What does “the tomb” symbolize? The realm of form spirits, the region of the spirit world where the spirits of the Old Testament saints were abiding, appears to be a dark place when viewed from Paradise, the realm of the spirit world opened up by Jesus. Hence, it is referred to as a tomb.
The spirits of these saints had all lived in that lower region of the spirit world before they appeared to spiritually-attuned believers on the earth. 3.2.4 People on Earth Caught Up to Meet the Lord in the Air «Then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord (I Thess. 4:17). The “air” mentioned in this verse does not refer to the sky over our heads. In the Bible, “earth” is often a symbol for the fallen world under the sway of evil sovereignty, while “Heaven” is often a symbol for the sinless world of good sovereignty.
The omnipresent God certainly dwells everywhere on the earth, yet we pray, “Our Father who art in heaven” (Matt. 6:9). Even though Jesus was born on the earth, he is referred to as “he who descended from Heaven, the Son of man” (John 3:13).
Meeting the Lord in the air means that the saints will receive the Lord in the world of good sovereignty when Christ comes again and restores the Kingdom of Heaven on earth by defeating the kingdom of Satan. 3.2.5 The Sun Darkened, the Moon Not Giving Light and the Stars Falling from Heaven In the Last Days, Jesus said, “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven” (Matt. 24:29). How are we to understand this verse?
It is written that Joseph, the eleventh of the twelve sons of Jacob, had a dream : Then he dreamed another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream; and behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him, and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” (Gen. 37:9-10). |