What happens the moment you die ? ( Instantaneous Resurrection )


Short audio clip ( please listen ) - http://youtu.be/kk7y83PNuBw

"I know that he ( Lazarus ) shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day" (John 11:23-24). Martha knew the truth about death and the resurrection. Jesus did not correct her for he too knew the truth about the resurrection. I pray that after you read this, you will too !
What happens the moment you die ? ( Instantaneous Resurrection exposed )

I hope this work will not be misconstrued as critical judgement of those who believe that they go to heaven or hell the moment they die, but rather a test of Christian discernment through the reading of Gods Word. Its not my intention to offend or shock but simply investigate into a topic that has been in question with many Christians. There are a lot of stories going round today from people who are claiming to have been to heaven and hell and coming back to tell us about it.
I am always searching for the truth through the bible and not mans stories.
The information included states with the use of scripture that we do not instantly go to heaven after death but only during a certain future time ( designated for all ). A time called the resurrection.
I have studied a lot on this but that does not make me correct in my view. I do pray that if this work is not the truth, that God would soon make that apparent to me. -- 2 Peter 3:14-16 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the long suffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
This work below has been sent to MANY websites designed to support Instantaneous resurrection including churches that do the same, news agencies that have made reports on it, clinics who study the subject, and so on. NO ONE has stepped up to discount what you are about to read. The challenge is still open. Share this with whomever you may find.
What happens the moment you die ? Interesting question. What are we to expect after we take our last breath ? You hear it often at funerals or during small talk about a loved one that has passed on. " He's gone to be with Jesus now; Shes at a better place; He's flying around with angels now", his spirit has left me with a message and so on. With sympathy and respect you say nothing, in fact the imagery it creates is comforting. Certainly you wouldnt step in and start giving a biblical overview about what happens to someone after their loved one has passed away. Theres a time and place for everything. Some of us believe we instantly fly off into heaven or hell and others believe we "wait" for a future resurrection. ? Some of us want to believe something that comforts us, and some of us want to believe whatever God says in His Word, even if we dont agree with it and it makes us uncomfortable. What does the bible say on the subject ?There is a precept that is above all others, to put God's Word first. A friend and I began to talk about this little boy who said he had died which a movie is out about it now. He claims he saw Jesus and heaven and then came back to tell about it. My friend and many others would believe him, why not ? Certainly noone would lie about something like that would they ? And the little boy seemed so sincere.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdUGoFTfP7w
His story sounds so beautiful and I would be eager to share his experience but one verse popped up in my head that made me question his experience, " Heb:9:27: And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment". I thought to myself," men dont die twice with a few getting a chance to tell their story about it. And then another verese John 3:13: And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. Then I thought did John in Revelations go to heaven ? No, he was transformed and saw a vision of heaven. What about Elijah , Moses and Enoch? Read for an amazing expose' on something most of us have misunderstood ! -
http://www.cgom.org/Publications/Booklets/Enoch_Elijah.htm
I will try not to get sidetracked on this subject but when God says no man has entered heaven ( 1 Cor 2:9), that's what we are to believe. Once the resurrection has happened, we wont debate any longer on the subject.
Proverbs 16:25 says there are ways that seem right to a man but in the end it leads to death. How terrible it can be to someone who thinks something is true but its not. Misunderstanding one verse can lead you to having a "mindset" which can cause you to misunderstand many more verses. It "appears" to me " that the bible gives more than ample evidence that we do not go to hell or heaven the moment we die but we are dead (not knowing anything) and wait (not knowing anything) for that glorious moment that Jesus will call us to be with Him.
God talks very much about life and death in the bible. I have found many scriptures that give clear explanation to what happens after you die. I have found less number of verses that ( if misintepreted ) seem to suggest something contrary to these clear verses. I've learned a very important rule about intepreting scripture. Let the simple verses shed light on the "questionable/debateable" verses and never the other way round. If a subject such as " what happens when we die " is studied and you find scripture that seems to conflict one another, this rule of interpretation helps out a great deal !

I will begin my study on going over the scriptures that seem to indicate that we go to heaven or hell the instant we die, and secondly scripture that shows the opposite. Im and advocate of the latter and this study is designed that way. The very first verse I will start with is the one most use to defend their belief in Instantaneous ressurrection.

