While during the sounding of the Great or Seventh Trumpet, the Day of the Lord, the gathering and rewarding of his faithful followers will be accomplished, other great events will occur simultaneously. The earth is to melt [society is to disintegrate], the sea and waves are to roar [the lawless element will become furious], and mountains will be removed and carried into the midst of the sea—[governments will be swallowed up by the lawless element]—the heavens [present ruling powers] are to pass away with great commotion. These all shall pass away, that the "new heavens," "air," or ruling powers of which Christ is the Prince, may gradually assume control and reorganize society on better principles. All these things will be in progress simultaneously, during the seventh trump—the day of vengeance—the day of binding the strong man and spoiling and overturning his arrangements in order to establish a better.—Matt. 12:29.
Or take another view of the same period given by other prophets: the gathering of the dead and living members of the body of Christ will proceed during the time when the rich men will weep and howl for the miseries upon them (Jas. 5:1-3; Zeph. 1:18); during the time when the nations are angry and the wrath comes upon them (Rev. 11:18, and Dan. 12:1); during the time that the fiery stream of trouble issues forth, and the Son of man is invested with authority and dominion (Dan. 7:10); during the time that the stone is smiting the feet of the image—present earthly governments (Dan. 2:34); during the time that earthly empires become as chaff and are swept away completely (verse 35); during the time mentioned by the Revelator (19:11-21), in which the kings of the earth and their armies will be making war with the Lamb and his army unconsciously—not recognizing him.
When these various events of "that day" are put together, it must be evident to the most slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have written, that during that entire period, not only the Lord will be invisible to men, but that the resurrection of his saints, and the change of those living, will make no outward demonstration. Surely if the world saw Jesus and the saints in glory in the sky, with the natural eyes, can any one suppose that they would openly war with the Lamb and his army? Nay, verily; the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night, and the fact of the Lord's presence, etc., will only be revealed or made known to the world in the "flaming fire" of judgments, though those of his close followers whom he calls "friends" are not to be in darkness as others, for they have a sure word of prophecy to which they take heed.