'We shall not all sleep...' Death's long sleep.

Mortal bodies.

The Spirit.

The SPIRIT of him (GOD) raised Jesus from the dead this is a fact. This SAME Spirit must dwell IN US.  God who raised up Christ from the dead will ALSO bring our MORTAL bodes to life by HIS Spirit in Us.

We will NOT be raised from the dead should we die before our Savior returns to gather us to Him, unless we have the Holy Spirit in us- this is truth!

Rom 8:11  But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

The living in Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, will NOT keep those who have died in Christ from rising from their graves.

Christ will descend from heaven with a SHOUT.

The voice of the archangel will sound.

The trump of God will be heard.

Then the DEAD in Christ will rise! 

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.

(Again I must make mention of the fact that there is NO need for the dead in Christ to rise from their graves if they are ALREADY with Christ upon their death, right? Logic must dictate that waking those from death's sleep at the return of Christ when the archangel sounds and a trump of God is heard, means they are NOT already awake and with Christ. So, WHY do so many believe death is just slipping into spirit form and going to live with God in heaven? We need to ask this question and ask it seriously not just tossing it all aside as if it doesn't matter, it does matter.  Satan is going to impersonate Christ, Satan is going to have his evil angels appear as angels of light and he's going to do all that to DECEIVE people. Satan having evil angels impersonate our dead loved ones to lull us into a false man-made doctrine is done for one reason only- to deceive us so that he can claim us as his followers- the followers of deception. If you think you will not be accountable for such things, you are wrong.

Act 17:27  That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

Act 17:28  For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

Act 17:29  Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.

Act 17:30  And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

Act 17:31  Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

At times of ignorance God winked at- BUT now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.  We have no excuse for ignorance now, none.

Eph 1:19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

Eph 1:20  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places

Ask yourself this question please…  WHY is it such a big deal that Jesus was raised from the dead if we already believe upon our deaths we go to heaven- that we are raised in spirit form?  According to our beliefs of living upon death, Jesus was merely going to heaven upon His death, right?  But He didn't, did He?  He lay in the grave and then He was raised from the dead- body and all. We believe this fact readily without asking ourselves questions about our beliefs.  So, Jesus did NOT go into spirit form upon death and immediately go to heaven, yet we believe that's what happens when we die. Many people will instantly say that our loved ones are in a BETTER PLACE now, that our loved ones are IN HEAVEN with all our other loved ones having a family reunion, that our loved ones are now in JESUS' arms. These are the words of comfort people give to one another all the time, yet they go on believing that Jesus didn't go to heaven upon His death.  If we agree that Biblically Jesus stayed in the grave until the third day then we also have to agree that He was NOT in heaven that day. In fact Jesus, Himself says that He shouldn't be touched because He hadn't ascended to His Father yet. Jesus admitted He hadn't gone to heaven yet. People love to say that Jesus promised the thief on the cross next to Him that He'd see him in heaven that day- but in truth Jesus was telling that thief that DAY, that he would see Him in heaven eventually. Jesus admitted He wasn’t in heaven that day! He hadn't gone to His Father that day upon dying. So why can't we realize these truths? Why does it offend us so easily to think that our loved ones are SLEEPING death's long sleep?  They aren't in pain any longer, they aren't suffering, they know absolutely nothing that is going on in our lives- all our pain and suffering, all our heartaches. They aren't subjected to the horrors of what is taking place upon earth at all. They are sleeping the long sleep from which they will be awakened from if they are Christ's, and they are awakened when Christ returns for them at the last trump sounding. Why must we fabricate the fantasy of our loved ones comforting us from their heavenly perches? We do it to appease ourselves. We lie to ourselves to comfort ourselves by believing that our loved ones know we loved them and all the arguing and chaos of life is over, their true feelings are now known and this brings comfort to people. They don't like the idea that their loved one is simply sleeping and thinking no more at all whatsoever, their breath of life returned to God so their bodies no longer function. They don't like the idea of them sleeping and not knowing how sorry those still living are for all the hard times between them. They don't like the idea of their dead loved ones having no consciousness at all. To me it is a marvelous, wondrous thing, this death sleep. Truly NO MORE suffering on any level for anyone. No witnessing of my heartaches and pains while they are in heaven unable to weep or feel pain of any sort any longer. Their emotionless - except for happiness - existence is intrinsically wrong on many levels if they are watching a loved one suffer it is just incredibly wrong, we have to know this on some level right?

Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,

Joh 5:29  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

This is truth.

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.

1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

1Co 15:54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

1Co 15:55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

This is truth.

May we find comfort in the TRUTH and not in lies no matter how much they please our senses.

May God's Spirit live in US. May the Holy Spirit live in US. May Christ live in US and we in Him! May our hope be solely in the SAVIOR, our LORD, JESUS CHRIST now and forever!

Amen.