Artwork by Douglas Kallerson.
Where Do Believers Go When They Die?
What the Bible Says
In the church, some people are evangelists, some are missionaries, some are preachers, etc. Among preachers, there are the uplifters, the charlatans, the comforters, etc. I am a preacher, and my focus is the word, especially proper doctrine from the word.
One point of doctrine that is misapplied more often than not is that of what happens to believers when they die. Because of so much faulty teaching on this subject that permeates the church, people generally have a completely misguided sense of the matter.
The Bible is not confused. Rather, when things are translated or taught incorrectly, it causes people to become confused
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Bryan Johnson is a wealthy tech entrepreneur who reportedly spends over two million dollars per year in hopes of reversing aging and avoiding death. He renounced Mormonism and lives totally for his own continued existence. People Magazine says –
“To put his body in its ‘ideal state,’ Johnson told Don’t Die filmmakers that he follows a strict daily routine that includes over a hundred different practices. Those practices include taking 54 pills throughout the day, eating a few pounds of vegetables, having dinner at 11 a.m., an hour-long workout and going to bed at 8:30 p.m. every night.”
Among other things, he also swaps blood with his son and his dad. Somehow, he thinks he is going to live forever. The Bible, however, says otherwise.
It would be ironic if he keeled over in his vegetables one day. But along with medical issues, it is impossible to control car accidents, slipping in the shower, or having his house come down on him in an earthquake. One cannot plan his way out of acts of God or the ways of man.
Bryan Johnson could use his time a lot more productively and maybe a little more freely while awaiting the inevitable, enjoying himself along the way as he goes. In the movie Grumpy Old Men, Burgess Meredith, while having a beer and talking with his son, said –
“Last Thursday, I turned 95 years old. And I never exercised a day in my life. Every morning I wake up and I smoke a cigarette, and then I eat five strips of bacon, and for lunch, I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack, bacon! A whole d*** plate. And I usually drink my dinner. Now, according to all them flat-belly experts, I should’ve took a dirt nap like 30 years ago. But each year comes and goes, and I’m still here… ha! And they keep dying. You know, sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.”
Though just a movie, people who live like this often live just as long as anyone else. As far as God forgetting someone though, unless the Lord comes first, we all have a meeting with Him. There is no escaping the inevitable. But there is good news for those who know the Lord…
Text Verse: “I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,
And I will glorify Your name forevermore.
13 For great is Your mercy toward me,
And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.” Psalm 86:12, 13
David spoke as if his life was threatened to the point of entering Sheol. And yet, the Lord delivered him from that. Eventually, however, David did die, and he went to that place where all people are set to go to. Is there hope for such as him?
Job knew there was and boldly proclaimed that he knew his Redeemer lived and that he would stand before Him someday. This is the hope of mankind, to be delivered to a state where death no longer can affect us. Bryan Johnson is counting on pills, vegetables, exercise, other people’s blood, and such to deliver him from death.
Others know there is a God and that He has the power to deliver even the dead from that state. But which “God,” or which expression of God that man has encountered is correct? We can know 100% and for certain by reviewing history.
One Man alone has come back from Sheol, proving several things in the process. He proved that He was without sin because the wages of sin is death. He proved that He is fully God because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
But Jesus, the sinless Son of God, prevailed over death. And He promises those who believe in Him that He will likewise bring them back from death as well. The sermon today will explain the process of how that happens.
What happens to believers in Jesus Christ when they die? Stay tuned and you will find out. It is a process and it is described in God’s superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.
I. Sheol, The Repository for the Dead
Despite being the most tragic event to happen to humans, death is a part of who we are and what we will experience as we watch others die and as we eventually come to our own end. The old saying, “Nothing is certain but death and taxes” fails to acknowledge the ability of people to cheat their way out of paying taxes.
However, death is a certainty that will come to pass in all of us unless the Lord comes for His people first. Kilroy J. Oldster said –
“Death is the great equalizer of human beings. Death is the boundary that we need to measure the precious texture of our lives. All people owe a death. There is no use vexing about inevitable degeneration and death because far greater people than me succumbed to death’s endless sleep without living as many years as me.”
Despite death being a constant theme in Scripture, as for what happens to people who die, when they do, the Bible doesn’t give a lot of specifics on it.
