Heaven. A Future Hope,
or Present Reality?
By John Bigg
"Many people
believe that heaven is a place that people go to (either physically or
spiritually) after death. That death and the grave are necessary factors in
spiritual growth. But have you ever wondered why the Old Testament books never
speak of an afterlife, and why the New Testament books are silent as to any
details of what life in the afterlife is like?
This article will explain that heaven is not something you go up to...heaven is
something that comes to you! There is no passage in scripture which says that
heaven is where we go to after physical death. In fact, scripture specifically
says that nobody ascends up to heaven!
What Happens after
Death?
You might ask, "Is
there any place in scripture that says what happens after people physically
die?" Yes, there is.
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 12:7 talks of our physical body (dust) returning to the earth, it
does not say our physical body will go to heaven or will be physically alive
again after death. Our physical bodies cannot be resurrected in heaven because
scripture says that "flesh and blood cannot inherit the
As for our spirit, Ecclesiastes 12:7 says our spirit will return to
"God," but notice it does not say it will go to "heaven."
God is basically everywhere.
Ecclesiastes 3:20-21, "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..."
All men, both sinners and saints, go to the same place after death
(Ecclesiastes
Only God can Ascend to or Descend from Heaven
The writer of the following verse, taken from the Old Testament Scripture,
is asking rhetorical questions, of which the answers to all these questions are
the same, "God."
Proverbs 30:4, "Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? [only God] who hath gathered the wind in his fists? [obviously, God] who hath bound the waters in a garment? [the Creator] who hath established all the ends of the earth?
[Isaiah 40:28, "...the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends
of the earth"] what is his name?..."
This coincides with what Jesus said in John 3:13, that the only man who has
ascended and descended from Heaven was the "Son of man," meaning
Christ Jesus. "...God was manifest in the flesh" (1 Timothy
In other words, only God, and the things of God, can ascend and descend from
Heaven, whether its God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, or
angels. Mere man cannot.
Jesus taught that Nobody goes up to Heaven
This might go contrary to what you have been taught, but scripture says
nobody ascended to heaven, not even David! Some might claim that David did not
go to Heaven during Old Testament times because he had to remain in the grave
until the New Testament age came, until Christ died. And then after Christ died
is when all the Old Testament saints went to heaven. However, this claim is
proven false by the fact that after Christ died and the New Testament was
ratified, even after the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, the apostles taught
that David had not ascended into Heaven!
Acts
Since the apostles taught this truth after Christ died, this means that David
did not go to Heaven even after the current New Testament age came into being.
But does this mean that nobody has ascended to Heaven? Well, even Christ
himself taught about heavenly things (John 3:12), and He said that nobody
ascends up to heaven:
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."
In other words, you don't go up to heaven, heaven comes to you! Read the above
verse again, and notice what Jesus said about heaven. While he was alive in the
flesh, he stated that he "is in heaven!" (Not "was" in
heaven, but "is" in heaven). He spoke of heaven as something that he
was experiencing in the present while in his physical body; he did not say
heaven was something that was yet future. Even when the writers of the New
Testament wrote about "heaven" it was something they were
experiencing at the moment, while in their physical bodies, and not something
that was yet future to them. Before we go into these verses, let us learn more
about what Christ taught about Heaven.
Before he died, Jesus told Jews that they could not follow him to heaven:
John 7:33-34, "Then said Jesus unto them [Jews, Pharisees, Chief Priests,
Officers], Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him [God] that
sent me. Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am [Heaven],
thither ye cannot come."
He even told the religious leaders (Pharisees) directly that even they could
not go to heaven:
John
Now, some may claim that the Jews could not ascend to Heaven because they did
not accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour, but
Christ taught the apostles the same thing as well!
John
As you can see, Christ taught his apostles that they cannot come to heaven. In
other words, heaven is not something that we come to,
heaven is something that comes to us! But what about these verses that seem to
teach we will go to Heaven?
Verses that seem to teach we Ascend into Heaven
John 13:36, "Simon Peter [an apostle] said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither
I go [Heaven], thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt
follow me afterwards."
As you will see in this article, after they received the Holy Spirit at
Pentecost, the apostles spoke of Heaven as something they were experiencing
while in their bodies. So, the apostles did follow Jesus afterwards, because
Heaven came to them! Once they received the spirit, they did "...follow
his steps" (1 Peter
John 14:2-3, "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I
would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a
place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am,
there ye may be also."
Compare John 14:2-3 with John 14:22-23. The word "mansions" in verse
2 is translated from the same Greek word as "abode" in verse 23! As a
matter of fact, these are the only two places in scripture where this Greek
word #3438, mone, appears!
John 14:22-23, "Judas saith unto him, not
Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest
thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will
love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."
