What does 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, also 1Corinthians 15:50-54, really mean when it says “Believers who have died will have their bodies resurrected, and along with believers who are still living will meet with the Lord.” Could you explain to me what that scripture really is trying to tell us? It makes me believe that believers body’s/spirit are kept somewhere other than heaven until the rapture.
When believers die, their spirits go to be with the Lord in Heaven to await the resurrection, while their worn out bodies are buried in the Earth and return to dust. (2 Cor. 5:6-8) At the moment of the Rapture, the spirits of all those who have died since the cross will receive new bodies, at the same time that we who are still alive receive ours. (1 Cor 15:51) So all believers will receive their resurrection bodies at the same time. These are the bodies we’ll have during our time in the New Jerusalem during the Millennium and throughout eternity. They never get sick, or wear out or age. They last forever.