I think what Paul was saying; what was currently understood of the afterlife, was Not what happened to Jesus. Paul seemed to be the only one to grasp that Jesus was the promise given to Abraham, That God would provide Jesus as the only sacrifice demanded. Not because a sacrifice is demanded, because Genesis 3 does not specify a sacrifice. It was giving up one’s life of their own volition. It was not suicide either. Jesus prayed sweating blood that God’s will in the matter would be changed. I guess only universalist or those who say Jesus was only God, would be literally saying that God committed suicide. The other fact is the cross, nor the roman sword killed Jesus. He accomplished what humans attempt, but before the human body itself gave up it’s life. Jesus as God said, “it is finished” by the command of the Word. Only God could take life before the body itself gave that life up.
That is the testimony whereby Paul could say with certainty that Jesus was who he claimed to be. Back to the claim of the day: being deification by Death. Paul clearly said that is not what happened. In fact he pointed out that this fleshly body would not exist in the afterlife. Upon death, we would have form immediately. It would not be deification, but that the flesh would be sown like the seed of a plant and the seed would stop existing. The new body was not immediate either as in instant deification. There would not be a new spiritual body until the body of the church was completed and all bodies would be taken from the earth, and united with God in Heaven. It is not the bodily resurrection of the original flesh, but it would be a bodily resurrection as a one time event for the church. I doubt any one knows if this is right or wrong. My guess is he took his cue from when Jesus led all who died in Abraham’s Faith out of captivity, before the advent of Jesus, as a single event. They could not go to Heaven because Jesus had to die first, and present what was accomplished so humankind could be restored to God’s presence. Jesus said there were many dwelling places in heaven, but he still needed to make a place for fallen humans. IMO the preparation could only be done after and because of what the obedience to the cross accomplished or finished.
That is why Paul said sin entered the world by Adam, but Jesus would be the one to restore humankind to God. I agree that Jesus before the Cross had a fallen body in the image of Adam, and was fully God. For 3 days, Jesus had a ghost body, which was intermediate between the former and the final body after a visit to God, and a place for humankind to go to. His mission accomplished, Jesus had a body in the image of God, and was fully human. The firstborn Son of God in the image of God in glorified physical flesh.
Paul likened what would happen to us, as the same that happened to Jesus for 3 days. Humans would have to wait in an intermediate state, until the whole body of the church, was presented as a single bride. So Paul taught that we would all receive our fully restored body in the image of God at a single event in time in the future. It would only happen upon the last human who is called makes the last choice to become part of the church.
That is where we get choice being a single event, pre trib, and pre millenia. The church was not the only restoration. The last restoration is the descendants of Abraham or the chance for the Jewish heritage to get a chance to rule the earth for the last 1000 years of it’s existence.
Now there is a set of humans called the church, and a set called God’s chosen people. If we say the Jews do not get a chance because they rejected Christ and accepted responsibility for his blood, by what authority do we claim that? While Jesus completed both the restoration of mankind, and the restoration of Abraham’s descendants, we cannot reject all Jews that came after Christ. While John the Revelator said there would be 144,000 sealed in the last days, we still have the whole nation past, present, and future that Paul in agreement with the prophecy of the dry bones, that at the end of time, the Nation of Israel in it’s entire history will be restored. I assume even those who died in the 40 years between the promised land and Egypt. This resurrection is the whole set of Jews, entirely separate from the church’s resurrection, which is a majority Gentile bride. There is a set of humans who belong to both sets. IMO this is the group closest to the throne of God who will go through both resurrections. I think this group is who Jesus lived and ministered to during his earthly ministry, so any teachings concerning future events may have only been to this set who is both in the church group and in the Jewish group. It is not a religious promise that Jesus gives during his time on earth. He was addressing the nation of Isreal as a self governing body from all of history. He was also addressing the church grafted into the fig tree. Was Paul wrong in making a distinction between the two groups? I do not think so. The last 1000 years the church would be in heaven, but have access to the earth. The restored nation of Israel would rule on earth, but have access to heaven. All 6th day humans were given a majority of time to live and take care of the earth. God does alot the Nation of Israel the last 1000 years as their sole reign, because of the Faith of Abraham, and the promise God made to him.
I think it is wrong to deny the Jews their sole governance of earth. Not because of the way they have been treated, and especially not because they were constantly disobeying God over and over. The only reason is because God made a promise that has not yet been fulfilled, and God has not revealed any change in plans.
I am mixed on a tribulation period. The only point is that there has never been a time probably since Noah’s Flood if not before, where there has been peace on earth. Is it even possible? Then for only 3+ years. Is the spirit of anti-christ the point that humans can achieve perfection on their own? Does God give them the same 3.5 years that Jesus had on earth? The Romans claimed they brought peace to the earth. Then hung Jesus for blasphemy.
The point is, the image of God given to humankind is promised back to humans after the church is complete for Gentiles. This is distinct from the appointed time the nation of Israel is restored to have control over the earth. But they will still get the same restored image of God.