According to 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, “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: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” Jesus Himself described sending His angels to “gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:31). This is the resurrection and gathering of the redeemed — living and dead — to meet Christ and be taken to the home He said He was preparing (John 14:2-3). It’s a moment of reunion and rescue for God’s people, not merely a judgment scene; the reckoning with those who reject Him is treated separately in Scripture.