Are they asleep or are they dead?

This type of Jesus miracle to show the spiritual miracle of Jesus raising the dead in the last days of his plan !

John.11 [11] These things said he: and after that he said unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleeps; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
[12] Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
[13] Jesus spoke of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
[23] Jesus said unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
[24] Martha said unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
[25] Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
[26] And whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Believe this?

This scripture is a type of the Resurrection of the dead. It has nothing to do with people dying and going to heaven. Martha new the Jews were promised a Resurrection in the last days.

1Thes.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.
[14] For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
[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.
[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:
[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.
[18] Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
1. Those that sleep he will bring with him. They are under the golden Alter in:

Rev.6 [9] And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
[10] And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
[11] And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants al-so and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

2. Those that are a live and remain will go through the great tribulation and help build the New Earth. They will not prevent another class of people who are a sleep in Christ from resurrecting. These people are not in heaven like the people believe they are.

3. Dead in Christ will rise first! These people are the Latter Church, that will meet God in the sky. They will join the Early church, mentioned above in: Rev 6:9-11
They will be perfect and have died out to self. They will have reach maturity and overcome and be a part of the Bride of Christ.
I Cor.15 [12] Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
[13] But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
[14] And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
[15] Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
[16] For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
[17] And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
[18] Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
[19] If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most misera-ble. [20] But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. [21] For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
[22] For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
If we teach that men or woman die and go to a place they call heaven . Where God is waiting for them and they will se their relatives and live happy for ever and ever. There was no reason for Jesus to resurrect other than to send back the comforter or Holy Ghost.
Jer.51 [37] And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling place for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant.
[38] They shall roar together like lions: they shall yell as lion’s whelps.
[39] In their heat I will make their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, said the LORD.
The ungodly will sleep a perpetual sleep The soul that sins will die !
.Ezek.18 [20] The soul that sins, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the right-eousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

Jer.51 [57] And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, said the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.

Isa.26 [13] O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.
[14] They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore has thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.
Isa.26[19] Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
Matt.27 [50] Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
[51] And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
[52] And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
[53] And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
When Jesus Resurrected saints who were old testament saints who were promised a Resurrection rose out of their graves with Jesus.
Dan.12 [1] And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which stands for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
[2] And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Rev.6 [9] And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
[10] And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, will thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
[11] And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants al-so and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
Hos.13 [14] I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy de-struction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.

The grave will be their destruction or end of the road. If a soul dies and is done away with. How does ones soul burn in hell forever

John.5 [21] For as the Father raised up the dead, and quickens them; even so the Son quickens whom he will.
[22] For the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment unto the Son:
[23] That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honors not the Son honors not the Father which sent him.
[24] Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that hears my word, and believes on him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
[25] Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.

[26] For as the Father has life in himself; so has he given to the Son to have life in himself;

We are dead to the things of God! Until we believe in the son of God then we are passed from a natural dead condition, into a live condition in God and our souls become a live forever. As long as we continue not to sin and serve the flesh We must overcome and reach a perfect state in God.

[27] And has given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
[28] Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
[29] And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

This scripture is talking about Eternal life to the righteous and Eternal
damnation to the sinners. There souls will exist no more they will die and nev-er rise up.
Matt.12 [18] Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall judge the Gentiles.
[25] And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom di-vided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:

Jesus would judge between them living forever or being condemned forever.
We must be in one mind and in alignment with the way Jesus lived. He set the example he was tempted in always with out sin. He learned obedience through the things he suffered. He also learned the feelings of our informalities and was perfect in all ways.
Acts.7 [60] And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
This was not a natural sleep he was a sleep in Jesus like they were in scrip-tures above.

1Cor.15 [3] For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
[4] And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
[5] And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
[6] After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

These 500 brothers were the old testament saints that were promised a resurrection and that they would be seen in the Kingdom of God with Jesus!
Matt.8 [11] And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.

Rom.13 [11] And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
This wake does not mean a natural sleep it means awake to righteousness and sin not!
1Cor.15 [34] Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
Eph.5 [8] For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
[9] (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
[10] Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
[11] And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
[12] For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
[13] But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light:
[14] Wherefore he said, Awake thou that sleeps, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
Once again talking about no seeing the Lord and awaking to do the next right thing through the spirit or Holy Ghost which is able to deliver us from Carnal sin.

1Thes.5 [4] But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should over-take you as a thief.
[5] Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
[6] Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
[7] For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunk-en in the night.
[8] But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
[9] For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
[10] Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

Talking about walking in the light and not like those in darkness and awaking out of our Carnal fleshly sleep.

So we must once again remember this scripture by heart and realise to sleep does not mean like we do at night. It has several meanings as shown in this
lesson.
1Cor.15 [34] Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.