[Jhn 12:24-25 KJV] 24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

[1Co 15:34-36 KJV] 34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak [this] to your shame. 35 But some [man] will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? 36 [Thou] fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:

[Luk 9:23 KJV] 23 And he said to [them] all, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

One must lower himself and return to the ground and “die” to produce fruit… to his shame. And one must “die” before he can be “raised up” and awake to righteousness. One must deny himself and take up his cross (i.e. “die”) to follow after Jesus. It is a humility thing.

[Hos 6:1-3 KJV] 1 Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. 2 After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. 3 Then shall we know, [if] we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter [and] former rain unto the earth.

To return unto the LORD and follow him is to return unto the “ground” and take up your cross (i.e. “die”). But patience and time is key, because after two days he will revive you, and after the third day he will raise you up.  And the day is long.

[Gal 2:20 KJV] 20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

[1Co 6:19-20 KJV] 19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

What!? Know ye not that you are not your own? So, don’t be fooled, it is not you that will live, but Christ who lives, in you and through you. YOU are the temple of Christ. You are the body of Christ.

[1Co 12:27 KJV] 27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

[1Co 15:20, 23, 31 KJV] 20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, [and] become the firstfruits of them that slept. ... 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. ... 31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

There is a specific order for these happenings within each temple, within each member, within each body. Those within us that are asleep must first die before Christ the firstfruits may arise, and then go on to produce the “latter” the fruit at his “coming”; when those that remained sleep after the second day awake the third day.  “He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter [and] former rain unto the earth”, to produce fruit through us. There is an early rain and a latter rain…the resurrection and the second coming.

[Heb 9:26-28 KJV] 26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

[Jas 5:7 KJV] 7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

[1Th 4:13-17 KJV] 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.

Note: The word “prevent” here in 1Th4:15 means come before or precede from Strong’s.

Do you believe that Jesus died and rose again? If so, then you that are still asleep (in Jesus) have yet to rise. And Jesus says…

[Jhn 16:7 KJV] 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

The Comforter is the Spirit of truth (the Holy Ghost), which proceedeth from the Father.

Jesus must die. The man “Jesus” must go away for the Spirit of truth to come.

And then those that remained asleep, after the initial arousal/resurrection of the Spirit if truth, will eventually need to be caught up (i.e. taken by force) so they can abide in the clouds [at his coming] where they all agree together and can then “meet” those that were already awakened (within us) in the air: where clouds symbolize the heavenly (spiritual) understanding of the living water of the word.  The spiritual understanding is KEY because.. “to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ... they that are in the flesh cannot please God” [Rom 8:6, 8 KJV].

To be carnally minded is to remain asleep. The carnal mind must die. The carnal mind must go away. The fleshly carnal physical understandings must go away.

[Luk 17:21 KJV] 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

[Rev 13:8 KJV] 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Do you dwell upon the earth (carnal) or in the air (spiritual)?

The SPIRITUAL “Lamb” was slain at the beginning of the world. And this slain spirit of Christ came into each body, into each member of his body, the body of Christ.

But what is the “foundation of the world”?  Recall from John 12:25 above, and from many passages in the Bible, the “world” is against the truth and is against God. It represent the carnal mind and the pride of life. The foundation of the world IS the death of Christ, who is our true spirit, our true guide. And alas at the “end of the world” Christ shall appear. The end of the world IS the end of the carnal mind and the return of Christ… for those who look for him.  (see above, Heb 9:26-28).

[1Co 1:20-21 KJV] 20 Where [is] the wise? where [is] the scribe? where [is] the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.  Also see 1Jo 2:15-17.

[Heb 6:1-6 KJV] 1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this will we do, if God permit. 4 For [it is] impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put [him] to an open shame.

The resurrection is for the living and not for a dead physical body. The crucifixion is within, so ”…Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light [Eph 5:14 KJV]. 

However, it is difficult for the carnal (flesh based) mind to comprehend this spiritual “meat”.

[1Co 3:1-2 KJV] 1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, [even] as unto babes in Christ. 2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able [to bear it], neither yet now are ye able.

The Bible is full of milk (understood by carnal mind), and you must search for the meat (spiritual message).

[Heb 5:11-13 KJV] 11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. 12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which [be] the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13 For every one that useth milk [is] unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

[Rom 8:6-7 KJV] 6 For to be carnally minded [is] death; but to be spiritually minded [is] life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind [is] enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

[Rom 13:11-12 KJV] 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. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

Cast off the carnal mind (death) and awake to truth.