What about the yeah buts, the few scriptures that people think say that someone has gone to Heaven or that saved Christians go there as their reward. Scripture has already plainly spoken on this in so many verses as you have seen in the study about Heaven", that the truth is indisputable. Any verse that appears to contradict what the Bible actually SAYS needs to be looked at carefully for a correct understanding. A more in depth look at these scriptures is necessary to see how they are being misunderstood.
Is this proof that the dead go to Heaven and the wicked sinners to burning Hell fire. This parable is not an affirmation about what happens to the dead. Let's look at what is really said about Lazarus. Jesus already plainly said no one has ascended to heaven, which means no bodies with fingers, bosoms and tongues are in heaven. Where people spend eternity is not the context of this chapter. Heaven isn't even mentioned in this story. Those who try to say this is a literal account that shows what happens to the dead can only do so by taking it out of context. It is really just an allegory and nothing more. If you believe what the Bible actually says in John 3:13 you cannot take this illustrative story as literal, factual Biblical proof of the afterlife. It is clear that this is only an allegory when compared to other scriptures that plainly state that the dead know nothing (Ecclesiastes 9:5), and that even King David, who is both dead and buried, (Acts 2:29), has not ascended to heaven. If David, a man after God's own heart, isn't actually there neither is Abraham or Lazarus!
"I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart" (Acts 13:22)
Luke 23:42-43, "And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise."
The problem here concerns the translation done by men. Specifically, where men placed the comma before "today". There is no punctuation in the original New Testament Greek manuscripts. The original Greek text without punctuation is the inspired Word of God. It was hundreds of years before the addition of punctuation and it was done with theological preconceptions and Catholic church bias. It is important to understand that punctuation was determined by biased men. It's not part of the God inspired text! The translators, influenced by 900 years of Greek teachings and beliefs about death, placed the comma before the word today and incorrectly phrased the verse this way because it agreed with their own perceptions of man's eternal reward. This does not agree with what the rest of the Scriptures actually say.
The verse should have been translated like this. "Verily I say unto thee today, thou shalt be with me in paradise."
Consider what the Companion Bible says in its appendix concerning this.
Appendix 173. TO-DAY (Luke 23:43).
The interpretation of this verse depends entirely on punctuation, which rests wholly on human authority, the Greek manuscripts having no punctuation of any kind till the ninth century.
Appendix 94 adds to this.
Punctuation also, as we have it to-day, is entirely absent. None of our modern marks of punctuation are found until the ninth century, and then only in Latin versions and some cursives. From this it will be seen that the punctuation of all modern editions of the Greek text, and of all versions made from it, rests entirely on human authority, and has no weight whatever in determining or even influencing the interpretation of a single passage.
Brother Curtis Dickinson made this observation concerning Luke 23:43.
The Greek adverb here rendered 'today' appears in the Septuagint and the New Testament 221 times. In 170 of these places the adverb follows the verb it modifies. For example: 'I declare to you this day, that ye shall surely perish' (Deut. 30:18). Therefore, it would be natural to punctuate Luke 23:43 as follows: 'Truly I say to you today, you will be with me in Paradise.' Paul uses a similar turn of phrase in Acts 20:26 -- 'I testify to you this day, that I am innocent of the blood of all men.'
Someday the thief will be in the Kingdom of God with Jesus just as so clearly promised. It just wasn't the day the thief died.
Wasn't Elijah taken up to God's Heavenly Paradise by a whirlwind? Absolutely! The Bible says so.
2 Kings 2:11, "And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven."
No, this is not a contradiction. This is not an interpretation issue, but a clarification question. The Bible mentions three different places called heaven. The question is simply which did Elijah go into?
The first heaven is the lower atmosphere, the sky, where we find birds, clouds and whirlwinds.
Psalm 104:12,"By them shall the fowls of the heavens have their habitation, which sing among the branches."
The second heaven is what we call "outer space". It's where we find the sun, moon, planets, and stars.
Psalm 8:3, "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained...."
The Third Heaven is the highest of Heavens and is the most important one.
John 3:13, "And no man has ascended up to heaven,"
Psalm 115:16, "The highest heavens belong to the Lord,"
2 Corinthians 12:2, "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows."
In the vision mentioned in verse 1, Paul saw the third heavens. This is where we find God's throne. This is the Lord's domain where Jesus said no human has ever ascended.
What actually happened to Elijah? Where did he really go?
