Life After Death - Do we sleep for a long spell or see God immediately for judgement?

Much of the Bible is simply visions of a future even. Not things that exist at that time. A vision is different from bearing eyewitness to something happening now.

Jesus himself said people would sleep and that no one had gone to heaven or been there except him. John 3:12, 13, and others. Psalms 146:3,4, 1 Cor. 15:50-53....even most of the saints sleep a long time from their physical death until Jesus 2nd coming. John 14:3, 1 Cor. 15:23, Rev. 6:9-11.

The resurrection of the dead saints first is one of the seals of Revelation and then their fellowservants and chosen and do their preaching work and are likewise killed for their faith.

The rest of the dead live not until sometime during the 1,000 years. Rev. 20:4-6.

The Bible never says those who receive the earthly resurrection come back all at once or that they get to live the whole thousand years there. Isaiah 65:17, 20 shows that if someone refuses to learn/change, they will die as a babe at 100 years old there. Isaiah 26:8-10.

Not all will respond favorably to the blessings they are given including perfect health. Isaiah 33:24, 35:1-7, 11:6-9.

Those who do make it to the end of the thousand years must face the final test when Satan/demons are released. Rev. 20:7-9. Even then after faithfulness all those years, the number who chooses to disobey are like the grains of sand, numerous.

Only Jesus and the saints/judges are given self existence or immortality. John 5:26, 1 Timothy 6:16, 1 Cor. 15:50-53, Rev. 20:4-6 so the 2nd death/lake of fire will never harm them. But angels and humans can always turn away even after all that. Though it is less likely after the final test.

Rev. 3:5 people must stay faithful or they can be blotted out of the book of life. They can have their part in the book of life removed. Rev. 22:18, 19.

The spirit that returns instantly to God is HIS OWN SPIRIT. He shares it with all beings human and animal. Job 27:3, Eccles. 12:7, Eccles. 3:17-21. It is not a living being, hence Psalms 146:3, 4 says at death our thoughts (mind) perish and we are not aware of anything anymore. So time passes in the twinkling of an eye no matter how long it is between death and resurrection. You won't notice it.

Debbie

Jesus said, those in the grave shall hear his voice, therefore I assume you must be dead, and in the grave to the Christ in Spirit.

Jesus also said something about a harvest, to me Jesus was talking about a harvest of the souls that where still in the graves. The story went let the tares and the wheat grow together and at harvest put the wheat in the barn and burn the tares.

Jesus also said something about that his Father's house had many rooms and that he Jesus was going to go to his Father's house and prepare a place for them, and than come back and get them so they could be with him where he was.

I also recall Jesus saying that those that were before them would be judged with their generation.

Jesus said, that a spirit could not be seen or heard, but a soul could be seen and heard.

So I assume that we are scheduled to sleep for quite a long time, because when Jesus raised anyone from the dead, he always said, that they where just SLEEPING.

Jesus said, that no one had ever ascended to heaven accept Jesus, and he was still in heaven.

Are you sure that the 24 are the 12 patriarchs and the 12 apostles, or could they be the 12 Apostles and the 12 sons of Ishmael?

.

Death is a separation. It is not the ending of the spirit or of the personality. These do not die. The real "you" goes on to be with the Lord if you are a child of God. It is the body that disintegrates. Death is a separation of the body from the individual, from the person. The body disintegrates, decays, decomposes. Dust to dust and ashes to ashes applies only to the body.

And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain [1Cor. 15:37].

The sowing of grain is the illustration. Christ is the firstfruits, then we'll be coming along later. We are waiting for the rapture of the church when Christ takes the believers out of the world. If at the time of the Rapture we are already dead, we will be raised up. If we are still alive at the time of the Rapture, we'll be caught up and changed. The seed, you see, does not provide itself with a new body, neither does the sower, but God provides it:

But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body [1Cor. 15:38].