ONE- . 2nd Corinthians 5:8: ‘We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.’ Many people use this scripture to say the next thing that happens when a person dies is they are(((INSTANTLY)))resurrected and are INSTANTLY with the Lord. Is this what this verse really says ? Is this saying that all the ( righteous) know that when we die we will go to heaven? Has God put such " no brainer " verse in the bible ? Is Paul telling us that when when we die we go to heaven in this passage ? Telling us that when we die we will go to heaven to be with God seems a bit too simple for the need of explanation, and if you will read scripture before and after the verse in question you will see exactly what Paul is talking about! Theres no need for such crude basic teaching here. In fact if you read about what Paul is talking about, it appears something a bit deeper is being revealed ! Consider the preceding and following verses. It strongly suggests that Paul is speaking in a spiritual sense and not literal. It "appears" that he is talking about the way to be present with the Lord in a spiritual sense by contrasting things that are carnal ( of the flesh ) to things that are spiritual. Paul is hinting that when we are absent from the body, meaning not living for the flesh (carnal desires), we are then living for the Spirit ( in the presence of God ). Paul is not talking about death. Nowhere in the vicinity of this scripture does it appear that Paul is eluding to a literal physical death, so why are so many trying to tell us that he is ? Because its something they want to believe even when the bible is saying otherwise. This is the root of the problem !
Lets read scripture right after the scripture in question and see if there is more light shed on the initial verse... 2 Cor 5:6-9
6: Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
7: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) Contrasting faith ( that of the spirit ) to sight ( that of the body ) .. spiritual and carnal. That makes easy sense doenst it ? Paul wasnt talking about death or heaven anywhere. So many yank it out of context to make bible doctrine with.
8: We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
9: Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
Look at verse 6. If your look at it in the literal opposite it would mean that while we are alive we are absent from the Lord. Heaven forbid ! Jesus tells us that Christians are in his presence and "working to be and stay " in His presence all the time. http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/intro/livingpg.htm
http://www.seekgod.org/message/godspresence.html
http://www.secretplaceministries.org/pages/journey/soaking/presence-of-god.html
http://www.gotquestions.org/presence-of-God.html

Please reread verse 9: Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. Here Paul says that we labour, we work toward that spritual side, away from the carnal fleshly body so we may certainly be accepted of God, EVEN if we havent crossed over to that spiritual completeness in God. We hope to be accepted in our labours and prayers through faith toward that fullness in Christ.

Please refer to these verses to understand about the inward and outward man to digest what God is talking about here. Rom:7:22 , 2Cor:4:16, Mt:23:28, Rom:2:28, 2Cor:4:16
With this information about living in the presence of God it appears we can be alive in our bodies ( while being in the presence of God ) but we need to be seperate ourselves from our flesh and the desires of the flesh ( to be in the presence of God ). To take 2 Corinthians 5:6 out of context would demolish the intentions of Pauls message that we have to deny ourselves and live for God to be in His presence. Take up the cross and walk with Jesus.... daily ! Lets study Luke 9:23-25 And He said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for My sake, the same shall save it. For what does it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?
Luke 9:62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. In order to fulfil the Scriptures — we need to deny ourselves and take up the cross daily following Jesus — you have to surrender your life to live for Jesus You can not please God unless you surrender yourself completely to Him. It can't be done unless you surrender your all. This is what Paul is talking about when being absent from the body so to be present with the Lord.
Romans 12:1,2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. This is quite an impressive verse: present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God.
I Corinthians 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. We need to die to self, and let Christ take over to live. That's when the blessings of God will come..... to be in His presence. Read Romans 8:7-10: Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. This is much to understand but it says again we need to die to self ( selfish desires ) so that we can have the Spirit of God live in us.
This may sound a bit confusing for now but if you consider what ALL the bible says about what happens when we die, this piece of the puzzle will fit perfectly ! Lets end this with revisiting verse 9 and look at it a bit differently. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. Hmmm.... whether present OR absent, that we can be accepted of Him ( living in His presence ). Even if this verse is literal it says its possible to be accepted of him being present with your bodies.... NOT ABSENT, so that eradicates the possibility that we need to be dead to be in the presence of the Lord.
I'm going to go one step further. Heres something I want you to consider and not pushing this on you....just consider it.... You will soon read scripture about the dead knowing nothing. Imagine this. If this one verse is as literal as possible ( and not spiritual ) as many think just imagine this; as soon as you die, no matter if it is 1 second or 1 million years afterwards, your next conscious thought will be judgement day. The resurrection to condemenation or reward. You will not know how much time has passed since you died. You will not remember being closed in a casket or having dirt heaved upon your chest while looking at your wrist watch. There will be no recollection of time you spent in the grave but only the moment you arrive at the resurrection. If your dead before you hit the ground, you will have no awareness of hitting the ground but only being raised UP when Jesus calls; whether it be a literal second, or a thousand years ! I think the fear of death and being left to decompose in the ground is what has set so many into believe that they are instantly sent off to heaven.

