Gone to Heaven?
By John F. Weston

Contrary to popular belief, our loved ones whom have died have not gone to heaven. It is apparently for the comfort of the living that the untruths of "died and gone to heaven", "called home to be with the Lord", and "gone to that big (whatever) in the sky" were invented. But these comforting ideas couldn't be further from the truth and are not in accordance with the word of God.

In TRUTH, those whom have died are at "rest" or "asleep" in the ground and awaiting the resurrection at the last day. They are not conscious nor haunting places nor watching over us in our times of need or trouble. Nor can they be contracted through spiritualists or mediums, and anything that claims to be the spirit of a lost loved one is nothing more than a demon of Satan or the product of a con being perpetrated by the professed spiritualists or mediums.

Scripture is perfectly clear with regard to the status of the dearly departed and of their future resurrection:

King David was the greatest king of Israel and was described as the apple of God's eye. Yet Scripture tells us that even one as great as King David is not yet in heaven.

*"Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the Patriarch David died and was buried and his tomb is here to this day."—Acts 2:34 (NIV)
*"For David did not ascend to Heaven..."—Acts 2:34 (NIV)

For now if King David has not yet ascended to Heaven then isn't it safe to assume that none of our loved ones have either? Scripture tells us that no one will rise until the resurrection at the last day.

When Lazarus died, the Christ said to Martha: "Your brother will rise again," and Martha answered: "I will know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." —John 11:23-24 (NIV) Martha understood that her brother Lazarus was not in heaven and that, as the Scriptures prove, her brother would be raised at the resurrection. The Christ had a more immediate plan for Lazarus that would glorify God and, if not for that immediate plan, Lazarus would have still been in the tomb awaiting the resurrection at the last day. The resurrection that takes place at the return of the Christ.

*"And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." —John 6:39-40 (NIV)
*"For the Lord himself will come down from Heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first." —1 Thes 5:16 (NIV)

The dead in Christ cannot rise first when he comes if they are already in Heaven floating on clouds, playing harps, and looking down on us.

*"A time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out. Those who have done good will rise to live and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned." —John 5:29-29 (NIV)
*"For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the first fruits; then when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the Kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power." —1 Cor 15:22-24 (NIV)
*"But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you will be repaid at the resurrection." —Luke 14:13-14 (NIV)

There is clearly a preponderance of scriptural evidence that proves that the dead are in their graves until the resurrection when the Christ returns.

"Brothers we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men who have no hope." —1 Thes 4:13 (NIV)

The use of the word "sleep" is appropriate as the permanence of death is no longer applicable to the believer whom is promised eternal life at the resurrection. In the book of Matthew, the Christ refers to the ruler's daughter as asleep, not dead (Mt 9:24) and God tells Moses that he is going to "rest" with his fathers (Dt 31:16). In the book of Revelation we are told that the dead who die in the Lord are blessed and that they will "rest" from their labor (Rev 14:13).

After Cain killed Abel, God said to Cain, "Listen, your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground." (Gen 4:10) Abel clearly wasn't in Heaven. It is my belief that your blood is your soul (i.e. your life force, see Leviticus 17:11 and 17:14), and your blood, soul, life force stays in the ground until the resurrection.

*"But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself." —Psa 49:15 (NIV)
*"I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, o grave, is your destruction?" —Hosea 13:14 (NIV)

Still these Scriptures show that the dead are in their graves until the resurrection at the last day.

*"This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel." —Ezekiel 37:12 (NIV)
*"Listen, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed. In a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will all be changed." —1 Cor 15:51-52 (NIV)

Rest assured, the dead are in their graves and awaiting the resurrection of the last day. They are not aware of time or anything else. To them, they have just died and their next conscious moment will be at the resurrection that only comes at the return of Christ.

Even then, not all will be resurrected immediately. Scripture tells us that only the dead in Christ will rise first. Those whom have died and were not in Christ will not be resurrected until the end of the thousand years, and then only to be judged (Rev Chapter 20).

The point of this study is to put to rest the fairy tales that Satan has spun to deceive us and distort the word of God. Satan would like us to believe that we can contact our loved ones through mediums and spiritualists which God condemns. (Lev 20:27)

We are told to test everything by the Scriptures and, in applying the Scriptures to this subject, to this subject it is plain to see that the dead know nothing, they are in their graves. They are not conscious, not in a spiritual realm, not in purgatory, and not haunting or walking among us.

if you feel that a departed loved one's presence was near you or helping you, perhaps it was an angel of God. But that's another story.

END