Mary I hope this answers your question. We are told in Heb.4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the (dividing) asunder (of soul and spirit), and of the joint and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. The word (dividing) is #3311; it means a separation or distribution, to part, to disunite, be difference between, divide. (So this verse tells us that the soul and the spirit are separated, disunited, there is a difference between them. The spirit goes to be with God who gave it. Eccle. 12:6-7 (6) Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. (7) Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the ((spirit shall return unto God)) who gave it. 2.Cor.5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. (The spirit goes to God at death) What about the soul? Ps.44:25 For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the earth. Ps.49:15 But God will redeem (my soul from the power of the grave), for he shall receive me. Selah. Ps.89:48 What man is he that liveth and shall not see death? (shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave). Acts.2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in (hell), neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. The word (hell) is #86; it means unseen, "Hades" or the place (state) of departed souls. (Hell is the grave, the place, or (state) of departed souls) When Jesus descends from heaven in 1.Thes.4:14-17 (the dead in Christ shall rise first). Where do they rise from? What will rise? Their soul will rise from the grave to meet their spirit, and their Lord in the clouds, their spirit would be those who sleep in Jesus that God brings back with Him in v.14.
At death, there is a separation that takes place. The physical body will lay in the grave and wait to be resurrected, but the spirit will separate from the body and will go to be with the Lord. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:8, "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."
As believers, when we're here, the Lord's with us but we're not with Him in heaven. But as soon as you are absent from the body, as soon as you experience death (which means separation), as soon as your spirit leaves your body, you're in the presence of the Lord.
There's no "soul sleep." There's no in between phases. Paul says I'd rather be out of this body and present with the Lord, but in the meantime while we're here, we live by faith. We live by the Spirit of God!
Paul then gives the cause in 2 Corinthians 5:9. He says, "Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him."
The motivation of Paul is to do what is well pleasing to the Lord. He says whether I'm here, or whether I'm up with Him, I only have one thing that I shoot for as a goal, and it is to be well pleasing to him, which is what that phrase means.
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:20, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ;"
That is what is called the Bema seat. This is not the Great White Throne Judgment. The judgment seat of Christ (Bema Seat) is for believers only. This is not a judgment to determine salvation because Christ already paid the penalty and all who have received Him have been declared not guilty. This judgement is to determine our reward/s. This judgement is described for us in 1 Corinthians Chapter 3.
There will be a separate judgement for all who have rejected Christ. This judgement is called the Great White Throne judgment. No believe will stand before that judgment.
Consider that the KJV uses the word sleep for being dead awaiting Christ's return.
"Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;" Psalms 13:3 KJV
"For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." 1 Thessalonians 4:14 KJV
"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." John 11:11 KJV
"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
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." 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 KJV
"And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed." Romans 13:11 KJV
The Bible talks about a "day" of judgment, rather than people being judged sporadically.
"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." 1 John 4:17 KJV
And it says no one escapes judgment- people often think they skip this for some reason despite what the Bible says:
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." 2 Corinthians 5:10 KJV
So, when these verses are put together it seems like all will be judged on the same day (also consistent with the vision in Revelation) and that people won't go to heaven until they're first judged, and it then makes sense where it says the dead will rise to meet Jesus in the air. So, to me it all seems logical, what happens. Despite all this evidence in God's word, many people still prefer to believe something else that makes them feel good, however.
Or do we stay in the grave until Jesus 's
Return?????
At death, there is a separation that takes place. The physical body will lay in the grave and wait to be resurrected, but the spirit will separate from the body and will go to be with the Lord. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:8, "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."
As believers, when we're here, the Lord's with us but we're not with Him in heaven. But as soon as you are absent from the body, as soon as you experience death (which means separation), as soon as your spirit leaves your body, you're in the presence of the Lord.
There's no "soul sleep." There's no in between phases. Paul says I'd rather be out of this body and present with the Lord, but in the meantime while we're here, we live by faith. We live by the Spirit of God!
Paul then gives the cause in 2 Corinthians 5:9. He says, "Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him."
The motivation of Paul is to do what is well pleasing to the Lord. He says whether I'm here, or whether I'm up with Him, I only have one thing that I shoot for as a goal, and it is to be well pleasing to him, which is what that phrase means.
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:20, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ;"
That is what is called the Bema seat. This is not the Great White Throne Judgment. The judgment seat of Christ (Bema Seat) is for believers only. This is not a judgment to determine salvation because Christ already paid the penalty and all who have received Him have been declared not guilty. This judgement is to determine our reward/s. This judgement is described for us in 1 Corinthians Chapter 3.
There will be a separate judgement for all who have rejected Christ. This judgement is called the Great White Throne judgment. No believe will stand before that judgment.
Consider that the KJV uses the word sleep for being dead awaiting Christ's return.
"Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;" Psalms 13:3 KJV
"For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." 1 Thessalonians 4:14 KJV
"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." John 11:11 KJV
"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
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." 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 KJV
"And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed." Romans 13:11 KJV
The Bible talks about a "day" of judgment, rather than people being judged sporadically.
"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." 1 John 4:17 KJV
And it says no one escapes judgment- people often think they skip this for some reason despite what the Bible says:
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." 2 Corinthians 5:10 KJV
So, when these verses are put together it seems like all will be judged on the same day (also consistent with the vision in Revelation) and that people won't go to heaven until they're first judged, and it then makes sense where it says the dead will rise to meet Jesus in the air. So, to me it all seems logical, what happens. Despite all this evidence in God's word, many people still prefer to believe something else that makes them feel good, however.
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