Could someone explain Thessalonians I 4:16?

Question

I thought when someone dies they were immediately in heaven with God. Is this passage just talking about their bodies being raised

Answer 1

Yes.
The passage declares two things:
1) the resurrection of faithful dead (whose spirits are now present with the Lord in heaven) ( this is verse 16)

2)The instantaneous transformation of the bodies of the saints alive on the earth into glorified bodies at the time of the resurrection of the dead.

"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality."
I Corinthians 15:51-53

Answer 2

1 Thessalonians 4:16, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:"

We are a three part being--we were made in God's image--he is Father, Son and Holy Spirit and we are: body, soul and spirit. {{1 Thessalonians 5:23, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."}}

When we die in the Lord our SPIRIT and SOUL is immediately with the Lord--our body is in the grave. On the day of resurrection we will be restored to a new perfected body.

Revelation 6:9, "I saw under the altar the SOULS of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:"

Daniel 12:2-3 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.


"There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body" (1 Corinthians 15: 44).

The natural body is what is "sown" in the grave, and the spiritual body is what is raised up (1 Corinthians 15: 37, 42-44).


When Jesus was raised from the dead and his spirit joined back to his body this is what he stated so that others would know he was not a spirit with out a body:

"A spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have" (Luke 24:39)


You may find this site helpful in answering any further questions about the glorified body we will have at the time of the resurrection:

http://www.wcg.org/lit/prophecy/resbody.htm

Answer 3

1 Thes:4:16 speaks of the 2nd coming of Christ and the resurrection of the dead on the "last day". (John 6:44, John 6:54, John 11:24)

When a person dies, that person is NOT "immediately in heaven". We go immediately before God for Judgment (Heb 9:27).

It is God the Son, Jesus, who Judges where we go, not us. (John 5:22)

After Judgment our soul will be in everlasting Life (Heaven) or eternal punishment (Hell). (Mat 25:46)

At the 2nd Coming of Christ, our bodies will resurrected and will be reunited with our soul, wherever our soul is.

John 5:28-29 "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."

Answer 4

I Thessalonians 4:16 "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with a voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first;"

The Lord is going to descend, at the seventh trump [the last trump]. Why will the dead in Christ rise first? Because they are already there, and with Him. All we have to do now is go to the book of Revelation, and find out in detail when this will be. We find out what events will occur just prior to this seventh trump sounding, and then when we see these certain events taking place before our eyes, we will know our Lord will return to earth next. Then the trump will sound, and the gathering will take place, and we will be changed from our flesh bodies to our spiritual bodies. And not one day before.

Many people have images of massive numbers of people flying away, with all sorts of accidents taking place; however, the Bible doesn't tell us it will be in that manner. In Revelation 11, it tells us exactly three and a half days prior what will happen, and the whole world will know about it, for it is no hidden mystery. That is when the Antichrist will end his reign by killing God's two witnesses, and send the world into a three and a half day party of celebration.

In Revelation 11 the world will know the two witnesses, for the disruption they have caused, and the world will watch as they are killed, and their dead bodies are put on display in a wide street [arena]. Are you still looking for a rapture, well my friend, at the end of the three and half day period it will be a time of great shame for you, For as Revelation 9:4 points out, the truth will not be sealed in your mind, and God is going to turn you over to Antichrist. The "rapture theory", could be the death warrant of your very soul, or a commitment of your soul to great shame. If you believe in the "Rapture theory" you will be on the side of Antichrist, and will fly with anyone, because you just don't understand the Word of God.

Remember, Two bodies will be in the streets of Jerusalem for three days, causing a world wide massive party...that is your warning just before Jesus Christ return to this earth. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Answer 5

when we die, the spirit seperates from the body - that is what returns to God immediately following death. The resurection involves getting a new and perfected body. You will look like you, but you will not have any of the physical imperfections we have here on the earth.

