The Rapture
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Guess again.
Revelation 7:9-10 (GW)
[SUP]9 [/SUP] After these things I saw a large crowd from every nation, tribe, people, and language. No one was able to count how many people there were. They were standing in front of the throne and the lamb. They were wearing white robes, holding palm branches in their hands,
[SUP]10 [/SUP] and crying out in a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the lamb!”
There we ARE, and possibly as early as Chapter 4, if the 24 Elders are of the Assembly that Christ has built.
The entire 144,000 are mortal Jews sealed from harm, in their mortal bodies to repopulate ISRAEL after His return to rule from Jerusalem for a thousand years; thereby KEEPING GOD's Eternal Covenant the their descendants to INHERIT THE LAND OF CANAAN. Look it up! GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES.
Revelation 7:9-10 (GW)
[SUP]9 [/SUP] After these things I saw a large crowd from every nation, tribe, people, and language. No one was able to count how many people there were. They were standing in front of the throne and the lamb. They were wearing white robes, holding palm branches in their hands,
[SUP]10 [/SUP] and crying out in a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the lamb!”
There we ARE, and possibly as early as Chapter 4, if the 24 Elders are of the Assembly that Christ has built.
The entire 144,000 are mortal Jews sealed from harm, in their mortal bodies to repopulate ISRAEL after His return to rule from Jerusalem for a thousand years; thereby KEEPING GOD's Eternal Covenant the their descendants to INHERIT THE LAND OF CANAAN. Look it up! GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES.
In the Traditional Jewish "Calling Out of the Bride", the Bridegroom DID NOT GO ALL THE WAY TO THE BRIDE'S DWELLING PLACE. HE always stopped short, and chose one of HIS wedding party to go on ahead to CALL THE BRIDE, and THAT CHOSEN ONE TO DO THE SHOUTING, would then bring the BRIDE to her BRIDEGROOM. SO NO, it is not the Second Coming when HE will set foot on the Mount of Olives and split it; and HE HAS CHOSEN THE ARCHANGEL TO GO AHEAD OF HIM AND SHOUT.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (HCSB)
[SUP]16 [/SUP] For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice,
and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
[SUP]17 [/SUP] Then we who are still alive will be caught up {That is the term where the word
"RAPTURE" comes from.} together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air
and so we will always be with the Lord.
Here is the SECOND COMING of CHRIST TO EARTH, NOTICE THE DIFFERENCE:
Zechariah 14:3-5 (HCSB)
[SUP]3 [/SUP] Then the LORD will go out to fight against those nations as He fights on a day of battle.
[SUP]4 [/SUP] On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east.
The Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, forming a huge valley, so that half
the mountain will move to the north and half to the south.
[SUP]5 [/SUP] You {The 144,000 JEWS sealed, according to my understanding.}
will flee by My mountain valley, for the valley of the mountains will extend to Azal. You will flee
as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God
will come {The Second Coming, after the Wedding of the Lamb in Heaven.}
and all the holy ones with Him {returning with His Bride.}.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (HCSB)
[SUP]16 [/SUP] For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice,
and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
[SUP]17 [/SUP] Then we who are still alive will be caught up {That is the term where the word
"RAPTURE" comes from.} together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air
and so we will always be with the Lord.
Here is the SECOND COMING of CHRIST TO EARTH, NOTICE THE DIFFERENCE:
Zechariah 14:3-5 (HCSB)
[SUP]3 [/SUP] Then the LORD will go out to fight against those nations as He fights on a day of battle.
[SUP]4 [/SUP] On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east.
The Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, forming a huge valley, so that half
the mountain will move to the north and half to the south.
[SUP]5 [/SUP] You {The 144,000 JEWS sealed, according to my understanding.}
will flee by My mountain valley, for the valley of the mountains will extend to Azal. You will flee
as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God
will come {The Second Coming, after the Wedding of the Lamb in Heaven.}
and all the holy ones with Him {returning with His Bride.}.
M
My oh my oh my. The long, long, long harangues going back and forth on this thread (and a few other threads).
