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.
Questions and Answers, Part 1
64-0823M §35
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Church Ages, part 9: The ten virgins, and the 144,000
60-1211M §72
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Revelation, Chapter 5, part 1
61-0611 §24
Now in the third chapter of Revelation we find the ending up of the church age, which ended with the Laodicean, the lukewarm church age. Then we find out that immediately after that, John was caught up in the Spirit, up into the heavens. And he saw things that was, and was to come, and things that had been. Now, we find out the church doesn't appear anymore until the nineteenth chapter of Revelation, then she returns with her Lord, gloriously washed in the blood.
Church Ages, part 6: The Thyatirean Church Age
60-1208 §4
Before one drop of water fell, Noah was in the ark. Before the fire could strike Sodom, Lot was gone. Father, we believe before the atomic powers ever blow this earth to pieces, the church will be gone. We're so glad, Lord. And we know that the bombs are hanging in the hangers, tonight. And we can look towards heaven and see the Son of man rising from his throne, to start towards the earth for the rapture of his church; know that his precious feet won't touch this sinful earth at that time. For as Rebekah rode the...
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60-1231 §60
Oh, notice, John, being taken up immediately after the church age, was a type of the raptured church. Immediately after the church age is over, this Laodicean church age, then comes the rapture. The church goes up like John did, into the presence of God. Oh, my! That just winds my soul around---caught up, at the rapture of the church. And it said... This place ... the book of Revelation, was written, see, at the end of the church age.