Why is it that popular Christianity tells people that when they die they will go straight to heaven? I have been unable to find any Scriptural support for such a teaching. In fact, the Messiah tells us plainly that no one has gone to Heaven yet.
"No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven." (John 3:13)
Peter also confirms this when he explains that not even King David has ascended yet:
"Brothers, I may tell you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day... For David did not ascend into the heavens..." (Acts 2:29-34)
What about Elijah?
The first question that people always ask is, "What about Elijah? The Bible says that he was taken into heaven in a chariot of fire." It is true that the Bible tells us he was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire, but it does not tell us which heaven he was taken into. You might not realize it, but the Bible actually talks about three heavens. In 2 Corinthians 12:2, Paul mentions the "third heaven" specifically.
In Hebrew, the word heaven is "shamayim" and in Greek it is "ouranos", but both words can mean sky, universe, or heaven.
The first heaven:
The first heaven spoken of in Scripture is the sky, or atmosphere of earth. It is the place where the birds fly, the clouds form, and the mountain tops touch. There are dozens of places in the Bible where this heaven is spoken of, and it has nothing to do with the abode of God. A good example of this is found in Genesis 1:26 in which "birds of heaven" is typically translated "birds of the air".
The second heaven:
The second heaven is what we commonly call "outer space" or the "universe". It is the celestial heaven, the place where the sun, moon, and stars reside. We can find reference to this in Deuteronomy 4:19, which references heaven containing the sun, moon, and stars.
The third heaven:
The third heaven is the dwelling place of the Almighty. Also referred to as the "heaven of heavens", or the "highest heaven" in Deuteronomy 10:14, it is the place where the Messiah is seated at the right hand of the Father. This is the heaven to which Messiah was referring when he said that "no one has ascended into heaven except He who came down from heaven".
Since it is difficult to know for sure which heaven Elijah was taken up into, we must take into consideration what the rest of Scripture tells us. Some people are unaware of the fact that Elijah sent a letter to King Jehoram ten years after his fiery chariot ride (2 Chronicles 21:12). It seems obvious that he was still living on the earth at this time, so he must not have ascended out of the earth's atmosphere. This means he was only taken into the first heaven (the sky), and was transported somewhere else. We see a similar story to this in Acts 8:39, when Phillip is transported 30 miles away by the Holy Spirit.
What about the Thief on the cross?
The next argument people have is about the thief who spoke with Yeshua on the cross. They say that this interaction proves that the thief went to heaven with Yeshua that day. We need to realize three very important things when looking at this event.
- There are no commas in the original Greek text, they were added by translators. Punctuation can make a huge difference in how someone understands a text (Example: "Let's eat grandma" or "Let's eat, grandma"). If the comma was placed in a different location, it would say, "Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise". Do you see the difference? By moving the comma, it becomes "today I tell you..." instead of "today you will be..."
- Also, notice that he says "paradise" not "heaven". These are two very different Greek words, paradise refers to a garden, while heaven refers to the sky, the universe, or the throne of God. Many people think that he is referring to "Abraham's bosom"in Sheol, which is described by Yeshua in his story about Lazarus and the rich man. When Lazarus died, he was with Abraham in Abraham's bosom, and the rich man was not in that safe place with them.
- The most important thing to consider is that Yeshua was NOT in Heaven the day He died. He died, and was buried for three days, and rose from the dead on the third day, and after that he ascended into Heaven. Remember that he told Mary, "Do not touch me, because I have not yet ascended to my Father" (John 20:17). So, if Yeshua had not yet ascended into Heaven, then it is impossible for him to have been with the thief in Heaven on the day he died.
Comfort in the resurrection
When someone we know dies, people attempt to comfort us with words like, "he is in a better place now", or "he is smiling down from heaven at us right now", or "he is walking with Jesus on the clouds of heaven". Where do these ideas come from? Is there any Scriptural basis for such claims? Why do people attempt to comfort each other with such things?
The Bible gives us a very different approach to comfort those who have lost a loved one. We are told to comfort each other with the hope of the resurrection. Consider the words of Paul in 1 Thessalonians:
"But we don't want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, so that you don't grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Yeshua died and rose again, even so those who have fallen asleep in Yeshua will God bring with him. For this we tell you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left to the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the chief angel, and with God's shofar. The dead in Messiah will rise first, then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
Why are we told to comfort each other with the hope of the resurrection if our loved ones are already in heaven? That seems a bit strange to me. Also, if we are told to comfort each other with the hope of the resurrection, then why do so many people insist on trying to comfort us with wishes that they are in heaven? We shouldn't speak lies to comfort people. We need to comfort them with the truth.
