Rev 1:7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. (NIV)

John 5:28-29 "Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out-those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. (NIV)

The Bible does not teach multiple returns of Christ, nor multiple resurrection events for different categories of people. Jesus has been raised, the firstfruits. When he comes, the resurrection of all who are in the grave (all who have died) will ensue. Immediately after that those who are alive and remain will be transformed as well, to the immortal state.

1 Thess 4:14-17
14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (NIV)

This passage of comfort (see verses 18 and 5:11) is sometimes misconstrued because Paul does not here discuss the fate of the unsaved, whether living or dead. However, the other passages listed above, and many others besides, attest to the simultaneous resurrection experience of both good and evil, and Paul in Thessalonians clearly pictures the resurrection and transformation at the Lord's return as the final event in God's program for this world ("and so we will be with the Lord forever", and see also 1 Corinthians 15:35-58).

Regarding baptism, the topic is specifically mentioned in one way or another in more than 80 verses of the New Testament, and alluded to many other times. By comparison repentance is mentioned in about 50 New Testament verses. And yet repentance is clearly a necessary criterion for salvation, and a necessary part of an ongoing relationship with God. Why is baptism mentioned so many times? The simple reason is that in God's program for humankind, it is very important. It is connected with salvation (1 Peter 3:21), forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38, 22:16), receiving the word (Acts 2:41), believing (Acts 8:12, 18:8), receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38, 19:1-3), beginning a new life (Romans 6:3-4, Colossians 2:12), and being clothed with Christ (Galatians 3:27).

And so, anyone who wants to be saved should be baptized. Anyone who wants to receive the Holy Spirit should be baptized. Anyone who receives the word and believes should be baptized. Anyone who wants their sins forgiven should be baptized. Anyone who wants to turn away from an old live of sin to a new life in Christ should be baptized. Anyone who wants to be clothed with Christ in order to be accepted by God MUST be baptized. The Bible knows no other way to accomplish these things.

Some will insist that a prayer, repeated under direction, is the way to salvation, but no verse in the New Testament teaches salvation by prayer, and certainly not by a prayer composed by a man and endlessly repeated as a formula. Those who deny the efficacy of baptism may insist that baptism is a work, and we are not saved by works. The Bible never refers to baptism as a work of salvation, or a work of any kind. In fact a person being baptized is submissive, and does no work at all, but rather calls on the name of the Lord to be saved. Jesus described prayers as works (which some do before men to be seen by them, see Matthew 6:1-8), and yet many who are most insistent that a person cannot be saved by works also insist that one must pray for salvation. Strange reasoning indeed. But the New Testament is very straight forward about God's plan of salvation, which includes obeying Him by yielding to baptism into Christ.