Jesus was saying that those in whom He would come to dwell in were the mansions
in his Father's house. Believers are "God's building" (1 Corinthians
3:9), and "as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house" (1 Peter
2:5). This "spiritual house" is the "mansion,
" it is the "place," that Jesus prepared for us in John
14:2-3.
You will also see in this articles how the apostles
wrote that they were "together with Christ in the heavenlies"
while in their physical bodies, thus fulfilling this verse as well. Christ did
come again, and received them, and Christ was in them, and by Christ being in
them, heaven was in them, because that is where Christ is!
2 Corinthians 5:1-2, "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle
were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed
upon with our house which is from heaven:"
In verse 1, the "earthly house of this tabernacle" refers to the
physical body, in which the spirit is represented as dwelling or sojourning for
a time, and from which it is to be liberated at death. When our bodies are
dissolved, our spirit will return to "a house not made with hands."
This house is not a literal house, but spiritual. In other words, we have a
"spirit," and it will be housed with God, who is "eternal in the
heavens." This coincides with Ecclesiastes 12:7, "the spirit shall
return unto God."
In verse 2, it says we desire to be clothed with this house "which is from
heaven." Notice this verse does not says this house is in heaven, but from
heaven. God's throne is in heaven. Our "spiritual body" will be
clothed by God from heaven, not in Heaven.
What does it Mean to Ascend into Heaven?
When people say that they will "ascend into heaven," they usually
mean that some part of them, after death, will literally rise into outer space
into God's throne. However, this is not the scriptural definition of this
phrase. Paul tells us the meaning of this phrase in the following verse:
Romans 10:6, "...Say not in thine heart, Who
shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)"
As you can see, Paul, an apostle of Christ, re-words the phrase "ascend
into heaven." He tells us that, in other words, that to "ascend into
heaven" means to "bring Christ down from above." You see, it has
nothing to do with us going up to a place called heaven, but has something to
do with Christ coming down from heaven! Christ "came down from
heaven" (John
What does Paul mean when he speaks of Christ coming down? Well, as we will see
in this article, it means to have the Spirit of Christ come down from heaven,
and dwell inside of us, in our present bodies! That's why Paul declared
"Christ liveth in me" (Galatians
The Heavenlies
Let us now discover where Christ went to after he died.
Ephesians 1:20, "Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the
dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenlies."
As we can see, after Christ rose from the dead, he went to the right hand of
the Father in the heavenlies. In other words, Christ
was in heaven! At the time the apostles wrote the following verses, Christ had
entered "into heaven itself," (Hebrews
Now, look at what Paul wrote about this same heaven that Christ is in. Paul
said that God "hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies with Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). Paul said he
was blessed in heaven with Christ! Paul felt heaven was a present reality while
they believed in Christ. Now, compare the following two verses very, very
carefully.
Christ is in the heavenlies at the right hand of the
Father" (Ephesians
"We are together with Christ in the heavenlies"
(Ephesians 2:6).
Notice while Paul was alive in his physical body, he said he was together with
Christ in the heavenlies! Dear reader, can you
picture Christ in heaven? Well, Paul wrote that he and other believers in
Christ were also in this same exact heaven as Christ was, while they were still
alive! How can anyone explain this? Well, if you understand that heaven is
something that comes to us, through the Holy Spirit, then it is easily
explained.
Colossians 1:12-13, "Giving thanks unto the Father...Who hath delivered us
from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear
Son."
Notice that the apostles wrote that the father "hath" (passed tense)
translated them into the Kingdom! The "Kingdom of the Son," and the
"Kingdom of God," and the "
1 Thessalonians 5:10, "Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we
should live together with him."
In the above verse, Paul wrote that we live together with Christ (who is in
heaven) while we are physically alive ("wake or sleep")! The words
show that everywhere, and in all circumstances, genuine believers, who walk
after God, have life and communion with God, in heaven.
So, just what is "heaven"? Well, it is synonymous with "eternal
life."
Eternal Life
In scripture, eternal life is defined as knowing Christ Jesus while in this
physical body! Look at this definition of "life eternal":
John 17:3, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only
true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
You see, eternal life does not mean we become immortal (to live for ever and
ever), it means to know God, and to know His Truth! In
fact, the word "immortal" only appears once in the entire scripture!
Only once!! Incredible, considering we hear the "immortal soul"
preached all the time. The term "immortal soul" does not appear anywhere
in scripture. This word "immortal" is not in reference to any
"soul," it is in reference to God, because only God is immortal, not
us (1 Timothy 1:17).
