1 Thessalonians 4:14 says God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. Verse 16 says that the Lord will descend from heaven (so, he’s on the way down) when the dead in Christ rise first then the following verse has those who are alive being caught up to meet him in the air. My question is who is he bringing with him (verse 14) and where is he bringing them?
This sequence of events doesn’t make sense to me. How can he bring them with him if they meet him in the air? It appears that the verse has him “bringing” those who died in Jesus with him when he returns to meet the living only to turn around and take everyone back to Heaven for the Marriage supper and the bema seat. Please enlighten me.
You’ve answered your own question.
“It appears that the verse has him “bringing” those who died in Jesus with him when he returns to meet the living only to turn around and take everyone back to Heaven for the Marriage supper and the bema seat.”
The reason He will bring the spirits of dead believers with Him is so they can be joined with their resurrection bodies at the same time that ours are made immortal. From the wording it appears that the spirits are coming down but their bodies are rising. They meet in the air and are joined. Then the living will be transformed and together we’ll all go to our new home to be with the Lord forever.