Are They in Heaven Looking Down Immediately After Death
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Are They in Heaven Looking Down? You Decide
Are they in Heaven looking down? That question about the dead has been answered in the affirmative many times. It seems that I have heard expressions to that affect all my life (I am now 80 + years old), and monitoring of social media in the current age provides ample statements of belief that upon death the soul is transported directly to Heaven to be with the Lord. During the very early years I pretty much accepted the statements as fact. However, as I advanced in age and study of the Holy Bible, my acceptance of the statements as supported fact began to change. I considered and accepted the statements as the sincere belief and opinion of the speaker about the dead person’s goodness and justification for Heaven and the presence of the Lord. Some have said “what difference does it make,” and I cannot disagree with that attitude because it is something we cannot control or prove one way or another. In pursuit of Biblical support for the belief of immediate ascent I found some support, some support for the opposing belief, and some personal confusion. Immediate ascent is in conflict with my long-held understanding of death, the second coming of Jesus Christ, judgment, Heavenly rewards for righteous living, and punishment for the wicked. When I become aware of important, conflicting information it instills an urge in me to try to resolve the differing opinions or versions. In this effort, regarding the current question, I recently went to an authority to find an address of this subject, the website of Dallas Theological Seminary. My purpose in writing this article is not to prove my view, but to stimulate additional research and study by you, the reader, to form your own studied view.
Doctrine Statement from Dallas Theological Seminary Re: Ascension to Heaven Immediately at Death
Article XXI — The Eternal State
We believe that at death the spirits and souls of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation pass immediately into His presence and there remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the glorified body when Christ comes for His own, whereupon soul and body reunited shall be associated with Him forever in glory; but the spirits and souls of the unbelieving remain after death conscious of condemnation and in misery until the final judgment of the great white throne at the close of the millennium, when soul and body reunited shall be cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated, but to be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power (Luke 16:19–26; 23:42; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 2 Thess. 1:7–9; Jude 6–7; Rev. 20:11–15).
Basis for Author’s Analysis and Position
As previously stated, my purpose in writing this article is not to prove my view or position, but to provide its basis based on my interpretations of biblical scripture. In scripture references below, I have tried to provide the verses in the sequence provided in the referenced Holy Bible. However, the scripture central to the analysis is:
John 14:1–3
In verses 2-3 no mention is made by Jesus of intermediate ascension of believers into the presence of God or Jesus prior to Jesus’s Second Coming.
Two verses which seem to explicitly address the current question are Luke 16:22-23, where Jesus speaks and says:
Luke 16:22-23, KJV5.
Commentary to the 2 verses states:
The Talmud mentions both paradise and Abraham’s bosom as the home of the righteous. Abraham’s bosom refers to the place of blessedness to which the righteous dead go to await future vindication. Its bliss is the quality of blessedness reserved for people like Abraham. Simply put, it is being with Abraham.
Hell is described as the place to which the wicked dead go to await the final judgment. That torment begins in Hades is evident from the plight of the rich man. The location of Abraham’s bosom is not specified, but it is separated from Hades by an impassable chasm. It could be the distance that separates heaven from hell. Hades includes the torment that characterizes hell. Some understand Jesus’ description of Abraham’s side and Hades in a less literal way.
Also of special interest in this analysis are the Biblical events that describe resurrections of the dead. Reference King James Version5:
The widow of Zarephath’s son (1 Kings 17:17–24).
The Shunammite woman’s son (2 Kings 4:18–37).
The man raised out of Elisha’s grave (2 Kings 13:20–21).
The widow’s son in Nain (Luke 7:11–17).
Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8:52–56).
Lazarus of Bethany (John 11:38-44).
Various saints in Jerusalem (Matthew 27:50–53).
Tabitha (Acts 9:36–43).
Eutychus (Acts 20:7–12).
Jesus (Mark 16:1–8).
