Trois minutes with Stephanie - in Christ: dead or asleep?

How will we, as believers, experience death? What does Paul mean when he teaches that Jesus' death killed death, so we can experience His resurrection life?

Jesus conquered death. When Paul teaches that Jesus died and that we, as believers, "fall asleep," he does not deny the emotional earthquake of the death of a loved one for the remaining family and friends. Paul takes an ancient pagan teaching, about souls falling asleep, and introduces a masterful cultural shift when he teaches that we will be translated into glory as we cross over the threshold of eternal life. Jesus' death killed death, so we can experience His resurrection life. Take heart--your loved ones at their "death," fell asleep to wake up instantly in the arms of their beloved Lord and Savior. It will be our turn too, whether through the gateway of death, or when He comes again to fetch His bride.