Do We Go To Heaven When We Die

Almost every single day, someone mentions Heaven. I live in Oklahoma, so it’s not surprising. But Oregon was the same way. Anyone that is going through a rough patch or who just lost a family member seems to go into this default state where Heaven is repeatedly mentioned. It makes sense, too. As Christians, we’re all taught that Christians go to Heaven when they die. Plus, the thought of our loved ones retreating from the problems of this world to a place of complete paradise is comforting. Do those thoughts have any biblical backing, though?

Where did the thought of immediate ascension into Heaven upon death come from? From what I can tell, no one truly knows. So many people make claims and try to disregard, or discredit, the opposing opinion. “Soul sleep is unbiblical.” “Immediate ascension into Heaven is unbiblical.” I’ve seen people go back and forth with those two lines for hours. Each person has a long list of verses to pull from, and each verse is vague and open to interpretation. We all see what we want to see in the Bible. I frequently read more into scripture than what was actually there while trying to disprove God’s existence. I also had a bad habit of believing everything that was told to me by Christians.

Every church I have gone to, Heaven has always been the main focus. Well, that or money. Personally, I think that God should be the main focus, not what we need to do in order to get into Heaven. God is our creator. We’re here for Him and because of Him. We should want to obey Him, to please Him, and not to receive a reward. That being said, most churches and Christians act as if they KNOW who is, or is not, getting into Heaven. They list off requirements and talk about people like they’ve got the Book of Life in the palms of their hands. The Bible tells us that no one knows who is listed in the book or not. We’re also told that names can be removed from the Book of Life.

Assuming that someone is a devout Christian, they do all things righteous, and obey all of God’s commands, why does it matter if they ascend into Heaven upon death? I understand, we view it as a comfort and a fitting reward for those that honored God with their life…but why do we arguing over whether or not we sleep first? If the thought of not immediately ascending into Heaven upsets you, then you’re really going to be bothered by what I have to say.

I don’t know if we sleep or not, but I don’t think that we ascend into Heaven at all. We are told that that which has not descended from Heaven has not ascended into Heaven. “We’re told that we will be with Christ and God, and they’re in Heaven.” It’s true that the Bible says that we will be with Christ and God, but it does not say that we will be with them in Heaven. The Book of Revelation tells us that Heaven and Earth will be made anew. We are also told that a city (the new Jerusalem) will descend from Heaven. This city is described in detail. Part of the city’s description is that Christ and God will walk with us in that city. There will be no need for the sun because they will be our light. How can we be with Christ and God in Heaven if Christ and God are with us in a city that descended from Heaven?

Revelation 21:1-4
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had passed away, and the sea was no longer there. Also I saw the holy city, New Yerushalayim, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  I heard a loud voice from the throne say, “See! God’s Sh’khinah is with mankind, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and he himself, God-with-them, will be their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will no longer be any death; and there will no longer be any mourning, crying or pain; because the old order has passed away.”
Revelation 21:22-27
 I saw no Temple in the city, for Adonai, God of heaven’s armies, is its Temple, as is the Lamb.  The city has no need for the sun or the moon to shine on it, because God’s Sh’khinah gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.  The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. Its gates will never close, they stay open all day because night will not exist there, and the honor and splendor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure may enter it, nor anyone who does shameful things or lies; the only ones who may enter are those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

I would strongly recommend reading all of Revelation. If you don’t have the time to sit down and read the whole book, at least read chapter 21. No one truly knows what happens to us when we die except those that have already died. Although it’s nice to think we go to Heaven, I have not yet found definitive proof that that is where we end up, whether we sleep or not upon death.

We get so angry over the thought of our loved ones not immediately going to Heaven or potentially not going to Heaven at all. Why? Belief in Heaven isn’t required for salvation. Belief in ascension into Heaven isn’t required for salvation. Heck, you can be saved but believe in total destruction of the soul upon death. We’re told exactly what it means to be saved and how to gain salvation. Heaven isn’t mentioned anywhere. You might be called a heretic for having a different opinion, but that’s a societal/worldly label.

Don’t be afraid to have a different opinion or a unique thought. Try to be true to God. Trust His Word and remain calm when presented with different opinions. Obey His commands and salvation is yours, in whatever form or fashion that may be.

John 17:1-3 After Yeshua had said these things, he looked up toward heaven and said, "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, so that the Son may glorify you -- just as you gave him authority over all mankind, so that he might give eternal life to all those whom you have given him.

And eternal life is this: to know you, the one true God, and him whom you sent, Yeshua the Messiah.