Will We Go To Heaven As Soon As We Die?

[MrVersatile48]

Will We Go To Heaven As Soon As We Die?
By Billy Graham, Tribune Media Services

Q: Do you think we will go to heaven as soon as we die, or do we have to wait until the end of the world, when God will reunite our souls and bodies? I've always wondered about this. -- Mrs. M.K.

A: My own study of the Bible has convinced me that when a believer dies, he or she goes immediately into God's presence in heaven. As he looked forward to heaven's joys, the Apostle Paul put it this way: "We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8).

It is true that the Bible teaches us that at the end of the ages we will be given new bodies -- bodies that will be like Christ's resurrection body, free from all the ills and pains of this world. In that day, the Bible says, "we will all be changed -- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet" (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). When that happens, our souls and bodies will be reunited, "and so we will be with the Lord forever" (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

But in the meantime, the Bible says that those who die in Christ are safely and securely in God's presence forever. Jesus said to the criminal who was crucified with Him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43). Paul declared, "I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far" (Philippians 1:23).

Is this your hope? Do you know -- really know -- that if you were to die tonight you would go to be with God forever? Make sure of your salvation by giving your life to Christ today.

========

Send your queries to "My Answer," c/o Billy Graham, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, N.C., 28201; call 1-(877) 2-GRAHAM, or visit the Web site for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association: http://www.billygraham.org.

 

[Drew]

Hello MrVersatile:

I believe that the scriptures teach that we do not go to heaven when we die. I have some arguments to present in defence of this position but I am too busy right now. I post this just to let you know that I am interested in this topic and will gladly discuss it with you and others.

 

[Heavenbound983]

Personally, I take a 'wait and see' stance on this one... 8-)

 

[katsa]

So where do the unsaved go right after death?

 

[Drew]

So where do the unsaved go right after death?

I believe that the Scriptures teach that all people, saved and unsaved, enter a state of "sleep". right after death.

 

[katsa]

I'm also curious about this, we have been taught that Christians go to 1 st. Heaven right after death now Drew says we all enter a state of sleep, then theres still no answer on where the unsaved go. Surely there is an answer, also has anyone here read the book " 90 minutes in Heaven " and "23 minutes in Hell", they are awesome books.

 

[Robert Cragg]

When we die our fleshly body turns back to dust as the Bible says " Ashes to Ashes " Dust to Dust". Our body decays because are flesh is sinful. Our spirit however goes directly to Heaven as you can read in 2 Corintians 5:8. We will get a brand new body when the Lord returns.

 

[Drew]

When we die our fleshly body turns back to dust as the Bible says " Ashes to Ashes " Dust to Dust". Our body decays because are flesh is sinful. Our spirit however goes directly to Heaven as you can read in 2 Corintians 5:8. We will get a brand new body when the Lord returns.

I challenge any reader to provide any Biblical evidence that the "spirit" of a human person is an entity which carries, contains, or otherwise includes "consciousness". This is a platonic idea that the writers of Scripture never believed (I suggest). I will brashly predict that no Scriptural text will be provided that shows the human "spirit" to bear consciousness that does not beg the question - assume the truth of the very conclusion at issue.

If the spirit indeed goes to Heaven at death, and if that spririt carries our consciousness, thoughts, capabilities to communicate, etc., then Paul had a pretty impoverished sense of what it means to be "made alive" when he wrote as follows in 1 Cor 15:22-23:

"For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him"

I think that this is basically the coup de grace for the view that the dead go directly to heaven. The only way to reconcile this text with such a view is to claim that to be "made alive" really boils down to wrapping a conscious spirit, that is in full flower of experience and interaction in heaven, in a new body. That simply does not work with any reasonable construal of what it means to be made alive. And it certainly does not jive with the majestic flavour of the entire 1 Corinthians 15 text which simply drips with a sense of drama and hopeful anticipation.

If all Paul is really saying in verses 22 and 23 is that man's already fully conscious and functioning "spirit" gets girdled in a flesh house, this seems more like "putting on a pair of pants" than being "made alive". Does this seem consistent with the majesty of this whole passage? Hardly. Paul means what he says - we are made alive in every sense of the word at Jesus' return and not before. I suggest that the only present occupant of "Heaven" is the Lord Jesus Christ.

