Hold On A Moment
Those of us who have grown up with the erroneous teaching that we go to heaven when we die, have a lot of trouble seeing it any other way; to us, it seems obvious that when you die you go to heaven.
In fact, it seems so obvious that Bible teachers have even changed what the Bible says about it to make their theology fit that which seems so obvious. To be sure, people who believe that when you die you go to heaven can find biblical texts that seem to support their claim. In the next few posts, we will look at some scripture verses that do not allow that teaching.
The viewpoint presented here is that righteous people do not go to heaven at death but to "Abraham's bosom", or "Paradise", and that the unrighteous go to Hades at death; Hades must not be confused with a place of eternal torment. Each will stay there until everyone stands at the judgement seat of Christ, where each one will be judged according to their lifestyle.
But as early as the second century A.D. there began a shift in the centre of gravity which was to lead by the Middle Ages to a very different doctrine. Whereas in primitive Christian thinking the moment of the individual’s decease was entirely subordinated to the great day of the Lord and the final judgment, in later thought it is the hour of death which becomes decisive.
In the End God, by John Robinson; taken from What Happens When We Die? by Anthony F. Buzzard.
In the End God, by John Robinson; taken from What Happens When We Die? by Anthony F. Buzzard.
Biblical Evidence
The following biblical story makes it clear that, according to the Bible, people do not go to heaven or "hell" at death.
Samuel was dead. 1 Sam. 28:3. The woman (a medium) said to Saul, I saw gods coming up out of the earth. And he (King Saul) said to her, What is his form? And she said, An old man comes up, and he is covered with a cloak. And Saul saw that it was Samuel. ... Samuel said to Saul, Why have you disturbed me, to bring me up? ... And Samuel said, ... Jehovah has left you and has become your enemy. And tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. 1 Sam. 28:14-19
This incident in the life of King Saul introduces a few very pertinent theological issues. The Law of Moses distinctly forbids Jehovah's followers to have anything to do with the occult or mediums.
see: Lev.19:31; Lev.20:27; Deut.18:10.
see: Lev.19:31; Lev.20:27; Deut.18:10.
That, however, is not where I am going now. The issue here is that preachers are falsely telling us that when we die we immediately "go to be with Jesus".
In a seance, Samuel, after he was dead, said to Saul, "Why did you bring me up? The medium saw him coming up out of the earth. He did not come down from heaven, which he would have needed to do if saints go to heaven when they die.
He also said to Saul, Jehovah has left you and has become your enemy, and yet he said, tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. Jehovah's enemies do not end up in heaven. This shows that Samuel, though he was dead, had not yet gone to heaven. Saul, just like Samuel, must wait for the judgement day.
Here are some more verses that show that we do not go to heaven at our death, as many Bible teachers so comfortingly, and falsely, tell us.
The angel Gabriel said to Daniel, But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days. Dan. 12:13. If Daniel, a man greatly beloved, Dan. 10:11, must wait until the end of the days for his inheritance, how is it logical that we will get our inheritance immediately at our death?
When Christ told the story of the rich man, Dives, and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 he did not say that Lazarus went to heaven, he said that Lazarus went to Abraham’s bosom. Neither did He say that the rich men went to the lake of fire; He said that the rich man went to Hades (hell).
From biblical studies, we know that "hell" is not the lake of fire; it is a word that can be interchanged with the word "death". Mr Thiessen, PhD; D.D. in Systematic Theology writes this about Hades and death, these two words are by common consent held to be exact equivalents.
In The Revelation, 20:14, we read that then Death and Hades (hell) were cast into the lake of fire. Therefore, if we agree that Lazarus and the rich man are not in heaven and in the lake of fire, we have holy, written evidence that they are in a "waiting area" until the resurrection.
Dives, (the rich man), asked Abraham to send someone from the dead to speak to his brothers. Abraham did not say, there are no dead people here, they have all gone to heaven. He said, even if we send someone from here your brothers would not listen to him anyway.
Mr Thiessen continues, Dives and Lazarus were conscious in Hades. They could think, talk, remember, feel and care. Because this is true, we cannot believe that the dead (Christian and non-Christian) are in an unconscious state now, which is what the term "soul sleep" teaches.
In the next post, we will continue by looking at more scripture verses that tell us that we are not going to heaven immediately after our death.
He also said to Saul, Jehovah has left you and has become your enemy, and yet he said, tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. Jehovah's enemies do not end up in heaven. This shows that Samuel, though he was dead, had not yet gone to heaven. Saul, just like Samuel, must wait for the judgement day.
Here are some more verses that show that we do not go to heaven at our death, as many Bible teachers so comfortingly, and falsely, tell us.
The angel Gabriel said to Daniel, But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days. Dan. 12:13. If Daniel, a man greatly beloved, Dan. 10:11, must wait until the end of the days for his inheritance, how is it logical that we will get our inheritance immediately at our death?
When Christ told the story of the rich man, Dives, and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 he did not say that Lazarus went to heaven, he said that Lazarus went to Abraham’s bosom. Neither did He say that the rich men went to the lake of fire; He said that the rich man went to Hades (hell).
From biblical studies, we know that "hell" is not the lake of fire; it is a word that can be interchanged with the word "death". Mr Thiessen, PhD; D.D. in Systematic Theology writes this about Hades and death, these two words are by common consent held to be exact equivalents.
In The Revelation, 20:14, we read that then Death and Hades (hell) were cast into the lake of fire. Therefore, if we agree that Lazarus and the rich man are not in heaven and in the lake of fire, we have holy, written evidence that they are in a "waiting area" until the resurrection.
Dives, (the rich man), asked Abraham to send someone from the dead to speak to his brothers. Abraham did not say, there are no dead people here, they have all gone to heaven. He said, even if we send someone from here your brothers would not listen to him anyway.
Mr Thiessen continues, Dives and Lazarus were conscious in Hades. They could think, talk, remember, feel and care. Because this is true, we cannot believe that the dead (Christian and non-Christian) are in an unconscious state now, which is what the term "soul sleep" teaches.
In the next post, we will continue by looking at more scripture verses that tell us that we are not going to heaven immediately after our death.
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