Jesus told the believers (who had asked Him about it) to live with an expectation of encountering the Abomination of Desolation, followed by a time of "Great Tribulation". Peter, James and John went out from this Olivet Discourse believing what Jesus had told them...
...and so should obviously ALL OTHER Jesus-followers believe likewise. That's all any believer needs to know.
The Devil must love, love, love the absolutely massive confusion.
Jesus told the believers (who had asked Him about it) to live with an expectation of encountering the Abomination of Desolation, followed by a time of "Great Tribulation". Peter, James and John went out from this Olivet Discourse believing what Jesus had told them...
...and so should obviously ALL OTHER Jesus-followers believe likewise. That's all any believer needs to know.
The Devil must love, love, love the absolutely massive confusion.
Its not according to me and its not nonsense. The dead don't take their bodies with them at death so the righteous exist as spirits until the resurrection/rapture when they receive immortal bodies. The Bible teaches,(not me) that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of Heaven. The problem is that people are so fixated with the living being raptured they brush over the fact that the dead are not only raptured at the same time but according to Paul they are the first . Its because it doesn't fit in nicely with the rest of the Pre Trib scenario.
You are wrong in trying to connect it to Seven Trumpet Judgments of GOD. It is the SHOFAR Trumpet, that did announce HIS arrival on Mt. Sinai, as HE DID WITH MOSES:
Exodus 19:18-20 (HCSB)
[SUP]18 [/SUP] Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke because the LORD came down on it in fire. Its smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently.
[SUP]19 [/SUP] As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him in the thunder.
[SUP]20 [/SUP] The LORD came down on Mount Sinai at the top of the mountain. Then the LORD summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and he went up.
This Shofar Blast on Mt. Sinai is also known in Judaism as the "First Trump".
1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 (YLT)
[SUP]15 [/SUP] for this to you we say in the word of the Lord, that we who are living--who do remain over to the presence of the Lord--may not precede those asleep,
[SUP]16 [/SUP] because the Lord himself, in a shout, in the voice of a chief-messenger, and in the trump of God, shall come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ shall rise first,
[SUP]17 [/SUP] then we who are living, who are remaining over, together with them shall be caught away in clouds to meet the Lord in air, and so always with the Lord we shall be;
[SUP]18 [/SUP] so, then, comfort ye one another in these words.
It is BLOWN 100 times in the Feast of Trumpets, which Messianic Jews consider a Rehearsal for the Rapture. The 100th Blast on that Shofar Trumpet is called the LAST TRUMP. When in doubt, go back and study the Jewish History of the Term, and you will frequently find the real answer. THEREFORE, it is the Calling Out of the Bride, that is the fulfillment of the Feast of Trumpets.
WHO BLOWS THE LAST TRUMP before we are Caught Up in the Air with HIM?
I think the answer is in this verse:
Zechariah 9:14 (HCSB)
[SUP]14 [/SUP] Then the LORD will appear over them, and His arrow will fly like lightning. The Lord GOD will sound the trumpet and advance with the southern storms.
The Sigificance of the Shofar
Rosh Hashanah: Is The Feast Of Trumpets A Dress Rehearsal For Future Events? – The Truth
This it the KIND of TRUMPET it is talking about, NOT the Trumpet Judgments:
[video=youtube;0jR20-0sy1Y]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jR20-0sy1Y[/video]
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This is a false doctrine, for a man is not, and does not become a spirit at death. For even when Jesus Christ died, his soul went to Sheol, and remained in the heart of the earth three days and three nights, as the rest of those who die. Why do you suppose that at the final resurrection of the dead Death and Hades (Sheol) spew out the dead that are in them? As such, a man "sleeps" when he says, and is awoken at his resurrection, whether at the resurrection at the coming of the Lord, or at the final resurrection at the great white throne judgment.
If you read the parable of the rich man and Lazarus you will find that Jesus was describing the condition of the righteous and unrighteous after death before his resurrection. There were two separate places known as Paradise and Hades. At his resurrection the righteous dead left paradise with him. They were the first fruits of the resurrection.