The Hebrew word shamayim used in this verse and translated heaven actually means the sky. Many scholars mistakenly ASSUME that Elijah was changed to spirit and went to the angelic Third Heavens to be with the Eternal. The sons of the prophets obviously didn't assume this. They knew otherwise. They understood the whirlwind, which occurs in the first heaven, the atmosphere, had simply taken Elijah up into the sky (shamayim) and that Elijah was moved to another place. They really believed that their friend had been taken away to some mountain or valley and were very concerned about where Elijah had come down. They were worried about his safety right here on earth as we see in 2 Kings.
2 Kings 2:16, "Look now, there are fifty strong men with your servants. Please let them go and search for your master, lest perhaps the "Spirit (The Hebrew word, "ruwach" which means wind) of the Lord" has taken him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley"
The son of the prophets did not believe Elijah went to Heaven. They saw a whirlwind in the sky carry him off somewhere and were concerned, so they sent out a search party.
"Therefore they sent fifty men, and they searched for three days but did not find him." (2 Kings 2:17).
God did not want Elijah to be found so they returned without knowing where he really was. God had effectively retired Elijah. His prophetic office had been transferred to Elisha. Elijah's work was actually finished except for one final letter.
How can you know conclusively that Elijah really did not go to the Third Heavens? The Scriptures actually say that Elijah wrote a letter to King Jehoram of Judah. Several years after the whirlwind trip through the sky Elijah wrote to the king warning him about his sins. This letter is found in 2 Chronicles.
"And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah, But hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father's house, which were better than thyself: Behold, with a great plague will the Lord smite thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy goods: And thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness day by day." (2 Chronicles 21:12-15)
This prophecy came true shortly thereafter. This letter is even more proof that Elijah was really still very much alive on this earth years after being taken away by the whirlwind. Elijah actually continued to live somewhere else for several more years as this letter clearly indicates, and then died like all men.
"it is appointed for men to die once." (Hebrews 9:27)
"And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of ... the prophets:" (Heb 11:32)
"And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise" (Heb 11:39)
Elijah the prophet died in faith, not having received the promise. Elijah still has not received the promise. He is still dead and asleep in the grave!
Doesn't the Word of God say Enoch was "translated" so he didn't see death? Does it actually say Enoch NEVER died? Is this what it really says?
Genesis 5:24, says "And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him."
Hebrews 11:5 says "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him:"
The Greek word for translated is metatithemi and it means to transfer, (literally) transport, carry over, change, remove. It primarily means to transfer, or transport. The same Greek word is used in Acts 7:16 as carried over. In Galatians 1:6 it is removed. Enoch was actually removed and transferred by God to another location where he eventually died. The Scriptures actually don'tesn't say why Enoch was removed. It doesn't say where God took him. We don't want to make assumptions about him going someplace when the Bible simply doesn't say where he went.
Again, men just ASSUME that Enoch never died but went straight to Heaven. Does this verse mean Enoch never died ,or does it simply mean that he didn't get killed AT THAT TIME? Was he changed to spirit and taken directly to Paradise, or was he removed just like Elijah to another place on earth for his protection? Did Jesus actually lie when He said no man has ascended to heaven if He knew Enoch did?
Referring to Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, etc. in the Book of Hebrews, the Scriptures really say,
"these all died in faith, not having received the promises." (Hebrews 11:13)
The Bible says they all died, including Enoch! They are still awaiting the promise, their reward, at their resurrection when Christ returns. Enoch may have been transferred that day so he didn't see death but the Bible says he eventually died.
Did God take Enoch to His Heavenly Paradise? Absolutely not! Jesus Himself plainly said that "no one has ascended to heaven ..." Enoch neither ascended there nor received the promised eternal reward. (Heb 11:13) Scripture says that Enoch ultimately died.
"So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years." (Genesis 5:23)
Enoch actually lived 365 years and then he died. He isn't alive today. He has not received the promises. Enoch was no exception. He didn't see death that day because God took him away.
Now you know the truth plainly from the Scripture about where you are not going when you die, but rather being with Jesus in the Kingdom of God on a new earth, for all eternity. What you do with this knowledge is between you and God! You can ignore it and continue believing and doing what your Creator does not want, OR you can repent and change and do what He actually says. The choice is yours for all eternity!
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Gateway To Jesus Ministries - Bible Study #14. Average Reading Time: 9 minutes.