Dear friends:

Two world-shaking events of historic proportions are in the future, probably very near future.

I used to think the resurrection and the rapture would happen simultaneously.  That is, until I looked more closely at the apostle Paul's exact wording.  He said:

"For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede them which are asleep.  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).

Carefully note that he said "the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up."  There are two events described here.

We do not know how much time is in between the two events.  It could only be a microsecond, or seconds, or minutes, or hours, or days, or whatever.  I cannot prove it, but I personally believe it may be a few days' interval.

For example, many believe the rapture will be on Pentecost this year, or May 27.  If the rapture is preceded by the resurrection, it would seem to me that Ascension Day, May 17, would be a good candidate.  That is ten days.  Could that be the same ten days as Revelation 2:10?  I don't know, but it is an interesting thought. 

If so, what might the resurrected ones be doing during that ten days or other interval?  We don't know, but what happened after Jesus' death might be a clue:

"Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many" (Matthew 27:50-53).  

The resurrected ones "went into the city and appeared to many"!  Mind-boggling, but true!

I suggest the same thing might happen this time.  The now un-dead will go into our communities and "appear to many."  At that time, my own deceased mother may knock on my front door!  What a shock, and joy!  "Come on in, Mom!"  Or they might show up at the mall!   At the food court?

Such an encounter will tell us that the rapture is very, very near, within days.  It will trigger maximum witnessing, as a final harvest is quickly gathered.  Such a thing would reflect God's heart of mercy.

Do not be surprised if you encounter a formerly dead loved one or friend on May 17 or some other good watch date. 

If you do, get on your computer and tell us immediately!  Please put "URGENT" in the subject line!

Jim