08 Church of the Body Terminates

Church of the Body Terminates The administration of the "great mystery," the period of grace, the Church as the body of Christ, will be concluded when I Thessalonians 4:13-18 comes to pass. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 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 [precede] them which are asleep. 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:

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up [away] together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so [in this manner] shall we ever be with the Lord.

Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Christ’s return for the Church, the body of Christ, is not a resurrection. To have a resurrection according to biblical usage, all must be dead. But, in this Church age, the period of the "great mystery" and of grace, not all will have died at His return. Therefore the scripture declares that the dead in Christ shall rise and the alive believers at His return shall be changed. This is not a resurrection. The dead in Christ are referred to as "corruptible," and alive believers as "mortals." Note I Corinthians 15:51-54.

Behold, I shew 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.

After the Church as the body is gathered together unto Christ,

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him. II Thessalonians 2:1.

After this "gathering together unto him" the period or the administration of the book of Revelation begins.