This has been nagging at me for some time, and it really did not gel in my mind until I was halfway through the thread title.
My sister-in-law died this morning. That made me think of every comment you commonly hear at funerals and the like:
They're in a better place...or with the Lord...or walking those streets of gold...or singing in the choir invisible...in the bosom of Abraham...or in short, poof, already in Heaven.
OTOH, we are told in the Bible to look forward to the Resurrection. Now, if we've already been in the Kingdom for some time, that sounds a bit creepy to me. How about you?
Are these two ideas even compatible? I'd like to see what others have to say on the subject. I apologize from the start if "Instant Glorification" is not the proper term.
Laz, long time no talk. I too am sorry for your loss.
Personally, I don't believe in the rapture...anymore. Even though we cut our teeth on it, and being in agreement with my wife, that we were so close to entering the 7 years of that 'great tribulation' before it, that we wouldn't even think of Karen being pregnant or breastfeeding, in those days....soon to come.
MAT 24:19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
All that coming from our indoctrination according to the false teaching of Hal Lindsey and his book which we devoured called 'The Late Great Planet Earth'. A book which sit on the shelf next to our bible. A book which is on 'I don't even know 'which' of his many 'revisions' he has since made, because he was a false prophet and teacher for sure in the first book. But they sold so good that he just change his theology definitions, kind of like Jehovah witnesses did after more than 144,00 joined their church membership. For those not knowing, in their beginning, that's all they believed would go to heaven, so you needed to get on 'their' church rolls while you could. Anyway the 'sheep' keep buying Hal's latest revision.
OH, and we are on our 5th grandchild with the oldest being 24 now.
OK, as to your question, and my present belief. Man is a triune being, we are a
spirit we have a
soul and we live in a
body.
1TH 5:23 May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So when you die what happens to ALL THREE parts of your ONE 'HUMAN BEING? I believe your
body/flesh returns to that which God made Adam out of and your
spirit returns to God the spirit from whence it came.
ECC 12:7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
That leaves one 1l3 of you left...where? I won't go in to depth, but those who believe, teach and quote scriptures believing in soul sleep are the camp I'm in. Your soul sleeps awaiting the day of judgment when ALL the graves will be opened and we will ALL stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Not to be judged as to whether or not our spirit was born again...that's the Great white throne judgment. The bema judgment is a judgment of the works of your soul which were manifested in how you 'walked with your flesh/body'. And those soul works determine your rewards IN heaven...NOT whether or not you get to GO TO heaven.
2CO 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body.
As for all the what happened to Lazarus stuff you read. No one is accounting for the fact that Jesus had to deal with Lazarus under the OLD covenant standard because Jesus hadn't died to make availavble the NEW covenant. Everything changed then. Just like everything change for how you received 'eternal life'.
MAR 10:17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 19 You know the commandments: 'Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'"
Anybody here teaching that theology? I hope not.