The common belief of the Christian appears to be that when you die you go straight to heaven. Actually you're dead in the ground until Judgement Day. [Spirituality & Religion]
There are a couple folks like Moses and Elijah who are up there already but by and large you stay dead until the second coming.
So where did the idea come from that you go straight to heaven after you die?
Lots of devout Christians would disagree with you. What about the thief on the cross whom Jesus told in Luke 23:43, "today you will be with me in paradise"?
@Pikachu Yes, that's exactly why I refuse to discuss religion online. I'm happy to know heaven is real, even if I have to sleep a while before getting in.
The Bible says this in numerous places. You sleep....until it's your time to rise and be judged....and not before. The feel good thoughts of "oh they're in a better place now" is for peace of mind..........but it's not truth. You are one of the very few people out there...preachers included....that has put this forward as fact.
Yeah it's definitely a little nicer to believe. Although practically speaking it makes no difference because you won't know any different until the time you're resurrected so it might as well be instantaneous.
@Pikachu The false believe of die and poof you're in haven isn't for the benefit of the one that just died. It's a feel good idea for those left behind.
[i] in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.[/i] 1 Corinthians 15:52
[i]Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people.[/i] Ezekiel 37:12-13
[i]I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They[a] had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection.[/i] Revelation 20:4-5
[i]Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.[/i]
Revelation 20:11-13
[i]Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For 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 word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until 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[/i]
Good question. I've pretty much always interpreted it as waiting until the Second Coming since I was old enough to read Scripture for myself, so I don't know either, because the text mostly doesn't seem to support it.
As i said, there a couple people in the bible who are described as being in heaven. Anyone else is dead in the ground until judgement day. That's also when the people who will be sent to hell are sent there.
I'm pretty sure that after we die, we reincarnate in a never-ending line-up at the afterlife's equivalent of the DMV. As soon as you get to the front of the line, you discover you have not filled out the proper paperwork, and are pushed to the back of the line. This cycle is eternal, but since there are no mortal needs, everyone just patiently waits, as there is no better alternative.
nobody know what really happens after death so it makes people scared, so you tell them a fairy tale so they join your religion so heaven, and when that doesn't work you scare them with something worse than unknown, you make up hell and see if that scares them into staying in the religion.
Well i'd agree that it's just a mythology made by men, but i'm interested in the Christian perspective about where this notion comes from. Is it based in scripture or is it indeed just a comfort blanket fabricated to ease the fears of the flock?
