Both of your statements amaze me......
1. Kind of hard for JESUS to bring the DEAD back from heaven with him when he comes if they are not there.<--THE DEAD in CHRIST WILL HE BRING WITH HIM
Not quite what it says...
1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Th 4:15 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.
1Th 4:16 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:
1Th 4:17 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.
The dead in Christ rise first but when?
1Th 4:16 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:
1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive.
When?
1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are
Christ's at his coming.
So, if the dead are not raised until the return of Christ where are they? They are dead.
2. Kind of hard for Jesus to go preach to the spirits that were disobedient during the days of NOAH if he is dead
So, are these people in hell or prison? Which is it? Neither, the scripture nowhere says these spirits are men, rather they are the wicked spirits in prison. Humans have a spirit but are not spirit. They are flesh and blood. Demons on the other hand are wicked spirits. If you will look up the word spirits in the gospel accounts, you will find that wicked or evil spirits are referred to. Man is never referred to as a spirit.
3. Does paradise sound like a place where the DEAD would be
Doesn't matter what it sounds like, it is a fact that no one EVER goes to heaven...
Joh 13:33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.
No one has gone there in the past...
Joh 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
And even the man after God's own heart did not go there...
Act 2:34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
4. He led captivity captive....
Carefully read this and then tell me where it says He led MEN captive...
Eph 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
he led captivity captive; which is expressive of Christ's conquests and triumph over sin, Satan, the world, death, and the grave; and indeed, every spiritual enemy of his and his people, especially the devil, who leads men captive at his will, and is therefore called captivity, and his principalities and powers, whom Christ has spoiled and triumphed over; the allusion is to the public triumphs of the Romans, in which captives were led in chains, and exposed to open view (s): - John Gill
5. How many people RESURRECTED when he did and WALKED AROUND after his RESURRECTION
Ah but where were they?
There is not much scripture on this but when we read this...
Mat 27:52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;
Mat 27:53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
The first thing we notice is they were not in heaven, they were asleep. Dead...
Joh 11:11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."
Joh 11:12 Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."
Joh 11:13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.
Joh 11:14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.
Next thing is they came out of their graves, not some place called paradise, which is heaven...
2Co 12:2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven.
2Co 12:3 And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—
2Co 12:4 how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
The place of God's throne.
Now the last thing we see here is they walked into the city and were seen by other humans.
This was a physical resurrection to physical life again.
That is all scripture tells us directly but when we read I Cor 15, I Ths 4, Heb 11 and other places we see they did not go to heaven, they are still awaiting the promise, still awaiting the resurrection to eternal life.
No offense bro, but your theology denies a lot of scriptural proof to the contrary!
None taken but it seems the scripture says what it says and all I did was quote it.