For You will not leave my soul in Sheol (Hell), nor will You suffer Your godly one to see corruption." -Psalms 16:10

The Resurrection of Y'shua (Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-10) Matthew 27:62-66 - The Guard at the Tomb: And the next day, which was after the preparation for the Sabbath, the high priests and the Pharisees were gathered to Pilate saying, "Sir, we remembered that that deceiver said while still living, 'After three days I shall rise.' Therefore you must immediately order the tomb to be guarded until the third day, so when His disciples come they could not steal Him so they could say to the people, 'He was raised from the dead,' and the last deception will be worse than the first." Pilate said to them, "You have a guard: go, as you know you will have your guard." And then after they left they guarded the tomb, by having sealed the stone with a guard.

Matthew 28:1-15 - And after Sabbaths, on the First Day of the Week at dawn, Miriam Magdalene and the other Miriam came to see the tomb. And behold there was a great earthquake: for there was an angel of the Lord, who descended from heaven, and after he came he rolled the stone away and was sitting upon it.

   And his appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow. And those who were guarding trembled from fear of him and became as dead. And the angel said to the women, "You must not be afraid, for I know that you are seeking the crucified Y'shua: He is not here, for He has risen just as He said. Come! See the place where He was laid."

    And go quickly, you must tell His disciples, "He has risen from the dead, and behold He is going before you into Galilee, for you will see Him there: behold I told you." Then they left quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and were running to report to His disciples. And behold Y'shua met the women saying, "Greetings." And they, who had approached Him, took hold of His feet and they paid homage to Him. Then Y'shua said to them, "You must not be afraid: you must go, report to My brothers so they would go into Galilee, they will see Me there."

   The Report of the Guard: And after they left, behold, some of the guards, having gone into the city, reported to the high priests everything that happened. And gathering with the elders they formed a plan and taking silver coins they gave them to the soldiers saying, "You must say, 'When His disciples came in the night they stole Him while we were sleeping.' And if this is heard by the governor, we will persuade him. We will keep you out of trouble." And those who took the silver did as they were taught. And this word was spread widely by Jewish people until today, this very day.

1 Corinthians 15:11-22  - Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so you believed. Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; you are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 

The Eyewitness Testimony That'll Make You Never Doubt the Resurrection Again - By Paul Strand - Christianity's core belief is that the Son of God took on human form, died for our sins and then rose from the dead to give us eternal life. But if Jesus Christ didn't come back to life, it undoes His claim to be the all-powerful, eternal Son of God, Savior and Messiah.  So, Christianity hangs on the Resurrection. (See the evidence and videos at link.). 

Was Jesus in the Grave for "Three Days and Three Nights?" - By Gary DeMar - ...So even if Jesus was crucified on Friday and raised on Saturday, we are still missing a third night (first night, Friday, second night, Saturday). Attempts to resolve this apparent contradiction center on the mistaken assumption that "heart of the earth" is a reference to the time Jesus spent in the grave. Does "heart of the earth" mean the grave?:
   There were times when Jesus spoke in parables so He would not be understood by everyone: "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted." Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand" (Matt. 13:11, 13; see Matt. 13:34-35). The Scribes and Pharisees had come to Jesus asking for a sign. Similar language and context are used by Jesus in John 2:19: "The Jews therefore answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, seeing that You do these things?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
   Since Matthew 12:40 is the only place in Scripture where "three days and three nights" and "heart of the earth" are used, we can assume that it's an idiomatic expression that takes some deciphering using other Scripture passages.
If Jesus was buried in the "heart of the earth," and "heart" is a metaphor for "center" or "middle," then Jesus was not buried in the literal heart (center) of the earth. From what we know of Jesus' burial, He was buried above ground (Matt. 28:2) in a rock-hewn grave (Mark 15:46) that could be entered and exited easily.
   Jerusalem was considered the "heart of the earth": "Thus says the Lord GOD, "This is Jerusalem; I have set her at the center of the nations, with lands around her," (Ezek. 5:5). Later in Ezekiel, Jerusalem is said to be "the navel [center] of the world" (Ezek. 38:12). "Jesus does not simply use Jonah as a convenient analogy to express the time span of three days. In fact, "three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" is a strained analogy for the crucifixion. To make Jesus's experience cover three days and three nights, we must extend it to his time on trial, so that the "heart of the earth" is Jerusalem and thus includes Jesus's trial by Jew, Edomite, and Roman. (Calling Jerusalem the "heart of the earth" is not a novel reading; Ezekiel 38:12 refers to the "navel" of the land, and Ezekiel 5:5 describes Jerusalem as being in the "middle" of the nations.). 6
   Jerusalem was the redemptive center of the world: "but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Today, it's no longer physical Jerusalem but the "Jerusalem above" (Gal. 4:26) "the heavenly Jerusalem" that is the redemptive center (Heb. 12:22).
Jesus continually points to Jerusalem as the place where He would be betrayed and crucified: "From that time Jesus Christ began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised on the third day" (Matt. 16:21). When did the "suffer many things" begin?: "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered up to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and will deliver Him up to the Gentiles to mock and scourge Him, and on the third day He will be raised" (Matt. 20:17-19).
   From the time of His being "delivered up" on Thursday evening in the Garden of Gethsemane to the day He "will be raised" constitutes "three days and three nights" in the "heart of the land," that is, in Jerusalem. The Greek word often translated as "earth" is better translated as "land."
   There is no need to claim that there was a special Sabbath or even to argue that exactly 72 hours was necessary for Jesus' words to be true. "Heart of the earth." considered to be the center of the world, was Jerusalem.  