I suggest that the 2 Cor 5:8 ("We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.")is Paul's account of what he will experience - it is not a statement of what is objectively and factually the case. Not to mention vic's argument that I cannot presently recall. It is not a stretch to suggest that Paul is expressing what the believer will experience - an immediate transition to God's presence - even though the weight of Scriptural shows that this is not what happens in a 3rd person objective sense. People speak in this sense all the time - "to put my exhausted head on the pillow at midnight is to wake to the chirping birds and streaming sunshine at 7 am".

 

[Free]

This thread is 5 years old almost to the day. :eeeekkk I think Drew is the only member of this discussion that is still on these forums.

 

[DiscipleDave]

Will We Go To Heaven As Soon As We Die?
By Billy Graham, Tribune Media Services

Q: Do you think we will go to heaven as soon as we die, or do we have to wait until the end of the world, when God will reunite our souls and bodies? I've always wondered about this. -- Mrs. M.K.

A: My own study of the Bible has convinced me that when a believer dies, he or she goes immediately into God's presence in heaven. As he looked forward to heaven's joys, the Apostle Paul put it this way: "We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8).

Please note, saying one prefers to be absent from the Body and present with the Lord, is NOT saying if you are absent from the Body you are present with the Lord.

There has been much confusion on this matter and many false doctrines being taught because of it. There is only two Judgement Days. When Christ returns and judges who will rise and who will not rise to be with Him, is the first Judgement. The second Judgement is the Great White Throne Judgement, when at the end of the 1000 years and the battle, All souls dead and alive will be judged, and sentenced to Hell and will be cast into Hell with satan and all his cohorts.

when a person dies, is NOT a JUDGEMENT DAY. What i mean is, when a person dies, they are not judged at the time of their death to determine if they get to go to Heaven or not. It is a common belief that when a person dies they immediately go to Heaven or to Hell. If that is the case, then they have to be judged right then in order to determine if they are going to Heaven or to Hell yes?
this is not Scriptural. What is Scriptural is when a person dies and they are a True Christian, they will sleep until Christ returns to get them, and those that are asleep will rise first, then the living afterwards. Scriptures do not teach a person is judged when they die. The Scriptures speak of a DAY that Jesus will judge who will go to Heaven and who will not, that is Judgement Day, where He will separate the good fish from the bad, the good trees from the bad ones, the lambs from the sheep, the unrighteous from the righteous.
i have much more Scriptural evidence that what i say above is the Truth, but won't go into details right now.

^i^

 

[Hitch]

Please note, saying one prefers to be absent from the Body and present with the Lord, is NOT saying if you are absent from the Body you are present with the Lord.

There has been much confusion on this matter and many false doctrines being taught because of it. There is only two Judgement Days. When Christ returns and judges who will rise and who will not rise to be with Him, is the first Judgement. The second Judgement is the Great White Throne Judgement, when at the end of the 1000 years and the battle, All souls dead and alive will be judged, and sentenced to Hell and will be cast into Hell with satan and all his cohorts.

when a person dies, is NOT a JUDGEMENT DAY. What i mean is, when a person dies, they are not judged at the time of their death to determine if they get to go to Heaven or not. It is a common belief that when a person dies they immediately go to Heaven or to Hell. If that is the case, then they have to be judged right then in order to determine if they are going to Heaven or to Hell yes?
this is not Scriptural. What is Scriptural is when a person dies and they are a True Christian, they will sleep until Christ returns to get them, and those that are asleep will rise first, then the living afterwards. Scriptures do not teach a person is judged when they die. The Scriptures speak of a DAY that Jesus will judge who will go to Heaven and who will not, that is Judgement Day, where He will separate the good fish from the bad, the good trees from the bad ones, the lambs from the sheep, the unrighteous from the righteous.
i have much more Scriptural evidence that what i say above is the Truth, but won't go into details right now.

^i^

And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of
them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they
held:





<sup class="versenum">10 </sup>And they cried with a
loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and
avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?





