What's the Biblical basis for "all Christians will be together in heaven some day"? Christians often say that "some day we will all be together in heaven." I'm wondering if this idea comes from scripture.

The closest I can think of is the end of Revelation, which discusses a "new earth" on which the "new Jerusalem" descends. If you take this apocalyptic vision as having a symbolic city (representing the complete Church) coming down from a literal heaven, I suppose you could argue logically that the completed church must have been together in heaven prior to descending. But I really doubt if the saying comes from an interpretation as complex as that!

Am I overlooking something simple? Does the Bible teach elsewhere that all Christians will be together in heaven some day?

I'm looking for "orthodox", protestant perspectives argued from the standard (66 book) canon.
What's the Biblical basis for “all Christians will be together in heaven some day”?

One verse that comes to mind is one that is often used with rapture theory, but does talk about both those who have died in Christ and those who are alive being joined together at his return and remain with him.


  1 Thessalonians 4:17  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.