Soul Sleeping? What does scripture say happens to us when we die.

How is it then that tthose who are asleep in the Messiah will be taken up first to meet Him in the clouds upon His return?

"the spirit shall return unto God" Ecclesiastes 12:7.

This scripture seems to strongly support immediately being with the Lord upon death.

The Lord can bring anyone up to be immediately with him (Elijah, 2 Kings 2:1; Enoch [?], Genesis 5:24).

But it seems that sleeping in the Lord until the resurrection is what is to be expected for most cases; otherwise, why wouldn't Paul include this very good news in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18?

It would be even more comforting to write that those that sleep in the Lord are already with him. And then also explain that their bodies are sleeping, but their spirit is in heave (as many say).

Bit of a study Here on the subject of death and eternal judgement...

Yes, many think that life goes on even without the breath of life .

If a person is given a new born again spirit they will rise on the last day and receive their incorruptible body which will not be of corrupted flesh and blood.

Elijah and Enoch are no different they will receive a new incorruptible body on the last day .Flesh and blood could never enter heaven .

In that way we neither wrestls against flesh and blood what the eyes see or are we saved by it .It simple profits for nothing zero as Jesus informs us

The Son of man, Jesus is not literal standing anywhere and neither is Stephen.

We neither wrestle against corrupted flesh and blood, what the eyes see the temporal, or are we supported by it. Christ is unknown after the rudiments of this world. He cannot be found in a biology lab .He reveals himself as it is written. God is not a man as us.

I would think we walk by faith. . the eternal not seen.

The one time promised fleshly demonstration of Jesus as the Son of man working with the father is over, Stephen is in the same place of all believers. Some try to make his flesh as the temporal corrupted things of this world profit for some thing. When we are not even to look again for the flesh of the Son of man is not a biblical teaching. Jesus says his flesh profits for nothing.That window of opportunity closed nearly 2000 years ago. We walk by faith.

2 Corinthians 5:16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

The dead who have not been born from above will not be resurrected. They have no spirit or body . The temporal spirit that was under the letter of the law(death) .Thou shall will surely die." It was not ; "you will surely suffer forever", as if God was merciless. And mercy did not triumph over some on going never ending judgment .

Death as to the letter of the law and the living suffering which accompanies death (hell) will be cast in the judgment of God. It will not rise to condemn a whole creation through corruption ever again. No condemnation or trial for the believer.

There is nothing about dead bones being tossed in the fiery judgment of God. Death according to the letter that caused the living suffering of this life.

The second death is "the death of the written law ".It will not govern the new order and bring pain and suffering as the revealed wrath of God...

Revelation 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death

You need to read all of 1 Corinthian 15 to understand. Taken out of context it seems to say something different than is meant.

1 Corinthians 15: 16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:

17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

The Resurrection of Christ
The Epistle of 1st Corinthians chapter 15 Now I would remind you, brothers,[a] of the gospel (A)I preached to you, which you received, (B)in which you stand, 2 and by which (C)you are being saved, if you (D)hold fast to the word I preached to you—(E)unless you believed in vain.

3 For (F)I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died (G)for our sins (H)in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised (I)on the third day (J)in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that (K)he appeared to Cephas, then (L)to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to (M)James, then (N)to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, (O)he appeared also to me. 9 For (P)I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because (Q)I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, (R)I worked harder than any of them, (S)though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

The Resurrection of the Dead
12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, (T)how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, (U)then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that (V)he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and (W)you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who (X)have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope[b] in this life only, (Y)we are of all people most to be pitied.


20 But in fact (Z)Christ has been raised from the dead, (AA)the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as (AB)by a man came death, (AC)by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For (AD)as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then (AE)at his coming (AF)those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers (AG)the kingdom to God the Father after destroying (AH)every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign (AI)until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be (AJ)destroyed is death. 27 For (AK)“God[c] has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When (AL)all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that (AM)God may be all in all.


29 Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? 30 Why are we (AN)in danger every hour? 31 I protest, brothers, by (AO)my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, (AP)I die every day! 32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, (AQ)I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, (AR)“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33 (AS)Do not be deceived: (AT)“Bad company ruins good morals.”[d] 34 (AU)Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For (AV)some have no knowledge of God. (AW)I say this to your shame.

The Resurrection Body
35 But someone will ask, (AX)“How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” 36 You foolish person! (AY)What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. 39 For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.


42 (AZ)So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; (BA)it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, (BB)“The first man Adam became a living being”;[e] (BC)the last Adam became a (BD)life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 (BE)The first man was from the earth, (BF)a man of dust; (BG)the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, (BH)so also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just (BI)as we have borne the image of the man of dust, (BJ)we shall[f] also bear the image of the man of heaven.

Mystery and Victory
50 I tell you this, brothers: (BK)flesh and blood (BL)cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. (BM)We shall not all sleep, (BN)but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For (BO)the trumpet will sound, and (BP)the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and (BQ)this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

(BR)“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 (BS)“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and (BT)the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, (BU)who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.


58 (BV)Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in (BW)the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord (BX)your labor is not in vain

Actually Elijah and Enoch have already been taken up. The are one of the few folks whom the Bible has no record of their death and burial. But they did go to heaven so I am sure they got their glorified body before that went to heaven because as scripture says that flesh and blood can not inter the Kingdom Of Heaven.

He is the Firstborn of the dead, but this does not say we are immediately raised from our sleep at our death, sleep. I do not see it here.

We are all raised together on resurrection day, (the day of the Lord) Is how Ive always thought of it.

There are many scriptures that point to this, I wont go through every single one of them, but it has always been my understanding.

so that those who die now wont precede those who die later. And those who had died in the past arent waiting around for everyone to die and the world to end. They are sleeping. The Lord is going to wake up everyone with a trump, those who believe to eternal life, those who dont to eternal punishment.

I have no idea what the 7th day adventists are now teaching, but it seems to me they were the ones waiting for Jesus to come back only for their own generation and didnt care about anyone who came earlier or later. Thats why they set dates like 1814 for an investigative judgement or what not.

these say something interesting in 23 But every man in his own order (time of death) up to those still living at his coming is what the verses here seem to be saying IMO


22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

Your understanding is correct. The 7th day Adventists also believe that anybody who is not a 7 Day Adventist is going to hell. This is why they don't cares about anybody else.

According to Hebrew all die without receiving it. That will be given to all at once event on the last day

We look EXACTLY LIKE we do on earth. Our Spirit is our Image.

That is interesting you could be right. Only we will be able to change our appearance, teleport ourselves, eat fish and walk through walls. If Christ is our example then we will be able to do the things was able to do after His death. LOL

Looking what scripture says on the transfiguration, the disciple seem to know what Moses and Elijah look liked for he knew who they where, of coarse the disciple wasn’t around when those two was alive in the flesh but back in that day there probably was some information on what they looked liked writings maybe or art long gone

To me this resonates more with Ephesians 2:5 and appears to point to our eternal destination.