The Dead in Christ

Who are the Dead in Christ?

By Irvin Baxter

 

Question: Brenda from Indiana wants to know who are the dead in Christ, mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 4:16?

 

Answer: The dead in Christ are the people who had been born again, lived Christian lives and died ready to go. The question is, do the Old Testament Saints rise with them, because if those saints who lived according to the plan of salvation that was enforced during their time of living, the Bible tells us that they looked ahead and they partook a salvation in a type and in a shadow. The Bible also says without us they could not be made perfect because they had the shadow and today you and I have the substance. Nevertheless, it appears that they do rise with us because the Bible says when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob sit down in the Kingdom of God and you yourself cast out, you will begin to say “Lord, Lord, open unto us.” So it is obvious that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will be seated in the Kingdom of God after the Second Coming of Christ.