If I could ask you ex JW's a question. It would be "Why do you still hang on to there interpretations of there bible. It has so many things taken out of context and you have been taught all these from the start, and you are now realizing they are false. Why don't you start reading out of the KJV or an other translation that most theologians prefer." I know that it is a translation too, but scholars say it is the closest to the orginal texts that we have. To get completly out of there way of thinking you need to try to do this for your own good and health. Paul talks about in 1 Thess 4:16-17 being caught up or todays language "rapture" is what most call it. It means the same thing. IT says 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: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. These verses means that those who believe and have trusted Jesus as there personal Savior and have died will rise first, and those that are believers and are alive at his coming will go next. Then if you go to Corinthians 15:51-52 Paul says Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
The mystery he's talking about is the Corinthian people were kind of like the people in Thessalonica and they thought that if you had died before Jesus came back that you wouldn't get to go. Paul assured them that they would and would get to go FIRST.
In a moment, in the twinkling of a eye, is so fast no one will be able to see it happen and those left behind will find out what the book of Rev says and means.
My intention here is not to anger but to help people understand the real "truth" about Jesus, and to really experience Gods wonderful love.
Capp