Subject: Do we go directly to Heaven? |
Bible Note: David You are putting words and meanings to the Bible that just aren't there. First in John 19:31-33 it does not say the thieves would be taken down and put back up. It says they legs were broken so they wouldn't be on the cross for the Sabbath. Death by crucifixion comes from asphyxiation. The victim is forced to push against the nails driven in his foot to get a breath of air. Slowly he is worn down and unable to lift his body and he dies. To speed the process for whatever reason the legs of the victim was broken (hit in the knee with a heavy mallet) so they could no longer lift themselves to breath and death was short coming. Second Jesus did not say he did not go heaven. He said do not cling to me have for I have not yet ascended to the Father. In the Greek the meaning of the statement is and I paraphrase, do not slow me down I have much to do before I ascend to the Father. Which we know He did forty days later. Hebrews 9:12-14, 24 that Jesus entered the tabernacle in heaven and offered his blood as the perfect sacrifice. Jesus had to be in heaven to do that. Thirdly Jesus said to the thief to day you will be with me in paradise. We know Jesus went to Hades (translated hell) to lead the captivity captive Ephesians 4:8. We alos know from Luke 16 that Hades or the holding place for the dead was divided into two sections one a hot dry place where the unrighteous go upon death and the Abraham’s Bosom or paradise where the righteous went before Jesus’ death. Since Jesus’ death Paul tells us in 5:8 to be absent from the body (dead) is to be present with the Lord (Jesus) who is in heaven. EdB |