What We Are Missing in the Resurrection? - By Dr. Ray Rooney - ...What we seem to have lost is the fear of Easter. Of the four gospel accounts of the resurrection of Christ, Mark captures this the most. To see what I mean, read Mark 15:16-16:8 concerning the death and resurrection of Jesus. You see these words scattered throughout: Golgotha, save yourself, darkness, forsaken, torn, alarmed, fled, trembling and astonishment, and afraid.
     ...Mark's tone concerning the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus is constant and unchangeable. Ominous. Troubling. Worrisome. It's all aimed at implying one thing: accountability. More than a martyr. More than a prophet. More than an angel. He is Lord. He is God. We will answer to Him. Everyone. On His terms. Not ours.
     He is eternal as is His Word. He has the final say on what constitutes faithful obedience. He has the final say on sexuality. He has the final say on gender. He has the final say on marriage. He has the final say on what is and is not love. He has the final say on whose heart is filled with hate and whose is not. He has the final say on eschatology. He determines authenticity. Not you. Not me. He will separate the sheep from the goats. And He will not misjudge or misinterpret one single word or event in anyone's life. He is not an arbiter of the truth. He is the ultimate manifestation of truth.
     ...There is little reverence or fear in what is being passed off as "Christian" these days. The name of Jesus is abhorred by government officials, ridiculed by counterfeit religions, and manipulated by church leadership. It is used to justify hedonism, prevent discernment, and promote immorality. Words like "Judge not" are taken out of context, twisted, and repackaged as justification for sinful choices and lifestyles.
     ...Not only does that mean He has defeated Satan, sin, and death, but it also means that every single angelic and human being is answerable to Him. That means it really doesn't matter what my interpretation of the Bible and Christianity is. All that matters is what His view is. Remember what He said He would tell those who cringed before Him in judgment after their "Well, to me" argument concerning what they considered obedience to be. "I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness" (Matthew 7:23)

Acts 2:29-40:  "Men, brothers, allow me to say to you with confidence concerning the Patriarch David, that he died and was buried, and his tomb is among us until this day. Therefore since he was a prophet, and knew that God swore to him with an oath "He will cause One to sit on His throne from the fruit of David's loins," (2 Sam. 7:12, 13, Ps. 132:11) 31. since he saw beforehand, he spoke concerning the resurrection of the Messiah that "neither would He be forsaken in Hades nor" His flesh "see corruption." (Ps. 16:10)
   God resurrected this Y'shua, of which we all are witnesses: therefore since He has been raised to the right hand of God, and has taken the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, He poured this out which also you are seeing and hearing. For David was not raised into the heavens, but he says, "The Lord said to My Lord, You must sit at My right hand, until I would have put Your enemies under Your feet." (Ps. 110:1) Therefore assuredly all the House of Israel must continually know that God also made Him Lord and Messiah, this Y'shua Whom you crucified."
   And when they heard this they were pierced in their hearts. They said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "What could we do, men, brothers?" And Peter said to them, "You must immediately repent, and each of you must immediately be immersed in the name of Y'shua Messiah, for forgiveness of your sins and you will take the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all those in far away places, whomever the Lord our God will call to Himself." And he chargedthem in many other words and was urging them saying, "You must right now be rescued from this crooked generation." 
 
