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The belief that you
immediately go to Heaven or to Hell is a false doctrine. Nowhere in
Scriptures does it teach that.
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I Corinthians 15:12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose
from
the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the
dead? 13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ
not risen: 14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our
preaching
vain, and your faith is also vain. 15 Yea, and we are found false
witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up
Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. 16 For
if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17 And if Christ be
not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
So we know that Jesus raised from the dead and is the basis for our
Faith in Him, likewise we know (I hope) that there will be a
resurrection of the dead. The question then is WHEN are the dead
resurrected. The false teaching today, is that resurrection takes place
at the time of death, but what do the Scriptures teach.
Lets continue with the next verse of
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I Corinthians 15:18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ
are perished.
We are talking about the dead, notice
Scriptures refer to
the dead in Christ as asleep, not in Heaven or Hell but asleep.
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20: But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits
of them that slept. (Who are these that are
asleep) 21
For since
by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23
But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they
that are Christ’s at his coming.
The last part of that
verse specifically tells us WHEN we will be resurrected and that is
only at His coming (the Rapture). Many other Scriptures confirm this as
well consider:
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I Thessalonians 4: 14 For if we believe
that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus
will God bring with him.
Again, who are those who sleep
in Jesus? These are not they who rise to go to Heaven immediately after
death, for these are sleeping. But these are they who die and are True
Christians, therefore these will sleep until the return of Christ.
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I Thessalonians 4: 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord,
that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall
not prevent them which are asleep.
Why would Apostle Paul
say this about the dead, if the dead go immediately to Heaven or Hell
when they die? Why is he teaching people that the dead are asleep, if
they are already in Heaven? Well he wouldn’t, but at the time Paul was
teaching this, people were concerned about the condition of people who
were already dead. Note that Paul could have very easily informed them
that the dead are in Heaven already or Hell for that matter, but he
doesn’t, he informs them that the dead are asleep. Even Jesus referred
to Lazarus as being asleep when he was dead for several days, notice
that Lazarus’ Spirit did not go to Heaven when he died, his Spirit was
asleep, while his body was dead (Joh
11:11-13). Paul assures them that
there is nothing any living person can do to change the outcome of
those who were already dead, and that those who died being a True
Christian would sleep and be risen when Christ comes back, we see this
being taught in the next verse:
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I Thessalonians 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 (last Trumpet): and the
dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord
in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
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I John
3: 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear
what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear
(Rapture), we
shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
On this
particular day when the Lord comes back for His people, where two shall
be in the field and one shall be taken and the other left (Mat
24:40-41)
which event we Christians call the Rapture or the Second Coming. Who
rises first to meet the Lord in the air? Those who have died, for I
Thess 4:16 states .. .. .. .. .. and the dead in Christ shall
rise
first. If then the dead rise first, that would mean they
have not gone
anywhere yet, they are still here with us, sleeping: as the Word says
they are.
There are no Scriptures that teach when a
person dies they immediately go to Heaven or immediately go to Hell.
Again let me say that again in bold and yelling THERE ARE NO SCRIPTURES THAT
TEACH WHEN A PERSON DIES THEY IMMEDIATELY GO TO HEAVEN.
Man teaches that, Scriptures do not teach that. Now there is one verse,
that brought about this false teaching, and is a verse that is used
frequently to support the ideal that when a person dies they
immediately go to Heaven or to Hell, and that verse is the one
concerning the thief on the cross to which Jesus answered him:
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Luke 23: 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day
shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Now it seems that Jesus told this man that he would be in Paradise with
Jesus TODAY. But is that what it really means? Tell me, is Jesus a
liar? God forbid! Why would Jesus tell this man “Today, you shall be
with Me in Paradise” when Jesus already knew and told His Disciples and
others that He would be in the heart of the Earth for three days and
three nights, Jesus said:
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Matthew 12: 40 For as Jonas was
three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of
man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
And many other verses state this as well. So we know at the time Jesus
spoke to the thief on the cross, that Jesus did NOT go into Paradise
that same day. We know through Scriptures that Jesus ascended to His
Father in Heaven after He was risen from the grave 3 days after He
was crucified, for He spoke to Mary the day He was risen and said
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John 20: 17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet
ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I
ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
So Jesus is a witness that He did not go to Paradise the same day He
was crucified, why then did Jesus say “Today, you shall be with Me in
Paradise”, when He did not go to Heaven that same day and we know He
didn’t. Is He a liar then? God forbid! Would you believe that problem
lies with punctuation, a comma? Hebrew and Greek did not use comma’s,
but in our Language a comma in the wrong place can change the meaning
of the entire sentence. When the King James Bible was being translated
into English, they merely put the comma in the wrong place, they
translated perfectly, however they simply put the comma in the wrong
place, instead of putting the comma before the word “Today” it should
have been put after the word “Today”. This is how it should have been
read:
“Verily I say unto thee today, shalt thou be with
me in Paradise” This would be a True Statement . “Verily I say unto
thee, today shalt thou be with Me in Paradise” This is contrary to
Scriptures and is not
the Truth.
