Which passage describes the sequence of events at the Lord's return, including the dead in Christ rising first and believers meeting the Lord in the air?

• A. First Thessalonians 4:16-17
• B. Romans 4:5
• C. Romans 5:12
• D. Romans 10:9-10

Answer: (A)

The sequence of events at the Lord's return is described as the Lord descending from heaven with a shout, the dead in Christ rising first, and believers who are alive being caught up to meet Him in the air. This order is laid out in First Thessalonians four sixteen to seventeen, where the Lord comes down with a shout, the dead in Christ rise, then we who are alive are caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. The emphasis here is on a two-stage gathering: first the resurrection of believers who have died, then the swift catching up of those still living to join them and be with the Lord forever. This passage uses the phrase meet the Lord in the air to describe a reunifying welcome and an immediate departure to be with Him, not a later earthly post-tribulation visit. The other cited verses address different topics—righteousness by faith apart from works, sin entering the world through Adam, and salvation by confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in His resurrection—so they do not describe the sequence of the return and the catching up of believers.