—J. Vernon McGee's Thru The Bible

I am a Christian before my fatal accident I WAS SKETCHY ON WHAT i BELIEVED! I was in an automobile accident don't remember nothing about it still its been since July,22,2011.It was about 9:40 A.M. I was going 60 they the State Police Investigator's say both of us where.Myself and a young Lady were the only injured.Kai was life lined to ST Vincent Trauma unit,and I was life lined to Methodist Hospital,Indianapolis.I was seat belted ,she unfortunately wasn't.Poor Girl I pray for her everyday!She still is recovering,God kept us both alive for his reason,I surly don't know why about myself anyway.Anyway I was pronounced dead twice,they sent my son home from Afghanistan 101st Airborne unit in Kandahar,or Kabhul.Anyway while I was in between worlds I spent some time with my Grandmother and her Heavenly friend,Grandma has been gone since 1986,she looked the same but glowing both where.Her friend was a little old black lady,and she was blessing ( Crossing ) my old wounds on my body maybe some new ones with Holy water. I was drinking Tea they had made and I tried to go out the front door of her house ,it was snowing and angels where playing they were flying and snow ball fighting.G-MA that's what I called her said Stevie seat down drink that tea you can't go out there right now you have to go back to the hospital people are waiting on you I drank that tea and BOOM! I awoke after an 19 day coma drug induced for pain reasons,my whole chest was apparently crushed by the sterring wheel,it crushed my chest so bad broke 18 ribs ,shoved one close to my heart,they had to rebuild my sternum cavity my shoulder was replaced with surgical steel w/my collar bone.C1,C2 fragmented had surgical steel and cadavor bone placed in there..I was told I might reach 75% of my capabilities.I'm 51,soon be 52 in January.So i will tell anyone live good treat others good and GOD has a wonderful place for our souls to meet up at! I am a living testament to GODS salvation and his word that we will all be in a wonderful place.I know longer fear Death!

If you keep breaking up then you shouldn't get back together, because it will likely end again.

Read here https://tr.im/t3P0k

Whether or not you should really depends on the reasons that you two keep breaking up. But I really doubt he has changed in such a short period of time. You're the girl, and while usually I recommend girls do the asking out instead of just waiting, in the case I think even if you do wind up getting back together with him, you shouldn't put forth any effort in making it happen. Act coy. Maybe go out with someone else for a bit, not steady, but go on a few dates with or something. Just don't make yourself TOO available to him.

If you make it obvious you want him back then he is going to think he can treat you however he wants and you will always be there for him, and that will just lead to more break ups in the future. Basically, I think he will break up with you whenever he wants another girl, and when that doesn't work out, in the interest of not feeling lonely, he will come back to you until he meets someone else. Again, and again. Thats assuming the past break ups were in any way his doing. If it was always your decision, then I have to wonder what he did to make you break up with him, or was it possibly you who left him for someone else?

Some religions believe that your soul goes right to heaven after death, but your body rests and comes to life on the judgment day and then you get a "new" body which is similar to your old one, but perfected and you would be recognizable. No one exactly knows -- we have to wait and find out, but we were left scripture to try to interpret and make sense of. I think you will eventually be in a better place, though.

Some false teachers say that death is a sleep, but according to the Bible, death is a journey. The body sleeps, but the spirit of man journeys either to Heaven or to Hell. The O.T. teaches that death is a journey (Ge. 25:8; 35:18; Nu. 27:13; 2 Sa. 12:23; 1 Ki. 17:21-22).