<sup class="versenum">11 </sup>And white robes were
given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest
yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren,
that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

These guys dont appear to be sleeping.

 

[DiscipleDave]

And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of
them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they
held:





<sup class="versenum">10 </sup>And they cried with a
loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and
avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?





<sup class="versenum">11 </sup>And white robes were
given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest
yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren,
that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

These guys dont appear to be sleeping.

When Jesus was crucified he went into the depths, to gather the souls that were there, All Christians that died or were killed prior to Jesus Christ rising from the dead, are these souls that Jesus took with Him at the time of His resurrection. Also we know through Scriptures that King Saul raised a prophet from his sleep and after he was dead, because he wanted counsel from him. At that time he was not asleep either.

^i^

 

[Hitch]

When Jesus was crucified he went into the depths, to gather the souls that were there, All Christians that died or were killed prior to Jesus Christ rising from the dead, are these souls that Jesus took with Him at the time of His resurrection. Also we know through Scriptures that King Saul raised a prophet from his sleep and after he was dead, because he wanted counsel from him. At that time he was not asleep either.

^i^

As per the Apocalypse these men are specific in their cry for vegeance, they died violently. And far more, many times more were martyred after Jesus left than before, and we can see from the text that the violence continues. Most likely these are mid to late first century martyrs. Regardless they are by no means sleeping.

 

[jasoncran]

:eeeekkk hello , for be absent in body is to be present with the lord.

yes theres a ressurection but for the believer that cost has been paid and we wont face that judgement. we will die but not face the judgment seat of christ(white throne)

 

[DiscipleDave]

As per the Apocalypse these men are specific in their cry for vegeance, they died violently. And far more, many times more were martyred after Jesus left than before, and we can see from the text that the violence continues. Most likely these are mid to late first century martyrs. Regardless they are by no means sleeping.

Greetings,
after Jesus rose from the dead and went to His Father, when a person that is a True Christian dies, or is killed they sleep, until Jesus Returns for them and the dead rise first, then and only then do they meet Jesus in the air, and will be with Him forever.

There is no scriptures that teach when a person dies, they immediately go to Heaven or immediately go to Hell. NONE. If there is, please reveal the Scriptures which teach this doctrine. If the doctrine (Once you die,you are JUDGED and then go to Heaven or to Hell) does not come from Scriptures, then where does it come from? Not from God, for God does not teach that doctrine. NOWHERE is it written that when a person dies they immediately are judged, go to Heaven or to Hell, then comes back on Judgement Day to be Judged again whether they are going to Heaven or to Hell, this simply is not Scriptural. Scriptures does not back up this doctrine.

For me, i will continue to believe the Word of God, which plainly teaches the dead in Christ sleep, unless there are Scriptures that teach otherwise.

^i^

 

[DiscipleDave]

:eeeekkk hello , for be absent in body is to be present with the lord.

yes theres a ressurection but for the believer that cost has been paid and we wont face that judgement. we will die but not face the judgment seat of christ(white throne)

Greetings,
Every person is judged, that is why Jesus said He will separate the good from the bad, He must judge them to be Good to know to separate them from the Bad. The wicked are the one not judged by the first judgement Day.

(KJV) Psalms 1:5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

The ungodly, (unsaved) are not judged, because they are unsaved and need not be judged, they are unsaved, there is no need to judge them on Judgement Day, because they are unsaved.

Please, please read Matthew 25:31-46. Most people do not understand these Scriptures, they will say it is Jesus separating the unsaved from the Saved, and this is not the Truth. Matthew 25:31-46 is where Jesus separates the sheep from the goats. BOTH of which call Jesus "LORD" These are Christians being judged by their works, as also does Scriptures teach we will be. Many claim to be Christian (goats) but only a few will be chosen (sheep). Scriptures can't be broken. It is clear that anyone who calls Jesus Lord it is by the Holy ghost that they are able to believe it. (I Cor 12:3) Both goats and sheep in Matthew 25:31-46 plainly call Jesus "LORD". The goats are those who claim to be Christians, believers in Christ, but do not walk the walk of a True Christian. The sheep are those who claim to be Christians, believers in Christ, and DO walk the walk of a True Christian.