We are told that some of the dead Prophets were seen in Jerusalem. Jesus also told the thief that he would be with him in Paradise when the thief asked him to remember him when he came into his kingdom. Do you suppose that the dead Prophets and the thief were let out for a break and then sent back again?
When Lazarus died Jesus waited four days before he arrived at his tomb. He did it for a reason. It was believed at that time that the soul of a dead person stayed with their body for three days and nights before departure. In order to prove that he had the power and authority to resurrect the dead he brought Lazarus back to life after that time so that no one could say that Lazarus was just unconscious and it was a trick.
REV 6:9-11 RSV
When he opened the fifth seal I saw under the alter the souls of those of those who had been slainfor the word of God and for the witness they had borne; they cried out with a loud voice O Sovereign Lord holy and true how long before thou wilt judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth Then they were each given a white robe and and told to rest a little longer until the number of their fellowservants and their brethren should be complete who were to be killed as they themselves had been.
John sees these people in Heaven not in the heart of the earth. They are described as Souls and are given white robes as a covering because they are righteous and have no resurrected bodies to cover them.
The people who are spewed out of Hades are the unrighteous dead. Hades is not just the Grave. It is the place the unrighteous go at death. In Revelation they are brought from there to the White Throne Judgement. There are no righteous people among them.
We are told that some of the dead Prophets were seen in Jerusalem. Jesus also told the thief that he would be with him in Paradise when the thief asked him to remember him when he came into his kingdom. Do you suppose that the dead Prophets and the thief were let out for a break and then sent back again?
When Lazarus died Jesus waited four days before he arrived at his tomb. He did it for a reason. It was believed at that time that the soul of a dead person stayed with their body for three days and nights before departure. In order to prove that he had the power and authority to resurrect the dead he brought Lazarus back to life after that time so that no one could say that Lazarus was just unconscious and it was a trick.
REV 6:9-11 RSV
When he opened the fifth seal I saw under the alter the souls of those of those who had been slainfor the word of God and for the witness they had borne; they cried out with a loud voice O Sovereign Lord holy and true how long before thou wilt judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth Then they were each given a white robe and and told to rest a little longer until the number of their fellowservants and their brethren should be complete who were to be killed as they themselves had been.
John sees these people in Heaven not in the heart of the earth. They are described as Souls and are given white robes as a covering because they are righteous and have no resurrected bodies to cover them.
The people who are spewed out of Hades are the unrighteous dead. Hades is not just the Grave. It is the place the unrighteous go at death. In Revelation they are brought from there to the White Throne Judgement. There are no righteous people among them.
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Yes many people believe in the symbolic interpretation of the clouds.. But let me ask you where you taught this interpretation by someone or did you come to this conclusion by yourself?
Anyway i believe it is literal because on the Day of the LORD all eyes will see Him, Jesus. coming in the clouds..
Revelation 1: KJV
7 "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen."
People will be trying to hide on earth to avoid his wrath::
Revelation 6: KJV
15 "And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; {16} And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: {17} For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"
The people of the earth will definitely see Him coming physically.. not in some symbolic way..
Matthew 24: KJV
29 "¶ Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: {30} And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."
So with all that and more scriptures i cannot agree with the symbolic interpretation of clouds..
You say it is unlikely but you do not say why?
And that you can do if the rapture is post trib.. If the rapture is pre-trib you cannot shine His love and Light during the tribulation because you will not be here to do it...
Your right this dream seems to have nothing to do with the rapture or it's timing at all..
I have had a rapture dream myself.. But even it does not tell me the time of the rapture.. Only the experience i was walking above the clouds and walking to the Light and my body was changed..
Anyway i believe it is literal because on the Day of the LORD all eyes will see Him, Jesus. coming in the clouds..
Revelation 1: KJV
7 "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen."
People will be trying to hide on earth to avoid his wrath::
Revelation 6: KJV
15 "And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; {16} And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: {17} For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"
The people of the earth will definitely see Him coming physically.. not in some symbolic way..
Matthew 24: KJV
29 "¶ Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: {30} And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."
So with all that and more scriptures i cannot agree with the symbolic interpretation of clouds..
You say it is unlikely but you do not say why?