If you are able to accept this Truth then
well, if not that’s OK too. Let us assume that Jesus did take the thief
to Heaven that same day (even though that is contrary to Scriptures)
this does not mean that it applies to all people. Jesus is the Son of
the Most High God, He could do whatever He wants, but just because He
takes the thief on the cross to Heaven (if that is the case, which we
know is not) does not mean everyone that dies immediately goes to
Heaven or to Hell, the thief was a special situation not the normal
situation. My point is, people who believe that you go to Heaven or to
Hell when you die can ONLY use this verse to back up that belief, and
that verse itself does not teach that it applies to everyone, all we
see is Jesus foretelling a single persons outcome. To assume it applies
to everyone because the thief went to Heaven when he died, is to assume
that everyone can walk on water. Jesus allowed Peter to walk on water,
does not mean everyone will walk on water, it, like the thief on the
cross, was a special situation.
If it is true that Jesus
allowed the thief to go to Heaven when he died DOES NOT MEAN EVERYONE
WILL ALSO GO TO HEAVEN (OR HELL) WHEN THEY DIE, It simply is not the
Truth.
Now consider Revelations Chapter 11 which talks
about the 7th trumpet being blown, when Christ will come back to the
Earth to gather His people, consider verse
- Rev
11:18 And the nations were
angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they
should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants
the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and
great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
At the last trumpet when Christ comes back is when “The time of the
dead shall be judged”. Tell me if a person dies 500 years before the
Rapture and they went to Heaven when they died, do they come back down
to the grave, so then at the Rapture they can rise first (AGAIN)(I
Thes 4:16) when Jesus Judges them again? According to
Scriptures, time
of the dead to be judged is when Christ comes back again, it is not at
the time of death, then again when Christ Returns.
If it
is true that when you die, you are immediately judged, either to be a
Christian or not a Christian, why would there be a need for that person
to be judged yet again during the Rapture?
Also if a
person immediately goes to Heaven or Hell when they die, who then are
those that sleep is Christ until He Returns? If everyone goes to Heaven
or Hell when they die, who would be sleeping?
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I
Corinthians 15: 51 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all
sleep, but we shall all be changed,(something other then
the flesh we
have now) 52 In a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump
(the 7th Trumpet): for
the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (Glorified
bodies, our
Spiritual bodies (I
Cor
15:44)).
When shall the dead be
raised? At the Rapture. When shall the dead be changed? At the Rapture.
When shall the dead be Judged? At the Rapture.
If it is a
common belief that when a person dies they immediately go to Heaven or
they immediately go to Hell, (even though there is no Scriptural
support whatsoever for this belief), are there any Scriptures that
clearly teach contrary to this belief. How about Jesus Himself saying.
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John 3: 13 And NO MAN hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down
from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
So
then according to the Words of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, As of
right now only Jesus has ascended into Heaven, Not even King David
himself is in Heaven and Scriptures says this about King David:
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I King 2:10 So David slept with his fathers, and was buried
in the city of David.
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I King 15: 5 Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the
LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the
days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
If anybody should have gone to Heaven after they died, it should have
been King David, yet Scriptures teach that David is still with us, and
he did not ascend into Heaven.
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Acts 2: 29 Men and
brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he
is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
... 30.. ... 31. .. . . 32. .. .. .33 .. .
.. 34 For
David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith
himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
Notice Luke is saying this statement many years AFTER Christ was
crucified, risen, and ascended into Heaven. Luke is saying that David
is still here, still dead (well asleep), AND in verse 34, we
see
Luke teaching that David did NOT go to Heaven (vs 34) because he is
still here (vs 29)
- Acts 2: 34 For David is not
ascended
into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit
thou on my right hand, 35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.
So then Scriptures reveals that the Patriarch David (who did all things
right save one) did not go to
Heaven when he died, and he is still here. Why was he not risen
immediately after death? Because Judgment Day is not until Christ
Returns, the time of the dead is not until the Rapture.
Let us consider what Martha said, being one who was taught
by Jesus Himself.
