Yesterday I attended the funeral of a friend. This man was a deacon of the Missionary Baptist Church he attended and brother of the pastor. He was well known and respected in the community where he lived and as a result his funeral was well attended. Several pastors from community churches spoke at this occasion. Without exception all of them described the deceased as being in heaven with God. I am sure all but my wife and I accepted this as true; but is it really true? I saw his remains in a casket and I saw that casket lowered into the ground and covered with earth. I know for certain his remains are in “hell”, my Bible’s word for grave. Why then do most believe he is in heaven?
It stems, at least in part, from the pagan belief that we all have immortal souls and at death the soul is separated from the body and either ascends to heaven or descends to a fiery hell. But our Bible’s don’t tell us we have immortal souls, it tells us we are souls and that soul is mortal.
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Genesis 2:7 (KJV)
Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. Ezekiel 18:4 (KJV)
The Bible does speak of a spirit in man through which God imparts knowledge or the essence of our cognizance.
But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. Job 32:8 (KJV)
So what really does happen at death? Does the Bible have an explanation? Yes!
Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:
In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,
And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;
Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
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.
Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 (KJV)
A paraphrased version from The Message reads:
Honor and enjoy your Creator while you’re still young, Before the years take their toll and your vigor wanes,
Before your vision dims and the world blurs And the winter years keep you close to the fire.
In old age, your body no longer serves you so well. Muscles slacken, grip weakens, joints stiffen. The shades are pulled down on the world.
You can’t come and go at will. Things grind to a halt. The hum of the household fades away. You are wakened now by bird-song.
Hikes to the mountains are a thing of the past. Even a stroll down the road has its terrors. Your hair turns apple-blossom white, Adorning a fragile and impotent matchstick body. Yes, you’re well on your way to eternal rest, While your friends make plans for your funeral.
Life, lovely while it lasts, is soon over. Life as we know it, precious and beautiful, ends.
The body is put back in the same ground it came from. The spirit returns to God, who first breathed it. Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 (MSG)
The first lie ever told was Satan saying the soul (Eve) wouldn’t die.
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: Genesis 3:4 (KJV)
But death is certain and we all know it. In addition the Bible teaches the dead know nothing, their memories are erased.
For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Ecclesiastes 9:5 (KJV)
For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks? Psalm 6:5 (KJV)
Another reason many have come to believe saved individuals ascend to heaven is a much misunderstood passage about the “thief on the cross” In the Book of Luke. Most assume the thief ascended to heaven the very day he died. Two separate issues arise in my mind when studying this passage. The first being that Jesus did not promise heaven, he promised paradise. The second issue is the punctuation of the passage itself. Let’s look at the verse in the authorized version of the Bible.
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. Luke 23:43 (KJV)
Notice the comma preceding today. With the comma in that location Jesus appears to be saying this very day you will be with me in paradise. By placing the comma following today the entire meaning of what Jesus said changes. Jesus, emphasizing the gravity of the moment says “Verily I say unto you today, shall thou be with me in paradise”. Now in the original Greek of the day there was no use of punctuation, which means the comma was supplied at the discretion of the translator. Is it possible that the translator got it wrong? Let us pursue that line on investigation.
Jesus said the thief would be with him in paradise and the question then becomes when, today or sometime in the future. Where did Jesus go after he succumbed that day? Paul clearly says he was buried and rose on the third day.
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (KJV)
And Peter making reference to David’s 16th Psalm said this:
He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. Acts 2:31 (KJV)
The Greek word translated “hell” is hades which really means grave. In any event, it’s clear, Jesus was not in paradise. It is true that the day after his resurrection he rose briefly to heaven to his father, but that would have been four days too late if he told the thief that today they would be in paradise. Where is paradise anyway? Is it heaven? We find the answer in the last book of the Bible.
Jesus while giving instructions to be passed on to the Church at Ephesus said the tree of life was located in God’s paradise.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. Revelation 2:7 (KJV)
Later in the chapter John was given a vision of the holy city of new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven.
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. Revelation 21:1-3 (KJV)
Later still we find the location of the “tree of life” and the “paradise of God”.
And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Revelation 22:1-2 (KJV)
If the tree of life is in the paradise of God and we find that tree in new Jerusalem it holds that there also resides God’s paradise. Since New Jerusalem does not come down from heaven until after the millennium, The thief nor Jesus is in paradise today it is yet a future event and its location will be Earth not heaven.
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