coming with all His saints (1 Thessalonians 3:13).

In the next chapter he says that He will return bringing with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus and He will raise up the bodies of the dead in Christ. The saints will be coming back with Jesus and their bodies will be resurrected. Jesus will resurrect their bodies and they will ascend together with the faithf ul who are still living at that time. They will be "caught up together with the m in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air". Paul did not mention Him coming w ith clouds but he does say that He will be coming with the saints and they will be caught up in the clouds. Is Paul saying the same thing that Jesus said when He said that He would be retu rning with the clouds of heaven? Are they both saying that Jesus will be return ing with the spirits of the saints? Are they speaking of the same returning? we have a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us. The Greek wording says cloud , not crowd. The departed faithful are a cloud around us. Is he saying that cloud is made up of the spirits of the departed faithful? Whe n he wrote those verses, the faithful of old had long since died and their bodie s were sleeping in the ground. Was he not speaking of a cloud of spirits of tho se made perfect, surrounding the brotherhood of the church? Do they surround us as a cloud, cheering us on to victory? Did they first see Paradise and know by sight the great prize that is waiting for the faithful. Would that make them c heer all the more for us? John wrote of the death of Jesus, saying, "Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father" (John 13:1). Just before He died, Jesus said, "Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT" (Luke 23:46). When Jesus died, His Spirit departed this world and went to the Father. Did other spirits also go to the Father that day? Jesus told the confessing thi ef on the cross that he would be with Him in Paradise that day. Did making the thief perfect (by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross) allow the thief's spirit to be one of the first ones to see the face of God? Jesus told the thief that they were going to Paradise that day but John also sai d that He would depart out of this world to be with the Father. The Father is i n His heavenly home. It sounds like the thief went to that home with Jesus. Is that home the same place as Paradise? Some scholars say no. Based on what Peter said about Christ s soul not having bee n abandoned to Hades (Acts 2:31), they believe that Paradise is in Hades because Christ s Soul went there when He died. His Soul was in Hades but I am not sure a bout Paradise being down in Hades. Is there another possibility? Paul spoke of the time when he was caught up into Paradise but he also said that h e was caught up to the third heaven. (2Corinthians 12:2-4) Paradise is up in the th ird heaven. Hades is not up in the third heaven. Hades is always referred to as being down (When a direction is implied in scripture). God s home is up in the third heaven. It sounds like Paradise is in the third hea ven. The tree of life grows in Paradise (Revelation 2:7) and it grows by the ri ver of life that flows from the throne of God (Revelation 22:1-2). How could Christ be in two different places between the time of His death and Hi s resurrection? We will see how Christ was actually in three different places a fter He died. There is no doubt about the fact that Jesus went to Paradise after His death on the cross. Did His Spirit go to Paradise? Did His Spirit also go to speak to s pirits in prison - 1 Peter 3:19? His body was asleep in the tomb. Peter also s poke of His soul having been in Hades. Is there a difference between the soul a nd the spirit? Paul seems to be saying that in chapter 5, of his first letter to the Thessaloni

