Author bill1970 Edited by Victor.S
I used to believe that when we die we go straight to heaven and I feel I have to change my view point because of the following verses
John 14
1 ¶ Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
John 17
24 ¶ Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
1 Thess 4
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 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. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
So...in the above verses Jesus says
John 14 paraphrased
In heaven there are many mansions
He is going to heaven to prepare a place for them
He will come again for them so that they can be with Him in heaven
John 17 paraphrased
His prayer to His Father is that those whom have been given to Him be with Him where He is and behold His glory which is in heaven.
1 Thess paraphrased
The Lord returns in the clouds. The dead in Christ rise first and believers are then caught up to be with them and THEN shall we be with the Lord for ever.
Hopefully you can see from the above scriptures that Jesus and Paul taught or certainly give the impression that we are with the LORD when He returns for us at the resurrection and not before.
Why did the Apostle say we groan for our resurrection body and not death?
Ro 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
2Co 5:2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
2Co 5:4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
So what happens at death. We are composed of spirit, soul and body. I now believe that upon death the spirit returns to the LORD who gave it. Jesus committed his spirit to the Father and His soul went to Hell. Stephen when martyred cried out Lord Jesus receive my spirit and he fell asleep.Act 7:52-60 Though not mentioned I assume his soul went to abrahams bosom and not to heaven because of the verses mentioned above. The soul as in the story of Lazarus either goes to Abrahams Bosom or the place of torment which is hell and the body goes to the grave to return to dust. The souls of christians and old testament saints await in Abrahams Bosom for the resurrection and so be with the LORD for ever. That is why the resurrection is such a big event. This was the view of the early church and seems consistent with what Jesus said in the above verses. PS I judge no one for holding to a belief that they go immediately to heaven after they die
I used to believe that when we die we go straight to heaven and I feel I have to change my view point because of the following verses
John 14
1 ¶ Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
John 17
24 ¶ Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
1 Thess 4
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 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. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
So...in the above verses Jesus says
John 14 paraphrased
In heaven there are many mansions
He is going to heaven to prepare a place for them
He will come again for them so that they can be with Him in heaven
John 17 paraphrased
His prayer to His Father is that those whom have been given to Him be with Him where He is and behold His glory which is in heaven.
1 Thess paraphrased
The Lord returns in the clouds. The dead in Christ rise first and believers are then caught up to be with them and THEN shall we be with the Lord for ever.
Hopefully you can see from the above scriptures that Jesus and Paul taught or certainly give the impression that we are with the LORD when He returns for us at the resurrection and not before.
Why did the Apostle say we groan for our resurrection body and not death?
Ro 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
2Co 5:2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
2Co 5:4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
So what happens at death. We are composed of spirit, soul and body. I now believe that upon death the spirit returns to the LORD who gave it. Jesus committed his spirit to the Father and His soul went to Hell. Stephen when martyred cried out Lord Jesus receive my spirit and he fell asleep.Act 7:52-60 Though not mentioned I assume his soul went to abrahams bosom and not to heaven because of the verses mentioned above. The soul as in the story of Lazarus either goes to Abrahams Bosom or the place of torment which is hell and the body goes to the grave to return to dust. The souls of christians and old testament saints await in Abrahams Bosom for the resurrection and so be with the LORD for ever. That is why the resurrection is such a big event. This was the view of the early church and seems consistent with what Jesus said in the above verses. PS I judge no one for holding to a belief that they go immediately to heaven after they die
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