Judgement Day is not to judge the unsaved, they are unsaved and their fate is already known because they are unsaved, non-believers. Every person who has accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord (become Saved, Born Again, etc.. ) These are who will be judged on Judgement Day, to determine who among all those who claim to be Christians will be taken with Him in the Rapture. Many are called to be Christians, but only a few will be chosen.

The great white Throne Judgement is when all the Unsaved will be judged, and they will be made to realize, why they are not going to Heaven, because of their own choice that they freely chose. It is at the Great White Throne Judgement when they will be judged as wicked and be cast into hell with satan and all his cohorts.

^i^

 

[DiscipleDave]

Someone has taken this topic to a bit of a tangent. Judgement was not mentioned in the OP as being needed before "immediately" going to heaven.

That is True, but if a person does indeed go to Heaven or to Hell at the time of their death, then they must have been judged to either go to the one or judged to go to the other.

The reason judgement was brought into this topic, is because there is no Scriptures that teach when a person dies, that the day of their death is Judgement Day, which would determine where that person is going. Therefore it should be simple to see, (by bringing up it is not Judgement Day at the time of death) to refute the belief that when a person dies they immediately go to Heaven, because that is NOT Judgment Day. Judgement Day is the day that will determine who will and who will not go to Heaven. That is what Judgement Day is all about. To Judge who is and who is not going to go.

Scriptures over and over again refers to this Day, and it is a Day, it is not at the time of a person death. If then it is NOT at the time of a persons death, then it would be evident that a person is NOT judged at death, therefore not going to Heaven nor to Hell, until they are judged, which will be on Judgement Day.

So personally and it is my belief, i believe the issue of judgment is very relevant to the topic which we are discussing.

^i^

 

[DiscipleDave]

Desciple Dave and Hitch, The rules of this site mandate that you can not use any source other than the Bible to substantiate your postion. Other sources may be takled ABOUT but never used to give credence to your position; only God's Word, the Bible is credible for this on this site.

Addtionally, If you quote the Bible you need to give the address/location and the Version it is from, every time.

We are ALL responsible to know this. It is in red at the very top of forum list at NOTIFICTIONS.

This helps to arrive at conclusions, otherwise it would be inpossible.

Greetings brother,
i have used no other source except the Bible. and as far as i know, i have given Scriptural references to verses that i bring up. If it is not to difficult, being that you are saying or implying that i have done this thing, that you would show me where i have done this, so that i may correct it. Thank you brother for pointing this out to me, if indeed i have done this thing.

^i^

 

[Free]

The ungodly, (unsaved) are not judged, because they are unsaved and need not be judged, they are unsaved, there is not need to judge them on Judgement Day, because they are unsaved.
.....
Judgement Day is not to judge the unsaved, they are unsaved and their fate is already known because they are unsaved, non-believers. Every person who has accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord (become Saved, Born Again, etc.. ) These are who will be judged on Judgement Day, to determine who among all those who claim to be Christians will be taken with Him in the Rapture. Many are called to be Christians, but only a few will be chosen.

The great white Throne Judgement is when all the Unsaved will be judged, and they will be made to realize, why they are not going to Heaven, because of their own choice that they freely chose. It is at the Great White Throne Judgement when they will be judged as wicked and be cast into hell with satan and all his cohorts.

Twice you appear to be contradicting yourself as to whether or not the unsaved are judged on Judgment Day.

 

[Free]

Greetings brother,
i have used no other source except the Bible. and as far as i know, i have given Scriptural references to verses that i bring up. If it is not to difficult, being that you are saying or implying that i have done this thing, that you would show me where i have done this, so that i may correct it. Thank you brother for pointing this out to me, if indeed i have done this thing.

^i^

The main thing to keep in mind when quoting Scripture is to give the version being quoted, unless it is in the public domain, as per the TOS:

2.8: All Bible verses and passages must be referenced (NASB, NIV, etc.) unless it is public domain like the KJV, YLT, etc.

Info on copyrights here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/