Bible Question:
Do Good People Really Go to Heaven When They Die? Most churchgoers believe that when they die they will go to heaven. But will they? If heaven truly is a place of such everlasting happiness, why do so many do all they can to postpone going there? The Bible reveals some astounding and little-understood truths about heaven, the mystery of life beyond the grave and God’s great plan and purpose for us. To comprehend what the Bible teaches about heaven, we first need to understand that there is more than one heaven. Often the Bible refers to heavens, plural. In fact, three distinct “heavens” are mentioned in the Bible. The first of these is simply the sky above us—earth’s atmosphere, containing the air we breathe. It is in this heaven that birds fly and clouds give rain and snow (2 Samuel 21:10; Job 35:11; Isaiah 55:10). The second biblical heaven is the realm beyond earth’s atmosphere, what we commonly call outer space. Here we find the Obviously the deceased, Christian or not, are not floating around unnoticed in the first two heavens. No one seriously believes they can be found drifting about the sky or in outer space. Therefore they must be in the third of these heavens, right? Many people assume so, but the whole argument about heaven being the reward of deceased Christians runs into a brick wall with these words from the apostle Peter’s first sermon: “Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day . . . For David did not ascend to heaven . . .” (Acts 2:29, 34, David off to heaven. The only one who had ascended to heaven, said Peter, was Jesus Christ (Acts 2:29-35). Was Peter mistaken? Did he simply misspeak? We might assume so, but notice what the Gospel of John says: “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man [Jesus Christ]” (John 3:13, NIV). Jesus never promised Christians heaven after they died. The New Testament plainly says that of the faithful men and women who had gone before—such spiritual giants as Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Moses, to name some of those listed in Hebrews 11—not one has ascended to heaven. In fact, says verse 39 of Hebrews 11, “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised” (NIV). If they aren’t in heaven, where are they? And what was it they were promised, if it wasn’t heaven? |
Bible Answer: Mark 12:26-27 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err. Ephesians 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 1 Peter 3:18-19 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 2 Kings 2:11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. Mark 9:4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. Seems to me that Elijah was taken to heaven and appears on the Mount which means all that time he has been conscious. Where are the saint of old now? The legal requirments were met in Christ and they ascended up with Him. |