ans. He speaks of being hopeful that God will sanctify them entirely and then h e says, "may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ". Paul said that our being consists of our spirit and soul and body. We hope to b e preserved complete in all three when He comes. Regarding the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, Paul says, But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:20) Paul says that Jesus had been asleep but He was then raised up. His body slept but not His Soul and Spirit. Christ s Body, Soul and Spirit were separated when H e died. His body was placed in the tomb but His Spirit ascended to the Father w hen His Soul descended into Hades. The Father, however, did not abandon His Sou l to Hades. He brought it up when Christ s Spirit returned at the resurrection. Should not the same thing happen for the brothers of Christ? If Jesus was raise d as the first fruits of those who are asleep, then, there are later fruits. Ch ristians are the later fruits. They have also become sons of God. Will they no t be made complete in spirit and soul and body when He returns? Between the time of their death and His coming their bodies will be asleep in th e tomb and their souls will be in Hades. Will their spirits not have seen Parad ise. Did it not happen to Stephen when he died? He was brought before the council to answer for preaching against Moses (Acts, chapter 6). When he spoke of seeing the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God, they drug him out and stoned h im. Just before his body fell asleep, he called on the Lord and said, "Lord Jes us, receive my spirit!" His spirit went to be with Jesus when his body fell asl eep. Will it not happen for all of the faithful? If Christ's Spirit and Soul and Body were separated at His death, but were reuni ted at His resurrection, will not the same thing happen with the later fruits, t he other sons of God? If so, they will be made complete when He comes. Our goa l is to be made complete and without blame, in spirit and soul and body, when He comes. The perfect Spirit of Christ went to the Father when He died. He had paid the p rice of man s sins and redeemed the faithful of all time. Were the ancient faithf ul, who had died previously, not made perfect by His sacrifice and were their sp irits allowed to go with Jesus into Paradise to be brought before the Father whe n He went in (As Daniel foretold) with the clouds of heaven? Remember, we heard Daniel speak of how one like the Son of Man came with the clo uds of heaven to be presented before the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:13). Daniel then wrote, "And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed. That is not something that is yet to come. It is something that has already hap pened. Christ is now LORD and King. That is why, when Peter preached that firs t gospel sermon on the Day of Pentecost, he told those Jews, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ-this Jesus whom you crucified." (Acts 2:36) God has made Him Lord and Christ. The Hebrew writer says, But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower t han the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with gl ory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. (He brews 2:9) Because He suffered and died for us, Jesus has been crowned with glory and honor . He is now Lord of lords and King of kings. It happened after He suffered and died for us. It appears that it may have happened on the day that He died.

Remember, Jesus told the thief on the cross (The one who had confessed Him and a sked Him to remember him when He came in His kingdom) "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43) Jesus said those words in response to that man s request to remember him when He c ame in His kingdom. If the thief was speaking of the day when Christ would come in His kingdom and i f Jesus was responding directly to that request, was He saying that He would be given His kingdom in Paradise that day? Was it the day when He came before the ancient of days with the clouds of heaven to receive His kingdom. If He had pur chased those faithful ones with His blood, did He begin to reign as their king t hat day? In chapter 10, the Hebrew writer will say how, "the Law, since it has only a sha dow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by th e same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near". God demands perfection (without e made perfect by those old Law erfect with us by His blood. Jesus suffered and died for the efore Christ came to earth. He blame). Those ancient faithful ones could not b sacrifices. At the cross, they have been made p faithful of all time, including those who died b paid their debt for sins and made them perfect.

That means the ancient faithful were made perfect the moment that Jesus died. H ad not the thief also been made perfect by Christ s blood and was he also qualifie d to draw near into the presence of the Father? Did he not go in with the clouds of heaven to see Jesus crowned King of kings an d Lord of lords? The Psalmist spoke of his being allowed to see God s face when he is raised. He s aid, "As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake" (Psalms 17:15). It will only happen if we have been made like Him, with His righteousness. If we have been made perfect and blameless by faith in Jesus, we will be allowed to draw near into the Father's home and we will be allowed to see His face when our spirits depart this earth but our resurrected bodies will also see Him. The old covenant and its Law could never provide perfection. The Law of Moses o nly had the shadow; it did not have the true form of reality. Their old covenan t tabernacle worship was a part of the shadow. The Hebrew writer tells us how t hose priests were serving a copy and shadow of the heavenly (Hebrews 8:5). They worshipped at a tabernacle that was the copy. We worship at the true tabernacl e. The body of Christ is the church and it is God's new covenant dwelling place. T he Hebrew writer tells us (chapter 9) that Christ entered through a more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands and not of this creation. He will also say ho w the old tabernacle holy place made with hands was a "mere copy" of the true on e (Hebrews 9:24). Christ is our High Priest and He is now seated at the right hand of the Father i n the true tabernacle Holy of Holies (Hebrews 8:1). Jesus is seated by the Fath er, serving as High Priest in the inner room Holy of Holies as we serve in the o uter room holy place of the church. The church on earth is the true tabernacle outer room. Christ went through the o uter tabernacle room of His flesh on earth and now serves in the inner room by t he Father. If the old covenant house of God was only a copy did the glory cloud on that old tabernacle foretell a glory cloud on our tabernacle? The Spirit of the LORD wa s in that old covenant cloud. His Spirit has now been poured out on those in ou r tabernacle outer room. If the old house of God had His cloud of glory on it then the true house of God has God s glory cloud on it. The true tabernacle was raised up when Jesus came fo

