In 1 Thessalonians 4:16. ...and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Does that mean a saved Christian does not go to heaven right away when they die, so they also have to wait like the living until the coming of Christ?
Thank you all for your answers. I feel I have to pose another question or ask it in another way. Let me first state, I am a born-again Christian, saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. Are the dead in Christ the lukewarm Christians who have physically died before having a relationship with God, living by his word? I would like to know who they are?
Your question, who are the dead in Christ that rise first?
They were the Old Testament Saints, they died not having received the promise, eternal life through the resurrection of Christ Jesus.
When Christ was resurrected, they also were resurrected.
Matthew 27:52 And the graves were open; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
Matthew 27:53 And came out of the graves, after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, (NEW Jerusalem) and appeared to many.
They were caught up into the air, and when we depart this body of flesh, in the twinkling of an eye, we are caught up, as they were into the presence of God, because you are married to him and have become one with him.
Revelation 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a lamb stood on Mt. Zion, and with him an hundred and forty four thousand (symbolic, not literally 144,00), having his father's name written in their foreheads.
Revelation 14:4 ..... the are the firstfruits (of Christ resurrection) unto God and the Lamb.
Romans 8:23 And not only they (Old Saints), but ourselves also, which have the FIRSTFRUITS of the SPIRIT (life and truth in us) ....
Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection .....
Since you are saved and a born again Christian, what are you saved from?
Is Christ not the passover lamb of God?
Does not death pass over those covered by the blood?
John 5:24 ....he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath EVERLASTING LIFE, and shall not come into condemnation, but is (present tense) passed from death into Life.
John 8:51 ......if a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
Lukewarm Christians don't keep his sayings, his words.
Have you come to truth of what being born again is?
Philippians 2:13 For it is God (the life in you) that worketh IN YOU both TO WILL and TO DO his good pleasure.
Ezekiel 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my JUDGEMENTS, and do them.
John 16:8 And when he is come (Christ in you, the new creation) he will will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of JUDGEMENT.
John 16:11 Of JUDGEMENT because the prince of this world (lies and deception in you) is JUDGED.
Matthew 12:28 But if I (Christ in you) by the Spirit of God, cast out devils (lies and deception) the the kingdom of God has come unto you.
Philippians 2:13 For it is God (Christ in you) that worketh IN YOU both TO WILL and TO DO (his statutes and his judgements) his good pleasure.
1 John 3:9 Whosoever is BORN OR GOD (truth and life) doth not commit sin (It's Christ in you working both TO WILL and TO DO his statutes and his Judgements)
Most Christians want walk in this truth and that makes them lukewarm.
Remember he is the God of the living, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'[a]? He is not the God of the dead but of the living."
This is not a salvation issue and shouldn't cause divisions within the body, but yes, I believe you are interpreting the Bible correctly. In my opinion theree is much stronger Biblical support for this compared to the idea of Christians going direct to heaven as they die. Someone can simply make a list and there are probably more than double the amount of verses supporting that someone will wait in sleep for Jesus to return than to go to heaven immediately. It also makes more logical sense as it would seem weird for Christians to go to heaven and skip judgment when it says everyone will be judged, and everyone in this case means everyone- and it also says it will happen on the same day: the day of judgment, which wouldn't exactly happen if people periodically went to heaven randomly. It would not make as much logical sense if Christians went to heaven only to return back to earth in the grave to rise, then meet Jesus, then go back to heaven a 2nd time. Whereas, the alternative seems to both fit scripture and be more logical too.
John 5:28-29
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
Daniel 12:2
1 Corinthians 15:6
1 Corinthians 15:51
etc
The support for the other perspective is the thief on the cross through an assumption that this is a template for all of mankind to follow and no exceptions and that paradise is the same is heaven. The second is that when Paul said he'd rather be away from his body and with the Lord that one assumes his preference means reality for all, and assumes that him wanting to be with the Lord means there's no waiting period. Of course when someone sleeps in death it likely won't seem like waiting, just like when we sleep on earth we usually aren't conscious a full 8 hours waiting to wake up. God bless.
When a believer dies, their physical body goes into the grave but their spirit departs and immediately goes to be with the Lord.
As it says in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, the dead in Christ will rise first to meet the Lord in the air. This is not the second coming of Christ. This is what is called the rapture of the church.
At this time, only the dead in Christ will be resurrected. There will be a second resurrection for the wicked dead at a later time, and we see that in the book of Revelation.
But in 1 Thessalonians Chapter 4, this is for believers. It is when Christ comes for His church. If you look at the very next verse, 1 Thessalonians 4:17, it tells us that we also go to meet the Lord in the air.
This is going to happen very quickly. So we which are alive and remain will be caught up together with them. So they (the dead in Christ), they come up out of the grave first, and we get caught up with them to where when we get to the Lord, we get there at the same time.
