According to 1 Thes 4:13-18, I have a question:?

Question

3. "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 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: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

"concerning them which are asleep," If we die and go to heaven immediately, who are them which are asleep?

"them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. " Who are them which sleep in Jesus and God bring with him...WHERE?

"the dead in Christ shall rise first"
Who are the dead in Christ and how will they rise first? from where and to where?

Answer 1

at the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ, all born again Christians will be caught up to meet Jesus in the air. this event is what is described in the scripture you refer to.

the dead in Christ & the living (from the earth) are raptured....
the dead in Christ are described as being "asleep", but the apostle Paul says, referring to those who are born again, that though the body is dead or asleep, the soul is in the presence of the LORD (even tho they don't have their glorified body yet).
all who are raptured receive their glorified body at that time.
those who were previously dead & those who were alive on the earth. as for those who were alive - their body changes in an instant from the mortal body to the immortal body.

your statement that when we die we go to heaven is true to an extent ...
only those who are born again according to acts 2:38 & john 3 can be raptured.

those who are not born again, their bodies remain in the grave & their souls go to hell. they remain there until the end of the 1000 years of peace. at the end of that time, all who were not raptured 1000 years before will have to go before the Great White Throne of Judgment where their eternity will be determined.

Answer 2

13 'fallen asleep'
This is a metaphor dying. Thought Paul had taught the Thessalonians about Christ's return when he was there, apparently Timothy had encountered further questions about the subject, possibly arising from the death of some of the new convert. In answer to these questions, Paul stated that he wanted them to be informed, and also to be comforted by the hope of seeing their loved ones again.This hope for the dead Christians was as certain as the fact of the death and Resurrection of Christ. Paul says that God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. Some have inferred from this statement that departed Christians are unconscious until the Second Coming of Jesus.. But the Bible indicates that to be absent from our present body is to be present with the Lord ( 5:10, 2 Cor 5:8, Phil 1:23 )Accordingly when Christian dies, it is the body that sleeps, the soul goes to heaven

Answer 3

The Bible says that absent from the body is present with the Lord, obviously all who have died before us go to one of two places, heaven or hell. The word sleep here means dead or died. Notice Jesus said He would bring them with Him. As I said when we die our spirit goes to heaven or hell, everyone in Heaven will come with Jesus to get the ones that are here when the rapture happens, this event being described hear is the rapture of the church and will bring on the great tribulation period. A time when the anti christ will rule, the time of Jacabs trouble, and no one wants to be here for that. I love these verses because I believe the return of Christ is imminent. Israel became a country in 1948, after about 2500 years, we have to be close to the end. The great falling away is already here, Jesus said that the Gospel much be preached thruout the whole world, and now we are in every country spreading the good news of Jesus. He said His coming would be like the days of Noah where violence covered the whole earth, and look at it today, Jesus is coming soon, maybe today, Praise the Lord!!!

Answer 4

When we die we do not immediately go to heaven, as many believe. We "sleep" in the grave until the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ. At that time, the dead will rise. So, "concerning them which are asleep" means "concerning those who have died". And, if we believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again on the 3rd day, "even so them also which sleep," meaning that those who are dead and in the grave, we will be resurrected at the 2nd Coming.

It is not uncommon for us to think that when we die we immediately go to heaven, but we forget that the 2nd Coming has to occur, and then Jesus judges us, and sends us to where we are supposed to go, according to our deeds in this life.

Answer 5

The Bible tells us that every human eye will see Jesus Christ when He appears in glory(Rev.1:7)We will see Jesus coming in the clouds of heaven with great power and glory and no one will be able to hide. It will be a literal, worldwide, visible event in which Christ will bring this world to an end and reward or punish all men and women.[NO SECRET RAPTURE!] Those who are in their graves will hear His voice, and the righteous will be raised from their graves, given perfect, immortal bodies, and will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. (note that the Lord will not touch the earth at His second coming-remember that!,for false christs will appear and will do miracles(Matthew 24:23-27) The scriptures describes 2 resurrections, the resurrection to life and the resurrection to damnation. "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"(John5:28,29)This is evidence that the dead are in their graves until The Lord resurrects them, NOT in heaven. Those who are still alive when the Lord returns, and who have done God's will, will also be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord. And for one thousand years, Jesus will take the righteous from this earth to heaven to live and reign with Him.(Rev.20)
What happens to the earth and to the lost? "and there will be a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth"Rev.16. "and the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth"Jeremiah25:33 The lost are dead.[NO MORE TIME TO REPENT]"The rest of the dead did not come to life until one thousand years were over"-Rev.20:5-15 The Lord will punish Satan, his angels and the wicked at the end of the millenium. They will be cast into the lake of fire which is the second death, and sin will be no more.
With much sadness and anguish The Lord will witness the final tragedy of His loving children. But the story is not over. Because God will remake this earth as it was in the Garden of Eden.
"I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away." Revelation21:1,2 It will be called The New Jerusalem, our real home.
Reunited with our loved ones and friends who we once lost to death. I look forward to that day when I will finally see my Lord face to face.

Answer 6

All people that die go to Hades, which simply means, 'abode of the dead'. Hades is comprised of two distinct areas, one being paradise where the righteous dead are comforted and the other a place of torment. All are awaiting the judgment which is what is referenced in the above quoted passage from 1 Thess. These views can be confirmed by reading the Luke 16:19-31 passage. This would also answer your question very effectively. God Bless

Answer 7

Well I am not sure what you believe, but I believe that the when you die, you are dead. Until christ's 2nd coming. Then the dead in christ will rise, the ones still alive that walk with God will be next. They will rise to heaven any reign in heaven for a thousands years, then there will be a new earth.

Answer 8

"asleep" mean the flesh is dead. It is an expression meaning the flesh is dead. it is not a state of unconsciousness.

Paul explains that although they are dead in terms of their flesh they live with Christ and will return to Earth with Christ at the second advent. Only when Christ returns (with those who have already died in him) will we who are alive (still in the flesh) be gathered back to Christ.

The flesh body is simply a body. A tent which wears out and is discarded. The spirit lives and goes to heaven and receives an incorruptible body, to one side or the other of the gulf which separates those who are in Christ from those who are not.

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Answer 9

Carol D,
You have to look at "time" with God's perspective. Since God is not subject to time(remember, he created it) he sees from the beginning of time until the end of time in the matter of a millisecond.
Now, with that perspective, can you grasp the fact that we all die at approx the same moment? Those believers who have died in Christ are also no longer subject to "time" therefore those who have died say 1000 years ago, those who die 1 minute ago, and those of us alive at his coming are all changed at the same moment.
If you are having difficulty understanding this then look here. Do you believe that God knows everything that will take place in the future? How can he? Because, he created time and knows everything that will happen within the realm of time from beginning to end. Can our minds even fathom how time relates to eternity? Sorry to go on about this but it is a subject that fascinates me also and have spent much time with the Lord trying to understand. Thanks for your question.

Answer 10

I believe Paul is speaking about those who's souls are in heaven and their bodies are in the grave. Their bodies are asleep. During the Second Coming the soul's bodies will be risen from the dead as they enter their bodies. They will be like Jesus at that moment. And we will be caught up with our body and soul in the air. This is all during the Rapture which is the beginning of the Second Coming.