All of the following verses lead to a conclusion that one is in the grave and a resurrection is required to leave the grave.
I Thessalonians, Chapter 4
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.
What does the Old Testament say about Death?
Genesis 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
Deuteronomy 31:16 And the Lord said unto Moses, behold thou shalt sleep with thy fathers.
Job 3:11-20 11 Why died I not from the womb? Why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?
12 Why did the knees prevent me? Or why the breasts that I should suck?
13 For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,
14 With kings and counselors of the earth, which built desolate places for themselves;
15 Or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver:
16 Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light.
17 There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest.
18 There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor.
19 The small and great are there; and the servant is free from his master20 Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery and life unto the bitter in soul;
Job 7:21 21 And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.
Job 14:10-15 10 But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?
11 As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up:
12 So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.
13 O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!
14 If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.
15 Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.
Job 17:16 They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust.
Job 34:15 All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust.
Job does not believe he is going to heaven when he dies. When he “gives up the ghost,” he believes he is going to the grave and will be resurrected when he is “called.”
Psalms 6:5 In Death there is no remembrance of thee, in the grave who shall give thee thanks?
Psalms 13:3 Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;
Psalms 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Psalms 30:9 What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?
Psalms 71:20 Thou…shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth
Psalms 104:29 Thou takest away their breath; they die, and return to their dust.
Psalms 115:17 The dead praise not the Lord
Psalms 146:4 When a man returns to the earth, that very day his thoughts perish
David does not believe that he is going to heaven when he dies. He speaks of the grave, the dust of the earth, and of not praising the Lord in death and unconsciousness.
Ecclesiastes 3:20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
Ecclesiastes 9:5 but the dead know not anything, neither have they anymore a reward
Ecclesiastes 9:10 there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
Ecclesiastes: 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
Solomon doesn’t believe that believers go to heaven at death. He says that they know nothing in the grave even while stating that the spirit (the breath of life) returns to God.
Isaiah 26:19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
Isaiah 38:18 For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth
Isaiah 57:1-2 1 The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.
2 He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.
Isaiah does not believe they go to heaven at death. Isaiah speaks of a resurrection in Isaiah 26:19. He states that one cannot praise God in the grave.
Daniel 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Daniel states that those in the grave are awakened from a sleep state to everlasting life. Both lost and saved are raised. Had they been already in heaven or hell, they would already be in an everlasting life state and would not need to be raised to that state. None of the Old Testament saints believed one goes to Heaven when they die!! All teach death in the grave and a resurrection!! Should we not believe the same? Were they all fooled? NO!
What does the New Testament say about Death?
Matthew 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Jesus says he will be in the earth, not in heaven. If he was going to heaven he would not have told us that he was going to be in the earth.
Matthew 25:31 31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Note that in this judgment both the lost and saved are present. The judgment happens after Christ’s return. The reward of Heaven is not given until after judgment. The verdict of Hell is not given until after judgment.
Three facts stand out from these passages:
There is a judgment after Christ’s return
The saved and lost are judged at the same “hearing”
Christian and Lost are rewarded after judgment, not before.
For anyone to state that Christians are already in heaven after death contradicts these verses. For anyone to state that Christians are not present with the lost in judgment also contradicts these scriptures.
Matthew 28:7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.
Mark 12:18-27 - 18 Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying,
19 Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
20 Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed.
21 And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise.
22 And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also.
23 In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.
24 And Jesus answering said unto them, “Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?
25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.
26 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?
27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.
(who she belonged to is not an issue until after the resurrection)
Luke 14:13-14 - 13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
Luke 24:5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
In this situation, there is the living, which is Jesus who has risen from the dead, and there is the dead, or those who have died and remain in the grave. The angel makes a distinction between the two, and it is obvious that those in the grave, the dead, do not include the living, neither in heaven, nor anywhere else. This is akin to Revelation 20:5 which states the rest of the dead which are not a part of the first resurrection do not come to live again until the thousand year reign of Christ is completed. The angel’s statement here supports the fact that there is no life in a person until he is resurrected from the grave.
One is rewarded at the resurrection….not immediately after death! If one went to heaven immediately after death, that would be his reward and there would be no need to be recompensed at the resurrection.
John 3:13 Jesus says: No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven – the son of man.
What man has a right to say Jesus is incorrect in saying this? This
means Moses, David, and Isaiah are not in heaven.
John 5:28-29 the hour is coming… which all in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth – they that have done good to the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil to the resurrection of damnation.
