Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming

 1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

All shall be made alive.

Every man in his own order.

Now answer me this? If we are *alive* immediately upon death- transitioning instantly into some other form of living- why would we need an order to be made alive?

Every man in his own order-  Christ the firstfruits.

After Christ the firstfruits then those who are Christ's at His coming.

1Co_15:20  But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

Them that slept.  The sleep is death's sleep. 

1Th 4:14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

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

Sleep in Jesus.

The dead in Christ shall rise first.

Why, I ask this again, why do people believe they immediately live after dying?  What does 'Dead in Christ' mean if no one is truly dead in death?

I have to bring this up and I do often because this world we live in has dupe the majority of people into believing that death means transitioning from living in our flesh to living in a spirit form with all our same thoughts and feelings. Some choose to believe they live in this spirit form with their same thoughts and feelings and go on to live in heaven. Others believe they live on earth in the spirit form walking about interacting on some level with humans that still have their flesh. Then there are those who believe you live in a place to do your time as punishment for your sins. And again others believe you are sentenced to a life of spirit form living- knowing and feeling- while being burned in a place they call Satan's home- hell. You also have those who believe you don't go into a spirit form but are reborn in a newborn's body to live another life- just not knowing who you were before. There are SO many different beliefs, but the majority of those beliefs have to do with living in another form right upon the death of your flesh.

Lies.

Satan's grand lie- 'Ye shall not surely die.'

But death is an end, a REAL end of things, not a simple transition.

You will stop thinking. You will stop feeling. You will stop knowing all things.

The only time you will know something again is when CHRIST comes for His people- the dead in Him and the living in Him. The dead in Him- they will think again, they will know again, they will feel again when they are woken up from death's sleep.  How glorious that will be! Waking up from death's sleep and rising to meet the Lord in the air, your mortal body now an immortal body. You won't be awake in spirit form looking down at your dead body, venturing off into some new spirit life. You will wake up and know the oneness of being with Your Savior! You and all those who are His will wake to this indescribable glory!

Of course then there are those who are not Christ's and they will wake to the horror in realizing what they chose, and it wasn't life in Christ. They will not put on immortal bodies. They will not live on forever in torturous conditions.  Eventually they will be as if they never were, something no living person can fully comprehend- never being.  Yes, we know there was a life before us- history proves that- and we know there will be a life after us- history proves that possibility will be a reality.  But we've fashioned some notion that once we are alive, we will not ever truly die from that point on-  a lie.  We can die without any spirit body thinking and feeling after our death. We can die only to be raised again to die again and then raised to die to never be again.

We choose. 

If we choose Christ we choose life because He is the Author of life, He is the Sustainer of life, He is life.

Every man in his own order will be raised from the dead. This is truth. This is life. This is Christ Jesus our Savior now and forever! Amen.