Do we go to Heaven immediately at death?

[Saved!]

I have a question that I am certain has already been answered...so please pardon me asking again.

I have always wondered which was true. When we die, and are saved, are we taken directly, at that moment, to Heaven? Or do we sleep, unaware of anything, until the resurrection?

While I have always been curious about this, it is of even greater importance to me as my father fights a cancerous brain tumor. If he, or any of us die, (and are saved) can we have peace in knowing that when our eyes close for good here on earth they open to view the beauty of Heaven?...or must we realize that we will sleep until resurrection day...unaware of the passing of time?

What say ye?

[moonglow]

I think we go to Paradise actually...here is a great article from a Christian site that explains it: One Second after death

A little from the link:

For example, while fastened to the cross, Jesus told the thief, “Today, you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). The word paradise is of Persian derivation, and means a “garden” or “park.” Where was it that Jesus and the thief went on that very day? Certainly not to extinction! Extinction would not be “paradise”! They did not go to the grave together. The thief was not placed in the tomb with Jesus, and the tomb certainly would not be a “paradise.” Nor did Jesus go to heaven, for in John 20:17 after His resurrection, Jesus reassured Mary that He had not yet ascended to the Father. So where is “paradise”? Where did Jesus and the thief go after dying on the cross? Where had Jesus been for those three days between His death and resurrection?

Peter gave the answer to that question in his sermon in Acts 2 when he quoted Psalm 16. Acts 2:27 states that God would not abandon Christ’s soul in hades nor allow Christ to undergo decay. So while Christ’s body was placed in a tomb for three days, Christ’s spirit went to hades. Peter argued that David, who penned the 16th Psalm, was not referring to himself. How do we know? David’s body was still in the tomb (Acts 2:29). David’s spirit was still in the hadean realm because Peter also said that David had not yet ascended into heaven (Acts 2:34). Acts 2, by itself, proves that a person does not go straight to heaven or hell when he dies, and that a person does not become extinct, cease to exist, or pass into a state of unconsciousness at death.

God bless

[Saved!]

Thank you MoonGlow. That makes a lot of sense to me and is very reassuring. I appreciate you taking the time to share that with me.

[moonglow]

Thank you MoonGlow. That makes a lot of sense to me and is very reassuring. I appreciate you taking the time to share that with me.

Sure...not everyone will agree with this view of course..but I think its a sound study and explains that difficult question of how could the thief be with Jesus in Paradise when Jesus had not ascended to Heaven yet. It solves the questions of where the comma should or should not be on that one...

God bless

[redeemedbyhim]

Do these scriptures say when we are absent from the body we are present with the Lord?

II Corth. 5:6,
Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord.

II Corth. 5:8
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

[Saved!]

Got a point redeemedbyHim. I certainly do appreciate that scripture!

I once listened to a radio program of a denomination different from mine that had a different view...the host spoke persuasively about soul sleep and caused me to be a little confused and question what I already believed to be the truth. At the time I didn't feel like my time, or the time of my family members was anywhere close to being up so I tossed the thoughts around a bit...but now the answers matter to me more than I can say.

Thanks for your help!

[Roelof]

(Acts 2:34). Acts 2, by itself, proves that a person does not go straight to heaven or hell when he dies, and that a person does not become extinct, cease to exist, or pass into a state of unconsciousness at death.

moonglow

I tend to agree with you, what about the very popular book "5 minutes after death" by dr Isak Burger?

[Sold Out]

Based on the scriptures posted above, and Jesus' parable in Luke 16, our souls go to be with the Lord the moment after death. We then await our resurrected bodies.

BTW...Paradise IS heaven.

[moonglow]

Based on the scriptures posted above, and Jesus' parable in Luke 16, our souls go to be with the Lord the moment after death. We then await our resurrected bodies.

BTW...Paradise IS heaven.

I don't think so...I used to think that and I tend to use them interchangeably myself...but that verse in the bible where Jesus tells Mary M to not to touch Him as He has not ascended to His Father yet.

John 20:17
“Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

Yet He was told the thief they would be in Paradise THAT day (three days before when Jesus died on the cross)...Yes our Lord JESUS is with us after death...but I don't think we go to Heaven until after Judgment Day.

God bless

[moonglow]

moonglow

I tend to agree with you, what about the very popular book "5 minutes after death" by dr Isak Burger?

I never heard of it..what is it about?


God bless

[Naphal]

Based on the scriptures posted above, and Jesus' parable in Luke 16, our souls go to be with the Lord the moment after death. We then await our resurrected bodies.

BTW...Paradise IS heaven.

Yes I definitely agree! Some believe they are two separate places but I do not.

This also confirms that we return to God after dying:


Ecclesiastes 12:6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

[markedward]

I have a question that I am certain has already been answered...so please pardon me asking again.

I have always wondered which was true. When we die, and are saved, are we taken directly, at that moment, to Heaven? Or do we sleep, unaware of anything, until the resurrection?

"Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment."

There is no implication of a "pause" in-between death and jugment. God is our judge, and He is in heaven, so once we die, we are immediately taken before Him to be judged, in heaven.

[Naphal]

"Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment."

There is no implication of a "pause" in-between death and jugment. God is our judge, and He is in heaven, so once we die, we are immediately taken before Him to be judged, in heaven.

Except the word "immediately" also isn't in that verse, nor is any sense of immediacy. We simply are told a man isn't judged until after he has died and that death comes first. When does the judgement occur? It occurs on the very last day of this age and all are judged both small and great. Only Satan and his angels were judged and punished before the masses are judged.


Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Revelation 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Revelation 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.


2 Peter 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

2 Peter 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

1 John 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

There is one single day of judgment for all of us.

[Hawkins]

Sure...not everyone will agree with this view of course..but I think its a sound study and explains that difficult question of how could the thief be with Jesus in Paradise when Jesus had not ascended to Heaven yet. It solves the questions of where the comma should or should not be on that one...

God bless

You are right, I don't agree fully about your point of view.

Yet the most important point is, when I am off my body, I will be with our Lord Jesus Christ.

[Semi-tortured]

Since God is not bound by time, it is possible that we are with the Lord right away and taken to the point in time where we are rezzed. Because there are no time restrictions with God, it's possible that we are rezzed right away and never put in soul sleep. We just die, see Jesus and he brings us forward in time to be judged and rezzed.