Gateway To Jesus Ministries - Bible Study #13. Average Reading Time: 16 minutes.

What Does The Bible REALLY Say About Going TO Heaven

What does the bible say about going to heaven?

What Does God Say About Actually Going TO Heaven As Our Reward?


What Does The Bible Say Happens To Christians After Death?

If what you believe the Bible actually says, that Christians really go TO Heaven, isn't true would you want to know it? Most people believe what they believe, because it is what they have always believed. They believe what they have been taught by their church about what happens when we die. Few Christians ever really study the Bible to PROVE what they believe, that Christians really go TO Heaven when they die is actually what the Bible says. Could it be a false teaching?

The Scriptures tell us to Prove All Things.
Have you proved that Christians go TO Heaven is really their reward? Your eternal life depends on you knowing the truth and not some false pagan based doctrine!

Does the Bible say just going TO some heavenly paradise is the reward for the saved, or has God actually promised us something even better?

What does the Bible really say about where Christians actually go to receive their promised eternal inheritance?

What really is our eternal reward when we are saved?

What does The Bible Really Say About People Ever Actually Going To Heaven?

According to recent figures almost 80% of Americans actually believe that Christians really go TO Heaven for their reward after being saved. Almost every church teaches that saved Christians, (or their souls), go to the Heavenly Paradise immediately after they die, and unsaved sinners go straight to Hell. Does the Bible really say this or is this a false pagan belief? Does the Bible actually say anyone has ever gone to the angelic Third Heaven where God lives? Not according to Jesus!

The Bible actually says this in plain language.

"No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man ..." (John 3:13)

Jesus plainly says that no one who has ever lived has actually gone up to Heaven, except Himself. This verse requires no interpretation or explanation. It is not symbolic language. No one needs to say "What He really means is.....". The Bible plainly says that no human being who has died has ever gone to heaven .... PERIOD! Do you believe Jesus? Do you believe what the Bible actually says? Just think, none of the men like Elijah, Elisha, Moses, Abraham, Job, King David, or any of the men of faith in the Old Testament actually went to the heavenly Paradise when they died, even though most churches claim they have. Each one is still dead, still awaiting the promise of eternal life in the Kingdom of God with Jesus. (More details about some of these men and what happened to them will appear later down below in this study.) Look at what the Bible really says in these verses.

Heb 11:13,"These all died in faith, not having received the promises"....

Heb 11:3, "And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise."

What promises are these verses talking about? What is this inheritance that was promised to these righteous men? Was it going to Heaven? Is that what the Bible actually says?

Christian Beliefs About The afterlife? Where Do We Spend Eternity?

This is what the Bible really says in plain words requiring no interpretation.

Romans 4:13, "For the promise, that he should be the heir of the WORLD, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith"

Isaiah 60:21, (speaking of the time of Christ's reign on earth)...."Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit THE LAND forever."

Psalm 37:11, "the meek shall inherit the EARTH"

Notice a pattern here on where we will be? Have any of the righteous men mentioned above ever eternally inherited the earth? The Bible really says none of these righteous men have received the promises. Since none of these men have actually received their inheritance, they, like other believers, remain as heirs to the same promise.

Gal 3:29, "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

Romans 8:17, "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ"

The resurrection of these men and the fulfillment of these promises to inherit the world is yet to occur in the future. The Bible actually says none of these men have received God's gift of eternal life upon the earth.

The Bible says that King David, a man after God' own heart" ( Acts 13:22), is "dead and buried", not alive in heaven.

"Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day."; (Acts 2:29)

The Bible actually says that the complete person, body and soul who lived and thought and reasoned and loved, King David, is dead and buried, NOT up in Heaven! David is included among those who died in faith in Hebrews 11:32. If anyone should be in Heaven it would be him. The Bible says he is not. He is still asleep in his grave, not alive in heaven.

What Does The Bible Really Say About Life After Death?
Can people in heaven actually see us on earth?

The Scriptures actually liken death to a state of sleep. The Bible does not say the dead are alive in Paradise It really says the dead are simply unconscious and have no knowledge of what is going on around them. Just look at all of these verses concerning what the Bible really says about death.

Ecclesiastes 9:5, ".... the dead know not anything...."

The Bible says the dead "sleep in the dust of the earth" (Psalm 13:3), and, "sleep the sleep of death" (Deut 12:1-2), "and they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep" (Job 14:12), "unto the coming of the Lord"(1 Thess 4:13-15)

If they, or their essence, any spiritual part of them, were alive in Heaven none of these Scriptures would make any sense. So what does the Bible really say about death.

Here is what Scripture really says concerning Moses:
Deut 31:16, "And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers."

Here is what Scripture actually says about King David:
2 Sam 7:12, "And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers"
Psalm 13:3, "Consider and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death"
Acts 13:36, "For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption."

