Hello Sherlock
Where do you think the saints he comes with go now? Are the twelve Apostles and the countless thousands of Christians
who have died since the resurrection hanging out somewhere waiting for this pre tribulation event. To make it more personal
if you or I died tonight would we be with Christ or would we be hanging out somewhere like the Caribbean waiting for the rapture
so that we could make a surprise return seven years later?
You do error not understanding that those who die in Christ SLEEP until He gets here to the Earth. No man has ascended up to Heaven except Jesus. No man has seen the Father at any time, which all the inhabitants of Heaven do SEE HIM. There is only one day that determines who will go to Heaven and who will not go to Heaven, and that day is Judgment Day, the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord. Great for those who are asleep in Christ which will rise first, and then the living, and Terrible for all those who remain, save the 144,000.
Judgement Day ( to determine who is and who is not SAVED) does not happen at the time of a person death. Judgement Day is one particular Day when the Father tells the Son "Go" and then Jesus will return to the Earth, on THAT DAY is when those who have died in the past, Noah, DAVID, Moses, the Prophets, the Saints, will rise from their sleeping to be with Jesus, Then after they rise Jesus and the Saints (which were risen from the dead) will go around the Earth gathering up the living followers of Jesus Christ, those who are sheep and not the goats or wolves.
For the Spirit of Noah is asleep to this very day. To Noah, his spirit will have went to sleep and then seconds later (to him) Jesus is Here to get him, even though thousands of earth years have passed. Sleep knows no time. Even though a spirit has slept for thousands of years, to that spirit it will be mere seconds from the time they died (went to sleep) to the time Christ returns to the Earth to rapture them from their sleeping. Then Jesus and that spirit (Saint) will go about rapturing up the living sheep of Jesus Christ.
There is not one verse in all of Scriptures that teach when a person dies they immediately go to Heaven or to Hell. Not one. Note: please do not try to validate that false teaching by using the example of the thief on the cross. We KNOW that Jesus said He would be in the heart of the Earth for three days and three nights, and could not have possibly taken the thief on the cross to HEAVEN on the same day that He was crucified, when we also KNOW that Jesus had not yet even ascended to Heaven until after he was risen from the dead. Also those who believe that false doctrine try to use the PARABLE of Lazarus and the Rich man. The Father in Heaven is NOT Abraham. Which is why Jesus said "Father Abraham" to reveal this is indeed a PARABLE.
Luk_16:24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
There are so many things that prove that it is a parable it amazes me that people can actually think it is a real event, well not really satan is the god of this world, so there you go. Tell me, Do you really think the rich man being tormented in flames of fire, would ask that a drop of water be placed on his tongue, really, that is what you believe if that were a real event. lol. as if a drop of water would prevent his torment in flames one iota. lol. Blows my mind how people in this generation can think this is a true event that Jesus was describing. And also the man being in torment by flames of fire, is going to have compassion for his brothers, love for them. IN Hell but having feelings of LOVE for his brothers who have not yet come to where he is at. Really? Burning in fire and what he asks for, is for his brothers to not come there with him, and asks for a mere drop of water on his tongue? People wake up, its a parable, NOT a real event in any way whatsoever. But it is very like satan to cause confusion by getting people to believe a Parable is an actual event to propagate his false doctrine.
There are no Scriptures that teach when a person dies they immediately go to Heaven or to Hell. Notice how i keep saying "or to Hell" Because most who believe that false doctrine, think when a person dies they immediately go to Heaven, but they do not even dare think about those who die immediately go to Hell. Because Scriptures are plain and clear when people are put into Hell and that is at the Great White Throne Judgment. So then what? EVERYONE that dies goes to Heaven, only to come back one day to be Judged as not getting to go to Heaven. i am telling you the TRUTH, When a True Christian (sheep) dies, they sleep. EXACTLY as Scriptures teaches they will.
Joh_11:11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
Tell me, When Lazarus died did he go to Heaven or went to sleep?
Act_13:36 For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:
So when David died, did he go to Heaven or went to sleep?
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, Until I make thy foes thy footstool.
This verse plainly and clearly teaches CONTRARY to the doctrine that teaches when we die we immediately go to Heaven, this verse plainly teaches that David is dead and has NOT ascended into Heaven. Scriptures teach when we die we do not go immediately to Heaven, yet there is a doctrine today that teaches when you die, you DO go to Heaven, this is NOT Scriptural at all, it is a false doctrine. What, if you die, you immediately go to Heaven, but when David died he does not? Are you better than King David?
1Ki 15:5 Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
King David is still with us to this very day. Sleeping, Awaiting the Messiah to Return and rise him from the dead.
1Co_11:30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
So many who die, do not go to Heaven or to Hell do they? This verse plainly and clearly teaches that they also 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.
Those who sleep in Jesus, Their flesh is decayed and their spirit is asleep. These will rise when Jesus gets here to bring with Him, to gather up the living when He gets here.
i assure you, if when a person dies they immediately go to Heaven, that King David would be there right now. But what does Scriptures plainly teach? King David did not ascend into Heaven, and still with us to this day. Any Doctrine that contradicts plain Scriptures is a false doctrine.
^i^
††† In His Holy and Precious Name, Jesus Christ †††
DiscipleDave