1000 years in heaven.

[Oldmantook]

That works best if you put it in quotes and give the text reference.

I'll give you the framework/timeline and you can figure it out for yourself. If I have the time, I'll provide more detail later. But you're way off in my opinion.
1. Second Coming (no such thing as pretrib rapture).
2. Millennial reign of Jesus on the earth (not in heaven) with those worthy saints who co-reign with him.
3. Great white throne judgment.

 

[Oldmantook]

But it is not where Christ reigns on Earth because Revelation 19 says all the wicked are killed when Christ comes again (second coming) - and John 14 says that when He comes again he takes the saints back with Him - back to heaven.

If all the wicked are killed and no one is left on the earth after Jesus returns, who are the sheep and the goats?
John 14 only promises that the Father has a place for the saints - it does not specify that heaven is that place. When a saint dies, he does go to heaven but those saints still alive at Jesus' second coming don't go to heaven. They reign with Christ during the millennium on the earth.

So what about the earth? That leaves “no one” here – so does the Bible describe earth as left without humans, dead corpses from one end of earth to another?
No one left to bury the dead? Cities all destroyed? Really?

That does not fit with the description provided in Matt 25:31-33. 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats."

 

[ac28]

The saints rule and reign with Christ on earth - not in heaven - during the millennial period.

All very true, Oldman. Bob puts scripture where he thinks it's needed to satisfy his beliefs

 

[ac28]

They are both after the 1000 years.


Rev 21:1-2
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband

And again in 21:10
10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,

And in Rev 20:6-9
6 Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
7 When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, 8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. 9 And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them.

The New Jerusalem is the camp of the saints and comes down out of heaven after the 1000 years. In vs 9 fire comes down and destroys the wicked.

But then Rev 20 - enlarges and expands on that short summary showing that the judgment happens then the lake of fire.

My Bible says nothing about anyone being in the NJ when it comes down out of the newly created 3rd starrry Heavens. The only people that will ever go to Heaven are we Gentiles today who are given the eyes of understanding to SEE the Hope of God's calling, which is only found in Paul's 7 post-Acts epistles. Revelation is mostly about Israel, none of whom will ever go to Heaven. Going to the Highest Heaven is for today's Gentiles ONLY, according to the Word.

 

[ac28]

That was refuted on page 2 - Jesus said " I will come again and RECEIVE you" after saying "I GO to prepare a PLACE for you". That is what happens at the second coming event Jesus is talking about in John 14.



And now it is also on page 1
Monday at 8:29 PM #7

You've never refuted anything, with your subjective private interpretations.

 

[liberty of conscience]

The only people that will ever go to Heaven are we Gentiles today

That is one of the most religiously bigoted (and ignorant (not-knowing)) statements I have ever read.

Have ye never read:

Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Have ye never read:

Heb 10:34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.

Luk_6:23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

Mar_10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

Mat_19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

Mat_18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Mat_18:23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.

Mat_5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat_5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat_5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

etc.

See John 14:1-3; Hebrews 11, see Enoch, Moses, Elijah, the firstfruits at Jesus own resurrection and ascension. Jesus Himself is of the lineage of Judah.

You also misunderstand who the Israel of God is. It's Jesus.

 

[klutedavid]

Because you are skipping over the details.

5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.

That is the resurrection you did not see.


7 When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, 8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore

They are raised and gathered for war against the New Jerusalem.

Some how Bob, you have achieved the impossible.

You have the resurrection of the dead and after a thousand year rest in the ground, resurrected simply to wage war on Jerusalem. That is probably the strangest interpretation I have ever heard of to explain the end time events.

You have those beheaded and tribulation saints reigning with Christ over what? An uninhabited earth for a thousand years.

So you have the unbelievers destroyed twice by God. Surely these unbelievers would have learned the lesson, after their first judgement by God?

What are these resurrected unbelievers thinking? Wow, I was dead and now I'm alive, what just happened? Someone else says, get over it and let's attack the saints in Jerusalem?

 

[klutedavid]

Hello.

That is one of the most religiously bigoted (and ignorant (not-knowing)) statements I have ever read.