16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

cross reference with:
1 Sam. 2: 6 he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.
Job 14: 14 If a man die, shall he live again.
Job 19: 26 (Moses 5: 10) destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.
Isa. 25: 8 swallow up death in victory.
Isa. 26: 19 together with my dead body shall they arise.
Ezek. 37: 12 I will open your graves, and cause you to come up.
Dan. 12: 2 sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake.
Hosea 13: 14 ransom them from the power of the grave.
Matt. 22: 23 (Mark 12: 18; Luke 20: 27; Acts 23: 8) Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection.
Matt. 22: 30 (Luke 20: 35) in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage.
Matt. 27: 52 (3 Ne. 23: 9) graves were opened, and many bodies . . . arose.
Mark 12: 26 as touching the dead, that they rise.
Luke 14: 14 thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection.
Luke 24: 39 spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
John 5: 21 (Rom. 4: 17; 1 Tim. 6: 13) Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them.
John 5: 29 (D&C 76: 17) come forth: they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life.
John 6: 54 raise him up at the last day.
John 11: 25 I am the resurrection, and the life.
Acts 2: 24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains.
Acts 4: 33 apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord.
Acts 17: 32 they heard of the resurrection of the dead.
Acts 24: 15 resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.
Acts 26: 8 Why . . . incredible . . . that God should raise the dead.
Rom. 6: 5 we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.
Rom. 8: 11 he . . . shall also quicken your mortal bodies.
1 Cor. 6: 14 God . . . will also raise up us by his own power.
1 Cor. 15: 21 by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
1 Cor. 15: 23 Christ the firstfruits.
1 Cor. 15: 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead.
1 Cor. 15: 44 (D&C 88: 27) it is raised a spiritual body.
2 Cor. 1: 9 trust . . . in God which raiseth the dead.
Eph. 2: 5 quickened us together with Christ.
Philip. 3: 21 change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his.
Col. 2: 13 you . . . hath he quickened together with him.
1 Thes. 4: 16 dead in Christ shall rise first.
2 Tim. 2: 18 erred, saying that the resurrection is past.
Heb. 11: 35 that they might obtain a better resurrection.
1 Pet. 1: 3 unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus.
1 Pet. 3: 21 doth also now save us . . . by the resurrection of Jesus.
1 Jn. 3: 2 when he shall appear, we shall be like him.
Rev. 20: 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection.

Answer 6

Here you see the error of what you were taught. Eccles. 9:5,10 shows the condition of the dead. They remain in the grave till resurrected. Those taking part in that heavenly resurrection have no need of human bodies as they would be useless in heaven. 1 Corinthians 15:50 says flesh and blood cannot enter heaven.

This is no doubt different from what you were taught but, never the less is what the Bible teaches.

Answer 7

Everyone's spirit (not soul) returns to God who gave it. We don't "have" a soul, we are a soul (a living creature). There are two resurrections. One to eternal life as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and another resurrection for all the other people who never got the opportunity to receive Christ in their earthly life.

God will reconcile (restore to harmony) all His creation. That's the Good News (gospel) of the Kingdom. Organized religion spends all its time preaching personal salvation(get saved, get saved, get saved) that most people, including professing Christians, don't know what to believe about God's overall plan.

Answer 8

Reading the bible, one can find that the teaching of the church is many times not according to it. In fact the teaching of the church changes all the times. Have you remember when we were told that when we die as righteous we will become angels in heaven? then the claim we will just be spirits distinct from angels? then now with immortal bodies?

The more you study the different sects of christianity, the more confuse you get. Most christian churches rely on their OWN interpretation of the bible, not from the bible scholars, but from their own understanding of the biblical texts that inclines toward their OWN set of beliefs.

Answer 9

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

This is talking about the resurrection of the body; the believer's soul is already with God. At this time, the body and soul are reunited. Some refer to this moment as the Rapture. When it will happen is a hotly debated question: pre-Tribulation, mid-Tribulation or end of Tribulation ...

Answer 10

this is about our bodies being raised at the end of the earth. when the New Heaven and New Earth come down into Jerusalem. The bodies of those in Heaven are resurrected and we will be made new again.