At this point, some people will say, "why does it even matter?" It matters because Satan is the "father of lies" and "the truth will set us free". We should always want to seek the truth, and expose lies. Also, we don't want to participate in the spreading of lies.
Why is the resurrection so important?
It is the fulfillment of God's promise that we will live. We have been told that our eternal life is in some spiritual realm of existence, but the Bible speaks of a physical life on earth. In fact, it talks about God bringing His throne down to earth to live with us here.
Yeshua said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he die, yet will he live." (John 11:25)
To believe in Yeshua is to believe in the resurrection of the dead. The resurrection is central to the Gospel message, and unfortunately it has been severely neglected in Christian preaching and teaching over the years. Preachers have been focused on Heaven and Hell, instead of the life that we have through Yeshua and the resurrection that he will bring at his return.
Yes most assuredly, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Messiah Yeshua, my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and count them nothing but refuse, that I may gain Messiah 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Messiah, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed to his death; 11 if by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
"Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Messiah Yeshua, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish... that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead." (Philippians 3:8-11)
Paul is putting everything on the resurrection! He said that everything else is rubbish and a loss that he might attain to the resurrection of the dead. How is it that Paul is this passionate about a subject that almost no one in the Church is even talking about? Look at the way Paul emphasizes the resurrection in his letter to the Corinthians.
"Now if Messiah is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Messiah is not risen. And if Messiah is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty... And if Messiah is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Messiah have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Messiah, we are of all men the most pitiable." (1Corinthians 15:12-17)
Paul is saying that if there is no resurrection of the dead, then we only have hope in this life, and if all we have is hope in this life, then we are to be pitied. In fact, he says that if there is no resurrection, then we are all still dead in our sins. The Resurrection is the most important aspect of the Gospel message, and yet it is almost never talked about among believers. Read the book of Acts, and see how often they talk about the resurrection, and notice that it is because of the his preaching the resurrection that Paul is put on trial.
"But now Messiah is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Messiah all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Messiah the firstfruits, afterward those who are Messiah's at His coming." (1Corinthians 15:20-23)
This verse is very important, because it sums up the importance of the resurrection and when it will take place. Messiah was resurrected on the day of "FirstFruits" according to Leviticus 23, FirstFruits is the day after the weekly Sabbath that follows Passover (in other words, the Sunday after Passover). Messiah is the first to be resurrected, and we who are with him will also be resurrected when he returns.
The Catholic church displays the crucifix with Messiah's body still hanging on the cross, a symbol of death and sorrow, but it is the empty tomb that we should rejoice about. If Messiah did not resurrect, then his death was nothing, and we have no hope.
The Muslims claim that he did not really die, so he could not have resurrected. They claim that someone else hung on the cross in his place, and then the body was stolen from the tomb, and a rumor was spread about his resurrection. This is a flat lie and denial of the power of God to raise the dead! And as Paul said, anyone who denies the resurrection is dead in their sins. The Muslims deny the resurrection because they understand what it really means, and they don't want to accept it. Because if Yeshua has been resurrected, then the Muslim faith is a fraud.
When I was in college, we watched a video of a Christian apologist arguing with a Muslim apologist, and I noticed that the Muslim continued to attack the resurrection, while the Christian kept changing the subject. I wondered why he did not defend the resurrection, or try to prove that Messiah had actually resurrected. I felt like the Christian had actually lost that argument because he did not deal with the most important issue of the Gospel message - the resurrection.
My prayer is that this post will bring encouragement and hope to those who read it. The resurrection of the dead is probably the most important topic in the Bible, and is vital to our salvation. If we are not resurrected, then we remain dead in our sins. I want to encourage you to follow the example of Paul, and make every effort to attain the resurrection of the dead.
By the way, I was asked to speak at my Grandfather's funeral recently, and after I spoke about the hope of the Resurrection, I had a wonderful response from everyone who was there. Many people said that they were not familiar with the Great Resurrection and they were very encouraged by those words.
Blessings to you as you continue to UNLEARN the lies we have inherited.