the same Lord doing it all—He calls, He raises, He changes, He catches away, and He returns with His redeemed. The Bible lays the line, and we simply walk in it.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Souls that are in prison now
63-1110M §173
Just pray the way you want to pray now. Don't be in no hurry! Don't be in no hurry! What if you're the last name to go on the Book? .... I'm coming home. Coming home, coming home... Brother Neville, you go up and pray for them. The pastor is going to pray now with you while you're praying. I'll sing. Open wide Thine arms of love, Lord, I'm coming home. Coming home, coming home, Never more to roam; (Yes, Lord.) Open wide Thine arms of love, Lord, I'm coming home. Coming home, coming home, Never more to roam; Open wi...
Church Ages, part 10: The Laodicean Church Age
60-1211E §41
Now, we also find that His first coming wasn't at the day of the Lord. Is that right? Now back to Malachi. Let's straighten this out first---coming at the day of the Lord. Now watch His compound coming: His one coming, and His second. (Have you got your spiritual thinking ready?) Sixth verse now. He shall ... He'll send Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord. Is that right? Now, we realize that that wasn't John, 'cause it wasn't the dreadful day of the Lord, was it? And neither did He burn the earth....
Church Ages, part 2: The Patmos Vision
60-1204E §123
All right. Now one more quotation, and we've took the 20th. So now let's see here, on this verse here. Now, the 16th: And he had in his right hand seven stars: [Now let's take the ... his countenance.] ... out of his mouth goes a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. If you turn to ... let's see, Matthew 17. Let's just get it right here while we're at it, so we're just passing through... And many of those people that are taking it, or writing it down, we'll just let th...
Future home of the heavenly Bridegroom and the earthly Bride
64-0802 §224
Remember, Jesus said---about a day before that, He said, "Verily, I say unto you that some are standing here now will not see death until they see the kingdom of God established in power!" What was it? The resurrected dead and the raptured saints together, caught up together to meet Him in the air with God overshadowing Him, and Jesus standing there in his shadow saying, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." ... the order of the new kingdom. Oh, Brother, Sister,
Church Ages, part 2: The Patmos Vision
60-1204E §94
...I've got the wrong place, haven't I?] Daniel 7:9, yeah. Here we are: ...and his wheels... And a fiery stream issued forth and came from him and tens of thousands came and ministered unto him... And I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: and I beheld even until the beast was slain, and his body was destroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they all had their dominion taken away [that's all the Gentile powers and kingdoms will fall]: yet the...