Jesus states that these people are in the grave – NOT heaven! They are raised to life or damnation.
John 6:40, 44 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Christ always teaches resurrection, never going to heaven immediately upon death.
John 11:11 Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep”…Jesus spoke of his death, Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
Here Jesus tells us that Lazarus is asleep. He tells us Lazarus is dead. Both are true. Jesus did not tell us that Lazarus is in heaven…and no one else in scripture tells us one goes immediately to heaven upon death. All related scripture speaks of death, sleep, or the grave!
John 11:23-24 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
Acts 2:31 - 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay.
The process in which Christ’s soul was delivered from “hell” (Hades: abode of the dead) is the resurrection. Jesus did not go to heaven at death.
Acts 2:29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak
unto you of the patriarch David, that he
is both dead and buried, and his
sepulchre is with us unto this day.
Acts 2:34 But David is not ascended into the heavens.
Where is David? NOT in Heaven!
Acts 7:60 When Stephens was stoned, he said, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this he fell asleep.
Acts 13:36 For David…fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption
Acts 24:15 And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.
Acts 26:23 That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.
Since Christ is the first to rise from the dead, where are Abraham, Moses, and David? In the grave.
Romans 14:9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
Note that Paul says Christ’s Lordship is over “dead” and “living” He would not say they were dead if they were in heaven.
I Cor. 15:6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
I Cor. 15:12-14 - 12 2Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain
I Cor. 15:17-18 And if Christ be not raised,…then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
I Cor. 15:20-23 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
These people would not have to “be made alive” if they were already in heaven. Paul states their condition is one of “sleep” and they will not “be made alive” until the return of Christ!
I Corinthians 15:42 – 44 - 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
I Cor. 15:51-52 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
II Cor. 1:9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
Phil 3:8-11 - 8 8Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
It appears that Paul is looking forward to the resurrection from death as a means to reach heaven. There is little reason to believe that this scripture is saying he will attain heaven without the resurrection! Paul thinks he is rising from the dead for the reward of heaven. He does not think he is in heaven before the resurrection.
Col. 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
I Thess. 4:13 - 17 - 13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 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.
Paul states the dead are raised first, then those who are alive join the dead to meet him in the air (only to return with him). There would be no reason to meet Christ in the air if we were coming from heaven. The dead do not come from heaven, they come from the grave!
II Timothy 4:1, 8 -1 1I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
The crown of righteousness is not given upon the day of death but is given on the “Day” by the Judge, both to Paul and all others who look for His appearing.
Hebrews 9:27 And it appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment
If one was already in heaven or hell, there would be no need for this judgment.
Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Hebrews 11:16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
Hebrews 11:39-40 - 39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
These dead saints obviously have not received the promises of eternal life or entered the city which Rev. 22:14 & 19 refers to as the holy city, mentioned as the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21, which we know as heaven. Verse 40 plainly tells us that those who have died before us won’t receive their promised reward nor be made perfect apart from us or before the rest of us. A resurrection of all the dead on ‘the last day” according to John 5:28 – 29; 6:40 – 44; 11:23 – 24 would unite all believers. …..and they will be “perfect” having “received the promises.”
1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Revelation 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished
Indicates an absence of life – not a vibrant relationship with Jesus or loved ones in heaven.
Revelation 20:13 and the sea gave up the dead which were in it.
The dead were raised from their resting place on earth, not brought from heaven for this Great White Throne Judgment.
In the proceeding verses spanning thousands of years, there are ample opportunities to say that the dead “have gone to be with the Lord “(Jesus), or “they have gone to heaven,” yet not one time is that said. In fact, there is no reference anywhere in the Bible to the dead going to be with the Lord or to heaven at the time of death. Revelation 20:5 plainly states that the dead which did not qualify for the first resurrection do not live again until the end of the 1000 years.
I find it puzzling that many speak of Christians going immediately to heaven when we die. They say we are in heaven, see Jesus, and converse with him. To me this seems completely contradictory to Moses’ statement that we return to dust. David’s statement that our thoughts perish that very day, Soloman’s statement that we aren’t conscious, Daniel’s statement that we are awakened from sleep out of the dust of the earth. The idea that we are immediately in heaven upon death contradicts all the New Testament statements that we are asleep, that we meet Jesus in the air, and we are raised from the grave. The fact is that if we are indeed in heaven there would be no need for the resurrection called for over and over in the Bible. While most Christians profess we can believe the inerrancy of the Bible they are willing to say the opposite of what the scriptures mentioned above say. Inerrant means the truth, without any mistakes, wholly trustworthy. At some point a serious, truth-seeking Christian must come to the realization that “no man has gone to heaven” (John 3:13 – No man hath ascended up to heaven….) means exactly that. And that those who “sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake” (Daniel 12:2) is a completely reliable statement. We have to come to the point in our understanding that God knew what was being recorded in the Word and doesn’t need our help with the translation of what He wrote! ….so if the Bible says one “sleeps,” we must believe that is the state he is actually in! We must also come to the point that if scripture does not give an example of any saint going to heaven after death, then that idea must be a tradition of men and not a teaching from God. I hope this gathering of ideas and related scriptures below help the reader understand these truths better.
