How come the same christians who tell me the theif on the cross is in heaven tell me that no one is in heaven?

Question

yet until the 2nd coming... the two contradict themselves, no? If the good theif is in heaven as Jesus stated he would be that day.. how is it that no one is in heaven... and didn't Jesus descend into the dead to take the just into heaven...?

Answer 1

No contradiction. Here's the short version: A saved person dies, body is buried, soul goes to heaven immediately. An unsaved person dies, body is buried, soul goes to hell immediately.

Bodies of the saved are resurrected and glorified at the rapture and are reunited with soul in heaven .
Bodies of the unsaved are resurrected at the White Throne Judgement, reunited with soul and cast into the lake of fire.

Answer 2

The origins of the doctrine of the rapture are hotly debated. The Orthodox, mainline Protestant, and Roman Catholic churches, which represent the majority of Christians worldwide, have no tradition of such a teaching and reject the doctrine, in part because they cannot find any reference to it among any of the early Church fathers [1] and in part because they do not interpret the scriptures the way that Rapture-believers do.




The Truth of Catholic doctrine is just as true now as it was 2,000 years ago, no matter how badly it may be presented in our confusing times. Hang on to the Faith and never let hierarchs or bad presentations of the Faith keep you from Truth and the Sacraments.

Answer 3

LOL...AWESOME question! I want to know how it gets answered also, since apparently all the saints and Mary are dead and can't hear us...wonder if that thief can, since he's in heaven?

:)