Have ye never read:

Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

That quotation from Galatians is describing the spiritual state of the believers in Christ. The same as in the letter to the Ephesians, where we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places.

Paul talks and at great length about the division between the Jew and the Gentile. That was the stark reality at the time when Paul wrote. The letter to the Romans is basically all about why Israel, failed to attain the righteousness of Christ.

Romans 9:31-32
What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works.

If you do not see the marked division between the Jew and the Gentile in the scripture. Your basically not reading the scripture, you must be reading something else.

 

[BobRyan]

That passage does not support the unscriptural theology that Christ comes and takes ppl back to heaven. It's the second coming,

That was refuted on page 2 - Jesus said " I will come again and RECEIVE you" after saying "I GO to prepare a PLACE for you". That is what happens at the second coming event Jesus is talking about in John 14.

BobRyan said: ↑
1. The saints are taken to heaven at Christ's return (second coming) - as Christ promised in John 14.

John 14
“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

The "Father in heaven"(Matthew 6 - Lord's Prayer) - to "My Father's house"

Jesus went to heaven. We know in fact "the place" -- is heaven.

Acts 1
9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. 11 They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

Phil 3:20
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

And now it is also on page 1
Monday at 8:29 PM #7

You've never refuted anything, with your subjective private interpretations.

On the contrary - Bible details "matter" as noted in those posts..

1. The saints are taken to heaven at Christ's return (second coming) - as Christ promised in John 14.

John 14
“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

The "Father in heaven"(Matthew 6 - Lord's Prayer) - to "My Father's house"

Jesus went to heaven. We know in fact "the place" -- is heaven.

Acts 1
9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. 11 They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

Phil 3:20
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

 

[BobRyan]

I cannot find in Revelation 20, anything about a resurrection of the wicked before they surround the camp?

Because you are skipping over the details.

5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.

That is the resurrection you did not see.


7 When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, 8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore

They are raised and gathered for war against the New Jerusalem.


7 plagues (Rev 16) -->
Christ Comes again "First Resurrection" Rev 19-20:5. --->
1000 yrs-->
Wicked raised -->
Wicked war against the Christ and the Saints in the New Jerusalem.-->
Great White Throne Judgment-->
Lake of Fire -->
New Heavens and New Earth

Some how Bob, you have achieved the impossible.

You have the resurrection of the dead and after a thousand year rest in the ground, resurrected

That was Rev 20:1-9 -- the mere quote of the text gives rise to your strong objection to it.

You have those beheaded and tribulation saints reigning with Christ over what?

They sit in judgment over the wicked angels 1 Cor 6, and over the wicked Rev 2. Once the judgment is completed they come to Earth and the penalty is executed - all the wicked cast into the Lake of Fire - see Rev 20.

So you have the unbelievers destroyed twice by God.

1. The living wicked alive at the time of the 2nd coming are "killed" as Rev 20 and 2Thess 1 state.
2. But as Jesus points out in John 11 - the first death "does not count" -- it is the second death that counts - the one we see in Rev 20 after the 1000 years.
3. After the 1000 years it is all the wicked that have ever lived in all of time that are resurrected.

 

[BobRyan]

That is one of the most religiously bigoted (and ignorant (not-knowing)) statements I have ever read.
.

Careful - AC28 says the 39 books of the OT are not "for him"
Nor is the teaching of Christ in the Gospels --
Nor is the teaching of Paul or anyone else in the book of Acts --

So he is down to 22 books of the Bible and I assume he would delete from them whatever text they quote from the OT...

 

[liberty of conscience]

Careful - AC28 says the 39 books of the OT are not "for him"
Nor is the teaching of Christ in the Gospels --
Nor is the teaching of Paul or anyone else in the book of Acts --

So he is down to 22 books of the Bible and I assume he would delete from them whatever text they quote from the OT...

Indeed it would be less than 27 books of the NT, for in the NT is cited predominantly the OT texts.

He might as well be quoting from the qur'an or Dr. Seuss.

 

[ewq1938]

Because you are skipping over the details.

