The Coming of the Lord for His Saints, and With His Saints.

Nothing can be more distinct than the difference which the Spirit of God has made in Scripture between these two actions. The one is accompanied by a separation of the saved from the ungodly, the other by a separation of the wicked from among the just.
The true hope of the Church of God is Christ Himself. We are taught in Scripture that the glories of the kingdom will follow; but we know that the Son of God, who is heir of all things, will come for us to introduce us into these glories, and share the inheritance with us, His joint-heirs. We are, therefore left here for “a little while” to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven.
We find, therefore, that when the Lord left His disciples, He said, “I will come again, and receive you UNTO MYSELF, that where I am, there ye may be also;” and when the believer’s hope is spoken of by Paul, he says, “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: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” In these verses there is no idea of Christ coming with us, but for us; hence the action is entirely confined to saints―those who are in Christ: the dead in Christ are raised, the living in Christ are changed, and together caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Thus the action ends. It is a separation of the saints from the ungodly; in other words, the good are separated from the bad. No mention is made of the wicked; they are simply left behind. We have also the same instruction in the parable of the ten virgins; those who are ready enter into the marriage, and the door is shut; the unsaved are simply excluded. Observe, then, that the Scriptures teach us clearly, that when the Lord comes FOR us, the saved “are separated from the wicked, and caught up to meet the Lord in the air.
It is also clear that after this believers are to appear in manifested glory with Christ. “When Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.” (Col. 3:44When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4).) This action is connected with judgment upon living people, who have refused the testimony of God concerning Christ; He will come forth in flaming fire, for Christ must then cast out them that do iniquity, and reign till He hath brought everything into subjection to Himself. The world will not be better than it was in the days of Noah. Now God waits in long-suffering mercy, but then the cup of iniquity will be full, so that the Lord will come with ten thousand of His saints, to execute judgment upon the ungodly. Christ will then specially deal with the living wicked―take them away in judgment, and tread the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. It will be an unutterably awful time. The Lord knoweth those who serve Him, and those who serve Him not. So exact will be the line of separation, that if two are together grinding at a mill, or together in the same field, one shall be taken away in judgment, and the other spared for blessing in the earth. Thus it was in the judgment in the time of Noah; those who had refused God’s testimony were taken away, and Noah and his family left for the purged and renewed earth. Hence we read, “As the days of Noe were, so shall the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not, until the flood came, and TOOK THEM ALL AWAY; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; one SHALL BE TAKEN, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; one SHALL BE TAKEN, and the other left.” This scene is therefore clearly a taking away of the wicked, a casting out of the kingdom of them that offend and do iniquity; or, as we find elsewhere, a severing of the wicked from among the just. This action is precisely opposite to that when the Lord comes for us, because it is the Lord taking possession of the earth, entering upon the inheritance with us, His joint-heirs. It is therefore a scene of manifested glory, when it will be known who is the only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords. “Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him.” (Rev. 1:77Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. (Revelation 1:7).) Here there is no mention of saints being caught up; for, as we have seen, that must have previously taken place; and now we accompany Him. Having been in heaven with Him, the heavens, we are told, open, and the Lord descends in great power and glory, to judge and make war, and the saints follow Him. The whole scene of the earth, therefore, is one of misery and wailing. It is the great and dreadful day of the Lord. (See 2 Chron. 16.) How the knowledge of these things enhances the true ground of peace the security and hope, the believer now has in Christ!