The N.T. also teaches that death is a departure of the spirit from the body to another conscious realm of existence. (1) The body is distinct from the spirit. "I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless..." (1 Th. 5:23; see also Mk. 14:38; 1 Co. 6:20; 2 Co. 12:2). (2) It is the body which is said to die. "For as the body without the spirit is dead..." (Jam. 2:26). (3) Paul's testimony was that death is a journey. "Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord ... we are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord" (2 Co. 5:6-7; see also Ph. 1:23,24; 2 Ti. 4:6). (4) Peter testified that at death he would put off his body. "Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me" (2 Pe. 1:14). (5) Jesus' promise to the thief on the cross shows that death is a departure. "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise" (Lk. 23:43). (6) The story of Lazarus and the rich man shows that death is a departure. The proper names Jesus used in this story prove He was speaking of a real historical scene, rather than of a fictitious parable. Yet, even if it be allowed that this was a parable, it would still teach literal truth as did all of Christ's parables. "...the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments..." (Lk. 16:22-23). (7) The dead saints are said to return with Christ from heaven at the time of the resurrection and rapture of the saved. This shows that dead saints go to Heaven at death. "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him" (1 Th. 4:14). (8) John's heavenly visions show dead saints in Heaven prior to the resurrection and during the Great Tribulation on earth (Re. 6:9-11). (9) Moses' and Elijah's appearance on the Mount of Transfiguration proves that the dead have conscious existence between death and resurrection. That Peter and the other Apostles who were present were not just seeing a future millennial scene is demonstrated by the fact that Moses and Elijah were speaking with the Lord Jesus about His approaching death. Moses and Elijah, though dead, were allowed by God to appear in time on that mountain and to converse about events which were soon to take place in Jerusalem (Mt. 17:1-3; Lk. 9:30-31).

It is plain from this survey of N.T. Scripture that man has a spirit or soul which departs from his body at death and which lives eternally either in Heaven or in Hell.

Just as there are different groups of resurrections for men, there are also different judgments. Before God, all men are not in the same position and are not grouped together for one general judgment. In a broad sense men are divided into the saved and the unsaved (1 Jn. 5:12,19; Jn. 17:6-9).

Well, from a Catholic perspective, the catechism spells it out pretty clearly

http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a12.htm

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08550a.htm

It looks like the Catholic Church has called soul sleep a serious heresy, as well.

"Whereas some have dared to assert concerning the nature of the reasonable soul that it is mortal, we, with the approbation of the sacred council do condemn and reprobate all those who assert that the intellectual soul is mortal, seeing, according to the canon of Pope Clement V, that the soul is [...] immortal [...] and we decree that all who adhere to like erroneous assertions shall be shunned and punished as heretics. Fifth Council of the Lateran (1513)"

Want to know how to get your ex back? Change yourself. Don't worry about changing other people, worry about changing yourself. Go to https://tr.im/WQ7MW

Once you do that then you can start to worry about getting back together with your ex, other wise you will find that you are fighting about all the same things and getting no where. Do what it takes and I promise things will work out in your favor.

The funny thing is I came to the realization that I had to change a little too late. After I was kicked out and after I was about to lose the only things that truly mattered to me - her love. A funny thing happens when we truly love someone and lose them. We do what ever it takes to get them back. For me I had to drop bad habits that had caused not only our relationship to sour but practically every other relationship I had had in the past. Not only with women, but with friends, co-workers, family, you name it.

Which is why I say to you as my ex at the time said to me, the only thing you can do is change yourself. Work on yourself and improve on the person that you already are. Drop the negative things in your life that don't belong there and you will see all of your relationships start to take off to new heights.

We go to be with the Lord. 2 scriptures come to mind.

"So we are always of good courage; we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. We are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 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."

- 2 Cor 5:6-10

This scripture clearly says to be away from the body means to be at home with the Lord.

Another scripture.

" For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If it is to be life in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. "

- Phi 1:21-24

Paul's desire is to be with Christ, not to go to sleep.

And finally, on the Mount of Transfiguration Jesus meets a very alive Moses and Elijah. We know from Scripture Moses' body was dead and buried on the mountain. Yet, he is here talking with Jesus.

Another thing: The communion of saints rests on the fact that the saints in heaven are still a part of the Body of Christ and can intercede for us. This belief of the dead interceding for us is seen in the bible (Parable of Lazarus and rich man for one where the rich man interceded for his brothers while in a place of torment, possibly purgatory) and the earliest records of church history confirm this belief.

For more info see

http://www.catholic.com/quickquestions/how-do-we-r...

related: Evidence for life after death

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP4CRkcof7w