And that you can do if the rapture is post trib.. If the rapture is pre-trib you cannot shine His love and Light during the tribulation because you will not be here to do it...
Your right this dream seems to have nothing to do with the rapture or it's timing at all..
I have had a rapture dream myself.. But even it does not tell me the time of the rapture.. Only the experience i was walking above the clouds and walking to the Light and my body was changed..
Acts 1:6 ¶ When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
This is how believers will see Jesus return. Zech is how unbelieving Israel will see Jesus return.
For the cause of Christ
Roger
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
This is how believers will see Jesus return. Zech is how unbelieving Israel will see Jesus return.
For the cause of Christ
Roger
You said it yourself, the "parable" of the rich man and Lazarus. Are you aware that there are other scriptures that describe the state of the dead as "sleeping", and as having "no knowledge" and "no thought"? As such, you a misinterpreting this parable in contradiction of these other scriptures. It would make no sense for the dead to be conscious for such long periods of time to have to wait for their respective resurrections. Can you imagine Paul having to wait nearly 2,000 years to receive his new body of the resurrection? The state of the dead is like a sleep, and just as the passing of time is not felt from the moment of sleep to the moment of waking up, so is death to the moment of resurrection, it feels nearly instant. This is, in fact, precisely why God created man in need of sleep, so that in wisdom he may foreshadow what death is like. These things are understood by wisdom, whereas a foolish man will read these parables and surmise literal interpretations. Do not the catholics also think that the bread and wine literally become flesh and blood to fulfill a figurative saying of Jesus Christ that "you must eat my flesh and drink my blood"? The doctrine that the state of the dead are conscious is a doctrine that was promulgated by the catholic church, and many of your protestant churches still uphold this nonsensical false doctrine.
I have a study with the interpretation of the passage of the rich man and Lazarus here The Interpretation of the Rich Man and Lazarus Parable | Wisdom of God . And also on the state of the dead here The Sleep of Death in Sheol, the Two Resurrections, and the Lake of Fire Judgment | Wisdom of God .
I have a study with the interpretation of the passage of the rich man and Lazarus here The Interpretation of the Rich Man and Lazarus Parable | Wisdom of God . And also on the state of the dead here The Sleep of Death in Sheol, the Two Resurrections, and the Lake of Fire Judgment | Wisdom of God .
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NO, what is utter nonsense is sleeping in the grave.
Revelation 6:9-11 (HCSB)
[SUP]9 [/SUP] When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the people slaughtered because of God’s word and the testimony they had.
[SUP]10 [/SUP] They cried out with a loud voice: “Lord, the One who is holy and true, how long until You judge and avenge our blood from those who live on the earth?”
[SUP]11 [/SUP] So a white robe was given to each of them, and they were told to rest a little while longer until ⌊the number⌋ would be completed ⌊of⌋ their fellow slaves and their brothers, who were going to be killed just as they had been.
Revelation 20:4 (HCSB)
[SUP]4 [/SUP] Then I saw thrones, and people seated on them who were given authority to judge. ⌊I⌋ also ⌊saw⌋ the people who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of God’s word, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and who had not accepted the mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with the Messiah for 1,000 years.
Revelation 7:13-15 (HCSB)
[SUP]13 [/SUP] Then one of the elders asked me, “Who are these people robed in white, and where did they come from?”
[SUP]14 [/SUP] I said to him, “Sir, you know.” Then he told me: These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes and made them whitein the blood of the Lamb.
[SUP]15 [/SUP] For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve Him day and night in His sanctuary. The One seated on the throne will shelter them:
Why is the Portal to Heaven, UNDER THE ALTAR? Because around the base of the Altar is where the Blood of the Sacrifice was always poured out.
Leviticus 8:15 (ASV)
[SUP]15 [/SUP] And he slew it; and Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured out the blood at the base of the altar, and sanctified it, to make atonement for it.
Leviticus 9:9 (ASV)
[SUP]9 [/SUP] And the sons of Aaron presented the blood unto him; and he dipped his finger in the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar, and poured out the blood at the base of the altar:
The earthly altar is a picture type of the Heavenly Altar:
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NO, what is utter nonsense is sleeping in the grave.