Luke 24:13-49 (BBE) - And then, two of them (Disciples), on that very day (of the resurrection of Jesus), were going to a little town named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they were talking together about all those things which had taken place. And while they were talking and questioning together, Jesus himself came near and went with them. But their eyes were not open that they might have knowledge of him. And he said to them, What are you talking about together while you go?
    Then stopping, and looking sadly at him, one of them, named Cleopas, said to him, Are you the only man living in Jerusalem who has not had news of the things which have taken place there at this time? And he said to them, What things? And they said, The things to do with Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, great in his acts and his words, before God and all the people: And how the chief priests and our rulers gave him up to be put to death on the cross. But we were hoping that he would be the Saviour of Israel.
   In addition to all this He has now let three days go by from the time when these things took place; And certain women among us gave us cause for wonder, for they went early to the place where his body had been put, And it was not there; then they came saying that they had seen a vision of angels who said that He was living. And some of those who were with us went to the place, and saw that it was as the women had said, but Him they did not see.
   And he said, O foolish men! how slow you are to give belief to what the prophets have said. Was it not necessary for the Christ to go through these things, and to come into his glory? And he made clear to them all the things in the Writings, from Moses and from all the prophets, which had to do with Himself.
   And they came near the town to which they were going, and he seemed as if he was going on; But they kept him back, saying, Do not go, for evening is near, the day is almost gone. And he went in with them. And when he was seated with them at table, he took the bread, and said words of blessing and, making division of it, he gave it to them. And then their eyes were open, and they had knowledge of him, but he went from their view. And they said to one another, Were not our hearts burning in us while he was talking to us on the way, making clear to us the holy Writings?
   And that very hour they got up and went back to Jerusalem, where the eleven and the others had come together. And they said to them, The Lord has truly come back to life again, and Simon has seen Him. And they gave an account of the things which had taken place on the way, and how, when He gave them bread, they had knowledge of Him. And while they were saying these things, He himself was among them, and said to them, Peace be with you! But they were full of fear, being of the opinion that they were seeing a spirit.
   And He said to them, Why are you troubled, and why are your hearts full of doubt? See; my hands and my feet: it is I myself; put your hands on me and make certain; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have. And when He had said this, He let them see His hands and His feet. And because, for joy and wonder, they were still in doubt, He said to them, Have you any food here? And they gave Him a bit of cooked fish. And before their eyes He took a meal.
  And He said to them, These are the words which I said to you when I was still with you, how it was necessary for all the things which are in the writings of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms about Me, to be put into effect. Then He made the holy Writings clear to their minds.
   And He said to them, So it is in the Writings that the Christ would undergo death, and come back to life again on the third day; And that teaching about a change of heart and forgiveness of sins is to be given to Jerusalem first and to all nations in his name. You are witnesses of these things. And now I will send to you what my father has undertaken to give you, but do not go from the town, till the power from heaven comes to you.
 