rth from the tomb. All of His people of faith from all time have been brought i nto that house. Those who are alive today are the serving priesthood in that ho use but all of the faithful of all time are also in that house. When Moses erected the tabernacle, scripture says, Then the cloud covered the ten t of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Moses was not ab le to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glo ry of the LORD filled the tabernacle. (Exodus 40:34-35) Moses spoke of the tabernacle and that cloud and said that, "throughout all thei r journeys, the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fi re in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel". We read from Hebrews 12:1, how the departed faithful are a cloud of witnesses ar ound us (the church). When we look at what the Hebrew writer says later (In tha t chapter), he will speak of those who are present in our church assembly. He t ells us that we have come "to the general assembly and church of the firstborn w ho are enrolled in heaven". He listed those who are present and they include God, the Judge, and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant and angels and "the spirits of the righteous made per fect". The spirits of the righteous made perfect are now present with us in the assembl y of the church. Would it not include the spirits of those departed faithful th at he wrote of as not having been made perfect apart from us (chapter 11)? They were made perfect with us by the blood of Christ. Are they not the same ones w ho are in the cloud of witnesses that now surround us (Hebrews 12:1)? Are not all of the departed faithful with us in the assembly of the church as th e cloud of glory on the house of God? Would that cloud not include the Spirits of the departed faithful of the new covenant? The Spirit of the LORD is in His glory cloud. All of the faithful have become o ne spirit with Him ( the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him 1 Corinthians 6:17). We have been made one with Him and He has given His glory (John 17:22). The old covenant story had God's people being brought out of slavery to be led t o their land of promise. They were led through that wilderness with the Spirit of the LORD in His cloud of glory leading them. We have been brought out of sla very (to sin) to be led to our spiritual land. The Spirit of the LORD is leadin g us. Is He not in our glory cloud? When we die, will our spirit see Paradise but will it also continue to travel wi th our tabernacle in our cloud of glory? Remember, Jesus said that believers wi ll never die (John 11:26). Are the Spirits of the departed faithful not still w ith His church body as we travel toward our land of promise? Will there be that cloud on our tabernacle throughout all of our journeys just as there was a clou d on that old Hebrew tabernacle during their journeys? The ones who fell in the wilderness never arrived at their land because they wer e not faithful. If we are not faithful, will we be left behind in our wildernes s? If we remain faithful, will we not continue to travel along with our taberna cle toward our land? Jesus will be revealed to the world when He comes in clouds of glory. Will the departed faithful be revealed with Him in those clouds? Paul spoke of that day when Christ will return and said that, "when the Lord Jesus will be revealed fro m heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire" (2 Thessalonians 1:7). In another place Paul spoke of that day, saying, "When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory" (Colossians 3:4). We will be revealed when He is revealed in glory. Will it take place when He comes with the clouds of heaven? Will those who have been born again of water and the Spirit be set free to blow