Revelation 6:9-11 (HCSB)
[SUP]9 [/SUP] When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the people slaughtered because of God’s word and the testimony they had.
[SUP]10 [/SUP] They cried out with a loud voice: “Lord, the One who is holy and true, how long until You judge and avenge our blood from those who live on the earth?”
[SUP]11 [/SUP] So a white robe was given to each of them, and they were told to rest a little while longer until ⌊the number⌋ would be completed ⌊of⌋ their fellow slaves and their brothers, who were going to be killed just as they had been.
Revelation 20:4 (HCSB)
[SUP]4 [/SUP] Then I saw thrones, and people seated on them who were given authority to judge. ⌊I⌋ also ⌊saw⌋ the people who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of God’s word, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and who had not accepted the mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with the Messiah for 1,000 years.
Revelation 7:13-15 (HCSB)
[SUP]13 [/SUP] Then one of the elders asked me, “Who are these people robed in white, and where did they come from?”
[SUP]14 [/SUP] I said to him, “Sir, you know.” Then he told me: These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes and made them whitein the blood of the Lamb.
[SUP]15 [/SUP] For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve Him day and night in His sanctuary. The One seated on the throne will shelter them:
Why is the Portal to Heaven, UNDER THE ALTAR? Because around the base of the Altar is where the Blood of the Sacrifice was always poured out.
Leviticus 8:15 (ASV)
[SUP]15 [/SUP] And he slew it; and Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured out the blood at the base of the altar, and sanctified it, to make atonement for it.
Leviticus 9:9 (ASV)
[SUP]9 [/SUP] And the sons of Aaron presented the blood unto him; and he dipped his finger in the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar, and poured out the blood at the base of the altar:
The earthly altar is a picture type of the Heavenly Altar:
Revelation 6:9-11 (HCSB)
[SUP]9 [/SUP] When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the people slaughtered because of God’s word and the testimony they had.
[SUP]10 [/SUP] They cried out with a loud voice: “Lord, the One who is holy and true, how long until You judge and avenge our blood from those who live on the earth?”
[SUP]11 [/SUP] So a white robe was given to each of them, and they were told to rest a little while longer until ⌊the number⌋ would be completed ⌊of⌋ their fellow slaves and their brothers, who were going to be killed just as they had been.
Revelation 20:4 (HCSB)
[SUP]4 [/SUP] Then I saw thrones, and people seated on them who were given authority to judge. ⌊I⌋ also ⌊saw⌋ the people who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of God’s word, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and who had not accepted the mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with the Messiah for 1,000 years.
Revelation 7:13-15 (HCSB)
[SUP]13 [/SUP] Then one of the elders asked me, “Who are these people robed in white, and where did they come from?”
[SUP]14 [/SUP] I said to him, “Sir, you know.” Then he told me: These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes and made them whitein the blood of the Lamb.
[SUP]15 [/SUP] For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve Him day and night in His sanctuary. The One seated on the throne will shelter them:
Why is the Portal to Heaven, UNDER THE ALTAR? Because around the base of the Altar is where the Blood of the Sacrifice was always poured out.
Leviticus 8:15 (ASV)
[SUP]15 [/SUP] And he slew it; and Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured out the blood at the base of the altar, and sanctified it, to make atonement for it.
Leviticus 9:9 (ASV)
[SUP]9 [/SUP] And the sons of Aaron presented the blood unto him; and he dipped his finger in the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar, and poured out the blood at the base of the altar:
The earthly altar is a picture type of the Heavenly Altar:
All Parables are used to express a fundamental truth. In the case of the rich man and Lazarus one of the main features is consciousness after death. Nowhere does Jesus say that the two characters are asleep in the grave.
The term sleep is used as a metaphor for Physical death where the body returns to dust. Death is essentially the separation of the Spirit from the Body. All OT references refer to the Body not the Spirit which is immortal. The references in Ecclesiastes refer to events on earth and from the view point of people alive on earth including the writer. The phrase ''Under the Sun'' is repeated a number of times. It is because those who have left the earth have no contact with the events taking place here. Going back to the parable Jesus has Abraham saying that the rich mans brethren had Moses to warn them about going to where he was. If Jesus just meant the grave there would be little point in him including this in the parable.