The Road to Emmaus - and Understanding - By Ed Vitagliano - In Luke 24:13-35, Jesus had been crucified and had risen from the dead. Despite His clear teaching about the matter, no one expected the resurrection to occur, not even His disciples! Moreover, even an empty tomb, the declaration of angels, and the testimony of eyewitnesses seemed like "nonsense" to the 11 apostles, who were gathered together in fear of the law (vv. 10-12).
      They could not understand, as the words "appeared to them as nonsense;" but it also says they would not believe. There was a refusal to trust these words. Perhaps it was because of fear, doubt, unbelief, disappointment, or some combination. It is a sad testimony nonetheless that they "would not believe them." "Everything they thought they knew about life, even about God, seems to have been swept away by wicked men. Evil appears to have triumphed. Their world has collapsed into confusion and fear. He is always admonishing, exhorting, and encouraging us. It is important to note that these two disciples had the facts right but not the meaning of those facts. They had a faith problem. They understood what their eyes could see, but they could not understand what only faith could see behind everything in our lives.
      These two disciples were being shown that, without faith, it is impossible to see Him. They knew the tomb was empty, but why was it empty? What did it mean? It's almost as if Jesus wanted these disciples to finish the thought: OK, all these things you saw Jesus do and the words you heard Him teach, He told you He would suffer and die, and on the third day, something would happen. Then some disciples went to the tomb and no one was there, except for angels , who said something important.  
     As I said, these disciples had a faith problem. "And He said to them, 'O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?'" (vv. 25-26). The symptom was that they were "foolish men." The cause was that they were "slow of heart to believe." But believe what? Jesus said, "all that the prophets have spoken!" In other words, they should believe all that God has said.
      Their hearts, which had been slow to believe, were now burning within them because Jesus Christ had interacted with them. He is the cure! Do we desire to go from (1) being slow of heart to believe in all that God has said to (2) having hearts that burn with understanding? It requires drawing near to Christ and interacting with Him. If you don't do that, you won't attain to the latter, while remaining in the former state.

Jesus Resurrection - Proof that Death is a Failure  - By Michael Bresciani - The resurrection of Christ isn't merely about Easter religious observances, spring, flowers, bunnies and Easter bonnets, it is the single most important event in the history of mankind. It is the pivotal point upon which every man and woman's final destiny rests. Perhaps no one in recent history has described this immutable truth better than Mr. Timothy Keller. "If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn't rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching, but whether or not he rose from the dead. -  Timothy Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism.

CBN.com Easter Special Section (2010) Explore the Garden Tomb, Biblical Archaeologists Explore the Crucifixion, Gordon Robertson Teaches on Jesus in Psalm 22 "Can you imagine, a Psalmist a thousand years before it actually happened describing exactly what people are going to be saying to Jesus as He's hanging on the cross? It absolutely boggles your mind." 

1 Corinthians 15:11-22 - Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so you believed. Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; you are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:49-58 - And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.    

Romans 8:11 - "But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwells in you."

Ascension and Return

Psalms 68:18 - You have ascended on high: You have led captivity captive: You have taken gifts among men, yea, even among the rebellious, so Yah, God, might dwell among them. (Eph. 4:8)

Ephesians 4:7-10 - And the grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of the gift of the Messiah. For this reason it says (Psalms 68:18), "When He ascended into the high places He turned the tables on your enemies in warfare (The literal is "turned captivity captive" which is a Hebrew idiom for "turn the tables on your enemies in warfare." This idiom is also used in Amos 9:14, "V'shavti veyish'vu, in Hebrew.). He gave gifts to mankind." (This is from the Greek text, the Hebrew saying, "You (God) took gifts from men," referring to God's taking of Judea and its spiritual advantages, thus making Israel the home of His people forever.) And He went up. What is this ascending, unless He also descended into the lower parts of the earth? The One Who descended is the same One Who also ascended high above all the heavens, (Heavens is always plural in Hebrew, with seven Hebrew words describing seven levels of heaven.) so that all things would be filled with His presence.

Zechariah 14:4 - And His (the LORD's) feet will stand in that Day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives will split in the middle toward the east and toward the west and there will be a very great valley, and half of the mountain will remove toward the north and half of it toward the south.

Acts 1:1-11 -Indeed the first narrative I made concerning everything, O Theopholis, which Y'shua began to do and also to teach, until that day He was taken up, after He gave orders to the apostles whom He had chosen by the Holy Spirit: to whom He also presented Himself alive, by many convincing proofs, after He suffered, while He appeared to them for forty days and was saying these things about the Kingdom of God: and while He was staying with them, He ordered them "Do not go away from Jerusalem but wait for the promise of the Father which you heard from Me, for John on the one hand immersed3 in water, but you on the other hand will be immersed in the Holy Spirit after these not many days." (Ten days later on the Day of Pentecost.)