Here is what Scripture really says concerning Job:
Job 7:21, "And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be."
Job 14:12, "So man lies down, and rises not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep."

Do you see what the Bible actually says? No one awakens from the sleep of death. No one is raised out of their death sleep. No one rises until the heavens be no more. Look around you. Are the heavens still here? Because if they are then EVERYONE is still sleeping the sleep of death in the dust of the earth.

Here is what Scripture really says about the Saints at the End Times:
Daniel 12:1-2, "And at that time .....many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake...."
1 Corinthians 15:51, "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed."
2 Peter 3:4, "And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep , all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation."

Here is what Scripture actually says concerning Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead:
John 11:13, ".... after that he said unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleeps; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spoke of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep."

Here is what the Bible really tells us about Christians:
1 Corinthians 11:30, "For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep."
1 Corinthians 15:6, "After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep."
1 Corinthians 15:17-18, "And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished."
1 Thessalonians 4:13-15, "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede them which are asleep"

Here is what the Bible actually says concerning Christ:
1 Corinthians 15:20-21,"But now is Christ risen from the dead , and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead."

Christians believe that Scripture teaches a resurrection from the dead, which is absolutely true. Yet they try to say that the believer's soul rises from the grave at death and goes up to some heavenly paradise ahead of the body. The Scriptures say that ALL are in the GRAVE and ALL will hear His voice while in the GRAVE, not anywhere else. It is only THEN that they shall come forth, body and soul, in the resurrection and actually receive their reward or judgement. Until that time all are simply asleep in the grave.

John 5:28-29, "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."

Scripture doesn't really say that everyone goes to Heaven (or Hell) when they die! Do you know why this confusion exists? It's because scriptural support for the doctrine of your spiritual essence that makes "you", "you", or your "immortal soul", going anywhere when you die is not what the Bible actually says. The doctrine of an immortal soul apart from the body is not biblical. See the Bible Study on the Main Menu page, "What Does The Bible Say About Your Immortal Soul?", to learn more.

What Does Scripture Really Say About The Kingdom Of God?

Many Christians believe they go to heaven when they die because Jesus sometimes used the phrase "Kingdom of Heaven". Matthew is the only book in the New Testament that uses this term. All other writers used the term Kingdom of God. Both of these actually mean the same thing. They really define ownership. They say who the kingdom belongs to, (God) and where it originates from, not where it will be located after Jesus returns. Other scriptures plainly say where the Kingdom will actually be located.

If you look carefully at Jesus' words you will see He didn't really say to His followers that they would go TO heaven. Jesus taught that the Kingdom belonging to God and originating in heaven, which is where he would go to prepare it, would come to this earth and be established here when He returned in glory.

Jesus spoke repeatedly of the Kingdom of God which would be established at His second coming. In the Lord's prayer believers are actually told by Jesus to pray for this.

Matthew 6:9 "Thy kingdom come"

Daniel 7:14, (speaking of the Messiah) "And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."

Matthew 25:31-34, "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory.....Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

Luke 21:27-31, "And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory... So likewise you, when ye see these things come to pass, know you that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand."

Scripture actually says Jesus will come again to earth and establish the Kingdom of God HERE on the EARTH! The Bible doesn't say we go somewhere else as our reward! Our reward is being with Jesus in His Kingdom which will be HERE on the new earth.

"For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind." (Isaiah 65:17)

"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away" (Rev 21:1)

"Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." (2 Peter 3:13)

THIS is where Jesus will rule "all people, nations, and languages" as an actual King of Kings and Lord of Lords in His Kingdom, here on the new eartly paradise after Jesus returns.

Daniel 7:27, "And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him"

Notice the Scriptures say the Kingdom of God is actually under heaven, not in it. It is an everlasting Kingdom that is given as a reward to the saints. Our Creator is giving believers HIS ETERNAL KINGDOM on earth as their reward. The Scriptures really say this is their eternal reward, not going to heaven and sitting around on a cloud playing a harp. The Kingdom will come to the earth and should be the goal every Christian seeks. Jesus plainly tells Christians to seek it.

Matthew 6:33, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God "

Scripture says righteous men and women of the Old Testament who are dead and buried will finally receive the promises when Jesus returns, and will be in the Kingdom of God.

Luke 13:28, "....ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God,..."

In the Gospel of Luke Jesus spoke of Himself in a parable.

Luke 19:12, "He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return." The "far country" is Heaven. Jesus will bring the Kingdom of God to earth at His return.