There are two types of death that are highlighted. The first is spiritual death. That is, surprisingly, a state of death we are born with. How can that be? We are born into life, not death! Rather, we are born into physical life, but we are born spiritually dead.
The first hint of this came in Genesis 2, on the 6th day of creation, and it is the first time that death is mentioned in Scripture –
“Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’” Genesis 2:15-17
God was not referring to physical death at this time. This is obvious from the next chapter. Adam did eat the fruit, and he didn’t die. So was the Lord was wrong, or was He was trying to intentionally scare Adam by lying to him? Rather, He was speaking of a different state of death than Adam’s physical being, a spiritual death.
That it was a spiritual death is confirmed by Paul, but what is understood is that the spiritual death leads directly to the physical death that man experiences. That is seen in Genesis 3 –
“Then to Adam He said, ‘Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, “You shall not eat of it”:
‘Cursed is the ground for your sake;
In toil you shall eat of it
All the days of your life.
18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,
And you shall eat the herb of the field.
19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
Till you return to the ground,
For out of it you were taken;
For dust you are,
And to dust you shall return.’” Genesis 3:17-19
As for physical death, the first record of that happening is found in Genesis 4 –
“Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.” Genesis 4:8
Concerning the state of spiritual death we are born with, Paul confirms that it is so in Romans 5 –
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— 13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.” Romans 5:12-14
First and foremost, Paul is speaking of spiritual death here. This is certain because he notes that sin entered the world through Adam and death spread to all men. If death spread to all men through Adam, who was alive physically but spiritually dead through sin, then he must be referring to spiritual death.
He also says that sin is not imputed where there is no law. Other than the law given to Adam, no other law is recorded in Scripture before the birth of Cain and Abel. And yet, Paul says that death spread to all men.
If sin comes through law and there was no other law by which sin is imputed, then it means that Paul is referring to spiritual death that is transmitted from father to child. Our physical deaths are merely a result of our spiritually dead state.
As for physical death, there is a lot said about it in Scripture. Chapter 5 of Genesis lists the generations of Adam, with the exception of Enoch, who was taken by God, and Noah, who ends the chapter, it notes that Adam and each of his descendants died. So from Genesis 2 through Genesis 5, it is like reading a smorgasbord about death.
All of that death, however, would be eclipsed by the events of Genesis 6 & 7 where God destroyed the entire world by flood with the exception of Noah, his family, and the animals on the ark. Genesis 8 is the first chapter since Genesis 2 where nothing about a person’s death is specifically mentioned. Instead, the Lord promised that He would never again destroy every living thing as He had done.
But death still reigned. At the end of Genesis 9, Noah is said to have died. Genesis 11 provides the genealogical list of Noah’s son Shem with the years they lived. At the end of Genesis 11, Terah, Abraham’s Father is said to have died.
This seemingly endless succession of death continued all the way through the Old Testament. With the exception of Enoch and later Elijah, every person who lived also died.
Different explanations about death are spattered throughout Genesis. Terms such as being buried, dying in a “good old age,” or being gathered to one’s people, are given to explain death, but the place where they go is only first mentioned in Genesis 37 where Jacob says –
“And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, ‘For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning.’ Thus his father wept for him.” Genesis 37:35
The word translated there as grave is sh’ol, a noun coming from sha’al, to ask. Thus, it means Asked For. It is understood from the rest of the Old Testament that this is the place where all the dead go. However, what happens there is not described in any detail.
Outside of some poetic and prophetic proclamations, the only real hint that can be derived from being in Sheol is found in 1 Samuel 28. King Saul was out of options concerning what lay in store for a battle coming the next day. The Lord did not respond to his requests for guidance, and so he went to the witch at En Dor to consult the dead. There it says –
“Then the woman said, ‘Whom shall I bring up for you?’
And he said, ‘Bring up Samuel for me.’
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Saul, saying, ‘Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!’
13 And the king said to her, ‘Do not be afraid. What did you see?’
And the woman said to Saul, ‘I saw a spirit ascending out of the earth.’
14 So he said to her, ‘What is his form?’
And she said, ‘An old man is coming up, and he is covered with a mantle.’ And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground and bowed down.