   The Ascension of Y'shua Therefore indeed those who came asked Him saying, "Lord, are You restoring the kingdom in Israel at this time?" But He said to them, "It is not for you to know the times or seasons which the Father set by His own authority, but you will take power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the outermost part of the earth." And after He said these things, as they were watching, He was lifted up and a cloud bore Him up and away from their eyes. And as they were looking intently into the sky at His going, then there were two men in white clothing who stood by them, and they said, "Men of Galilee, why have you stood looking into the sky? This Y'shua, Who, as He has been taken up from you into the sky, will come back in the same way as you saw Him going into the sky." (Zechariah 14:4)

John 3:13, 6:61-63, 13:36, 14:2-4, 16:7 - And no one has ascended to heaven except the One Who has descended from heaven, the Son of Man. ...When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Does this offend you?  What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. ...Simon Peter said to Him "Lord, where are You going?" Y'shua answered him, "Where I am going you are not now able to follow Me, but you will follow later." ...In My Father's house are many dwelling places:1 and if it were not so, would I tell you that I am going to prepare a place for you? (1 Kings 8:13)  And if I would go, then I shall prepare a place for you. I am coming again and I shall take you (The verb used here is paralambano which speaks of the bridegroom taking his bride.) along with Me, (Exodus 6:7) so that where I AM you would also be. 4. And you know the way, where I am going."  ...But I am telling you the truth, it is profitable for you that I would leave. For if I would not leave, the Comforter will not come to you: but if I would go back, I will send Him to you.

Mark 16:19 - Indeed then after the Lord Y'shua spoke to them He was taken up into the sky and sat at the right hand of God.

Luke 9:51 - And it was the days in which His ascension was to be fulfilled and He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.

John 14:25-29 - "I have spoken these things to you while staying with you: but the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My Name, that One will teach you all things and will remind you of everything which I Myself said to you. I am leaving peace with you, I give My peace to you: I am giving to you, not just as the world would give. Your heart must not ever trouble you and it must stop being timid. You heard that I said to you, 'I am going where I came from, then I am coming to you.' If you loved Me you would rejoice because I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it happens, so that when it would happen you would believe."

John 3:1-8 - And there was a man of the Pharisees, Nicodemus was his name, a leader of the Jewish people: this one came to Him at night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You, a teacher, have come from God: for unless God were with Him no one is able to perform these signs that You do." Y'shua answered and said to him, "Most definitely I say to you, unless someone would have been born from above, he is not able to see the Kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How is a man able to be born when he is in old age? Is he able to enter his mother's womb and be born a second time?" Y'shua answered, "Most certainly I say to you, unless someone would have been born out of water (Being born of water speaks of baptism but also of Torah, from Exodus 14:22 and Isaiah 55:1.) and Spirit he is not able to enter the Kingdom of God. What has been born of the flesh is flesh, and what has been born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, 'It is necessary for you to be born from above.' The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going: thus it is with everyone who has been born of the Spirit."

Matthew 24:36-44 - Concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Two will be in the field; one will be taken, and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord will come. But know this, that if the owner of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for in an hour when you least expect, the Son of Man is coming.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 - And we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, that you would not grieve as the rest of those who do not have hope. For if we believe that Y'shua died and rose, so God will also bring with Him those who have fallen asleep by means of Y'shua's redemption. Indeed we say this to you in a word of the Lord, that we, those left behind who are living to the coming of the Lord, would not precede those who are sleeping: because the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a command, with a voice of an archangel and with a shofar (trumpet 1 Corinthians 15:51-58) of God, and the dead in Messiah will rise first (Revelation 20:4), then we, the living, those who are left behind, will be taken away together with them into the clouds to meet with the Lord in the air (1 Corinthians 15:20-23, Revelation 20:5): and thus we will always be with the Lord. So you must continually comfort one another with these words.

1 Corinthians 15:51-58 - Listen, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible will put on incorruption, and this mortal will put on immortality. When this corruptible will have put on incorruption, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then the saying that is written shall come to pass: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” - “O death, where is your sting? - O grave, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

I Wish We'd All Been Ready --Larry Norman

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