where they wish after their departure? From what Jesus told the thief on the cr oss, our departed spirits will go to Paradise when we die. We will see Paradise but we are also in the assembly of the church on earth. Can the departed spiri ts of the faithful go back and forth? Remember, Jesus spoke of those born of the Spirit, saying, "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). What did Jesus mean by that? Those who are born of the Spirit will somehow be h earing a sound like the wind blowing. Could it be like what happened on the Day of Pentecost? Remember what happened that day? It had not been long since Jes us had ascended back to the Father and the disciples were together in one place that day. That was when the Spirit came upon them. Scripture says, - suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting." (Acts 2:2) They w ere filled with the Holy Spirit and they began to speak with other tongues as th e Spirit directed them. We remember what happened next. The Jews that were gathered for the feast heard the sound and came to see what was happening. By the power of the Spirit, the apostles preached the first gospel message to the crowd of Jews that had gathere d and they preached it in the different languages of all of those who were there . Each one heard the message in his language. Those Jews were amazed and wondered what was happening. Peter stood up and told them that what was happening was what had been foretold by the prophet, Joel. Joel had foretold how that in the Last Days God would pour out His Spirit on all m ankind and how they would prophesy and have visions and dreams. The Last Days had come and God s Spirit was poured out on man that day and it come with a loud noise like the sound of a violent wind. Was that what Jesus was re ferring to? He said that the wind blows where it wants to blow and you can hear the sound of it but you don t know where it is coming from or where it is going a nd so is everyone who is born of the Spirit"? Everyone who has obeyed the gospel message has been born of the Spirit and they have been given that same Spirit of God. That includes all of the saved today. It came like the sound of a rushing wind for those back then but it is not happ ening to us today. We can t hear the sound of it. Why not? We who have been born again of the Spirit have entered the kingdom of God but we can t hear the sound of the Spirit when it happens. Could He have been speaking of the spirits of the faithful who have been made one Spirit with Christ blowing about like the wind? We can't blow where we wish; at least not while in the flesh. Is He speaking of the departed spirits that are in the cloud around us blowing where we wish? Ca n they blow like the wind where ever they wish? Have the spirits of the departed faithful been blowing about to the four winds a nd surrounding God's people wherever they have been scattered over this earth? A re they blowing around among the scattered assembly of the church? Some day, Christ will send forth His angels "with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, "from one end of the sky to the o ther" (Matthew 24:31). Was He not speaking of those born of the Spirit? Will t hey have been blowing about like the wind? Was Jesus saying the same thing dry bones become assembled into e breath and tell the breath to on these slain, that they come through Ezekiel when he had seen that valley of dead bodies? He was commanded to prophesy to th "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe to life" (Ezekiel 37:9). He went on to say "I w

ill put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land". When we look at the Hebrew wording and Strongs Definitions, we see the Hebrew wo rd for breath is the same word as the word for Spirit. There is something else to remember. The one who has been joined to the Lord is one Spirit with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17). Did not the Old Testament prophets show us the same picture that we read about i n the New Testament? Does not Jesus speak to us from the Old Testament scriptures, telling us of the cross and its resulting glory? Peter said, "the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to kno w what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He pred icted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow" (1 Peter 1:10-11). When the prophets spoke of the cross and the glory to follow, it was really Chri st speaking. When Ezekiel spoke of that valley of bodies being raised up and of God calling the breath from the four winds to breathe life into them and then o f His bringing them into the land of promise, Christ was speaking and He is tell ing us about the glories to come. He spoke through the prophets what He would l ater speak in the flesh and through the inspired writers of the New Testament. When Ezekiel spoke of how he was commanded to prophesy to the breath and tell th e breath to "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, tha t they come to life", was he saying the same thing that Paul said when he spoke of Jesus returning (In 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4)? Paul said He will return, bringing with Him those who had fallen asleep (In Jesu s) and then He will resurrect their bodies and they will rise to meet Him. Will that not be the day when Jesus will lead them to their own land? Will Jesus not be returning with the clouds of heaven? Will He be bringing the breath from the four winds when He comes? Did not Ezekiel, show us the same picture in chapter 1 of his book? Ezekiel saw , a storm wind coming with a great cloud and bright light and continuous flashin g fire. Ezekiel will say, "As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day" and "Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD ". Was Ezekiel foretelling the Lord's return in His glory clouds? Could the appearance of the likeness of the LORD'S glory that Ezekiel saw be the same as what Jesus described about His return? Could fire flashing forth be, " For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day" (Luke 17:24) . Is Ezekiel seeing Jesus sending forth His angels to gather His elect from the four winds? Whatever Ezekiel saw it was not just some prophet rambling on. This was not jus t Old Testament poetry. It was Jesus speaking and He is telling of that day when He will return in glory . Jesus is speaking through Ezekiel. Ezekiel was seeing Jesus coming on the cl ouds of the sky. When He comes He will be coming on the clouds and be "revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire" - - "when He comes to be glorified in His sai nts on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed" (2 Thessalon ians 1:10). Will He be glorified in His saints in the GLORY CLOUDS OF HEAVEN? Ezekiel foretold it all again in chapter 34. In verse 12, he said, "I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scatt ered on a cloudy and gloomy day". It will be a cloudy and gloomy day for most b ut a day of glory for those who are called from the four winds to be revealed in clouds of glory.

