When someone dies they go straight to Heaven?

Question

At many Christian funerals it is often said that the deceased is in Heaven. How do we know this? Should we be so sure?

Answer 1

It is unbiblical for Christians to assume that their loved ones go straight to Heaven. God alone is the judge.

The Bible says that one’s final salvation depends on the state of the soul at death. As Jesus himself tells us, "He who endures to the end will be saved" (Matt. 24:13; cf. 25:31–46). One who dies in the state of friendship with God (the state of grace) will go to heaven. The one who dies in a state of enmity and rebellion against God (the state of mortal sin) will go to hell.

We CAN be confident of our own present state of salvation. This is one of the chief reasons why God gave us the sacraments—to provide VISIBLE assurances that he is invisibly providing us with his grace.

However, when a soul dies, no man can judge the state of that soul when it departs the Earth. Only God knows.

This is why we must pray for the dead and why we should foster the virtue of HOPE in God's love and mercy towards those we loved who served Him in their lifetimes.

Answer 2

According to the Bible, once you die you do not go directly to heaven. Instead, all people will go to Judgement Day at the same time. It says that once you die, it will seem as if it were only the blink of an eye before you wake up to Judgement Day, no matter how long it has been. Of course, a lot of people think you go straight to heaven, pastors even say it in church. But if you read the Bible carefully, this is not what it says.

Answer 3

You will hear much debate on this subject een among those of The True Christian Faith... I was of the belief that one goes to Heaven at the end of mortal life...that is right then... I now am convinced that in fact all souls "sleep" untill called forth at The Rapture, if they are of The Church...or.. at the final judgment, if they are lost and to be eternaly seperated from God..... I do know that the Roman catholic position of purgatory is compleatly false and is not Christian teaching..

this is a subject that will never be settled untill we get to our final destination.... but if you think of sleep... when you wake up it will be as if no time has passed... so in effect you wake up, if you are "saved", in Heaven ,one way or the other... and if you are not going to enter Heaven you will wish you never woke up.

Answer 4

God's human sons were not meant to die. In fact, when Jehovah first spoke of death to Adam, it was mentioned, not as the outcome that man should normally expect, but as the punishment for disobedience to God. Adam understood what death meant, since he would have seen animals die. Adam sinned, he paid the price for it by dying at the age of 930 years.

The Bible also says: “There is an eventuality as respects the sons of mankind and an eventuality as respects the beast, they have the same eventuality. As the one dies, so the other dies; and they all have but one spirit, so that there is no superiority of the man over the beast, all are going to one place. They have all come to be from the dust, and they are all returning to the dust.” Eccl. 3:19,20. When does returning to the dust mean?

The expression “returning to the dust” should remind us of God's statement to the first human: “Dust you are and to dust you will return.” This means that humans, like animals, are physical creatures. We are not spirits that merely inhabit a body of flesh. Our thinking faculties cannot survive the destruction of our body.

Of a man who dies, the Bible says: “He breathes his last breath, he returns to the dust; and in that same hour all his thinking ends.” Ps. 146:4 “The New English Bible” If that is what happens, what condition does that leave the dead? God's Word gives a clear answer: “The living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all.” Eccl 9:5

Rather than being like a friend welcoming us to a better life, death is called “the last enemy,” according to the Bible, for it halts all of our activity, until sometime in the future when we may be resurrected.

The Scriptural teaching of the resurrection, however, is not compatible with the doctrine of the immortality of the soul. If an immortal soul survived death, no one would need to be resurrected, or brought back to life.
Indeed, Martha expressed no thought about an immortal soul that was living on elsewhere after death. She did not believe that Lazarus had already gone to some spirit realm to continue his existence. On the contrary, she showed her faith in God’s purpose to reverse the effects of death. She said: “I know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.” Likewise, Lazarus himself related no experiences of some afterlife. There was nothing to report.

Also the Bible states: “As the last enemy, death is to be brought to nothing.” 1 Cor.15:16 Never again will grief stricken people have to go to a cemetery to bury a loved one. Bible says: “Death will be no more.” Rev. 21:3

Answer 5

We don't say that our loved ones go straight to heaven, never have I been to a christian funeral and heard the preacher say that the person was going straight to heaven. We don't know who goes to heaven and who doesn't until judgment time, but it helps us to let go to think that our loved ones are destined for heaven and that there soul will be eternally taken care of, this is part of the healing process. I don't know where my parents are going it concerns me, but I am sure that in death that will no longer matter.

Answer 6

Depends on the perspective. When on leaves "time", there is no waiting.
For those who are still in time, it is in the future.

We will all meet God at once.

1 Thess 4:13-18
14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.
(from New International Version)

Answer 7

Christian spirits whose name is in the Lamb's Book of Life go to heaven. Christian bodies are in the grave and will be resurrected at the rapture of the church.

The Bible says it. It is true.

Answer 8

Not really. "Heaven" is a broad term. There is much to learn about heaven here on earth. Some souls may remain asleep until the final roll call. Whereas others, who are worthy, will continue with the evolutionary perfection of their soul and they proceed without delay.

Answer 9

A lot depends on your faith.

I, as a Catholic, if I am killed while in a state of grace, I bypass everything and get right into heaven.

Since we do not know how long the Final Judgment takes, the dearly departed could still be waiting for that judgment.

However, it is not comforting for the bereaved to hear, "John is probably in heaven, unless some petty bureaucrat is arguing what he did when he was in the 6th grade."

Answer 10

I know it's not really an answer, but what state is a baby in?

According to the bible, if a baby dies - does it go to hell? Or Heaven? What if that baby is of Muslim, Bhuddist or Confucianist parents? What happens then?

Personally, I think it all ends when you die. Christian funerals say people are in heaven because accepting the suffering and pain that is life, without any thought of an afterlife, is difficult for some people.

Answer 11

Because I believe 2Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."

and "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. (2 Cor. 5:8).

I therefore know that I will be with God in the very moment that I am not in my body. Isn't being in the presence of God what heaven's all about?

The Bible also says everyone is not going there. We have a discussion going on in Myspace about HELL. Check that out...http://www.myspace.com/cup_a_coffey