DANIEL - In answering a question from an investigator of the Church, it came to me that I am not completely clear on this issue. I am confused about the Fundamental Christian concept of the "rapture" and how our own Church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) explains the getting "caught up... in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air" as described in 1 Thessalonians 3:17. I know that the Church teaches that the righteous dead as well as the righteous people living at the time of this getting "caught up" into the clouds will together be caught up to meet Jesus and that they will be "quickened" as revealed in D&C 88:96. So my problem is that how can there be mortals living in the time of the Christ's Millenial reign on earth (as described in D&C 101:30-31) if all mortals have already been "quickened" (meaning resurrected right?) at the time they met Christ in the clouds? Elder James E. Talmage also taught: "With Christ shall come those who have already been resurrected; and His approach shall be the means of inaugurating a general resurrection of the righteous dead, while the pure and just who are still in the flesh shall be instantaneously changed from the mortal to the immortal state and shall be caught up with the newly resurrected to meet the Lord and His celestial company, and shall descend with Him." (Jesus the Christ, p. 787) So it seems that it is not possible for mortals to live in Christ's Millennial reign on earth. How can this conflict be resolved (if there is actually a conflict at all)?

JOEL - Before Jesus comes He will cleanse the earth by fire destroying all the wicked people(those destined for the Telestial Kingdom).(D&C 101:24-25). Everyone else will survive this cleansing. At His coming all the righteous people, living or dead, who are destined for the Celestial Kingdom, will be quickened or resurrected and be caught up to meet Him (D&C 76:50-70). These are the people Elder Talmage is speaking of. Being "quickened" can mean being changed to a resurrected(immortal) state or it can also mean a temporary spiritual change that happens to mortal bodies so they can withstand the presence of God. At the second coming some righteous living people who are at "the age of man"(D&C 63:50), will be quickened to an immortal state, some will be spiritually quickened(proably the righteous children), and the righteous dead people will be resurrected. Those children who were spiritually quickened will still need to undergo the change to a resurrected immortal state at their appointed time.
This will then conclude the First resurrection.
The rest of the people, who are to receive a Terrestrial glory, will not be caught up to meet God, but will remain on the earth and be resurrected or go through the instantaneous change and obtain their immortal state, sometime later during the Millenium, at their own appointed time.(D&C 88:99; D&C 76:71-80).
"Behold, there is a time appointed that all shall come forth from the dead," (Alma 40:4).
The wicked, who were destroyed, will have to wait until the end of the Millenium until they are resurrected and stand before God to be judged. They are those who will inherit the Telestial kingdom or outer darkness with Satan.(D&C 76:32-33, D&C 76:81-112).
D&C 101:30-31 describes the mortal babies who will continue to be born to the remaining mortal parents(those who will inherit the Terrestrial glory) during the Millenium after the second coming event. After they and their parents live to the age of a tree they will be changed in a twinkling of an eye and continue their immortal life on earth throughout the rest of the millenium.

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