Bible Question: "When the Lord comes for the church, Scriptures say the dead in Christ will rise first, then the church will be raptured and meet the Lord in the sky. But I believe and have been taught when I die I will go to heaven, so who are the dead that are going to rise first and meet the Lord in the sky?"

Bible Answer: The confusion here is the difference between what happens to body, soul and spirit after a believer's death.

Jesus told the repentant thief who was hanging on the cross next to Him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise," in Luke 23:43. But what part of this man went to heaven that very day? It was not his body, for that part was buried, but his soul and spirit, that went with Jesus to Paradise.

The resurrection is like the body of Lazarus in John 11, who died but was called back to life by Jesus. While Lazarus' body lay in the tomb for four days, his soul and spirit were in Paradise.

Jesus had to call the soul and spirit back to inhabit the body when He resurrected him. Perhaps that is one reason Jesus wept at Lazarus' tomb, knowing he must call him back from heaven.

The only place in Scriptures where we find body, soul and spirit all changed at once is in the verses referred to above by this reader's question, which is in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17.

"But I would not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope," 1 Thes. 4:13 says. Some say this refers to the single largest denomination, the ignorant brethren.

But seriously, Paul is referring to believers who have died as merely "fallen asleep," for their bodies sleep in the grave, awaiting the call of Christ to the resurrection of their bodies.

"For if we believed that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus," 1 Thes. 4:14 continues. Here's a capsule description of our faith, one who believes Jesus died and rose again. And if you believe that, Paul says, even though you die, your soul and spirit go to heaven.

"For this I say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep," 1 Thes. 4:15 continues.

Here's the generation of believers who will be living on the day of the rapture, versus those who have already died.

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first," 1 Thes. 4:16 continues.

I don't know why the dead in Christ will rise first, before the living believers are raptured, but Paul is very emphatic on that. "Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord," 1 Thes. 4:17 concludes.

The living believers will be changed from human bodies into resurrected bodies, while the dead in Christ will have their bodies raised from the earth and reunited with the souls and spirits, and all together we meet in the air for a glorious reunion.

"Therefore comfort one another with these words," Paul adds.

What a comfort this has been to me, to know one day I will see my loved ones again, in resurrected bodies, on that day.

Submit Bible questions by email to writeme@johnwmyers.com

(John Myers has been a Christian lay speaker, Sunday School adult teacher and newspaper Bible study columnist for more than 20 years.)