5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.

That is the resurrection you did not see.


7 When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, 8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore

They are raised and gathered for war against the New Jerusalem.

No, the rest of the dead being raised is here:

Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.


The ones who surround old Jerusalem are alive and are killed by God. You have it backwards that they were dead and resurrected then killed and then resurrected again to be judged? How many times do you think God resurrects the unsaved dead?? That's clearly wrong as I and others have pointed out.

 

[BobRyan]

The text says 'the rest of the dead are raised AFTER the 1000 years are completed

No, the rest of the dead being raised is here:

Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

That would be AFTER the 1000 years are completed - as we both know

 

[ewq1938]

The text says 'the rest of the dead are raised AFTER the 1000 years are completed

Yes they are but no one can be raised from the dead if they aren't dead yet. The last of the mortals die from the fire from God then all of the unsaved dead can be raised.

 

[BobRyan]

Details in the OP - so many seem anxious to avoid. Take the set of points and ... tell us your view

============================================

Christ takes all the saints to heaven for 1000 years at the 2nd coming. -- "I will come again" John 14.

Do you believe in a literal 1,000 year reign of Christ on earth?

the 1000 years are literal -

But it is not where Christ reigns on Earth because Revelation 19 says all the wicked are killed when Christ comes again (second coming) - and John 14 says that when He comes again he takes the saints back with Him - back to heaven.
(Jesus went to heaven Acts 1 and comes back from heaven -- Phil 3:20
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;NASB)

They are there for 1000 years that starts with the "First resurrection" Rev 20:5 which is when the "Dead in Christ rise first" 1 Thess 4:16

And all the wicked are slain at Christ's coming 2 Thess 1:7-8 Rev 19:17-18

"Elephant in living room" of all other options on this topic -- is this.
Nothing left here but a desolate Earth - as the OT prophets predicted.

======================
DESOLATE Earth

Rev 20:4-5 shows the ”First Resurrection” Which is the resurrection of the saints the “dead in Christ” as Paul says in 1Thess 4 at our “Gathering together to Him” 2Thess 2:1-4 a the “Coming of the Lord” (Both 2Thess 2 and 1Thess 4 point that out).

Rev 19 says that the living wicked are destroyed by fire and by the sword that comes from Christ “at the coming of the Lord” – it says “The rest were killed by the sword” that comes from Christ. Vs 21

At that time Christ raptures the church (in the singular event He promised in John 14) and we are taken to heaven both the living AND the dead (raised at the First Resurrection).

So what about the earth? That leaves “no one” here – so does the Bible describe earth as left without humans, dead corpses from one end of earth to another?
No one left to bury the dead? Cities all destroyed? Really?

Millennium – a time without a single human remaining alive. Not a glorious place to live - but a place where birds feeding on rotting corpses of mankind. And yet it is temporary – only lasting for 1000 years.

This feast of the birds we see described again in Rev 19 where the lamb destroys certain of mankind

Ez 32:4-8
4 ""I will leave you on the land; I will cast you on the open field. And I will cause all the birds of the heavens to dwell on you, And I will satisfy the beasts of the whole earth with you.
5 ""I will lay your flesh on the mountains And fill the valleys with your refuse.
6 ""I will also make the land drink the discharge of your blood As far as the mountains, And the ravines will be full of you.
7 ""And when I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud And the moon will not give its light.
8 ""All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken over you And will set darkness on your land,'' Declares the Lord GOD.

Jer 4:23
I looked on the earth, and behold, it was formless and void; And to the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking, And all the hills moved to and fro.
25 I looked, and behold, there was no man, And all the birds of the heavens had fled.

26 I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a wilderness, And all its cities were pulled down Before the LORD, before His fierce anger.

Jer 25:33
""Those slain by the LORD on that day will be from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be lamented, gathered or buried; they will be like dung on the face of the ground.

Zeph 1:18

Neither their silver nor their gold Will be able to deliver them On the day of the LORD'S wrath; And all the earth will be devoured In the fire of His jealousy, For He will make a complete end, Indeed a terrifying one, Of all the inhabitants of the earth.