Judgment
Finally, in reference to the Great White Throne Judgment in Revelation 20, the rewards of the saved and the consequences to the lost are not passed on until after the judgment. Only in the next chapter (21) is the believer’s blessing in heaven described for the sake of the saved. The believer is never promised heaven until after judgment. The Bible never states a single time that any person went to heaven immediately when he died. God would have mentioned it at least once if it were true. All sixty plus verses listed previously have the same common theme: We die, we rest in the grave, and are raised at Christ’s return to judgment. The following verses support this truth:
Acts 24:15 15 And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust
Romans 14:9-12 9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
II Corinthians 5:10 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Only after his description of the judgment in Rev. 20 does John speak of entering heaven and describing what he saw there.
Revelation 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
Revelation 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
The Thief on the Cross
Many believe because Jesus told the thief on the cross that he would be in paradise with him that day, that meant the thief would be in heaven that day.(Luke 23:43) However, in John 20:17 Jesus tells us three days after his burial that he has not ascended to the Father (which is in Heaven, Matthew 6:9). Jesus was not in Heaven that day by his own testimony in Luke 24:46 - 46And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:. Here Jesus says he was dead and rose from the dead three days after his death. Jesus also states in Matt. 12:40 - 40For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. His statement here eliminates any thought of being in heaven immediately after death but confirms an earthly residence.
Revelation of Luke’s message in Acts 2:22-36 (KJV) also adds to our understanding that Jesus was, in fact, a resident of hell at his death. In the Greek language hell, as used here, is translated Hades or, “The abode of the dead.” The Hebrew translates the word as used here as sheol or “the grave” or “unseen state”. Luke refers to King David’s quote in Psalm 16:10 - (10For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.) to arrive at his conclusion in Acts 2:31-32 - 31He (David) seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell (that is; the abode of the dead or grave), neither his flesh did see corruption. 32This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses. Luke in no way ascribes to the theory that Christ was in heaven but affirms Christ went to the grave after his death on the cross.
Acts 2:31 Credits the resurrection as the means by which Christ escapes the grave. He was not in heaven, but in the grave.
With this information from above (Luke 24:46, Matt 12:40 and Acts 2:22-36) one should reconsider what was actually stated by Jesus to the thief while on the cross. The statement reads in most translations, (Luke 23:43), 43Verily I say unto thee, today thou shalt be with me in paradise. It is common knowledge among Bible scholars, however, that the original Greek of this passage did not contain punctuation marks. Commas were added hundreds of years later. It is therefore possible to read this scripture as, “Verily I say unto you today, thou shalt be with me in paradise.” If read this way, the message is changed from the thief being with Jesus in paradise today, to Christ saying of certainty that the thief will be with Jesus when he comes into his kingdom. The latter understanding also harmonizes with the previous scripture discussions.
Saul and the Witch at Endor
I Samuel 28:11-20
11 Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
12 And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.
13 And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.
14 And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.
15 And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.
16 Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?
17 And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David:
18 Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day.
19 Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.
20 Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night.
21 And the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore troubled, and said unto him, Behold, thine handmaid hath obeyed thy voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou spakest unto me.
Here, “dead” Samuel “ascended out of the earth” and complained of being “disquieted”. He did not complain about being brought down from heaven, but rather referred to being brought “up”. It is noted that both Moses in Deuteronomy 18:9-12 and Isaiah in Is 8L19 warn against speaking to the dead. Why wouldn’t the warning (assuming all are in heaven) be that one should not consult those already in heaven for direction?
Are We In Heaven Immediately After Dying?
