Do Christians Go to Heaven when they die? A second look

I previously highlighted this question in a previous post here. It turned out that I caused upset to a number of people who have now decided to dissociate themselves from this blog. To tell the truth sometimes I feel defeated and at a loss when I am trying to do something and it is interpreted in the wrong way by others. But nevertheless I must decrease so that Christ can increase.

Prior to touching this subject the first time, it was not my intention at all to consider writing a post on it until the issue was raised. I am aware that people hold various views on the subject and that some will say that it is not really such a serious point of debate which pertains to salvation. Perhaps this is true but it really depends on the context of your reasoning. The main problem with this debate is not that the view you hold is not important in deciding your salvation, rather, the problem is that if by holding to a view do we make the scriptures contradictory? If we therefore make the scriptures appear to contradict itself by what we believe does that not undermine the doctrine we believe and therefore bring the whole basis of our faith into question? These are the thoughts I have been contemplating recently as a result of the controversies surrounding this topic. There are therefore two questions within this topic; 1) Do Christians really go to heaven immediately on death? 2) Do the scriptures contradict themselves? The first question is not as important as the second question.

Some people believe that when a Christian dies they are ushered immediately into Christ’s presence where they will be in a conscious state, retaining their ‘personality’ and thus being able to fellowship and commune with Christ, albeit apart from their bodies. Others however do not believe that Christians will go straight to heaven on death and there are good reasons likewise for believing thus. One of the main basis of the former view (that Christians go straight to heaven on death) is the promise Christ made to one of the malefactors on the cross in Luk 23:43. Here, the verse says, “….Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Regardless of what one’s view is, this raises a very important question when we consider other scriptures. If Jesus and the thief were in paradise that very day how is it that Jesus states in John 20:17 that, “..I am not yet ascended to my Father?” Is Jesus contradicting Himself here? There are those however who wants you to believe the first view without attempting to reconcile the apparent contradictions in holding that view. Equally, if you hold to the view that Christians do not go straight to heaven, then Christ may still appear to contradict Himself by what He promised to the thief in Luk 23:43. By not reconciling the scriptures therefore we undermine the very veracity of the doctrine we seek to hold so dear, and this has already led many people to depart from the faith and discard the Bible. We are standing on very dangerous ground here when we simplify the question by saying that whatever we believe on this matter doesn’t really matter (and that we should agree to disagree) because it will not determine our salvation. I am not so much concerned about which view one believes but more so in reconciling the scriptures as this is very important in maintaining the truthfulness of the Gospel.

Do the scriptures contradict themselves? I don’t think that any true Christian will admit to the scriptures being contradictory. So how do we reconcile these apparently conflicting scriptures? I want to believe in my heart that when we die we immediately go to a better place. I have heard people testify that when their loved ones are dying they speak of seeing a glorious/bright light. My friend testified of such when his father passed away. But at the same time I have to stick with what scripture tells me. Experiences or sentiments do not override scriptures and we don’t know exactly the extent or meaning of those experiences anyway. So what do some of the other scriptures say contrary to the verse in Luke? I must say here that the scope of this article is not to look at every specific scripture that relates to this issue as they are plenteous. However the verses I look at should be sufficient in making the points I wish to convey.

One of the first things that may need clarification is the question of where paradise is. To resolve the question that Jesus went to paradise but did not ascend to His Father as per Joh 20:17, some argue that paradise is in the earth or at least away from heaven, citing the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luk 16:19-31). Could this be true? What does the scriptures say? Paul gives us a clue in 2 Cor 12:2-4 that paradise is up above in the third heaven. Jesus also tells us in Rev 2:7 that he who overcomes He will give the right to eat of the tree of Life which is in the paradise of God. Rev 22:1-2 tells us also that the tree of life stands on the side of a river which flows out of God’s throne. So then paradise was always around God’s throne and not in the earth as some suppose. So if Christ went to paradise with the malefactor on death that day He would most certainly have ascended to His father thus contradicting what He said in John 20:17. A portion of scripture that may hold the key is John 13:33 through to John 14:4 (see also John 14:28). Note that the passage continues from the end of chapter 13 into chapter 14 despite it being broken up by chapters. For ease I have only copied from John 13:36 below:

36Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” 37Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times! (John 13:36-38)

1“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God^a; trust also in me. 2In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4You know the way to the place where I am going.” (John 14:1-4)

“You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. (John 14:28)

What do we learn here? Jesus told Simon Peter that where He was going he couldn’t come but rather that he Peter would follow later. No where do we see a promise that the disciples would follow Christ on their deaths but rather that He will return to receive them this is in spite of the fact that Jesus already knew of Peter’s death which He prophesied of in John 21:18-19. Are we to believe that Christians who die will consciously be with Christ on death in spirit form but that in these scriptures He was merely referring to coming back for the bodies – the shell that holds the spirit? In truth this is what some believe but it simply does not make any sense. It seems to me that whether in body or spirit, if we are going to be with Him we are going to be with Him – If He says He is going to prepare a place and come back for us then until He comes we are not going to be with Him.

So how do we treat Luk 23:43? Could it be it is a matter of interpretation? Some have argued that the placement of the comma is where the problem lies since in the original Greek no punctuation is used. Therefore some place the comma after “today” to render the meaning of the verse to be referring to the timing of the promise as opposed to the timing of entry into Paradise. Perhaps Acts 2:27 should also be considered here since this appears to offer further proof that Jesus did not go to paradise that very day but was in the grave for three days. Perhaps a closer look at verses in Luke 23 may reveal something:

42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.^f”

43Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

What was the criminal’s desire? It was that Jesus would remember him when He comes into His kingdom. It appears that the criminal had an awareness that Jesus would come into His kingdom in a future time. But note Christ’s response. Does it not appear that Jesus is granting the thief His wish that it is not in the future He will remember him but that he has a certainty today of knowing that He will be remembered of Christ when He comes into His kingdom? The question here then is this, “Has Christ come into His kingdom as yet?” When does scripture say that Christ will come into His Kingdom?

Let me reiterate that the most important point at the heart of this debate/controversy is not whether one believes they will go or not go straight to heaven on death. Rather, if you take a view how do you reconcile the apparent contradictions from the opposing view in order to preserve the trustworthiness of scripture? What do you think?

Point to Note:

I was presented with an article written by Jonathan Edwards (see HERE) which supported the view that Christians will go straight to heaven at death to be with the Lord. I did not accept Edward’s view not because I place myself above him or even above some of those notable Bible commentators such as Matthew Henry. Rather, these commentators have made no attempt to reconcile the opposing view so that the scriptures are in harmony. If I accept their position it means I would have to also accept that there are contradictions in the Bible because the opposite view cannot be ignored. This is why I rejected their view and instead align with the view which attempts to harmonize the scriptures.