But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those
who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no
hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so,
through Jesus, God will
bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we
declare to you by a word
from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the
coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of
command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the
trumpet of God. And the
dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who
are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to
meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
Therefore encourage one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians
4:13-18 )
From 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, I see that Christians are just
"fallen asleep" after death and Paul told us that God will bring
with Him those who have "fallen asleep". Here we are told that the
dead (christians) are like sleeping (unconscious) and they are away
from their bodies. It means that the soul of the "fallen asleep"
are with the Lord. We know little about the state after death but
we are assured that the "fallen asleep" are at rest with the Lord
waiting for the resurrection of the bodies.
Notice that God will bring with him those who have "fallen asleep".
This is where "called home to be with the Lord" comes in. We're
told that believers who have "fallen asleep" are with the Lord and
they are at home.
The scripture tells us (Paul was told by Jesus) that Jesus will
return for His Church and when He return for His Church (or the
bride), He will raise the dead first (because they are with the
Lord), then He will rapture the Church, bringing along those who
have first being raisen.
Commonly, people thought that heaven is up above the earth. But I
think this is not correct. Where God is, heaven is. So where God
is, the "fallen asleep" is. They are with God forever. And God is
omnipresent.
I understand some christians may have other interpretations of
after death. Well, that is just what I think. The bible is not too
clear concerning after death, so there is still some mystery in
it.
I hope I have answered your questions, if not part of it.
