I have heard, especially at funerals, that the deceased person “has gone to be with the Lord”. The Salvation Army states the deceased has “been promoted to Glory”. I’m having difficulty understanding either of these premises. If a dead person has “gone to be with the Lord”, why is He coming back (for us)? …we will be changed in the blink of an eye…the dead will rise….etc. Your insight would be appreciated. Thanks.
When a believer dies, his or her spirit goes to be with the Lord leaving behind a dead body to be buried. The body soon decomposes to dust.
At the resurrection, the Lord will unite the spirits of the dead with new resurrection bodies. This is what Paul means by saying, “The dead will rise.”
At the same time, believers who are still alive will be changed from mortal to immortal in an instant, the twinkling of an eye. So it’s the living who will be changed. All this is explained in 1 Cor. 15:51-53.