What does Christ's death mean for believers who have died or are alive?
Christ died for believers so that whether they are alive or have died, they will live forever with Him. God has not appointed them to wrath but to obtain salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ, and they are taken out ahead of the tribulation.
Les teaches that verse 9 declares God has not appointed believers to wrath; He has not designated that they must suffer the awful events of the tribulation before Christ comes. Instead, they are not appointed to wrath but to obtain salvation by the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for them. Because He died for them, whether they wake, have died, or whatever, they will live forever with Him. Believers are taken out ahead of that tribulation.
(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?