Odd that you mention flesh and blood not sharing the kingdom, yet you seem to think your physical body is gong to be caught up in the air to be forever with the Lord.
I asked the same question about the passage in Thessalonians. That passage was quoted in the opening post.
1 Thessalonians 4:13 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.
1 Thessalonians 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
1Thessalonians 4:15 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 them which are asleep.
1Thessalonians 4:16 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:
1Thessalonians 4:17 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.
1Thessalonians 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
No one seems to connect that passage with what happened to John who heard a sound like a trumpet and who was caught up to Heaven. You prefer to think John's physical body is still alive somewhere.
Then GYSMSY introduced the passage from 1 Corinthians and I asked about it too.
1 Corinthians 15:51 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.
You say they did all sleep. None of them was changed then. And John is still alive somewhere.
My claim:
1. The body is made of dust, and returns to dust. No dust in heaven. 4 exceptions. Enoch who is also Elijah, Moses, and John the beloved. There is a interesting painting of the 4 Gospel writers, by Jacob Jordaens, called
The Four Evangelists, 1625–1630. John is a child. That is really no big deal, and there are thousands of paintings of John. Also there are differing opinions about John's death. But there is controversy about Moses as well. The 4th exception is not named in the Bible.
2. The soul has a shape, a ghost, Jesus was a ghost when talking to Mary.
3. We are separated from the spirit. The white robe is a covering, the spirit is a shape over the body shape. We have two examples of a spirit shape. When Jesus was baptized, it was the shape of a dove. On Pentecost it was a tongue of fire. A flame without a source. So we have a white dove, a white robe, and white? flame of fire. I am not a scientist, but white is the hottest part of a flame, after blue. Is the robe of white, figurative of a white flame? Who knows? Hebrews 12:29. How can the sons of God be burning hot flames of fire, walking around on earth, not burning up everything around them? Well Moses watched a bush burn, yet was not consumed. Can a white light be used as communication? We use red and blue laser light to read data fast. When Moses was on Mt. Sinai, his skin became so bright white, that it glowed, and they had to cover his face. Yes, the same Moses, who is an exception, had skin that became a bright white light while on earth? That is the claim. God had to communicate directly with Moses, and changed him so he could. God talked with Cain, directly as well. God talked directly with Adam, until Adam disobeyed, and then Adam had to leave God's presence. Cain had to leave God's presence also. Somehow he killed Abel.
3. The only way we can be in God's presence, even Heaven, cannot be in flesh, only soul and spirit. The soul and spirit never sleeps, nor dies. It is the flesh, that has to sleep, and that does die. REM, in the deepest body sleep, is also the most active soul activity.
4. Dead bodies are dead, or dust, gone. Perhaps bones still left. Both passages quoted does not say the body is raised, but the body raised is the soul and spirit already in heaven. We shall not all sleep. This means once dead, in Christ, we cannot sleep. Any one whose body is still alive at the rapture will be changed in mid air. The dead in heaven are not changed; the two bodies are not united until the opening of the 5th seal.
Now those dead in sin. The soul is in hell, where is the spirit/demon? God says not to think or become part of the occult world. We do not need to know, nor seek it out. We do have live bodies that are demon possessed. God gives some the ability to cast them out. Normally it happens in places where people do go against God’s Will and practice the occult. It is also programmed into our youth with video games. In the last 50 years, the onslaught of the occult has hit the western thought processes. Eastern religions never really separated the spiritual from the physical. They embrace the spiritual as physical as their daily lifestyle. Religion is itself not much different than the occult. Most people in western thought processes, do not immerse themselves in religion, it is more a hobby, or liturgy, as a slight distraction from a week of work.