Don't you think it is interesting that the Bible never says men go to heaven when they die?

Question

Yet so many preachers teach this....here is a famous quote from Jesus on the cross in many translations that "shows" christians go to heaven...he told the theif on the cross in most translations "Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise". However, the original greek text had no punctuation but was added in the translations later on. It should read "Truly I tell you today, you will be with me in paradise". The Bible clearly says that Jesus was in the tomb for 3 days and 3 nights after he died - not Paradise! (By the way this makes it impossible for Jesus to be put in the tomb on Good Friday and be resurrected "Easter Sunday" because it isn't 3 nights. Again, this is more lies from the pulpit.

The Bible says the righteous will inherit the EARTH and dwell in it forever! Not heaven!!

Answer 1

You contradicted yourself when you quoted the verse. No matter where the punctuation is, the thief still went to Paradise after he died.
***You are not really asking a question. You already have your mind up. So I am not trying to pursuade you. But I can not allow you to be a deceiver this time. My answer is for those who are interested in this question because they would like to help others to understand the Bible's teaching on heaven.
***Your folly lies in the fact that you want to see the words "MAN WILL GO TO HEAVEN WHEN HE DIES" written in the Bible. It doesn't work that way. You have to read the whole Bible and understand the whole concept of the Bible. It's not going to be written in one little place so that you will see it and not have to study the whole thing. That is laziness.

*You have to have a knowledge of the whole Bible in order to know God's heart, His will, and His plan for people. If you were to read through the Bible while praying for Wisdom for God for the answers, this is what you would find concerning the teaching of heaven....(These verses are not taken out of context. This is a study on Heaven and each verse gives explanation enough in itself.)

1) God is in heaven- the realm above the earth
Psalm 11:4, Psalm 33:13 Matthew 6:9 2) Reward awaits in Heaven, Matthew 5:12
4) When the Bible refers to a believer's eternal future, it uses the phrase "The Kingdom of Heaven". This is a mindset - a point of reference - for those who have put their faith in Christ. In the original language it means the "Rule of Heaven" or the "Dominion of Heaven." It is the Kingdom of Heaven that we as Christians so desire to be a part of. Matthew 10:7 "And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand."
5) We are to lay up treasures or ourselves in Heaven, Matthew 6:20-21
6) If our treasure is in Heaven, then our heart is in Heaven. Our spiritual eyes will be on Heaven because we will long to be there.
see above verse.
10) Jesus is now in Heaven Mark 16:19 "So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God."
11) A Believer's name is written in Heaven
Luke 10:20 "Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven."
14) Our HUMAN bodies will not be in heaven
1 Corinthians 15: 50 "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption."
15) To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord
2 Corinthians 5:6-8 "Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."
16) When we die and our earthly body (house) is put into the ground, we are given a new body that is from Heaven. This is a spiritual body.
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"
17) There are believers NOW that are in Heaven
Ephesians 3:14-15 "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,"
18) We will have a body like Christ's body-a spiritual body
Philippians 3:21 "Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself."
19) When Christ comes from Heaven, those Christians who have died will be raised (this will not be their physical body, but their spiritual body-we know this because of the previous verses on the subject)
1 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: and the dead in Christ shall rise first"
20) After those who were dead are raised, those Christians who are still alive will be taken into the clouds...and will ever be will the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 4:17 "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."
21) The city of the living God (Heaven) is called the heavenly Jerusalem. Of course, the earthly Jerusalem is the town of Jerusalem on earth.
Hebrews 12:22 "But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels"
21) Our hope as Christians is an inheritance that is eternal and reserved for us in HEAVEN
1 Peter 1:3-5 "...according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope...to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you... Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation..."
22) The heavens and earth are reserved for a fiery end. This is relevant and you will later see why.
2 Peter 3:7 "But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men."
23) Descriptions of the destruction of the heavens and the earth
2 Peter 3:10 "...the heavens shall pass away...the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up."
2 Peter 3:12 "...the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?"
24) Mention of a new Heaven and a new earth
2 Peter 3:13 "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."
25) The Christian will have a home in God's city forever. God's name will be on him. The city will be called NEW JERUSALEM. It will come down OUT OF HEAVEN.
Revelation 3:12 "Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name."
26) Read the whole passage below to see the description of destruction of the earth
Revelation 6:12-14 "great earthquake...the sun became black...the moon became as blood...the stars of heaven fell unto the earth...the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together...every mountain and island were moved out of their places..."
27) Read the whole passage below to see the description of destruction of the earth
Revelation 8:5-12 "...voices...thunderings...lightnings...an earthquake...hail...fire mingled with blood and they were cast upon the earth...third part of trees was burnt up...all green grass was burnt up...great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea...third part of the sea became blood...the third part of the creatures which were in the sea...died...third part of the ships were destroyed...there fell a great star from heaven...fell upon the third part of the rivers and the fountains of waters...third part of the waters became wormwood...many men died of the waters...third part of the sun was smitten...third part of the moon...third part of the stars...third part of them was darkened... the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise..."
28) THE NEW HEAVEN AND THE NEW EARTH
Revelation 21:1- 7 "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God...God shall wipe away all tears...there shall be no more death...neither sorrow...nor crying...neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new..He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son."
verse 10 "And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God..." following this is a description of what the New Jerusalem will be like.
verse 27 "And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."
29) PARADISE Strong's Concordance #3857 an Eden (place of future happiness.
Luke 23:43 "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise."
Paradise and Heaven are the same. Perhaps we say Heaven because we know that God is in Heaven and desire to be where He is. Therefore, we must be going to go to Heaven. It makes no difference if they are the same. According to Revelation 2:7 the tree of life is in the Paradise of God. And we know from Revelation 22:2 that the tree of life is in the New Jerusalem.
Based on Scripture, our spirits go to Paradise/Heaven when we die. Then when Jesus returns, we will receive a glorified body that will then arise and join our spirit. Then when Heaven and earth are destroyed, the New Jerusalem will come down and replace both the old earth and the old Heaven. It will be a new place-reserved for those who put their faith in Jesus.

