We tell you this directly from the Lord:

We who are still living when the Lord returns

will not meet him ahead of those who have died.

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven

with a commanding shout,

with the voice of the archangel,

and with the trumpet call of God.

First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves.

Then, together with them,

we who are still alive and remain on the earth

will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

Then we will be with the Lord forever.

1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

…we want you to know what will happen

to the believers who have died

so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.

For since we believe that Jesus died

and was raised to life again,

we also believe that when Jesus returns,

God will bring back with him the believers who have died.

1Thessalonians 4:13-14

Devote yourselves to prayer

with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

Live wisely among those who are not believers,

and make the most of every opportunity.

Let your conversation be gracious and attractive

so that you will have the right response for everyone.

Colossians 4:2, 5-6

God stretches the northern sky over empty space

and hangs the earth on nothing.

He wraps the rain in his thick clouds,

and the clouds don’t burst with the weight.

He covers the face of the moon,

shrouding it with his clouds.

The foundations of heaven tremble;

they shudder at his rebuke.

…Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of his power?

Job 26:7-9, 11, 14

…“O Lord, I’m not very good with words.

I never have been,

and I’m not now,

even though you have spoken to me.

I get tongue-tied,

and my words get tangled.”

Then the LORD asked Moses,

“Who makes a person’s mouth?

Who decides whether people speak or do not speak,

hear or do not hear,

see or do not see?

Is it not I, the LORD?

Now go!

Exodus 4:10-12

I will wait for the LORD…

I will put my hope in him.

Someone may say to you,

“Let’s ask the mediums

and those who consult the spirits of the dead.

With their whisperings and mutterings,

they will tell us what to do.”

But shouldn’t people ask God for guidance?

Should the living seek guidance from the dead?

Look to God’s instructions and teachings!

People who contradict his word

are completely in the dark.

…They will be thrown out into the darkness.

Isaiah 8:17, 19-20, 22

For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day

when God will reveal who his children really are.

Against its will,

all creation was subjected to God’s curse.

But with eager hope,

the creation looks forward to the day

when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom

from death and decay.

For we know that all creation has been groaning

as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

And we believers also groan,

even though we have the Holy Spirit within us

as a foretaste of future glory,

for we long for our bodies to be released

from sin and suffering…

Romans 8:19-23

For all who are led by the Spirit of God 

are children of God.

So you have not received a spirit

that makes you fearful slaves.

Instead, you received God’s Spirit

when he adopted you as his own children.

Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”

For his Spirit joins with our spirit

to affirm that we are God’s children.

Romans 8:14-16

Those who are dominated by the sinful nature

think about sinful things,

but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit

think about things that please the Spirit.

So letting your sinful nature control your mind

leads to death.

But letting the Spirit control your mind

leads to life and peace.

Romans 8:5-6

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

The skies display his craftsmanship.

Day after day they continue to speak;

night after night they make him known.

They speak without a sound or word;

their voice is never heard.

Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,

and their words to all the world.

Psalm 19:1-4