Are Christians asleep in the grave until the Rapture? If so then why does the Bible say..?

Death brings immediate Heaven or Hell. The first paragraph is correct, your sister is not.

Whose interpretation are you looking for cuz a lot of diff Christian churches have diff beliefs about what happens after you die and the whole rapture concept.

I can tell you what Mormons believe. We believe that when you die you go to either a spirit prison or paradise until the time of your resurrection and final judgment. Spirit prison is more like a place of waiting, while in spirit paradise I am guessing there is a lot of work going on to progress Gods plan for people still on Earth and preaching to those that havent heard the gospel yet.

I dont know exactly what happens in each. I do know that everyone needs an equal opportunity to hear and accept the gospel and how can they do that if they just dont exist for a time before judgment if they have never really been given a chance to hear and accept it.

The Bible says that Jesus went and taught the people in prison during those 3 days he was dead before the resurrection.

If everyone just doesnt exist then who did he go preach to?

"Best Answer here means well yet scripture specically states " there the wicked cease from troubling,and the weary are at rest. There the prisoners rest together; they hear Not the voice of the oppressor. The small an great are there; ( this includes Mary his earthly mom, ) , and the servant is free from his master. 'JOB'.

Animals and mankind,...all go into one place;all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again....ECcli.3...

Yet we all sleep or see death, " we shall awake, ( upon Christs secound coming, and HIS judgement) some to everlasting life, and some eternal death......There is NO ' limbo' in christ's judgement. Your either believe in HIM OR YOU DONT...

OUR HOPE IS IN Jesus-- " why seek ye the living among the dead? Heis not here, but is risen ! Our promise of a ressurrection is garanunteed through our belief/actions of our Actions.. Luke 24.

See also John 11:25,26..!

Scriptures state that the body an soul are one. God will not forget his faithful followers longing for forgiveness and oppression in such a world.

"We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." [2 Corinthians 5:8] this is for raVar who wanted the scripture, am not if there is more but here is this one.

Some say we rest till Jesus comes, other say we go to heaven or hell. I always heard the same as you heard. The day my grandson died my sister seen Angels come and carry him home, we weren't there when he died we were headed for Cal. and got the call. So I believe he went straight to heaven.

Maybe your sister has been taken over by the heretical Evangelical Christians, who are obsessed with this false interpretation of the rapture idea...

Yes, to be absent from body is to be present with Lord

What did Jesus say to the robber who was crucified next to him?

"Today you will be with me in paradise"

Well, respectfully, I would ask ... Where does the Bible say "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord"? Literally, if you can present me with the verse, I'll believe it.

It actually says that * * once the ressurection * * takes place, then those Christians who have been called to heavenly life (not all Christians are called to that position) will be resurrected to heavenly life, and are present with the Lord. Now personally, I believe that since the Lord's day has begun? The resurrection in our day is immediate, because of what Paul said in Thessalonians But only for those called to heavenly life. But BEFORE the Lords day began? Paul, Peter, and everyone who died were sleeping in death.

In fact, in the book of Corinthians, Paul had to strongly counsel those who said that when people died? They were already being ressurrected. This was not the case. Paul stated that until the "Lord Day began" they would be asleep in the grave, awaiting their ressurection to heavenly life.

"After that he appeared to upward of five hundred brothers at one time, the most of whom remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep [in death" - 1 Corinthians 15:6

Notice Paul states that those who saw Jesus? And then died? They were "asleep" in death.

Note too, that when Tabitha, or Dorcas died? Peter brought her back from the dead. This would hardly be the case - if she was already in heaven.

"But Peter put everybody outside and, bending his knees, he prayed, and, turning to the body, he said: “Tab′i·tha, rise!” She opened her eyes and, as she caught sight of Peter, she sat up. Giving her his hand, he raised her up, and he called the holy ones and the widows and presented her alive" - Acts 9:40,41

It's because the resurrection did not start taking place until heavenly life? Until the "Lords Day" or the "Last Days" began.

Some in the first century said that the resurrection to heavenly life began as soon as the person died. Paul STRONGLY condemned them.

"These very [men] have deviated from the truth, saying that the resurrection has ALREADY OCCURED; and they are subverting the faith of some" - 2 Timothy 2:18

Paul said that when Christians back then died? The resurrection hadn't occurred yet. They were asleep in death, awaiting the Lords day, or the "Last Days", when they would be resurrected to the heavens.

"For this is what we tell you by Yahweh's word, that we the living who survive to the presence of the Lord shall in no way precede those who have fallen asleep [in death]" - 1 Thessalonians 4:15

The robber who died next to Jesus. Remember that Greek had no spaces between words (I provide a link to a Greek manuscript to show you how they wrote), so in the originally copy of the Bible, as it was written, said this

"trulyitellyoutodayyouwillbewithmeinparadise"

So when you consider all of the above?

What is more likely? That Jesus said

"Truly I tell you today ... you will be with me in paradise"

or

"Truly I tell you ... today you will be with me in paradise"

Because those are two different statements. When we see what Paul explained? It's clear that Jesus said

"Truly I tell you today ... ... you will will be with me in paradise". The comma should come after "today" as Paul explained

* * *

And remember too, that not all Christians would be called to heavenly life. At a point in the future, Jesus promised he would have a secondary group, separate from those who go to heaven

"And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; those also I must bring, and they will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock, one shepherd" - John 10:16

These confess faith in the shed blood of Jesus, the son of the living God. But they were never called to heaven. I know many such ones. Their hope, is to be the fulfillment of Jesus words

"Happy are the mild-tempered ones, since they will inherit the earth" - Matthew 5:5

These are the ones that Jesus told would eventually show up. I know thousands of such ones today. These are the "Great Multitude". They confess Jesus, the Son of God. They exercise faith in his shed blood, for the forgiveness of their sins.

But they never experienced the calling to heaven.

So where will these ones end up?

The Bible answers. They will live forever, under the kingdom arrangement of Jesus, and his co-rulers he has called to heavenly life. They will experience the fulfillment of the words in Isaiah, and Psalms, and Revelation ...

"No more will there come to be a suckling a few days old from that place, neither an old man that does not fulfill his days; for one will die as a mere boy, although a hundred years of age; and as for the sinner, although a hundred years of age he will have evil called down upon him. And they will certainly build houses and have occupancy; and they will certainly plant vineyards and eat [their] fruitage. They will not build and someone else have occupancy; they will not plant and someone else do the eating. For like the days of a tree will the days of my people be" - Isaiah 65:20-22

"But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth, And they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace" - Psalms 37:11

"The righteous themselves will possess the earth, And they will reside forever upon it" - Psalms 37:29

"With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with MANKIND, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them" - Revelation 21:3 (Caps mine)

Isn't that exciting? We'll see the fulfillment of what God originally promised mankind! Paradise on earth, with a perfect government, and rulership over them. God's worshipers in heavens, and God's worshipers living forever on earth.

"Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this" - Isaiah 9:7 - KJV

"And in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever" - Daniel 2:44

"in that he made known to us the sacred secret of his will. It is according to his good pleasure which he purposed in himself for an administration at the full limit of the appointed times, namely, to gather all things together again in the Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth." - Ephesians 1:9,10

Those who go to heaven, will rule over those on the earth, in this perfect government

"And they sing a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals, because you were slaughtered and with your blood you bought persons for God out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and you made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are to rule as kings over the earth" - Revelation 5:9,10

" ... they will rule as kings forever and ever" - Revelation 22:5