1 John 5:11-12, "And this is the record, that God hath [present tense]
given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son
hath [present tense] life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of
God; that ye may know that ye have [present tense] eternal life, and that ye
may believe on the name of the Son of God. "
1 John
Listen to what Christ himself said:
John 5:24-25, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth
my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath [present tense] everlasting
life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed [passed tense] from
death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The
hour is coming, and now is [present tense], when the dead shall hear the voice
of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live."
Now, You might ask, "But, doesn't the bible say
the body must die in order to receive eternal life?" Well, yes, the body
must die first. But, not our physical body!
Romans
Dear reader, is Christ in you? Well, this verse says if Christ is in you, then
your "body" is dead. What "body" is this verse talking
about? Obviously not your physical body. By
"body" is meant the "body of sin," the sinful part of our
nature. In other words, our "old man," which is
corrupt because of sinful deeds. And once we are "born again"
and put on the "new man," then this is when we receive eternal life
and when heaven comes to us. Here are a few passages which might make the death
of the "old man" a little easier to understand.
Old Man vs. New Man
Romans 6:6-8, "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that
the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we
believe that we shall also live with him:"
Ephesians 4:22-24, "That ye put off concerning the former conversation the
old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in
the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is
created in righteousness and true holiness."
Colossians 3:9-10, "Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off
the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in
knowledge after the image of him that created him:"
In other words, when scripture speaks of the dead, it is speaking of those who
are dead in trespass and sins:
Ephesians 2:1, "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and
sins;"
Colossians 2:13, "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together
with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;"
You see, people can be dead while they live (1 Timothy 5:6), but faith in
Christ can change us so we "are alive from the dead" (Romans 6:13).
The whole point of these passages is to explain that, "the body without
the spirit is dead" (James
Heaven is a Present Reality
Now, let's look at Romans 8:10 again in this light:
Romans 8:10, "And if Christ be in you, the body is dead [the body of sin,
the old man] because of sin; but the Spirit is life [the spiritual body, the
new man] because of righteousness."
This verse says if we have Christ in us, then we have the Spirit in us, and if
we have the Spirit in us, then we have eternal life in us! This is what Paul
meant in Romans 10:6 when he explained that the meaning of the phrase
"ascend into heaven" means to "bring Christ down from
above." If we have Christ in us, we are in heaven! Therefore, heaven is a
present reality now, and not a future hope. Heaven is within us!
As a final proof that heaven is a present reality now, notice these words of
Jesus. When speaking of the
Luke
Matthew 12:28, "...the
Even the apostle John wrote that he was "in the kingdom...of Jesus
Christ" (Revelation 1:9); notice he spoke of the kingdom in the present
tense, as if it was inside of him.
The reason the
The New Jerusalem
There are only two
Hebrews 12:22-24, "But ye are come (present tense) unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and
church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of
all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of
the new covenant..."
The writer of Hebrews did not write that they "will come" to the
heavenly
Final Thoughts
We are all taught certain beliefs by men, but
sometimes what we have been taught contradicts what scripture says. Men are
fallible, but scripture is not.
And here is something to think about. Many Christians "believe" in
Christ just so they can live forever. They do just enough to "get
by." Their heart really isn't into doing His Will, and they obey only
those parts of scripture which aren't too inconvenient for them. And after they
die, they think, "Well, if there is a God, I'll have eternity. And if not,
at least I lived my life according to the way I wanted to live it." In
other words, they believe in God for purely selfish reasons (to be immortal).
If the truth comes out that heaven is not someplace that people go to after
death, this would separate all the true believers from the false ones. Those
whose hearts are far from God and honour Him with
their lips (Matthew 15:8) will no longer do so. However, the true believers,
who obey Him because He is Truth, with no selfish motives, will stay with Him.
“As an instance of the work of antichrist, we see in the world a very active
effort to exalt death and to delude men into believing that death is the way to
eternal life in heaven. Such a thought is opposed to Christ, because Jesus came
to deliver the human race from death and to fulfil in
man God's perfect will: abundant life. Those who are guided by the Spirit of
Truth understand the life teaching, and are not led astray by any philosophy
that makes death and the grave necessary factors in spiritual growth." Metephysical Bible Dictionary (1955), page 54.
The scripture is a blueprint and guidebook on how to live this life according
to God's Will. What might or might not happen after this life should not
concern us, because it is this life that God is concerned about. If the
afterlife was important to God, then he would have told us about it in His
Word. But since he doesn't tell us what the afterlife is like, He must not
think it is important. And if it's not important for Him, we shouldn't make it
important to us. All we are told is that our "spirit" will return to
God who gave it. This is comforting enough for me. I pray it is for you, too.
God's kingdom is here now, and there is no death once you're in the kingdom. Physical death, yes; but not spiritual death. Our spirit
returns to God who gave it. "