Dear Doves,
 
Here are my two cents on the discussion over the people coming up out of their graves first, and then hanging around for "X" amount of time, after which, we who "remain" [ALIVE in our present bodies] will come up later.  How much "later" is what is under discussion.
 
I can't see the "wiggle room" for this conversation.  Let's examine what the word of God says:
 
I Thessalonians 4:16 "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  (17)  After that, WE WHO ARE STILL ALIVE AND ARE LEFT WILL BE CAUGHT UP TOGETHER WITH THEM IN THE CLOUDS to meet the Lord in the air.  And so we will be with the Lord forever."
 
 
 
(a)  This says WE WILL BE CAUGHT UP TOGETHER WITH THEM.  Now, how can that possibly leave open the possibility of the resurrected dead walking around on earth, for ANY length of time before the rest of us?   "TOGETHER WITH THEM" can't mean anything else.
 
 
(b)  Furthermore, it says "the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, the archangel, the trumpets, etc."  NOWHERE in this passage does it say that HE COMES BACK A SECOND TIME IN THE CLOUDS AND CALL OUT A LOUD COMMAND, to bring up those of us who are ALIVE AND REMAIN.  Do we hear no trumpets?  No voice of the Lord?  No archangel?  Only the dead in Christ will hear them?   Will we just spontaneously levitate up into heaven at some later point in time, then?
 
Diane
 
[If someone else has already posted this point of view, I will be greatly chagrined!]