💥 The body without the spirit is dead. (James 1)

   

When a person who belongs to God, to Jesus, dies, he sleeps in Jesus.

I Thessalonians 4

13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them 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 also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with HIM.

💥💥💥

I do not believe the spirit of the Christian who dies is in that grave under the ground.

The spirit is asleep "in Jesus".  (I Thess. 4:13-14)

And Jesus will awaken the Christian from sleep when HE returns to gather HIS elect.  And when HE returns in the air, through the clouds, Jesus will send HIS angels to gather HIS elect who are still living.  (Mt. 24:31)

God will destroy this present heaven and earth with fire at the end.  (2 Peter 3:10)

The spirits of the elect of God will live in the new heaven and new earth wherein dwelleth righteous.

John described that new heaven as follows:

Revelation 21

1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and HE will dwell with them, and they shall be HIS people, and God HIMSELF shall be with them, and be their God.

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

5 And HE that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.

💥💥💥

We will have new spiritual bodies, not flesh and blood bodies as we have now, says Paul.

I Corinthians 15

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.

(God is a spirit. John 4)

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 (die), 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.

We will not have these flesh and blood bodies in heaven but will have spiritual bodies.  Therefore there will be no pain, no disease, no sorrow, no death in heaven for we will be as the angels of God in heaven, spiritual bodies.

💥💥💥

I believe our spirit leaves our body and sleeps in Jesus, not in graves dug in the ground by men of this world.  While the body of flesh is usually buried in graves of the earth, I do not believe our spirit is in a grave in this earth, but rather that which is our spirit sleeps in Jesus and will be awakened at the end when Jesus returns to gather HIS elect who are not yet dead but are alive on this earth.

Matthew 24:29-31  

29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

31 And HE shall send HIS angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together HIS elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

(Therefore I do not visit graves since I believe the spirit is not in that grave but is sleeping in Jesus.)

To me, the dead body is much like a lock of hair one might take from a person.  It is not the person.  I know the Bible shows us it is the spirit of that individual who belongs to Christ who sleeps with Jesus now.

It is like being asleep.  When we sleep a natural sleep, we don't really know time nor do we know where we are.  When we awaken from sleep, we then know.  And sometimes we say, "Where did all that time go while I slept!  We can't believe all that time passed!")

2 Peter 3

8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

We who are of God will be with Jesus and with the ones who have died and now are awake.  And we will be in the air, and will be taken to that new heaven and new earth which is created by God for HIS people.

💥💥💥💥💥