For we know that if our earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made by hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed, in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, since in fact after putting it on, we will not be found naked. ... Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord... but we are of good courage and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. 2 Cor. 5:1-8
Many Christians will quote this verse when explaining what happens when a believer dies: They immediately are present with the Lord. They reason that being with the Lord means that the deceased believer is in heaven, in soul form only, without a glorified body. The body remains in the grave until the resurrection at the rapture, at which time they receive their glorified body. However, the Bible nowhere states that the saved who are “absent from the body” (dead) exist in soul form only, or are in heaven prior to the rapture. Let’s examine what the scriptures and Paul actually teach on this subject.
In the verses above, Paul writes to the Church at Corinth and equates “our earthly tent” with our earthly body, and a “dwelling from heaven” which is our glorified eternal body. Paul says that when the earthly tent is “torn down” (death), we then have a “building from God” (glorified body) that we put on, not wanting to be found “naked” (without either body/soul form only). Scripture teaches that believers receive their glorified body only at one point in time, at the rapture of the Church from earth.
Behold, I am telling you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 1 Cor. 15:51-53
Paul uses this same analogy in his first letter to the Corinthians on the same subject. He states that we will all change; the perishable (mortal earthly body) must “put on” the imperishable (immortal glorified body). Who does this change occur for? All believers…those who sleep (dead) and those still alive at the time of the rapture. And when does this change occur? At the rapture, when the trumpet sounds, and the dead are raised, who then along with the living, have their earthly bodies exchanged for heavenly glorified bodies. We at this time are made "like Him" and receive our glorified bodies.
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the 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 in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. I Thess. 4:13-18
Paul is discussing the rapture with the Thessalonian Christians who were worried about their loved ones who had already died, or “fallen asleep”. They were concerned that those who were going to be raptured to be with the Lord would “precede”, or go to heaven, before those who had already died in the Lord. It was their (the early Christian Church) understanding therefore that those who had died in Christ were not already in heaven. And, further, Paul did not correct them on this understanding. He did not say to them "Don't worry about it, they are already in Heaven with the Lord!". What Paul did do was reassure them that they would all go to heaven to be with the Lord at the same time. Just as Jesus died and rose again, so would they. Those that had already "fallen asleep" (died), Jesus would bring (their soul) with Him at the time of the rapture. The Greek words for "bring with" have the meaning of "leading alongside" or "escorting them".
Paul goes on further to explain that the "dead in Christ" (the bodies of the righteous dead) will rise first, and at the Archangel's shout their souls will be reunited with their body and they will be changed (receive their glorified body). Then, those alive at His return will be "caught up" (raptured) to meet Him in the clouds and be changed (receive their glorified body). Both groups, the righteous who died prior to the rapture, and those righteous alive at the rapture, will rise to meet the Lord in the air and will be in their glorified bodies as Christ was after His resurrection. Jesus will then take them to be with Him eternally in His Father's house (heaven).
And he said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43
"In my Father's house are many rooms; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also.” John 14:2-3
Jesus discussed what happens at the time of death for a believer too. He told the thief on the cross he would be with Him in paradise. Paradise is not a part of Sheol/Hades as many teach. The only other use of the word “paradise” in the Bible is in 2 Corinthians 12:4 and Revelation 2:7. Both verses refer to “Paradise” as heaven, where God resides. Jesus also reassures His followers that He is going away, but that He will come again and take them to where He is. Notice He did not tell them “you will come to where I am”. He did not say "I will send angels who will escort you to heaven" (Luke 16:22,23). He told them that He would come back to get them, and then take them with Him to heaven. The rapture is the only time we are told that Jesus comes back for His followers.
So, what then is the Biblically correct teaching on what happens to believers at death?
When a Christ Follower dies, their body is buried and remains there until the time of the rapture. Their soul (the part that makes you who you are) exits this earthly realm of existence, and immediately enters eternity, the realm of God's existence. Time, as we experience it, does not apply to eternity. They exit at whatever point in time they died and enter eternity at the point of the rapture. Their soul is immediately with Jesus in the air as He returns to reunite them with their body. They are alive one second, and then at death are immediately with Jesus in the air above the earth at the time of the rapture. In their perception of time, it is immediate. They are then reunited with their resurrected earthly body, transformed and changed into a glorified body, and then, along with those alive at the rapture, are taken by Jesus to heaven to be with Him forever.
Think about it for a second… We are the Body of Christ. We are the Bride of Christ. These are the two most common symbols used in the New Testament to refer to believers as a group. The Lord told us He would return for us, and take us with Him to heaven. This occurs for all believers, all at the same time. There is no scriptural proof that some believers go to heaven prior to the rapture. Would parts of the Body, or parts of the Bride go to be with Jesus before the entire Bride is escorted by the Bridegroom to heaven, the place He says He has been preparing for us? No, that makes no sense at all. The pattern of the Jewish wedding ceremony is used throughout the New Testament as a pattern of how the Church will be removed during the rapture to be with Christ forevermore. The Bridegroom will return (at the rapture) for the Bride (the Church body). The Bride will be escorted by the Bridegroom back to His Father's house to enjoy the wedding feast. The Bride will go with the Bridegroom all together, at the same time. I encourage you to read the scriptures and study this if you disagree with me.
It is a comforting thing to tell those who have lost loved ones who are Christians that “they are with the Lord in heaven”, or “they are in heaven looking down on you.” And while it is meant as a comforting thought, it also is not scriptural at all. We must be Biblically sound in all things we teach I believe. For me personally, it is far more comforting to know that those loved ones who are believers, who have passed before me, will be with Jesus on their passing immediately. And then I will join them at the time of the rapture in the air, where we all together, in our glorified bodies like Christ, will be escorted by our Lord to be where He is, to the place He Himself has prepared for us, forever, never again to be separated.
Maranatha! Come quickly Lord!
