Hi Pastor John,
I have a question about the verses concerning Jesus appearing in the clouds in Thessalonians.
1Thess. 4:16–17: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them among the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so, we shall ever be with the Lord.”
When Jesus ascended, I understand that he took Paradise (and the righteous who were in it) out of the heart of the earth and transferred it to heaven. And since then, the righteous who die still go into Paradise, but now Paradise is in heaven with Jesus. My question is, who are the dead that Jesus raises when he appears in the clouds if the righteous who have died are with him in heaven.
Thank you,
Randell
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Hi Randell.
The Bible makes nothing about that clear, Randell. My father described the righteous dead as being alive, but in a dream-like state, which makes sense because they no longer have a body, even though they are still alive. A new body is what Jesus will give them when he appears in the clouds and raises them from the dead, according to 1Corinthians 15.
I have wondered about what you are asking many times, and as I said, the Bible provides no clear answer. We know that the dead saints will be raised from their graves, and we know that they are now “present with the Lord” in heaven. How they will be raised up when they are already “up” in heaven, I cannot tell.
I suppose that we’ll just have to wait and see –– and I do hope that we will see it and experience it for ourselves.
Sorry, but that’s the best I can do with that one.
Pastor John
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