He Or She Is Not Looking Down On You From Heaven
When a person's soul leaves his or her body, that individual is then dead (James 2:26). When a person dies his or her spirit leaves the flesh and lives either on the side of paradise or torment in Hades (Luke 16:19-31 and Luke 23:39-43). Those facts go a long way in answering the subject matter we are addressing in this brief study. Since a person who has died is in Hades, we know they cannot be in the eternal places of either Heaven or Hell. However, for many people, they choose not to see things when they are presented in simple form.
We are going to begin by understanding that the word translated “heaven” in the King James Version of the Bible means different things in different contexts. We are going to do so to clarify any misconceptions that someone could have. So, let’s briefly consider the word “heaven.”
A Brief Look At The Word “Heaven”
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1). In that context, the word translated “heaven” is in reference to the sky (Genesis 1:8-9; 14-20). As you study through the Scriptures, the word “heaven” is often used when discussing nothing more than the sky above (ex. Genesis 7:11; 19; 23, Genesis 8:2, Genesis 11:1-4, Genesis 22:17, Exodus 20:11, Deuteronomy 1:28, Luke 21:33, Acts 14:17, II Peter 3:7-10, etc.). The Scriptures also speak of Heaven as the place where our Heavenly Father, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and spiritual beings known as "angels" dwell (Matthew 22:30, I Peter 3:18-22, and I John 5:7). This will be the eternal place wherein the righteous will someday dwell (Matthew 25:31-46 and II Corinthians 5:1).
The reason understanding this is important is that there are Scriptures that, if taken incorrectly, could be used to say that there are people in Heaven now (i.e. II Kings 2:1-11). You see, if you read about Elijah (previously referenced) and then compare that to Jesus’ ascension into Heaven (Mark 16:19), you can get confused. However, when you take the time to rightly divide the word of truth (II Timothy 2:14-18), you can find with all certainty that Elijah was NOT taken into the place of eternal rest we call Heaven. Thus, understanding the contextual meaning of words is very important (II Peter 3:15-18). Now, let’s learn how we can KNOW that no one is going to Heaven before the end of the world (including Elijah).
Heaven Is A Future Destination, Not A Current One
We know that Jesus came in the flesh and then ascended into Heaven after His bodily resurrection (Acts 2:22-36). Outside of Christ, I can confidently state that no person has been in the flesh and ascended into Heaven. That statement is a Scriptural fact. Notice: “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him… And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven… No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us” (John 1:18, John 3:13, and I John 4:12).
Jesus was the “firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:12-18). When we look at His physical death, burial, resurrection, and ascension into Heaven; we are seeing that which we all have hope in (I Peter 1:3-9). Those of us whom are faithful in Christ, are looking forward to being raised at the time this world ends (I Corinthians 15:1-58 and I Thessalonians 4:13-18). All of that is to come in the future. Since the world is still standing, we KNOW that the promise of eternal life in Heaven is still to come (Matthew 24:35-25:46 and II Peter 3:9-14). So, all of those people who are thinking that someone is watching them from Heaven are wrong. Most of those people are looking for comfort and hope where there really is none.
If You Want Comfort…
If your loved one has died and was not completely faithful to the Lord’s will, when they were capable of such, there are no words of comfort. That person has not “gone to a better place.” False teachers spread these lies to make disciples for themselves for their own profit (II Peter 2:1-22). If you want comfort you are going to have to learn that each person has their own choice in what will happen to them when they die and afterward are judged by the Lord. You are going to have to understand that you cannot change what has happened to those whom are already gone. You are going to have to find comfort in what you can do for yourself now and those whom you can influence going forward.
Comfort and hope are joined together (Romans 15:4). That hope is going to have to come to you through the Scriptures (Psalms 119:81), not through making up or believing a lie. If you want to be able to look forward to Christ’s return and what will come thereafter, you are going to have to make any necessary adjustments now and live YOUR LIFE faithfully until that day (Titus 2:11-14).
Conclusion
Knowledge of the truth is not always joyful (Ecclesiastes 1:18). All of us suffer from the knowledge that people we love are lost. We’re not alone in that (Luke 19:41-44 and Romans 9:1-3). Don’t look for hope in lies. Buy the truth and sell it not (Proverbs 23:23).
- Brian A. Yeager
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