15 Now Samuel said to Saul, ‘Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?’” 1 Samuel 28:11-15
As noted, other than some poetic and prophetic literature that explains things about Sheol, this is the only instance where such a thing occurs. All we can glean from it is that Saul had disturbed Samuel by being called up from Sheol. It was as if he was peacefully sleeping, and Saul’s arousing him was unwelcome.
When Adam fell, death spread to all men
And so all in Adam die
When our numbered days are finished, it is over… and then
Where do we go? Up to the sky?
We who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ
Are set to die unless the rapture happens first
But with His shed blood, our souls were priced
And so, death in us will surely be reversed
God promises that it is so
We have no need to doubt that it is true
Because of Jesus, we can fully know
That to us eternal life God will endue
II. Where Believers Go When They Die
If you ask people where they will go when they die, you’ll get a lot of different answers. A rather common one, however, is “I don’t know.” Many people give no thought about it despite the fact that death is the anticipated end for all people.
As for nonbelievers, nothing has changed. When they die, they go to the same place as man has gone to since the beginning. It isn’t like God whipped up something new for the dead just because man has gone from Old Testament times to New.
This is made clear in Scripture and it is not really debated by scholars. However, if you ask believers where they will go when they die, the almost universal answer is, “To heaven.” They don’t qualify it like, “My ultimate end is in heaven.” And so even if they know that is the case, they simply say, “To heaven.”
But the ultimate place for believers isn’t the question being addressed in this sermon. The question is, “Where do believers go when they die,” meaning the right away part. If you were to ask it that way, it is still pretty certain the answer is, “I’m going to heaven.”
It is as if they will die one minute and be in heaven the next. Is this what happens? The answer is found in Scripture, but it takes a bit of work, a proper understanding of certain doctrines, and laying emotions, biases, and presuppositions aside.
As a spoiler alert, I will give the answer and then defend it. This may prematurely weed out the people who refuse to lay aside their emotions, biases, and presuppositions. But their failure to finish the contents of the sermon will only hinder their understanding of Scripture.
The answer is that believers who die do not go directly to heaven. Being believers, that is their final destination, but it is not the first stop on the trip. Paul states this explicitly in his writings, but it is particularly clear in 1 Corinthians 15. There are verses that seem to contradict this, but they will be dealt with as we go.
Where believers go when they die now is the same place where people went in the Old Testament and where nonbelievers since the time of Christ also go, Sheol. The corresponding word in Greek is Hades.
We can know with all certainty that Sheol and Hades are the same because of what it says in Acts 2, where Peter cites Psalm 16, a messianic psalm about the death of Jesus –
“For You will not leave my soul in Hades [Sheol as recorded in the psalm],
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the ways of life;
You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’
29 “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. Acts 2:27-31
Jesus went to Hades. He resurrected from Hades. But that leaves an obvious question to be considered and answered, “What about what He said to the thief on the cross?”
“But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.’ 42 Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’
43 And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.’” Luke 23:40-43
See! See! This proves that people go to heaven. Actually, no. It doesn’t. Peter said that Jesus, citing the 16th Psalm and referring to the words of Jesus in death, was in Hades (Sheol). Therefore, what people think about Paradise being heaven is flawed.
The word paradeisos, translated as Paradise, is found only three times in the New Testament. It is also found nineteen times in the Greek Old Testament (Genesis 2:8, 2:9, 2:10, 2:15, 2:16, 3:1, 3:2, 3:3, 3:8 (twice), 3:9, 3:23, 3:24, 13:10; Joel 2:3; Ezekiel 28:13, 31:8 (twice), 31:9). None of these refer to heaven.
This is because it doesn’t mean heaven. It is a Persian word signifying an enclosure or park. Thus, it can mean a place in heaven, like in Revelation 2:7, or it can mean a place in Hades, like in Luke 23. It can also be a place on earth that is idyllic in nature. We think of paradise as somewhere else, but it can be right here. We used to have a paradise right out on Siesta Key. Since Helene and Milton… not so much.
Jesus went to Sheol/Hades. When there, He was in a paradise. He gives an example of this in the parable of Lazarus. In Hades, there were two separate and distinct realms. The one at Abraham’s side would be a state of paradise. The other… not so much. And more, this doesn’t mean that there are only two places in Hades. It simply means that there are at least two places in Hades.