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John 11: 23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. 24
Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the
resurrection at the last day. (the Rapture)
How did she
KNOW this? Because it is what Jesus and the Apostles taught over and
over again. Notice Martha did not believe that he was already in
Heaven, but knew he would rise in the last days. Other verses where
Jesus is quoted as raising up people in the last days are:
- John
6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one
which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life:
and I will raise him up at the last day. (He does not
raise them to Heaven when they die, but raises them at the Rapture)
- John
6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent
me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. (When
does Jesus raise people up to Heaven? at the last day, the Rapture)
- John
6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath
eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
(When are they raised up? at the last day, NOT when they die)
Jesus nor any of the Apostles
taught that when a person dies they immediately go to Heaven or to Hell
for that matter. This is a false doctrine of the Nicolaitans, based on
false
interpretations, and is contrary to Scriptures.
- John 5:
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that
are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they
that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have
done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
And
according to Scriptures again and again, this takes place at the Last
Day, the Day of Judgment, the Second Coming of Christ, or what
Christians refer to this day as the Rapture.
During the Rapture the dead shall rise first, that is
because they have not gone anywhere yet.
Many people who grasp onto the false doctrine that once you die you
immediately go to Heaven, like to use the parable of the rich man and
Lazarus found in Luke 16:19-31 to try to justify their own belief of
this false doctrine. But the Truth is, it is a parable. Abraham's bosom
is not Heaven, and Abraham is not THE FATHER. A person is rewarded for
their deeds at Christ’s Second Coming, not at death (Rev
22:11-12).
Also the unsaved are sent to Hell at the end of this world, not when
they die. (Mat 13:41-42). It even starts out sounding exactly like a
parable consider:
- Luke
12: 16 And he spake a parable unto them,
saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: … …
… (Parable)
- Luke
14: 16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper,
and bade many: … … … (Parable)
- Luke
15: 11 And he said, A certain man had two sons: 12 And the younger of
them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that
falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. … … …
(Parable)
- Luke
16: 1 And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich
man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had
wasted his goods. … … … (Parable)
- Luke
19: 12 He said therefore,
A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a
kingdom, and to return. … … … (Parable)
- Luke
16: 19 There was a
certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared
sumptuously every day: 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus,
which was laid at his gate, full of sores, … … …(Parable)
All these are Parables, to change a parable and say it is an incident
that actually took place for real, just to make it fit with your own
false beliefs, is against God and is not the Truth. There is nothing at all
that would indicate that the story of a certain rich man and Lazarus,
was a real event that took place. But in context with all of the book
of Luke, it most certainly indicates that it is a Parable. Leave it to
this generation to change a verse that sounds like a parable, looks
like a parable, written like a parable, and say it is not a parable and
claim it was a real event to support their false belief that when a person dies they immediately go to Heaven or Hell.
To believe that a person immediately goes to Heaven or to Hell when
they die, is to believe what man teaches, not what Scriptures teaches.
Scriptures over and over again teach that there is a specific day that
everyone will be judged to see if they are going to Heaven or Hell, and
that day IS NOT at the time of death, but that day according to
Scriptures is Judgment Day, the Day the Lord Jesus will return to the
Earth to gather His people, His Church unto Him. This is the day that
everyone will be judged, the dead and the living will be judged on this
day, and not any time before this day. Judgment Day is the day when a
person will go to Heaven or not go to Heaven. The time of death of a
human is NOT
Judgment Day. The time of death is not when a person is judged to go to
Heaven or to Hell. To believe that, is to believe the teachings of men,
to believe that, is to believe a false doctrine of the 21st century, to
believe that makes you a Nicolaitan Christian, believing things
contrary to Scriptures.
The ONLY day that determines who will go to Heaven and who will not go
to Heaven is the Day the Books are opened, and if your name is written
in the Book of Life, on that day the Books are opened, is the day that
you go to Heaven. No person who dies prior to that day goes to Heaven.
PERIOD.
King David died around 970 BC. Lets
hypothetically say Jesus Rapture happens in 2024. One Day King David is
lying on his bed in 970 BC and dies. The very next second it is 2024
and Jesus is raising him from the dead. To King David mere seconds have
passed from 970 BC when he died till the time Jesus took him up in
2024. Thousands of years has passed but to him it was mere seconds. Sleep knows no time!
Do not hearken to the Nicolaitans which teach when a person dies they
immediately go to Heaven or to Hell. That doctrine is nowhere in
Scriptures but comes from satan. There is ONLY one Judgment Day that
determines where a person will go, and that Day is NOT the day a person
dies, but is the Day that Jesus Christ returns to the Earth to set up
His Kingdom on Earth. That is the ONLY Day that determines who is and
who is not going to Heaven.
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