The Gathering Together – Our Hope

There are many story lines and many ideas that the World uses or touts as truth that, in fact, are truths
taken from the Bible and twisted to fit a different agenda. One of these truths is called The Gathering
Together. However, the secular World call it the ascendance.
The way secular man has described it is when man get’s smart enough here on Earth then they become
enlightened and then turn into energy or light and float off into a different dimension or higher reality. I
have seen this portrayed in all sorts of movies and in writings from popular writers of today. I don’t want
to name names because I want to focus on God and the things of God. But, I bet if you thought about it
for a minute you could come up with at least three articles or movies where this was the topic.
This concept, although based in the Bible, is totally in error! The truth is much bigger and much more
exciting than that. First, no one ever will “ascend” by being smart, nor will anyone “ascend” by how
good they are. Also, no one will “ascend” just because mankind has evolved! Why?
You have to understand that this World is temporary. Everything in it is temporary. The trees, the seas,
the birds, fish and animals are temporary. At some point in time all of this will vanish away and a new
Heaven and a new Earth will take it’s place.
Because we are temporal (earthly,) and temporary, most of us will die, and because Adam committed
high treason and gave his dominion of the Earth to the Devil and because Israel rejected the Messiah,
Jesus Christ and because the Devil crucified Jesus Christ when he had no right to AND finally because
God Raised Jesus Christ from the dead and seated him on His own right hand, it became available for
anyone to “ascend.” The prerequisite is to confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, Jesus as Lord in your
life and to believe that God not only had the power to, but, actually raised Jesus Christ from the dead.
By doing this you are given a spiritual body. You don’t have to wait for it. It is created in you in a
moment of time. That “moment” in the Bible is the word “atom.” That is how quick God creates spirit in
you. Not in a minute, not in a second, not in a split second BUT in an atom of time. This sets the
Christian up for the gathering together.
Did you know that the only people going to heaven are Christians? Thaaat’s right! Everyone else, if they
are good in this life, are promised paradise which is here on the new Earth.
There are two scriptures that I want to share with you and the first is in I Corinthians chapter 15.
1 Corinthians 15:20 (KJV)
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept (died).
1 Corinthians 15:21-24 (KJV)
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he
shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
1 Corinthians 15:35-58 (KJV)
35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may
chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts,
another of fishes, and another of birds.
40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and
the glory of the terrestrial is another.
41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars:
for one star differeth from another star in glory.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a
spiritual body.
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a
quickening spirit.
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that
which is spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also
that are heavenly.
49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth
corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 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.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 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.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of
the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
There is so much information in this short that I can’t cover it all in this article, but, I do want to point
out a few things. First, there is a resurrection of the good people and a second resurrection of the bad orevil people. The good people, those not born again of God’s spirit live in eternity in paradise. The evil
ones are banished from God’s presence. But, there is another group that are not resurrected because to
be resurrected everyone must be dead. This group is given a pass to heaven long before the
resurrections. This record in I Thessalonians talks about what happens to the Christians.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (KJV)
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them (the Christians) which are
asleep (dead), that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them (the Christians) also which
sleep (are dead and waiting for return of Jesus Christ) in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the
coming of the Lord shall not prevent (this is the old English word for precede) them which are
asleep (dead).
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to
meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
The dead Christians rise first and then the Christians that are still living at the first return of our
Lord Jesus Christ will be changed. Changed into what? Spiritual Beings! That’s what! Then it
says we meet the Lord in the air, so shall we ever be with the Lord. Where is Jesus Christ now?
In Heaven! Where will he be in the future? In Heaven! Where will the Christians be? In Heaven!
That is why it says in Ephesians chapter two that we are already seated in Heaven!
Here is another point. There are TWO (2) returns of our Lord Jesus Christ. The first is his return
for his saints, the Christians. The second time he returns it is with his saints.
Ephesians 2:4-9 (KJV)
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together (made us spiritually alive) with Christ, (by
grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us
through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
The comfort of I Thess.4:18 is in knowing that no matter how temporary our lives may be and no
matter how many trials and tribulations your endure in this life, there is a time coming that not
only you, but, your loved ones who are Christians and all other Christians, that have died, are
gathered together at the same time as spiritual beings and then hand in hand, rejoicing as we go,
go to Heaven!