Heaven is a different word, ouranos. But even it – in both Testaments – has various meanings. It can refer to the sky, the starry heavens, the spiritual heavens, and so forth.
The word is derived from oros, a mountain or hill. Thus, it speaks of elevation. The context of the word ouranos in each usage is needed to determine what is being referred to.
The next obvious question to arise from some is, “Wha.. wha… What about Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5:6-8. They ‘prove’ that all believers go straight to heaven!” Actually, no. They don’t. The NKJV, like most translations, renders these verses in a rather flawed manner, but we will go with it for now –
“So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”
With merely a surface read, people immediately jump to the conclusion that one thing leads directly to the next and that all believers are taken lickety-split to heaven. It is even a common misquote: “Absent from the body; present with the Lord,” forgetting that the word “and” rests between the clauses.
However, suppose someone were to argue that the words mean both being absent from the body and being present with the Lord. The Bible doesn’t say this, but from an academic point, we could argue for that. To answer, we can start with a question: Are we as believers with the Lord now?
The answer depends on what “with the Lord” means, but for the believer, the answer should be obvious. We are in Christ. There is physical absence (or presence) with the Lord (or with others), and there is spiritual absence (or presence).
Obviously, these things depend on whether a person is saved or not. But to see a practical example of this, in 1 Corinthians 5, Paul uses the same terminology toward those in Corinth.
He notes his physical presence, and he notes his spiritual presence. Likewise, any believer who is in Christ is… in Christ. He is present with the Lord. That is a truth that permeates Paul’s writings. There is no time we are not present with the Lord.
Referring to 1 Corinthians 5, Paul writes concerning this dual nature of presence concerning himself –
“For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” 1 Corinthians 5:3-5
But more pertinent to Paul’s words about being present with the Lord, are his words in their full context from 2 Corinthians 5 because, as we are aware, context matters.
Again, these words are from the NKJV. It follows the KJV and it is not well rendered, but we will go with it for now with explanations as we progress –
“For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed [meaning death], we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens [something that occurs at the resurrection as indicated in 1 Corinthians 15]. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven [our permanent, glorified body that comes at the resurrection], 3 if indeed, having been clothed [meaning in a body], we shall not be found naked [a soul without a body, meaning Hades]. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened [living in our current state], not because we want to be unclothed [dying – the soul without the body], but further clothed [death is a state of being unclothed, an unnatural state that occurs until we receive our heavenly body, our “further clothed”], that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body [our current clothing] we are absent [physically absent] from the Lord [because we are in a state of corruption]. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body [our state of corruption] and to be present with the Lord [a state of incorruption, but Paul does not say that this is immediate, as if all suddenly go to heaven. He is simply making a point that we cannot be present with the Lord while in this corruptible body].
9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present [he uses the same word here as in verse 6 and indicating being at home in the body] or [better ‘whether’ the same word just used in this verse – “whether present”] absent [he uses the same word as in verse 6 and indicating to be absent from the Lord], to be well pleasing to Him [Paul could not say this if we immediately went to heaven because we would be with a body in a state of incorruption if we were with Jesus in heaven]. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ [all believers, both alive and asleep, gathered at the resurrection for their coming judgment], that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.”
If we are naked at death but supposedly go to heaven, then we would be bodyless souls in heaven, something the Bible never teaches. But more, one of the problems with understanding this passage properly is the faulty nature of most translations. They obscure what Paul is saying by mistranslating the participles. For example, a literal translation of verses 6-9 says –
“Therefore, encouraging always, and having known that dwelling in the body we emigrating from Lord. 7 For through faith we roam [peripateó: tread around], not by sight. 8 And we are confident, and we approve more, emigrated from the body, and dwell with the Lord. 9 And therefore, we affectionate – if dwelling, if emigrating – acceptable to Him to be (CG).
Paul’s words in verse 9 about being absent are based on what he said in verse 6, not verse 8. It is the same word in both as well as verse 8, but the use of the present participle in verse 6 and again in verse 9 shows us this with certainty.