II Corinthians 5:6-8
6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
7(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
8We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
Most advocates of the theory that we are in heaven immediately after dying use these verses that Paul wrote to the Corinthians to prove their argument. For Paul to be saying this, however, would be to contradict his repeated efforts to explain to his readers how, when, and where meeting the Lord happens. To the contrary, Paul explains how it will happen in I Corinthians 15:51-52 and I Thess. 4:13-18 (we will be raised from the dead.) Paul is the champion of a rapture. He tells us when that will happen in I Corinthians 15:51-52 (at the last trump), and after the AntiChrist makes himself known (II Thess. 2:1-8) and when Christ returns in I Corinthians 15:23. Paul tells us where we meet the Lord in I Thess. 4:17 (the clouds of the air). All pretribulation and post tribulation advocates agree with Paul that it is better “to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” Note Paul did not say to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. There is a big difference!
Paul is not forfeiting the resurrections with what he is saying in II Corinthians 5:6, 7. He is saying he would rather be with Jesus than here on earth without him. Jesus himself tells us how and when we will meet him in John 6:40-44
40And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
41The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
42And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?
43Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.
44No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
A Christian that endorses the idea that one immediately goes to heaven when he dies unwittingly disputes everything our Lord and the writers of the Bible said about the need for the saints to be raised from the dead.
The Apostle Paul did not teach that people had immortal souls, which would go to heaven praising the Father eternally. No, he said that when the Trumpet blows at Christ’s return, “this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Cor 15:53), showing that no man or woman possesses any spark of immortality…no immortal soul dwelling in heaven, in other words.
Christ is the first to be raised eternally from the grave.
- I Corinthians 15:20 - “But now is the Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept
Acts 26:23 That Christ should suffer, and that he should
be the first that should rise from the dead
Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church:
who is the beginning, the firstborn from the
dead; that in all things he might have the
preeminence.
Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful
witness, and the first begotten of the dead,
and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto
him that loved us, and washed us from our
sins in his own blood,
The emphasis of the verses above is that Jesus is the first to be raised from the dead with a spiritual body. (While others were raised from the dead by Jesus himself, they all eventually died again.)
Thought: If Christ is the first to rise from the dead to eternal life, where is Abraham, David, Daniel, Solomon, Isaiah, etc.? They certainly did not beat Jesus out of the grave and go to Heaven! Are they not still in the grave awaiting the resurrection Jesus tells us about in John 6:40, 44, 54?
It should also be asked, when is the first resurrection of all of the rest of the dead? John tells us that answer to this question in Revelation 20:4-6.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Since the first resurrection of Christians includes those who were murdered in the Great Tribulation, it is impossible for there to be a resurrection and rapture of Christians before the Great Tribulation. In fact, there is no resurrection and rapture of Christians before the Great Tribulation described anywhere in the Bible. John states here that the rest of the dead remaining after the first resurrection do not come to life again until after the 1000 year reign of Christ is complete! Obviously if these people have no life, they are not in heaven! They are resurrected from the grave.
John 11:11-46 Jesus tells Mary in verse 23 that her brother will rise again. In verse 24, Mary responds that she knows he will rise again in the resurrection, on the last day. Had Lazarus gone to heaven at death, he would have certainly corrected Mary and told her that he was with the Father. Furthermore, Lazarus, upon his “return,” would have spoken about nothing else but the splendors of Heaven. But Jesus states that Lazarus is asleep, therefore there are no discussions of Heaven from him.
- John 14:2-3 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.
In verse 2, Jesus says he goes to his Father’s house to prepare a place for us. In verse 3 he states he will come again to receive us to himself that we might be where he is. Obviously we were not with him in heaven, so he comes to us so that we can be with him.
- Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43, 47-50. Jesus tells us that the tares (lost) and the wheat (children of the kingdom: saved) are together until the end of the world (v.39) The end of the world resurrection coincides with Revelation 20:5, 13 mention of the second resurrection after the 1000 year reign of Christ. They are on earth, not Heaven, whether they be alive or in the grave. Jesus says in the second resurrection that the lost are raised first to be separated from the saved. Then comes judgment (Revelation 20:13-15). If Christians were in Heaven rather than on earth (or in the earth), there would be no need of a harvest (or resurrection) of both.
- Matthew 22:23-32 In this discussion with the Sadducees, which said there is no resurrection of the dead, they asked who would be the husband of a certain woman that had seven husbands on earth. Jesus’ response did not address their relationship in heaven until the resurrection. There was never any thought about them being in heaven until the resurrection.
