"HE'S COMING, ARE YOU GOING?"-(1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
As early as Genesis 3:15, Jesus promises to come to earth....and he did!  It took 4,500 years of waiting, but he showed up to accomplish his purpose.  The last thing he said in the record of scripture is this...."Surely I come quickly" (Rev.22:20).   One other place in Hebrews 10:37-"For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.")
I. THE PARTICIPANTS INVOLVED IN THIS EVENT
A. The Savior Will Be Involved - While He was here on the earth, the Lord Jesus said that the angels would gather the elect at the Second Coming, Matt. 13:26-27. However, in the Rapture, Jesus will send no angels or other heavenly representatives. He will come take His bride Himself!
(Note: This fits in with Jewish tradition! The bridegroom, after completing a place for himself and his bride in the father's house, would go with his friends to get his bride and bring her home for the wedding.)
His coming will be accompanied by:
1. A Shout - This refers to a military command. Jesus is calling the hosts of Heaven to assemble for military action against the domain of the enemy: the air - Eph. 6:12. Of course, this shout has another emphasis. Jesus promised that there would come a day when the dead would hear His voice - John 5:25. It was this shout that was heard by Lazarus, even in death, that brought him back to life.
2. The Trumpet of God - Throughout Jewish history, the trumpet was used for many different, but important reasons.
a. To announce the feasts - Num. 10:10
b. To announce various celebrations - 2 Sam. 6:15
c. To announce a sacred assembly - Lev. 23:24
d. To sound an alarm during a time of war - Num. 10:9
e. To assemble a crowd - Num. 10:2; Jud. 6:34
f. To make an announcement - 1 Sam .13:3; 2 Sam. 15:10; 1 Kings 1:34; 39; 41
*There seems to be a two-fold purpose here:
1. To assemble the people of God - Ex. 19:16-19
2. To signal His deliverance of them - Zech. 1:16; 9:14-16
B. The Saints Will Be Involved - When the rapture takes place, it will involve all those who are saved by the grace of God, both past and present. It will not be an event for a select few super-saints. It will be a time when everyone who has trusted Jesus as their personal Savior will leave this world together!  (Note: There are two statements that need to be made right here! 1.) The rapture will include ALL the saints & The rapture will include ONLY the saints! There will be many fine, moral and religious people who will not be taken when Jesus comes. They may be church members. They may be kind and good people morally, but if they have never been saved, they will not leave this world in the rapture

II. THE POWER INVOLVED IN THIS EVENT
A. There Will Be The Power Of Resurrection - The Thessalonian believers believed in the immediate return of the Lord Jesus Christ. However, they were afraid that their fellow believers who had already died had missed out on the rapture, and on heaven as well. They seems to believe that death was the end and that only those alive when Jesus returned would go to Heaven. Paul writes this passage, v. 13-18, to let them know that there is coming a day when even the dead will rise again!
When you consider the millions who have died in faith over the last 2,000 years and when you think about the fact that many bodies have long since turned to dust, it boggles the mind! However, I do not have to understand the mechanics of the event to be blessed by it! All you and I need to know is that we serve a God Who is able to exert this kind of power!
By the way, not a single one of the saints  is in the grave today, 2 Cor. 5:8! When He comes for their bodies, He will bring their spirits with them. They will receive a new, glorified body and will be taken up from the earth to be transported to glory!)
B. There Will Be The Power Of Rapture   *Paul tells us that those who are alive when the rapture comes will be "caught up". This phrase comes from a word that refers "To seizeing by force, to carry off by force, to claim for oneself eagerly." In the rapture, the Lord Jesus will claim His bride by force! (The bottom line is this: when He comes we go!)
III. THE PROMISE INVOLVED IN THIS EVENT
A. There Is The Promise Of Rescue - When Jesus makes His glorious appearance, the Bible says that He will come in the "air". This is significant! According the New Testament, the "air" is the abode of the devil and his demonic hordes, Eph. 2:2
This world is under the dominion of the devil, 2 Cor. 4:4. When Jesus comes, He will comes directly through enemy territory. He will call up His Bride into the realm of the enemy and He will lead her safely and triumphantly through the devil's territory as a display of His power and victory over all the powers of evil! Certainly, there is within the heart of the redeemed a desire to depart and to go to Heaven. However, there are forces that would hinder our departure if they could. Among them are the strong pulls of sin, the influence of the flesh, the world and the devil. All these would conspire to keep us here. However, when He comes, there will be no staying! 
(It is worthy to note that He will take His church out of the world before He judges the world in the Tribulation, Rom. 5:9, Rev. 4:1, etc. We will be rescued from this earth before the wrath of God is unleashed against it!)
B. There Is The Promise Of Reunion - The phrase "together with them" implies the fact that you and I will enjoy a blessed reunion with those we have seen taken in death!
C. There Is The Promise Of Revelation - "But wait", the Bible also says this: "and so shall we ever be with the Lord." As glorious as a reunion with our departed loved ones may be, it pales in comparison to seeing Jesus Christ, the One Who gave His life on the cross for our redemption! Imagine seeing Him for the first time!
D. There Is The Promise Of Rejoicing - verse 17 concludes with the statement, "so shall we ever be with the Lord." This implies that you and I are going to be wherever He is forever! Whether it be in Heaven around the Father's throne or whether it be on the earth ruling with Him for 1000 years, it will be a time of endless worship and praise.  He's coming, and He's coming for His people. Now, the question you have to answer is this: when He comes are you going? You can, but only if you are saved! He will come again and He will remove His people. When that day comes, will you go, or will you stay? It will all depend on what you do with Jesus Christ. In the end, what He does with you hinges upon what you do with Him!