Zechariah 14:4 and 9 speaks of the day when Jesus' Kingdom will be established on the earth. " And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east ... And the Lord shall be King over all the earth

In Matthew 5:5 it says, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

Why should the meek get stuck on this old planet and everyone else gets to some heavenly paradise? It doesn't make sense to dump them here if going somewhere else is really their reward. The truth is the meek will be in a perfect earthly paradise with Jesus. It's the ultimate eternal reward. Jesus is plainly telling believers that their eternal reward shall be here as a new earthly paradise like the Garden of Eden actually was! So, what will believers do on in this paradise when He gives them this Kingdom?

Revelation 1:5-6, "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made US kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

Revelation 20:6 "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."

The Scriptures really say believers shall actually reign with Christ as kings and priests in the Kingdom of God. And where will they reign with Christ?

In Revelation 5 speaking of the resurrected saints, the Bible actually says.....

Revelation 5:10, "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the EARTH" (NIV).

Where does the Bible REALLY say we will reign? Does this verse show us our actual eternal reward? God has an incredible, active reward for believers as kings and priests reigning with Jesus right here on a recreated earthly paradise with a fresh new sky and enough land for all people throughout the world.

Revelation 21:1 , "And I saw a new heaven and a new EARTH: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, COMING DOWN from God OUT OF HEAVEN, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."

John 14:2-3, "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again , and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also. "

Jesus has gone to the Third Heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2-4) to prepare paradise for His Elect. He is preparing the new Jerusalem filled with many mansions. He brings it all down with him to a new earth when he returns. He tells believers that where He is they will also be. Jesus will really be here. Paradise will actually be here. God will be here. The Bible actually says the reward for the saints is eternal life with Jesus and God the Father in the Kingdom of God right here, but it will just all be new. The tabernacle of GOD will be on the EARTH!

Revelation 21:3, "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them...."

Revelation 21:23, "And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof."

Does Scripture Really Say Anything About Where Christians Go For Our Reward?

The Scriptures repeatedly refer to Christians as heirs. They are to inherit the promise of eternal life in the Kingdom of God. They are inheritors right here on earth where they will reign with Christ. This is what the Bible really says.

Romans 4:13, "For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith."

Psalm 37:11, "But the meek shall inherit the EARTH;"

Psalm 37:9, "For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the EARTH."

Psalm 37:22, "For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the EARTH";

Revelation 5:10, "And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the EARTH."

Isaiah 60:21, (speaking of the time of Christ's reign on earth)....."Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit THE LAND forever."

Matthew 5:5,"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the EARTH." .

How many times does the Scripture have to say believers will inherit the earth before people actually accept it and believe it? Should Christians keep clinging to their traditional beliefs about where they go when they die? Will believers allow the Word of God to correct them?

Mark 7:9, "Full well do you reject the Word of God that you may keep your own tradition."

34 years ago a minister offered a $1,000 church donation to anyone who could show a verse in the KJV that promised going to Heaven as the reward for the saved. The burden of proof is on all who believe the false teaching about their reward. Where are the verses that actually say their inheritance or reward is going to Heaven? Is there even just one verse of scripture that promises this is the reward for the saved? The $1,000 has never been claimed and never will be.

The next time you hear a preacher say from the pulpit, "The Bible says, 'when Christians go TO Heaven'.....(fill in the blank)", ask him where it says that in Scripture? Ask him where that phrase is actually written in God's Word? Ask him to find even one verse anywhere in an authorized version, like the KJV that says that is the reward for the saved. He won't be able to do it! It's simply doesn't say it! This belief is not from Jesus. It's not taught in the Scriptures. It's origins are really from Greek, Egyptian and Babylonian religious beliefs.

It should be clear by now that Scripture does NOT say that Christians go to some heavenly paradise as their reward when they die. Is it important for Christians to know that God's Word really says the reward for the saved is the Kingdom of God and where it will be! Does it really matter if you know this? The truth is more wonderful, more exciting, and more incredible than anything you could have previously imagined. Consider your choices. Men say you will sit around watching God forever. He actually says that you will be crowned as a King and Priest, and rule with Jesus in the Kingdom of God, an incredible, perfect, paradise for all eternity. You can either plan on sitting around on a cloud doing nothing, or you can look forward in joyful anticipation to what the Scriptures really say. You can experience an eternal lifetime in the Kingdom of God, reigning and living with Jesus forever.

"Yeah but how about the scriptures that say someone has gone to Heaven?

How about the yeah buts, The Scriptures that appear to say that some people have already gone to heaven, therefor saved Christians go there as their reward. Scripture has already plainly spoken on this in so many verses that the truth is indisputable. Any verse that appears to contradict it actually 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 misunderstood. Visit this page for the answers.

Frequently Asked Questions About Who Is Already In Heaven



Test Everything

Now you know the truth plainly from the Scripture about where you are not when you die, but rather being with Jesus in His KIngdom on a new earth, for all eternity.


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