In the explicit events described, there are no references to the path taken between death and resurrection. They were dead for varying lengths of time and then they were resurrected. If the above subjects ascended immediately to Heaven to be with the Lord, were they returned to earth after seeing the face of God? And did they ever give accounts of their Heavenly observations?
Some writers even question where Jesus was during his death for three days. Bible verses5 related to events at the cross that involve this mystery of ascension include:
Luke 23:43, KJV
1 Pete 3:18-19, KJV
Matthew 27:46, KJV
Luke 23:46, KJV
John 19:30, KJV
Spirit, Soul, and Body?
What are the components of the human being? Are they spirit, soul, and body? Resolution of this question is basic to interpretation of the immediate ascension at death question. Zondervan academic writings describe three main Christian views on the soul and spirit.
- Three parts: body, soul, and spirit – trichotomy.
- Two parts: body and soul – dichotomy.
- One part: the body – monism.
Biblical References to Life after Death
The source for the following verses related to what happens after death are from the Zondervan King James Version Study Bible. Note that spelling, sentence construction, and punctuation does not conform to current standards and may appear to be in error.
Genesis 2:7
2 Kings 20:1
Job 14:1-2
Job 14:12
Job 17:13
Daniel 12:2
1 Thessalonians 5:23
Hebrews 4:12
2 Timothy 4:22
1 Peter 3:20
John 5:25
John 5:28-29
John 11:11–14
John 11:25
John 14:1–3
Ecclesiastes 9:5-6
Ecclesiastes 12:7
Psalms 13:3
Psalms 104:29
Psalms 115:17
Psalms 146:4
Acts 2:29
Acts 2:34
Acts 7:60
1 Timothy 6:15-16
Romans 2:7
1 Corinthians 15:50–54
2 Corinthians 5:6-8
1 Thessalonians 4:14-17
2 Thessalonians 1:7–9
Luke 8:52-56
Luke 16:19-31
Philippians 1:23-24
Zondervan Study Bible commentary states the following:
1:23-24 Depart, and to be with Christ…abide in the flesh. Either alternative was a good one. While mysteries remain, this passage clearly teaches that when believers die they are with Christ, apart from the body.
1:23 far better. Being with Christ after death must involve some kind of conscious presence and fellowship (cf. 2 Cor 5:6,8).
1:24 more needful for you. Paul puts the needs of those he ministers to ahead of his personal preference.
Jude 6–7
Luke 23:42
Revelation 20:11–15
The Great White Throne Judgment
Perspective from a practicing Minister
Dr. Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church, Dallas, TX, approaches the current subject in his book “A Place Called Heaven: 10 Surprising Truths about Your Eternal Home.11” His approach includes:
However, the most complete explanation of what happens to a believer the moment he or she dies is found in 2 Corinthians 5:6-8. (p. 85).
Until the new heaven and the new earth are completed, all Christians who die are immediately transported into the presence of God–the third heaven. The apostle Paul is clear that at the rapture all Christians will receive their new, glorified bodies in which they will live for eternity. “All Christians” includes those Christians who died prior to the rapture (“the dead in Christ,” as Paul calls them), as well as those Christians who are alive at the rapture and never experience death: (1 Thess. 4:16-18). (p. 87).
Resolution of the Subject Question
Are They in Heaven Looking Down?
On the basis of the above research, I say “no.” You decide on the basis of your own understanding of the Biblical references. I am certainly not qualified to override the opinions of the theological scholars. However, I believe the preponderance of the references do not support immediate ascent upon death. This is, I believe, supported by The Revelation to John (Book of Revelation) in the Holy Bible. I suggest a complete study of Revelation in order to digest the chain of events that are predicted in John’s dream of Revelation by God, to Jesus, to the Angel, to John, to the seven churches, to the messengers of the churches.
This takes us from the beginning:
Genesis 2:7
To the ending:
Revelation 20:11–15
The Great White Throne Judgment
The subject of ascendancy to Heaven is further examined in the article “Heavenly Ascendancy Rapture Second Coming.”
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