And, as noted above, Paul could not say this if we immediately went to heaven (emigrated) because we would be in a body in a state of incorruption if we were with Jesus in heaven. As such, we would be pleasing. It wouldn’t be our desire (affectionating) but our reality.
The only time we can desire (affectionate) to please the Lord is when we are alive. When we die (emigrate), regardless where we actually go, our eternal state is sealed. Notice the chiastic structure that is found throughout Paul’s writings, and which is also seen here –
Again, and further, Paul does not equate being absent from the body to being present with the Lord. He says that being absent from the body, meaning our current state of corruption, is less desirable than to be present with the Lord. That is why he spoke in verse 4 about groaning and being burdened.
It is also why he goes on to speak of the judgment seat of Christ in verses 10 & 11. The two thoughts complement each other. It is as if he is shouting out, “Anything but being here bearing this burden of life! When I mess up, judgment for my faults lies ahead.”
Unfortunately, bad translations often equate to bad theology. In this instance, Paul’s use of the word kai, and, signifies two things, not one. It is approved more to be absent from the body, and it is approved more to be present with the Lord. This doesn’t mean they occur together. That was seen in the analysis above, and it will be explained further as we continue.
The point that Paul is making is that even when we die, we are in Christ. Paul addresses this in several ways in at least two letters. It is the main point of his words in 1 Thessalonians 4 –
“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
It is understood from Paul’s words that the people of Thessalonica were under the impression that those who had died might not be a part of what the Lord promised. But he tells them otherwise.
In these words, as in 1 Corinthians 15, which will be evaluated momentarily, Paul exactingly explains that there are two categories of people in regard to what he is referring to: they are asleep (meaning dead and in Sheol/Hades) or they are still alive.
That’s it. Those are the only two options Paul speaks of. The logic of Paul’s words from earlier is, “Better to be asleep in Hades than to be here in this sin-sack.”
But wait. Let’s stop and address an issue that always comes up concerning such an analysis about death. There is the inane accusation floating around that teaching soul sleep is heresy.
First, Paul says that the dead in Christ are… anyone? Yes, asleep. In fact, he says it many times. Jesus said the same thing about Lazarus in John 11, and Luke recorded it concerning both David of Old Testament times and Stephen, the first martyr recorded in New Testament times.
The implication is that nothing has changed between the dispensations. The same content state that Samuel felt before he was disturbed by Saul is what each departed believer to this day experiences.
Second, he notes (as indicated above) that the soul without a body is the state of a person when he dies. If the soul without a body is his state, and if the state of the person is asleep, then the person’s soul is… asleep. One plus one always equals two in proper theology.
This doesn’t mean the person is not aware. The interaction between Samuel and Saul shows us this. He was aware and he was resting comfortably, something that can be inferred from his words. He was in Sheol, the same place where believers today go, meaning Hades (as explained already).
Third, whoever started the “teaching soul sleep is a heresy” doesn’t know what a heresy is. If it is incorrect, it would simply be bad doctrine, not a heresy. Further, such a person doesn’t know the Bible very well. Saying that is merely a tactic to scare people into a false belief about going to heaven as soon as you die, which the Bible doesn’t teach.
Fourth, to claim that those who died have been resurrected to heaven means that the resurrection… has happened. If that were true, there wouldn’t be any believers left to talk about it. It is exactly what Paul calls “straying from the truth” in his letter to Timothy –
“And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, 18 who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some. 19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.’” 2 Timothy 2:17-19
In all instances where the resurrection is spoken of, it is either explicit or implied that this involves both the living and the dead in the church.
That is seen, for example, in Paul’s next words in 1 Corinthians 15. They are perfectly in line with what we have seen so far, meaning that there are only two categories of people at this time, they are 1) asleep (meaning dead and in Sheol/Hades), or 2) still alive. He says –
“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep [meaning those who have died in the church since Christ’s completed work]. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die [Greek: present tense], even so in Christ all shall be made alive [Greek: future tense]. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.” 1 Corinthians 15:20-23
People who are dead in Christ “have fallen asleep.” That will remain unchanged until “His coming.” Has Christ come yet? Again, one plus one will always equal two in proper theology. Further explaining this, he says –
“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed [Greek: future tense]— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1 Corinthians 15:50-52
Paul continues to explain that those who have died are… are… anyone? Yes! Asleep! They will remain in that state until the time of the rapture, not before. He further confirms this as he continues, saying…
“So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’
55 ‘O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?’” 1 Corinthians 15:54, 55
Paul could not say this if the people who died were not still in Hades. It would be a perfectly pointless pronouncement. If people who died were immediately taken to heaven, then the victory over Hades would have come before our state of incorruption, meaning while we are still corrupt.