Isaiah 24
1 Behold, the LORD lays the earth waste, devastates it, distorts its surface and scatters its inhabitants.
2 And the people will be like the priest, the servant like his master, the maid like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the creditor like the debtor.
3 The earth will be completely laid waste and completely despoiled,

It is obviously a World Wide Calamity – World Wide catastrophe


Isaiah 24
17 Terror and pit and snare Confront you, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 Then it will be that he who flees the report of disaster will fall into the pit, And he who climbs out of the pit will be caught in the snare; For the windows above are opened, and the foundations of the earth shake.
19 The earth is broken asunder, The earth is split through, The earth is shaken violently.
20 The earth reels to and fro like a drunkard And it totters like a shack, For its transgression is heavy upon it, And it will fall, never to rise again.

 

[BobRyan]

Yes they are but no one can be raised from the dead if they aren't dead yet.

The wicked do not live for a 1000 years waiting to be ... resurrected.

They are dead as 2Thess 1 points out.
They are dead as Rev 19 points out.

As we saw on page one of this thread --
------------------------------------------------------------------
Rev 19
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.”

2 Thess 2
8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; 9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, 10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.

2 Thess 1
when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

Could have added 2Thess 2 and 2 Thess 1 above to the OP introduction below.
============================

the 1000 years are literal -

But it is not where Christ reigns on Earth because Revelation 19 says all the wicked are killed when Christ comes again (second coming)

John 14 says that when He comes again he takes the saints with Him - back to heaven.

Nothing left here but a desolate Earth - as the OT prophets predicted.

====================================


So then it is only the righteous living and the dead taken at the 2nd coming - to heaven.

But the living wicked die (2Thess 1,, Rev 19) and thus they are all dead at the start of the 1000 years.

 

[ewq1938]

The wicked do not live for a 1000 years waiting to be ... resurrected.

Living people do not need resurrection.

They are dead as Rev 19 points out.

Rev 19 only shows an army being killed not non-military.

So then it is only the righteous living and the dead taken at the 2nd coming - to heaven.

Christ doesn't take anyone to heaven at the second coming. He stays here and the reign over the nations begins, Rev 2, 19, 20

But the living wicked die (2Thess 1,, Rev 19) and thus they are all dead at the start of the 1000 years.

Nope. The nations of the unsaved are alive through the thousand years and are reigned over by Christ and his immortal saints.

Rev 2:25 But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.

That is the second coming.

Rev 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:

After "the end" comes, there is given power over the nations to those that are overcomers which naturally includes those who "are alive and remain" at the second coming. They will be given power over the nations.

Rev 2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

After the second coming and after "the end" will the overcomers be given power over the nations, ruling them with a rod of iron. That proves the rod of iron rule over the nations does not even start until Christ has returned and has given overcomers this power to rule over the nations.


Rev_19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Again, the nations will be ruled over which cannot happen if they are all dead.

There are things Jesus has to accomplish when he returns:

1Co 15:24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

He has to put down all rule and authority and power which is putting his enemies under his foot:

1Co 15:25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.


That is the rule of the rod of iron with his saints and it lasts a thousand years and that thousand years does not begin until he returns according to Rev 20 and Rev 2.

 

[BobRyan]

Rev 19 only shows an army being killed not non-military.

Until you read it... as pointed out on page one of this thread --

Rev 19
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.”

Hence...


2 Thess 2
8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; 9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, 10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.

2 Thess 1
when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

 

[BobRyan]

Christ doesn't take anyone to heaven at the second coming. He stays here

Not true -- as we saw on page one of this thread.

Jesus went to heaven and is coming back from heaven to take us to His Father's house - to heaven..

John 14
“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

The "Father in heaven"(Matthew 6 - Lord's Prayer) - to "My Father's house"

Jesus went to heaven. We know in fact "the place" -- is heaven.

Acts 1
9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. 11 They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

Phil 3:20
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

1 Thess 4 - when a love one dies we have this hope --
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
,

Heb 11
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; 10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. ...

13 All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. 15 And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.