Christians: is anyone in Heaven, or are they all dead in their graves until Jesus comes back?

Question

"All that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth." John 5:28, 29. "David ... is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day." "For David is not ascended into the heavens." Acts 2:29, 34.

What about all tjhos enear-death experiences, if no one is in Heaven yet? You guys have me so confused.

BUT THE BIBLE SAYS THEY ARE NOT IN HEAVEN!!!!

Answer 1

Their bodies are in the grave, their souls in heaven - I believe.

Answer 2

Nobody knows.

The Jewish view was what we call 'soul sleep.' The ancient Hebrews believed that the soul was a physical process that ceased to function when the body died. The Pharisees took the unique position that the body would raise from the grave at the end of time and stand before God at the Judgment. The early Christians, most of whom were technically 'pagan,' tended to favor the Hellenistic view that the soul transcended the body, but that 'reason' was a physical function. So, they maintained that the soul, after death, reposed in a 'limbo' or 'purgatory' state, devoid of reason (but still possessing consciousness). They kept the idea of the resurrection maintained by the Pharisees.

Neither the Jews nor the Christians maintained the modern view that the dead in Christ go to 'heaven' and live in bliss after death. On the contrary, death was typically viewed as incomplete or even an overtly negative state.

Answer 3

When the Bible says a person is “sleeping” in relation to death (Luke 8:52; 1 Corinthians 15:6), it does not mean literal “sleep.” Sleeping is just a way to describe death because a dead body appears to be sleeping. The Bible tells us that the instant you die, you are taken to heaven or Hell based on whether you had received Christ as your Savior or not. For believers, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:23). For unbelievers, death means everlasting punishment in Hell (Luke 16:22-23). The concept of “soul sleep” is not a Biblical doctrine. The moment we die, we face the judgment of God (Hebrews 9:27). Until the resurrection, though, there is currently a temporary heaven “Paradise” (Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 12:4) and Hell “Hades” (Revelation 1:18; 20:13-14).



In a sense, a person’s body is “sleeping” while their soul is in Paradise or Hades. This body is then “awoken” and transformed into the eternal body a person will possess for eternity. These eternal bodies is what we possess for all of eternity, whether we are in heaven or Hell. Those who were in Paradise will be sent to the New Heavens and New Earth (Revelation 21:1). Those who were in Hades will be thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15). These are the final, eternal destinations of all people - based entirely on whether a person had trusted Jesus Christ alone for the salvation of their sins.

Recommended Resource: What the Bible Says about Heaven & Eternity by Ice & Demy.

Answer 4

This is a question that I do not know an absolute answer to but is something I look foreward to looking into to find the real answer. However, we do know that some are in heaven or will be in heaven. Since the beginning of the papacy of the Catholic Church with Peter and the list of popes that continues today, each pope raises ordinary people to a special status of sainthood. After a scrutiny of the life of a holy person, and the Church determines that the person did nothing seriously wrong in his or her life, the Church then raises the individual to the status of Blessed and then Saint. These people are said to be in Heaven with God.

So this is what I can offer.

Answer 5

The way to heaven wasn't open until Jesus ascension into heaven and the anointing of his followers at Pentecost 33CE. The prophecy concerning the "tent of the Most Holy being rent in two" was the timeline for that.

Jesus opened the way into heaven through his ransom sacrifice for mankind. The Most Holy was a restricted room in the Tabernacle that even the High Priest only entered once or twice a year, since it symbolized God's presence.

So the way to God's presence wasn't open until after Jesus' death.

As for the rest of mankind, we are told that there will be a "resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous" and that the "righteous will reside upon the Earth forever."

Only 144,000 anointed humans serve God in heaven as "kings and priests."

The untold remaining ones will hear Jesus' voice and come out of their memorial tombs after Armageddon.

Edit: The meaning of soul: ne'phesh (Hebrew) "breather." As in "and the man came to BE (not have) a living soul." Genesis calls Adam a soul- it does not say he has one.

Answer 6

Anyone who believes Jesus is their savior will be brought up into heaven. yes, their bodies remain in the ground (obviously) but their souls go into heaven. "All that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth."-probably means that everyone who has died ("in the graves") is called up into heaven to meet Jesus where then he/she will be judged before God. The other two scriptures could describe that David was not accepted into heaven but condemmed to hell.

Answer 7

You are correct. Heaven as well as hell does not come in to play until after the tribulation period is over.

When you die, you go from the physical limitations of space-time to the eternal, which is timelessness. One moment you are dead, the next moment all of earth's time line has played out and you are before the judgment seat. This will take place in an instant because time is a physical property.

Answer 8

earlier Jesus got here those that had handed directly to the finished beyond have been asleep. waiting for judgment day. Joh 11:23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall upward thrust returned. Joh 11:24 Martha saith unto him, i comprehend that he shall upward thrust returned interior the resurrection on the final day. The final day grew to become into coming of their era. Mat 23:a million Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Mat 23:2 asserting, The scribes and the Pharisees sit down in Moses' seat: ++Jesus spoke approximately many judgments coming++ Mat 23:35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Mat 23:36 Verily I say unto you, those variety of issues shall stumble upon this era. After the judgment, which got here in advert 70, in simple terms as Jesus had reported. those that have been born returned enter into his kingdom mutually as nonetheless right here in the international. So whilst they bypass away they're going to bypass directly to heaven.

Answer 9

I think the redeemed are NOW in heaven. Here's why: Jesus told the sinners on the cross beside Him, "Today, you shall be in paradise." He did NOT say, "Today, you shall be in purgatory." Many people in my church believe in purgatory--and believe all who have died, are waiting for Judgment, after Christ returns. I think our individual judgments will come at the time of each of our deaths.

Answer 10

of course dead people are in heaven. i mean all the good dead people are. and when the end of the world comes God will rise all the good dead people from their graves and bring them back to heaven.