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Where are the dead?
are your loves ones already in heaven or hell?
B36
Most believe that when a person dies they go straight to Heaven or Hell, but the Bible teaches that Jesus will return a second time for judgment, which includes the resurrection of the dead and the final separation of the righteous and the wicked. The key passages that address this include 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, which says, "the dead in Christ will rise first," and Revelation 20:12-13, which speaks of the final judgment of the dead.
The question is, if Jesus is coming back to raise all who have believed in Him and then to judge those who did not, how can anyone be in Heaven or Hell at this time? If you are already in Heaven or Hell, then you've already been judged, right? This would seem to make the second coming and final judgment unnecessary. What is the answer to this question?
Intermediate State (Hades/Paradise) -
Some Christian traditions teach that when a person dies, they go to a temporary "holding place" or intermediate state. For the righteous, this is often referred to as Paradise or Abraham’s bosom (as mentioned in Luke 16:22), and for the wicked, it's often referred to as Hades or a place of torment (Luke 16:23). This is not the final destination but a waiting place until the final resurrection and judgment. The unbeleivers final place is the Lake Of Fire.
Resurrection and Final Judgment -
The Bible emphasizes that at the second coming of Christ, the dead will be resurrected and face final judgment (John 5:28-29, Revelation 20:12). The "dead in Christ" refers to believers who have died, and they will be raised to life in glorified bodies. After this, the rest of humanity will be judged, and those found wicked will face eternal separation from God, often described as hell, while the righteous will enter the fullness of eternal life in God's presence.
Heaven Now for the Righteous? -
For those who believe that believers go directly to heaven after death, they often cite passages like Philippians 1:23, where Paul expresses a desire to "depart and be with Christ," and 2 Corinthians 5:8, which states, "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." However, even in this belief, the soul's presence with Christ is considered temporary until the resurrection when they will receive glorified bodies and enter into the fullness of heaven.
In essence, while the wicked may be in a "holding place" awaiting judgment, the righteous could be in the presence of God but still awaiting the resurrection of their bodies at the second coming. The final judgment, as mentioned in Revelation, is when everyone receives their eternal destination—either eternal life or eternal separation from God. This explains the need for a second coming and final judgment even if souls are already experiencing a foretaste of their eternal fate.
What about the thief on the cross? -
in Luke 23:43, Jesus speaks to one of the thieves on the cross and says, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise." This statement is significant and raises questions about what exactly Jesus meant by "paradise" and how it fits with other biblical teachings about the afterlife and resurrection.
Paradise as Heaven: -
Some Christians interpret "paradise" in this passage as referring to heaven, meaning that Jesus was assuring the repentant thief that his soul would immediately enter the presence of God upon death. This aligns with the belief that, after death, the righteous go directly to heaven to be with God, even though they still await the future resurrection of their bodies.
Paradise as an Intermediate State -
Another interpretation views "paradise" as distinct from heaven, representing an intermediate state or resting place for the righteous dead. This interpretation draws from Jewish and early Christian beliefs about Abraham's bosom, which is described in Luke 16:22 as a place of comfort for the righteous dead. In this view, paradise is not the final heaven, but a temporary state where the righteous await the resurrection and final judgment.
Jesus' Descent to the Dead -
Some traditions also consider the belief that after Jesus died, He descended to the realm of the dead (sometimes referred to as Hades) to proclaim His victory over death (see 1 Peter 3:18-20). According to this view, when Jesus spoke of "paradise" to the thief, He may have been referring to a place of rest for the righteous dead within the realm of the dead, rather than the final heaven. After His resurrection, Jesus would have brought the souls of the righteous into the presence of God.
Resurrection Timing -
There’s also a perspective that emphasizes the future resurrection and final judgment. While Jesus told the thief he would be in paradise that very day, some interpret this as meaning the thief would enter a state of peace and rest, with the full reality of heaven coming after the second coming and the final resurrection.
The key question is how to reconcile this passage with the broader biblical teaching about the resurrection and final judgment. While Jesus' promise of paradise to the thief is often seen as immediate comfort, it doesn’t necessarily contradict the idea that both the righteous and wicked will eventually face resurrection and judgment at Jesus' second coming.
In short, "paradise" can be understood as the immediate blessed state after death for believers, but the fullness of their heavenly experience and resurrection will still come at the end of time.
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