It will be simultaneous, though their action starts first, which is very understandable because they're underground and we're above ground.
It says for a meeting with the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Your question, who are the dead in Christ that rise first?
They were the Old Testament Saints, they died not having received the promise, eternal life through the resurrection of Christ Jesus.
When Christ was resurrected, they also were resurrected.
Matthew 27:52 And the graves were open; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
Matthew 27:53 And came out of the graves, after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, (NEW Jerusalem) and appeared to many.
They were caught up into the air, and when we depart this body of flesh, in the twinkling of an eye, we are caught up, as they were into the presence of God, because you are married to him and have become one with him.
Revelation 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a lamb stood on Mt. Zion, and with him an hundred and forty four thousand (symbolic, not literally 144,00), having his father's name written in their foreheads.
Revelation 14:4 ..... the are the firstfruits (of Christ resurrection) unto God and the Lamb.
Romans 8:23 And not only they (Old Saints), but ourselves also, which have the FIRSTFRUITS of the SPIRIT (life and truth in us) ....
Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection .....
God Bless You!
Since you are saved and a born again Christian, what are you saved from?
Is Christ not the passover lamb of God?
Does not death pass over those covered by the blood?
John 5:24 ....he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath EVERLASTING LIFE, and shall not come into condemnation, but is (present tense) passed from death into Life.
John 8:51 ......if a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
Lukewarm Christians don't keep his sayings, his words.
Have you come to truth of what being born again is?
Philippians 2:13 For it is God (the life in you) that worketh IN YOU both TO WILL and TO DO his good pleasure.
Ezekiel 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my JUDGEMENTS, and do them.
John 16:8 And when he is come (Christ in you, the new creation) he will will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of JUDGEMENT.
John 16:11 Of JUDGEMENT because the prince of this world (lies and deception in you) is JUDGED.
Matthew 12:28 But if I (Christ in you) by the Spirit of God, cast out devils (lies and deception) the the kingdom of God has come unto you.
Philippians 2:13 For it is God (Christ in you) that worketh IN YOU both TO WILL and TO DO (his statutes and his judgements) his good pleasure.
1 John 3:9 Whosoever is BORN OR GOD (truth and life) doth not commit sin (It's Christ in you working both TO WILL and TO DO his statutes and his Judgements)
Most Christians want walk in this truth and that makes them lukewarm.
God bless you.
Matthew 22:32 what is written
Remember he is the God of the living, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'[a]? He is not the God of the dead but of the living."
When believer dies he goes to be with the father
This is not a salvation issue and shouldn't cause divisions within the body, but yes, I believe you are interpreting the Bible correctly. In my opinion theree is much stronger Biblical support for this compared to the idea of Christians going direct to heaven as they die. Someone can simply make a list and there are probably more than double the amount of verses supporting that someone will wait in sleep for Jesus to return than to go to heaven immediately. It also makes more logical sense as it would seem weird for Christians to go to heaven and skip judgment when it says everyone will be judged, and everyone in this case means everyone- and it also says it will happen on the same day: the day of judgment, which wouldn't exactly happen if people periodically went to heaven randomly. It would not make as much logical sense if Christians went to heaven only to return back to earth in the grave to rise, then meet Jesus, then go back to heaven a 2nd time. Whereas, the alternative seems to both fit scripture and be more logical too.
John 5:28-29
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
Daniel 12:2
1 Corinthians 15:6
1 Corinthians 15:51
etc
The support for the other perspective is the thief on the cross through an assumption that this is a template for all of mankind to follow and no exceptions and that paradise is the same is heaven. The second is that when Paul said he'd rather be away from his body and with the Lord that one assumes his preference means reality for all, and assumes that him wanting to be with the Lord means there's no waiting period. Of course when someone sleeps in death it likely won't seem like waiting, just like when we sleep on earth we usually aren't conscious a full 8 hours waiting to wake up. God bless.
When a believer dies, their physical body goes into the grave but their spirit departs and immediately goes to be with the Lord.
As it says in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, the dead in Christ will rise first to meet the Lord in the air. This is not the second coming of Christ. This is what is called the rapture of the church.
At this time, only the dead in Christ will be resurrected. There will be a second resurrection for the wicked dead at a later time, and we see that in the book of Revelation.
But in 1 Thessalonians Chapter 4, this is for believers. It is when Christ comes for His church. If you look at the very next verse, 1 Thessalonians 4:17, it tells us that we also go to meet the Lord in the air.
This is going to happen very quickly. So we which are alive and remain will be caught up together with them. So they (the dead in Christ), they come up out of the grave first, and we get caught up with them to where when we get to the Lord, we get there at the same time.
It will be simultaneous, though their action starts first, which is very understandable because they're underground and we're above ground.
It says for a meeting with the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
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