Where Do We Go After We Die

[MomOfADramaQn]

Can someone give me scripture that supports the doctrine that you go to heaven after you die? My husband is of a faith that does not believe you go to heaven after you die. One of the scriptures they use is from Ecclesiates 9:5 ".....where it says the dead know nothing....". That is in the Old Testament and the gift of "eternal life" is was not given then - am I interpreting that wrong? Also - how will the "dead in Christ" rise first if they are already in heaven? Am I overlooking scripture that says when you die you go to heaven?

[ILG]

Good questions.

[Michael The Disciple]

They will say your body alone dies and the real you will go to Heaven.

Paul makes no such distinction here.

13: But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14: For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
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.
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:
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.
18: Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 1 Thess. 4:13-18

Paul said he does not want us ignorant about this topic.

The resurrection is so we might live after death.

[MomOfADramaQn]

Originally Posted by Michael The Disciple

They will say your body alone dies and the real you will go to Heaven.

Paul makes no such distinction here.

13: But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14: For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
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.
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:
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.
18: Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 1 Thess. 4:13-18

Paul said he does not want us ignorant about this topic.

The resurrection is so we might live after death.

So are you saying you believe that you do not go to heaven after you die - that it will not happen until the resurrection?

[ILG]

I believe that we don't know.

[TK Burk]

Here is a copy of a study I recently taught to our church family.



Asleep in the Grave, Awakened to Everlasting Life

The resurrection of the dead gives hope to the Christian. Yet when asked how it takes place and in what manner it will occur, many of these same saints may feel hopeless to explain. Understanding the time and nature of the resurrection will affect how you view God’s Word. That is why it’s of paramount importance that every child of God has a clear understanding of what the Bible says about this subject.

When we look in our Bible we see the promise of never seeing “the grave” or “death” is aligned with a believer being “transformed” from their body in a “spiritual resurrection.” This is the difference between reanimation of flesh and transformation from flesh. But before the resurrection came into fruition, deceased saints are described in the Bible as being in a state of “sleep” (See Deu 31:16; 1Ki 1:21; Acts 13:36; 1Co 15:51; 1Th 4:14). Daniel spoke of this…

Daniel 12:2
And MANY OF THEM THAT SLEEP IN THE DUST OF THE EARTH shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Daniel placed those in the grave in a place of rest while waiting for the prophesied time when they would awaken to eternal life. Concerning “dust,” the Bible says that a dead body returns to the same substance from which it was made.

Genesis 3:19
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Ecclesiastes 12:7
Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

Ecclesiastes 3:18-21
I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

Job 34:14-15
If he set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath; All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust.

Psalms 90:3 KJV
Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.

Look at this same verse in Psalms is translated in the English Standard Version.

Psalms 90:3 ESV
You return man to dust and say, "Return, O children of man!"

Psalms 104:29-30
Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.

Psalms 146:4
His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.

The timeframe Daniel placed for those sleeping to awake to everlasting life is found in the following verse:

Daniel 12:7
And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and swore by him that liveth forever that IT SHALL BE FOR A TIME, TIMES, AND A HALF; and when he shall have accomplished TO SCATTER THE POWER OF THE HOLY PEOPLE, all these things shall be finished.

"Time, times, and a half" is prophetic language for “1-year,” “2-years,” and “½ year,” which equates to 3½ years, 42 months, or 1260 days. Each of these times is used in the Bible to refer to the 3½ year AD70 siege and destruction of Jerusalem and her Temple. The Temple was burnt August 10, AD70 (the Jewish Ninth of Av), the exact day and month on which it had been burnt by the king of Babylon many years before.

Part 1 of 2

[MomOfADramaQn]

LOL - prob so - but if a preacher gets in a pulpit and preaches it is it "false doctrine" if there is no scripture to back it up? Personally - It is not something I lose sleep over - I just try to live right and hope I make it there but it is preached so much in pentecost that we will go to heaven - just want to know why it is preached

[ILG]

Originally Posted by MomOfADramaQn

LOL - prob so - but if a preacher gets in a pulpit and preaches it is it "false doctrine" if there is no scripture to back it up? Personally - It is not something I lose sleep over - I just try to live right and hope I make it there but it is preached so much in pentecost that we will go to heaven - just want to know why it is preached

Things are preached because it is the personal view/traditional view of the church/preacher. These views are usually based on scripture, favoring some, overlooking others.

[MrsMcD]

I really don't think anyone knows the answers. We just all have opinions and my opinion keeps changing. lol

I have always thought our spirit may go to heaven but I really don't have a clue.

[mfblume]

Paul had the answer:

2 Corinthians 5:8 KJV We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Paul said that if he died in that moment, he would be absent from the body and present with the Lord. He stated that as fact.