HEAVEN
Do we go to heaven when we die?
John 3:13 “no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.”
This verse is very clear saying that no one has gone to heaven except Jesus who came down from heaven to die for our sins. Not Abraham, David, Noah or any of the prophets and patriarchs.
Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
They didn’t receive the promise—they didn’t go to heaven.
What was the promise?
The bible talks about there being resurrection. Why would there be a need for the resurrection of the dead if we were already in heaven?
The bible tells us that when we die it is as if we are sleeping awaiting for that resurrection.
Acts 13:36 For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:
Acts 24:15 And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.
1 Thes 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Okay, so what happens after the resurrection, do we go to heaven then? I know there are beliefs that when Christ returns the saints will go to heaven with Him and there will be no one left alive on earth. But is this true?
Why would Christ have to return if we are all going up to heaven anyway. He could just miraculously bring us all up there.
In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus prayed “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
When will this kingdom come? Daniel prophesied that God would set up a kingdom that would never be destroyed at the end times.
Dan 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Where will this kingdom be?
Christ prayed that God’s kingdom would come and right after He prayed that God’s will would be done on earth as in heaven. God’s will is not being done on earth today and will not be done until His kingdom comes and Christ prayed that His will would be done “on earth”. So, the kingdom of God will be on earth.
Another interesting point is that Christ prayed “thy kingdom come”. He didn’t say bring us to your kingdom in heaven.
The kingdom OF heaven meaning it will come from heaven not be in heaven.
Mat 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
This verse does not say we are going to heaven only that God is reserving our reward to give to us when we are resurrected to be in His kingdom when Christ returns to earth.
Mat 7:21 Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
It says “kingdom of heaven” and then “my Father which is in heaven” Why the difference?
Luke 10:20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
Our names are written in heaven (in the book of life) but we are not there. The patriarchs, David, Noah, Moses etc. must all be written in the book of life but as we saw earlier, they have not yet received the promises.
Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Christ said the “meek would inherit the earth” Matt 5:5
David said the same thing in Psa 37:11
Multiple times in Psalm 37 David mentions that the meek and righteous will inherit the earth and verse 18 says this inheritance shall be forever.
The following verses in Revelation are a vision not literal.
Rev 20:4-7 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
If we are going to rule with Christ for one thousand years, who are we going to rule? It doesn’t make sense that we would be ruling heaven. Which means that there must be others on earth that we will be ruling.
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Zechariah tells us that there will be a time in the future when all nations will be required to worship at Jerusalem. These are nations on the earth during the thousand years when the saints will rule with Christ. These verses in Zechariah obviously foretell a time that has not happened yet and will not happen until God’s kingdom is set up on earth.
Zech 14:16-19 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.
And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
There will be nations on the earth that will be deceived by Satan when he is released after the thousand years.
Rev 20:7-10 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
So, after the 1000 year reign of Christ and the saints on earth Satan is released for a short time and he is allowed to deceive the nations so that God will know who will truly follow Him.
Also, at the end of the 1000 years, the second resurrection and the white throne judgement will occur.
Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.
Rev 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.
Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
New Jerusalem
Rev 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Why would New Jerusalem come down from heaven to be on earth if we were all going to live in heaven? This is when God the Father comes down to be with us.
Rev 21:3 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.
So, God is going to reside in New Jerusalem on earth after the one thousand year reign of Christ and the saints–not in heaven.
What a wonderful time that will be. Satan will be no more. His influence gone forever. Those who refuse to obey God will be thrown into the lake of fire and the rest of mankind, at the second resurrection, who are written in the Book of Life will be changed into spirit.
What awaits us after that? The Bible doesn’t really tell us but we can be sure it will be incredible.
1 Cor 2:9 “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
Leave a Reply