Hi Mike

Are we now waiting for His call while in the flesh, not at some far into the future time?
And that time is when He calls our spirit to Himself; when He takes our spirit from our body and the body dies and our spirit leaves our body. Our spirit, or His ‘breath of life’ goes back to the Father.
That is the time of the division of the ‘Elect’ from the ‘Called’; the separation of the ‘Wheat’ from the ‘Tares’, the winnowing time, the separating and the gathering of His brothers to Himself.
Then those who have to go thru the cleansing process, the ones who were not chosen while in the flesh, are the second resurrection. But this all happens to all at the same time, at the time of their individual death of their body, when He calls the spirit, or breath of life, back to Himself.
I don’t think there is a mass resurrection, but each, in his own time is the separation of body and spirit. Hence, death of the body to go into the grave, and the resurrection of the spirit to become a Spirit.
I know I have been repeating myself, but don’t know how else to explain what I am thinking.
Thanks,
J____

Hi J____,
You ask if the moment of death is the same as the first resurrection?
It will certainly seem that way to every resurrected body inasmuch as an unconscious person is totally unaware of the passing of time. Adam himself will be raised completely unaware that about 6,000 years have transpired since his creation.
But the answer is, no, it is no the same as the first resurrection. The reality is that “if the dead rise not then they that are asleep in Christ are perished”, and we do not want to make the claim that the resurrection in its “redemption of the purchased possession” form is “already past”.

1Co 15:16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
1Co 15:17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith [ is] vain; ye are yet in your sins.
1Co 15:18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
1Co 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
1Co 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, [ and] become the firstfruits of them that slept.
2Ti 2:17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
2Ti 2:18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
Eph 1:13 In whom ye also [ trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest [ Greek- pledge, downpayment] of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, [ resurrection from the dead] unto the praise of his glory.

Everything is ours now, but only in down payment or “earnest” form.
The story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead demonstrates that the return of the spirit to God is not in a conscious state. “Lazarus is asleep… that that ARE asleep in Christ…”

Joh 11:11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
Joh 11:12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
Joh 11:13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
Joh 11:14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
Psa 104:29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath [ Hebrew- ‘ruach’, same word translated ‘spirit’ in the next verse], they die, and return to their dust.
Psa 104:30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit [ Hebrew- ‘ruach’], they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.

This is the Truth of the state of the dead:

Gen 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Having a spirit which gives us life, does not mean we are a spirit. We are dust! “Dust you are”.

Ecc 3:18 I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.
Ecc 3:19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath [ Hebrew- ‘ruach’, spirit]; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
Ecc 3:20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

Ecc 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten [ by men].

It was God made us to begin with, and He will make us new in a body of spirit. But that is a future event, and without that future even “they that are fallen asleep in Christ are perished”. God did not say ‘spirit thou art’, he said we “are dust”. So we are not spirits having a physical experience, rather we are physical beings, having a spiritual experience and in dire need of a resurrection from among the dead.
Our Lord is that resurrection for every man.

1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

I hope this helps to clear this up for you.
Your brother in Christ,
Mike