*****Just like it will be when we die, Jesus' physical body was in the grave after His death and before His resurrection. His Spirit would have gone on ahead to Paradise. So His Spirit actually accompanied this thief's spirit to the gates of Paradise. No matter the details, Jesus did not lie.

SO HERE'S THE NUT SHELL:
* Christian Man dies * Man's body is buried *Man's spirit goes to Paradise/Heaven *time goes by and finally Jesus returns *Man's physical body is resurrected and he is given a spiritual body that is fit for Heaven *His new (glorified) body goes to meet his spirit * when Heaven and Earth are destroyed by fire and the New Jerusalem comes down and take the place of Heaven and Earth, Man goes to live there forever in his new glorified body. So he does go to Heaven, temporarily, while he awaits the New Jerusalem.

**If the man was not a Christian? Well, that is a whole new Bible Study.

******So why, then, do Christians believe that they will go to Heaven when they die? Because the Bible says that they will. It doesn't say "MAN WILL GO TO HEAVEN WHEN HE DIES" but you can not read the whole Bible and take all of its truths and NOT come to that conclusion. The only reference that we have and can understand at this point is that of Heaven. The New Jerusalem has not been established. We can only read about it and yet we still can not comprehend the majesty and glory of what it will be like.



Christians are left with two options. Either we say we will go to Heaven when we die or we say we will go to Paradise when we die. We can not say that we will go to the New Jerusalem when we die because, technically it will not be have been established yet. We will go to heaven/Paradise and await the fulfillment of God's promise. Perhaps we should say Paradise instead of Heaven. But what difference does it make? The concept is the same.

Instead of splitting hairs, YOU should be asking Heaven? or Hell? Because that is the question that is most relevent for you, the asker of this question.

Answer 2

Jehovah Witness I would guess. But, you are right, to an extent. I'll not dwell on it here. This is Polls and Surveys, not religion!

Answer 3

You should ask this in religion and spirituality. I'd love to see what those tight @sses have to say!

Answer 4

GOOD THEORY BUT IF WE LIVE RIGHT THEN WE SHOULD KNOW WHERE WE ARE GOING

Answer 5

the bible is full of sh*t.

Answer 6

you have to have faith!

Answer 7

no.