John 14:1-3 (ESVST)
1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father ‘s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
Jesus is saying that he will come again, to take us to himself. The only time that Jesus is going to take us to himself, is when he comes again. Now, since Jesus ascended to heaven, he has not come again and we expect him to come again in future. The fact is that Jesus has not come. Another fact is that Jesus will takes us when he comes again. Now, since he has not come, then he has not taken us to himself yet. We cannot say that Jesus has taken us, and continues to take us, if he has not come again.
The mistake that most Christians do is to think that because we die everyday, that is Jesus fulfilling his promise to come and take us. That is in incorrect because, Jesus will only come and take us, when he comes again. Not anytime before that. This is what Jesus said. To say that he is already taking us, is to say that Jesus lied because, how could he take us if he has not come again as he said.
Secondly, Jesus does not mention that he will come and take us through death. Jesus has never said this. We incorrectly associate death as a way of Jesus fulfilling his promise here that he will come and take us. Some may say but it’s obvious that we have to die if we are going to see Jesus. That would also be incorrect. Death is not the only way to Jesus. Elijah did not die but went to heaven. We die because our days on this earth have been predetermined and not because Jesus is taking us.
Job 14:5 (NLTse)
You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer.
We could say that the coming of Jesus in this verse refers to the second coming in revelation 19:11-15 but, since Jesus is not talking about judgement here, it cannot refer to it. Therefore the only other time that Jesus will come and take us to himself is during what is known as Rupture. This is found in 1 Cor 15:51-54 and 1 Thes 4:13-18.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NLTse)
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.
1 Corinthians 15:52 (NLTse)
It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.
This is the time when Jesus will come and take both the living and the dead who beleive or believed in him, to himself. Those who are dead will be raised and those who are living will be transformed and in a blink of an eye, they will all be taken away, living only dead sinners and living sinners on earth. After this, the wrath of God will be poured on earth for 3,5 years leading up to the final judgement in Revelation 19 and 20.
So, let us stop saying that Jesus will come and take us one at a time. Jesus never said he will come and take us one at a time. He said he will come and take us to himself. Let us stop saying that when we die, it is the fulfillment of this promise that Jesus made to come and take us. Jesus never said this. We die because it is time decreed by God. Let us stop,saying that the only way to heaven is to die. This is not true. Elijah did not die and there is also rupture. Let us stop reading this verse at funerals because it is not relevant. This verse talks about rupture and not day to day death. These are all lies.