- I Thessalonians 4:17 Paul tells us where we shall meet Jesus. He says we will meet him in the clouds/air after he has descended from Heaven. Conclusion: He did not bring us out of Heaven. There is a resurrection from the grave…and we meet Him in the clouds. (1Corinthians 15:23)
- Daniel 12:1-3 Daniel is clear we are raised from the dust of the earth, not heaven
- Matthew 17:1-9 The vision of Jesus with Moses and Elias. Some wonder how Jesus can be seen with Moses and Elias if they are not risen from the dead. Jesus explains, however, in verse 9 that this was only a vision. Paul also tells us in I Corinthians 15:20-23 that Christ is the first to rise from the dead. Since that is the order of the resurrections, then it is only logical the vision was depicting the future and not the past.
- Phillipians 3:10-12 Paul’s desire is that he may know Christ (Him)and the power of his resurrection… 10 That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made comfortable unto his death; 11If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 12Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Here Paul teaches that the resurrection is the means by which he will reach his heavenly goals. Note that he believes his status before the resurrection is one of death.
- Revelation 20:5 5But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
- Revelation 21:1-5
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Note that one’s relationship with God in heaven begins after the judgment in Rev. 20:13-15. This is when all things are made new and God himself will be with the people. Man does not have this relationship with God before the judgment!
Lazarus and the Rich Man Luke 16:19-31
Some have said because Jesus told the story of Lazarus and the rich man, it proves one goes to heaven or hell immediately when they die. However, the vast majority of commentaries/teachers list this story as a parable. This is one of 38 recorded parables Jesus used …Jesus had to interpret the parables even to his own disciples so they would understand. The story is one of a poor man who went to Abraham’s bosom after death and a rich man who went to hell. The rich man cried to Abraham and asked him to have Lazarus bring a drop of water to cool his tongue. The entire dialog in this parable takes place between a son of Abraham and Abraham. The rich man addresses Abraham as father three times (verses 24, 27, and 30), and Abraham confirms the rich man as son in verse 25. The rich man also refers to 5 of his brothers which also have to be sons of Abraham. All the relatives of this tormented son appear to be headed for the same destination and he wants to warn them lest they also come to this same place of torment. The key to understanding this parable is to understand who these sons are and why they are headed for hell.
Who are the sons of Abraham? The answer to those claiming to be Abraham’s sons is found in John 8:31 – 59. Here Jesus was addressing Jews. Their continued claim to Jesus is that they are Abraham’s seed - verse 33 –“They answered him, we be Abraham’s seed”, and verse 39 - “They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father.” In this exchange, however, Jesus disputes their claim saying in verse 39 – “If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.” Jesus says this despite acknowledging in verse 37 “I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.” Jesus states in verse 40 that the Jews here seek to kill him; a man who told them the truth and that Abraham would not do this. Jesus’ response is that these Jews are in fact a by-product of the devil because they abode not in the truth (verse 44.)
And what truth was Jesus proclaiming? He said in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life : no man cometh unto the Father but by me.”
In John 3:16 he said “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The Jews openly rejected this message and truth both then and now!
In the parable of the rich man in verse 28 the plea of the rich man is to send Lazarus from the grave to “testify” to the rich man’s brothers (more Jews) that they not end up in hell. Instead of complying, Abraham tells them to listen to Moses and the prophets. However, the rich man ‘s response is (verse 30) that if one were sent from the dead they (his brothers, the Jews) would believe.
In verse 31 Jesus disclosed the purpose of this parable when he orchestrated Abraham’s response with his saying, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead.”
This is a sad parable depicting that even Jesus, the son of God, will not be listened to after he is raised from the dead! As a result these “sons of Abraham” will lose their esteemed position as children of Abraham because of their unbelief. Instead, poor beggars (the Gentiles) will find favor with God and be elevated from their “poor” status to a position of closeness with Abraham. This line of thinking is supported by other parables in Luke 14:15-24 (the great Feast) and Luke 20:9-16 (the wicked husbandman). Both parables lend to the idea that those placed in charge or those favored (the Jews) ultimately rejected and replaced by the Gentiles. Any thought that the purpose of the parable of Lazarus and the rich man is to show that you go to heaven or hell immediately upon death is rejected by both the prophets and Jesus as seen in earlier listed scriptures. These parables substantiate Jesus’ statement as to the purpose of the parables in Matthew 13:10-15 , 33-35. Matthew 13:14-15 sums his thoughts: “ And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
A much more detailed discussion on Lazarus and the rich man is presented in my paper, “If you died tonight, do you know where you would go?”
This information was assembled by :
Howard Young
P. O. Box 4
Justin, TX 76247
Email: hyoung@justinstbank.com
If you have any comments that you would like to share with me, please contact me.
Revised: November 6, 2015