As for the body, Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 that he was caught up into heaven “whether in
the body or apart from the body I do not know.” He had a heavenly encounter just like many
people today die and go to heaven, then come back (like Lazarus), and it didn’t matter to Paul at
all whether his body went with him or not.

BODY OR NOT?
First reconciling 1 Thess 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:21-25 with 2 Corinthian’s 5:6,8 and Luke
23:43 (today you will be with me in paradise) takes a prophetic lens. You are thinking “either-or”
when God is clearly saying it is both. Keep reading and you will see.
Second, you mentioned “There are many, many OT verses that imply that when we are dead we
are dead. No talk of being with God when we are dead….” Remember, they did not have the
resurrection yet. That came with Jesus. They lived under the law and death. We live under
grace and life. God will reconcile that in heaven in a way only He can do and we will be amazed
to see Him work out the salvation of these ancient people.

Body vs. Spirit & Skin vs. Light
In Genesis 3:21, Moses wrote that God made Adam and Eve garments of “skin” to replace the
fig leaves they had wrapped themselves with. The Hebrew word for “skin” in this verse is
pronounced ore (like “this one OR that one”).
Psalm 104:2 says, “The LORD wraps himself in light as with a garment.” The actual clothing of
God is “light.” The Hebrew word for “light” is also pronounced ore. Man was made in God’s
image so Adam and Eve would have been similarly “clothed.”
אר” Ore” Strong’s 216 – light
ער” Ore” Strong’s 5785 – skin
The phonetic pronunciation of these two words are identical, yet they mean two very different
things. Both words are spelled with a silent first letter (the aleph for “light” and the aiyin for “skin)
followed by the resh.

Many rabbis believe that Adam and Eve, being made in the image of God, went from being
clothed in ore (light) to being clothed in ore (skin). Upon sinning they exchanged a nature of light
for a nature of flesh. See the play on words? Kinda poetic!

Genesis 3:7 says, “The eyes of [Adam and Eve] were opened, and they knew that they were
naked.” The Hebrew word for “knew” in this verse is yada. It means “to learn, to perceive, to
have knowledge of.” Many rabbis interpret that this verse is saying Adam and Eve yada
(learned) that they had just become naked, whereas they had beforehand been clothed in “LIGHT”
Man, like God, was wrapped in light before the Fall. But, when sin entered the world, darkness
followed and light was exchanged for skin/flesh, a nature opposite of God who is spirit (John4:24)

By the sin of the first Adam we are naturally born as children of “flesh.” But through the death of
the second Adam (Yeshua), we have the opportunity to be reborn as children of “light” 1 Thess.5:5
Furthermore, in Revelation 12, the virgin woman in the heavens (Israel in the natural, the Bride
of Christ in the spiritual) is “clothed in the sun” or clothed in light. When we (THE BRIDE) are raptured, the word is clear that we will be taken up body and all, just like Elijah, Enoch and even
Jesus.

Enoch and Elijah have skin on right now. I’m guessing they will be the two witnesses for that
very reason. Also, Jesus is in heaven with a body. He will have a body forever and bear the
scars forever as PROOF of what He did to rescue mankind. No person, power or principality can
argue with physical evidence. With that said, here is a great article on Jesus’ physical body in
heaven that plays right into what we are discussing.

https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-physical-body.html
How are our bodies in heaven different? They are transformed from being clothed in flesh to
being clothed in light. Is the flesh still there AND it is wrapped in light? It is for Jesus and that’s
good enough for me.

Soooo, perhaps the “dead in Christ shall raise” is all about bringing that body/skin into the
heavenly realm as a testimony or “evidence” of what Jesus did for us and where we come from.
In eternity where time, space and matter “are no more” or have no hold over us, the body
obviously has different properties. Jesus has a physical body and he walks through walls. He
cooks and eats fish and people can literally touch him. Also, the heavenly beings have bodies of
some sort—eyes under their wings and all kinds of craziness.
Like you, I love figuring this kind of stuff out to prove the genius of God’s plan.