Those departed faithful are there in the clouds now but they can only be seen by faith. Some day they will be revealed with Him in glory. When it happens, eve ry eye will see Him coming with the clouds of heaven ("BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him , even those who pierced Him ; and all t he tribes of the earth will mourn over Him" - Revelation 1:7) . Was that old covenant story of that Hebrew nation telling us about our story and our journey? Is their earthly journey with their tabernacle telling us an eart hly copy of our story? Paul said that whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruc tion (Romans 15:4). It was written so that we might have hope. We can have hop e to live with Jesus in eternal glory but as our earthly tabernacle is still tra veling toward our land can we hope to continue to travel with it after we depart this life? After our bodies fall asleep can we travel along in a spiritual glo ry cloud on our tabernacle like the old cloud was on their old tabernacle? The true house of Israel is the Israel of faith. Those of faith will be able to see that cloud and know it is on the LORD'S tabernacle. We are the LORD'S tabe rnacle. The spirits of the righteous made perfect are with us in the assembly. Jesus will keep His promise; He truly will be with us to the end of the age. He will not leave us alone, even after our bodies fall asleep. He is with those w ho are serving in the tabernacle outer room and He is with those departed ones w ho are in the cloud around us. So, how is it that the spirits of the departed saints are now in the clouds arou nd us but Judgment Day is yet to come? How are the departed saints with Jesus, in a cloud of glory if they have not yet been judged? Is it possible that they have been judged? We don't know all of the answers but everything God wanted us to know is in the scriptures. We do know that all scripture is God breathed and we know that JESU S IS LORD and He is the Word spoken in the Holy Scriptures. We know that all wi ll be judged and we know that when He returns in clouds of glory, all bodies wil l be raised and the saints will ascend to meet Him in the air. We also know that Jesus will judge the nations when He comes. He will judge the nations in body and soul and the bodies and souls of the damned will be condemn ed and cast into hell. Will the saints be judged before the unbelieving nations are judged? Will it ha ppen when we depart this life (Except for those who will still be living when He returns)? Was Peter speaking of that when he wrote, "For it is time for judgme nt to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God" (1 Peter 4:17)? Peter included himself and he said that we, who are of God's household, will be judged first, before unbelievers are judged. He also said the time had come for judgment of the saints to begin. He made that statement nearly two thousand ye ars ago. Did judgment of the saints begin as the first century saints fell asleep? Were their souls judged and separated in Hades? Does the story of the rich man and L azarus tell us that (Luke 16:19-31)? Remember, the rich man died and found himself in torment in Hades. The poor man was in comfort. The last day had not come because the rich man was concerned a bout his brothers, still living on earth. The bodies of those two men were stil l in the tomb; only their souls would have been in Hades. A judgment had happened to separate the souls of those two men and it happened b efore Jesus will come in glory and judge the nations. A judgment of the saints who are still living and serving will happen on that last day but the souls of t

he departed saints may be judged first to determine where they will dwell until the final resurrection and judgment takes place. If the departed faithful have already been judged and selected, then they have o btained eternal life and will not "come into judgment but has already passed out of death into life" (John 5:24). Will they not come into judgment in the flesh if their souls have been judged when their bodies fall asleep? Are their souls in comfort (in Hades) and their spirits in clouds of glory? I have written this book so that we can listen to Jesus speak from His holy word as He tells us of His return in the clouds of heaven. We must be careful not t o go beyond what is written and for fifty years I have tried to meet that requir ement but I may have been cutting some scriptures short and not have believed th ey meant what they said. Those, way-out, scriptures are not, way-out, they are right on. Some are hard t o understand and we may not be able to find answers to all of our questions but we must continue to search the scriptures. All scripture is true and it will ha ppen, just as Jesus said it will happen. I must tell you that I am not from one of the schools of theology. I am a retir ed engineer and have been a Christian most of my life. It has only been within the last few years that I have come to realize how God caused the old covenant t abernacle and its worship to happen to show us some things about our spiritual w orship and our tabernacle. You will notice that I have used the New American Standard translation for the c opied scriptures in this book. You may wish to also read the same scriptures fr om the translation that you normally use. Johnny Rogers 12/27/04 Revised 4/27/11