Heaven
Part Three
Now, we must realize that in order to be in this "3rd heaven," the person needs to be alive. God does not take dead people to Paradise. The hope for the dead is in a resurrection to life.
God refers to the dead in Christ as sleeping... waiting for the resurrection.
Let us see the examples:
Acts 13:36
For David, after he had served the purpose of
God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers
and underwent
decay.
1 Corinthians 11:30
That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have
fallen asleep.
1 Corinthians 15:6
After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at
the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen
asleep.
1 Corinthians 15:20
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of
those who have fallen asleep.
Christ was
raised from the dead. In
this we hope -- to be raised
from the dead just as He was. Jesus is the firstfruits of those
that will
be resurrected to spirit.
The question remains:
What about heaven? Isn't this the place that has been promised for the faithful? What does the Bible say?
Here are the words of Paul, several years after the death of Christ:
Acts 26:6-8
And now I am standing trial for the hope of
the promise made by God to our fathers;
the promise to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they
earnestly serve God night and day. And for this hope, O King, I am
being accused by Jews.
Why is it considered incredible among you people if GOD DOES RAISE THE
DEAD?
2 Timothy
1:1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will
of God, according to the promise of life in Christ
Jesus,
James 1:12
Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been
approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised
to those who love Him.
So the promise is to be raised to
life from the dead. And when will we receive our reward -- the
crown of life?
Luke 14:13-14
But when you give a
reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind.
And you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you;
for you will be REPAID AT THE RESURRECTION OF THE RIGHTEOUS.
Revelation
11:18
And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath
came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the
TIME TO REWARD Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those
who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who
destroy the
earth.
Revelation 22:12
Behold, I am coming quickly, and MY REWARD is
with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.
Therefore, Christians will be rewarded with eternal life AFTER the Wrath of God when Yeshua returns to this Earth. When He returns to the Earth, the nations will fight against Him causing the Battle of Armageddon. After the battle, the dead in Christ will rise, and the Christians who remain alive will be changed from a mortal body to an immortal spiritual body. At this time is when they receive their reward.
1
Thessalonians 4:15-17
For this we say to you by the word of
the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the
Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the DEAD IN
CHRIST WILL RISE first.
Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them
in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be
with the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 5:10
He died for us so that, whether we are awake
or asleep, we may live together with him.
The dead in Christ rise first. They rise from the tombs, where they have been in a state of rest all this time. In the graves the dead have no conscience of the elapsed time.
Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with
your might; for there is no work, nor device, nor
knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, where you are going.
John 5:28
Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming,
in which all
WHO ARE IN THE TOMBS will hear His voice.
The dead, as the Holy Bible shows, are NOT in heaven. Therefore, they do not come back from heaven as spirits. They are resurrected to spirit FROM THEIR GRAVES and then they go to meet Christ in the air.
The rest of the Christians who are alive at the time of Jesus' return are then changed to spirit.
Romans 8:11
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from
the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will
also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in
you.
1 Corinthians 15:53
For this perishable must put on the
imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.
In conclusion,
the Bible talks about FOUR DIFFERENT HEAVENS.
1) The air where birds fly
2) Outer space
3)
Paradise - the place where Paul's friend went to and where the tree of
life is. This is probably the place where Enoch and Elijah are.
4) God's throne - the place where
no flesh can enter, only spirit beings.
The sacrifice of Yeshua our Lord pays for our sins so we can obtain eternal life. Eternal life is the gift of God. Nobody has eternal life of himself. The reward of eternal life is given at the RETURN of Yeshua our Lord. At that time, the dead in Christ are RESURRECTED to a spiritual body that cannot die, and the Christians that are still alive are changed to spirit. Then the Kingdom of God is established on this Earth and the Millennium starts.
We pray that you will believe the words of Yeshua and obey YHVH so that He will grant you the blessings of His promise.
Shalom!