But he just tied our state of becoming incorrupt to the event we call the rapture. Again –
“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1 Corinthians 15:50-52
The meaning of Paul’s words is that all Christians, both alive and dead, are currently in a state of corruption. None have been made incorrupt yet. We still bear the effects of sin even though we are in Christ.
Until the rapture, which includes both the living and the dead in Christ, that will not change. Until then, Paul says, clearly and without any ambiguity, that in our corruption, when we die, we go to Hades, where Christ was. When the rapture occurs, our corruption will be replaced with incorruption. Hades will no longer have dominion over the dead.
While we are in Hades, we will (I’m speaking to believers here) be in Paradise – a really nice place to nap, be it two thousand years or 2 seconds.
The incorrectly translated words “to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord,” in 2 Corinthians 5 do not mean we go to heaven when we die. If they did, we would have a glaring and insurmountable contradiction in Paul’s letters.
We are the Lord’s. He has full control over us. This is a truth that exists even right now. We are present with the Lord. When we die, that state does not change. This is why Paul said, “Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18).
The Thessalonians, and indeed all believers who don’t understand these key points of doctrine, may feel that when the rapture occurs, those who had died are lost. Such is not the case.
Paul could not have even written the words of 1 Thessalonians 4 unless this was the issue at hand and which continues to be a misinterpreted issue to this day.
To review:
1) Paradise, as noted by Jesus in Luke 23, is not heaven. Jesus confirmed this when He said in John 20:17 that He had not ascended to the Father. That was after the resurrection. Paradise cannot be heaven. If Paradise was heaven, then there would be a contradiction in Jesus’ words.
2) Until we are glorified, we cannot enter heaven. Paul says we are corruptible and cannot inherit that which is incorruptible.
Here is the sequence –
“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 1 Corinthians 15:50-54
Only then…
55 “O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?” 1 Corinthians 15:55
3) The rapture deals with both the dead and the living as noted in 1 Thessalonians 4.
4) 2 Corinthians 5:6 does not mean that when we die, we will be physically present with the Lord in heaven. Despite misanalyses, usually based on faulty translations, that verse does not mean that there is an immediate transfer at death from this realm to heaven. That only occurs for living believers at the rapture.
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Scripture reveals to us that those who have died have not gone to heaven. However, we are assured in 1 Thessalonians 4 that they are safely in the hands of the Lord. However, they are not yet – according to the clear and unambiguous timeline in 1 Corinthians 15 – glorified and in heaven.
That day lies ahead for them and for us. But God set it forth in this manner for His purposes. At some point, known to God alone, He will call forth His people from the grave and bring them, along with all of His living believers, to Himself.
The words are recorded, the event will come to pass, and we should not in any way worry that it might not happen just as He says. We are to be people of faith, living in faith until that day. This includes faith that God has securely kept those who have gone before us through the sad event of death and that they will be raised when we are translated.
God has assured us that it is so. Let us have faith in His promises. May it be so, to the glory of God who created us and redeemed us according to His tender mercies.
Closing Verse: “…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:10, 11
A Few Additional Passages: After giving this sermon, two questions were asked concerning other verses that may point to a different conclusion. The first being–
“Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” -Matthew 27:51-53
There is nothing beyond these verses to explain who these people were, how long they were dead, or what happened to them afterwards. Therefore, there really is nothing else to add to them but speculation. However, it doesn’t say they went to heaven. It says they were raised, went into the holy city, and appeared to many.
As there is Lazarus as a precedent from John 11, the most likely explanation is that these were people who had believed Jesus was the Messiah and who had died recently. As it says that they went into the holy city, they could have come from all over Israel.