Here are a few more references:
Then Jesus crying with a loud voice Father into thy hands I commit my Spirit and having said that he breathed his last
Luke 21: 46
And as they were stoning Stephen he prayed Lord Jesus receive my Spirit and he knelt down
and cried with a loud voice Lord do not hold this sin against them. And when he had said this
he fell asleep
Acts 7:60
You appear to have ignored much of my previous reply including the quote from Revelation.
The term sleep is used as a metaphor for Physical death where the body returns to dust. Death is essentially the separation of the Spirit from the Body. All OT references refer to the Body not the Spirit which is immortal. The references in Ecclesiastes refer to events on earth and from the view point of people alive on earth including the writer. The phrase ''Under the Sun'' is repeated a number of times. It is because those who have left the earth have no contact with the events taking place here. Going back to the parable Jesus has Abraham saying that the rich mans brethren had Moses to warn them about going to where he was. If Jesus just meant the grave there would be little point in him including this in the parable.
Here are a few more references:
Then Jesus crying with a loud voice Father into thy hands I commit my Spirit and having said that he breathed his last
Luke 21: 46
And as they were stoning Stephen he prayed Lord Jesus receive my Spirit and he knelt down
and cried with a loud voice Lord do not hold this sin against them. And when he had said this
he fell asleep
Acts 7:60
You appear to have ignored much of my previous reply including the quote from Revelation.
How about you base your Doctrine on SCRIPTURE, instead guessing:
See my Post #74.
And read these verses:
Zechariah 12:1 (HCSB)
[SUP]1 [/SUP] An Oracle The word of the LORD concerning Israel. A declaration of the LORD, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth, and formed the spirit of man within him.
Psalm 146:4 (NKJV)
[SUP]4 [/SUP] His spirit departs, he {his body} returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NASB)
[SUP]23 [/SUP] Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So much for anybody's wild theory about the human spirit not departing the body upon death.
2 Corinthians 5:8 (NKJV)
[SUP]8 [/SUP] We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
See my Post #74.
And read these verses:
Zechariah 12:1 (HCSB)
[SUP]1 [/SUP] An Oracle The word of the LORD concerning Israel. A declaration of the LORD, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth, and formed the spirit of man within him.
Psalm 146:4 (NKJV)
[SUP]4 [/SUP] His spirit departs, he {his body} returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NASB)
[SUP]23 [/SUP] Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So much for anybody's wild theory about the human spirit not departing the body upon death.
2 Corinthians 5:8 (NKJV)
[SUP]8 [/SUP] We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
The spirit is the BREATH, hence, "he breathed into man the BREATH of life, and man became a living SOUL". This same BREATH, AKA SPIRIT, is the same spirit even animals have, "they went in two by two, in whom was the spirit of life" of the animals that went into Noah's ark. As such, when a man dies, this spirit, AKA breath, goes back to God who gave it. And the soul, goes to Sheol, hence why the soul of Jesus Christ was in Sheol, "you will not abandon my soul in Sheol...".
To be absent in the body does not make you immediately present with the Lord, but when you become absent, as in when you die, you will then feel as if you quickly woke up in the resurrection of the dead, for you do not feel the passing of time at death, in which case, you will then be present with the Lord. The Sleep of Death in Sheol, the Two Resurrections, and the Lake of Fire Judgment | Wisdom of God
To be absent in the body does not make you immediately present with the Lord, but when you become absent, as in when you die, you will then feel as if you quickly woke up in the resurrection of the dead, for you do not feel the passing of time at death, in which case, you will then be present with the Lord. The Sleep of Death in Sheol, the Two Resurrections, and the Lake of Fire Judgment | Wisdom of God
I find it comical how you will take the figurative passage of the rich man and Lazarus literally, and then will take the literal passages of the dead being called asleep figuratively. But let us dig a little further, and perhaps you may come to understand. Where was Jesus Christ for three days and three nights?