It is estimated that there were 500,000 to 600,000 people in Israel at Jesus’ time. If the death rate was 4500 people per year, then 375 per month would die. If 5 percent of them believed Jesus was the Messiah and He raised them to substantiate this, that would be about 18 people. If 18 people were raised and came to Jerusalem, proving they had returned to life, like Lazarus did, it would be sufficient evidence to justify that Jesus truly was the Messiah.
After this, they could have lived out normal lives, like Lazarus, and died at whatever age the Lord determined.
The second set of verses which seem to point to going straight to heaven are from Psalm 68:18, and which is substantially repeated in Ephesians 4:8–
Therefore He says:
“When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And gave gifts to men.”
The verse begins with “Therefore.” This is stated to explain the previous words, “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” In order to show this, Paul cites the substance of Psalm 68:18. He changes several words, and he goes from the 2nd person to the 3rd person. Thus, it is not a direct quote, but rather it conveys the substance of what was said and then he equates it to the triumph of the work of Christ –
“You have ascended on high,
You have led captivity captive;
You have received gifts among men,
Even from the rebellious,
That the Lord God might dwell there.” Psalm 68:18
In the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant was the place where God met with man. Its placement in Zion was the sign of victory of God over His enemies. They were defeated, the land had been subdued, and God rested in His place. The thought of ascending on high is that of being exalted above all the others who have been placed in subjection to Him.
Though Zion was not the highest peak in elevation, it was considered the highest place of honor. Thus, any time that someone traveled to Jerusalem, regardless of direction or elevation from which they came, they were said to “go up” to Jerusalem.
As the Lord who dwelt between the cherubim of the ark had been brought to this place of exaltation, and as it was a sign that His enemies had been vanquished, it says, “You have led captivity captive.” This signifies that those who were once the captors (called the abstract “captivity”) had themselves been made captive. They were now the subdued prisoners who were conducted in bonds during the triumphal procession to that spot of exultation.
Quite often this verse is cited as a display of the prisoners being released from captivity by the work of Christ. Though this is something He did, it is not what is being referred to here. Rather, it is the foes of God being brought into captivity. After this defeating of His enemies, it then says, “You have received gifts among men.”
Ascribing this thought to the work of Christ, Paul modifies it and says, “And gave gifts to men.” This is the specific explanation of the previous verse which said, “…but to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” The spoils of war were handed out to the subjects of the kingdom according to the pleasure of the vanquishing ruler. Likewise, God passes out His gifts of victory according to His choosing as well.
Paul’s words, though modifying the psalm, do not change the intent. The two thoughts side by side say:
- And gave gifts to men (Paul)
- You have received gifts among men (Psalm)
The same idea is expressed. Christ received gifts which He then immediately turned around and handed out to His subjects. This follows from other times in Scripture where the same thought is denoted by a sudden and succinct expression. Scripture may say something like, “Bring me a heifer,” which is simply a shortened form of “Bring a heifer to me for sacrifice.”
The analogy Paul is making is that Christ was victorious in His work. He was exalted to the highest position, there at the right hand of God, and from that position He gives the Holy Spirit to His subjects in the measure He so chooses. These two verses refer to just the opposite of what most people think.
This idea actually goes back to Deuteronomy 21:10. That was explained when I went through the Deuteronomy sermons –
10 (con’t) and you take them captive,
Again, it is third person, masculine, singular: v’shavita shivyo – “and you take captive his captivity.” It is a poetic way of saying that the entity which had its own victories and held its own captives has now become captive. David, probably thinking of this verse right now, penned this in Psalm 68 –
“You have ascended on high,
You have led captivity captive;
You have received gifts among men,
Even from the rebellious,
That the Lord God might dwell there.” Psalm 68:18
Paul then cites this verse from the psalms in Ephesians 4 –
“Therefore He says:
‘When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And gave gifts to men’” Ephesians 4:8
Those who were once the captors (called the abstract “captivity”) had themselves been made captive. They were now the subdued prisoners who were conducted in bonds during the triumphal procession to the victor’s spot of exultation.
Quite often the words in Ephesians are incorrectly cited as a display of the prisoners being released from captivity by the work of Christ. Though this is something He did, it is not what is being referred to there. Rather, as can be seen from Moses’ words of Deuteronomy, it is the foes of God being brought into captivity.