I believe the abundance of evidence here indicates Paul is speaking in a spiritual sense.Either you perceive this in a literal sense or a spiritual sense it does not say that you instantly go to heaven after death, Please go to http://bibletruth4today.com/Bible_Truth_4_Today/Booklet_01.html to learn more about this passage !

TWO - The rich man and Lazarus.- Go to Luke chapter 16 verse 19- The parable of the rich man and Lazarus, keep in mind that this is a parable. Many people will run with this story to say the man in hell is literal and he really is there BEFORE those who are destined for hell so an instantaneous resurrection is expected.

If we try to interpret this parable literally, we get into all kinds of trouble. For example– it talks about the people in heaven and hell communicating. Let’s all hope that that is not literal. If people in heaven are going to be communicating with people in torment through eternity, that would create a very hideous and grotesque picture. The bible teaches there will be no more tears in heaven. Rv:21:4 If someone in heaven could talk to those in hell , there would be grief unimagineable in heaven ! This fact alone is indication enough that the symbolic nature of this verse prove this scripture is a parable. Too many people believe this is literal and want to claim that we are instantly judged at death and sent somewhere else. Another thing is the man in hell is asking for one drop of water to cool his tongue. Well that’s obviously an exaggeration. If hell is a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth because of it being a lake of fire, I have a hard time understanding the man in hell holding an intelligent conversation with anyone. And then finally, it says that the beggar who dies and is saved goes to Abraham’s bosom. There is no other Scripture anywhere that says that all the saved go to the bosom of Abraham.
So there’s so much symbolic language in this that if we take all of the pictures literally, we’re going to come up with a very distorted picture from what the rest of the bible says. The lesson in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus is always missed because people use it to try and prove the state of the dead and hell. (remember, resurrection day and judgement day are in the future ). The lesson is, that the rich man, who is a symbol of God’s people who have the truth that are not sharing their food with the poor, the lost, they may find that in the Judgment the poor are saved and the rich are lost. We have a responsibility to share the Gospel. Just like Jesus was telling His Jewish brothers that if you do not share it with the Gentiles, you might find that many come from the East and the West and sit down in the Kingdom with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and you will be cast out and the Gentiles will be in. For the church today, it’s the same message. If we are building walls around our church and saying, ‘We’re saved because we’re Christians and we’re going to study our Bibles together and forget the lost of the world’ – in the Judgment we might find out we really didn’t love our brother. We’ve been hoarding our food so to speak, while they’ve been starving for the crumbs of the Gospel.
Everyone misses the real message in this parable. It has nothing to do with what happens when you die, or hell. Well what about Rv:20:13-14: And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. / This does mean what it says ! Our first death is in our bodies. Sin brings on death and this is the first death. The second death is hell. The saved are raised to life, and the lost are condemened to the lake of fire. I thought hell was the lake of fire ! Ahhh, good question. Look up the root word to which hell is used here. Hell means "GRAVE",. The dead ( lost ) and the grave ( that which Jesus gave us liberty from ) were cast into the lake of fire. Revelation's very symbolic but if you see something that causes your to ask questions , look up the root word of the original hebrew or greek text and then it must correlate with what all other scripture says about it !

Links -
http://www.what-the-hell-is-hell.com/HellArticles/RichManParable.htm
http://www.tentmaker.org/articles/Lazarus-byHuie.htm

THREE - The thief on the cross - Didn't the thief on the cross go to paradise with Christ the day He died? (Luke 23:43)
No. In fact, on Sunday morning ( long after he died on the cross ) Jesus said to Mary, "I am not yet ascended to my Father." John 20:17. This shows that Christ did not go to heaven the moment he died ! Here you may think " well thats his physical body he's talking about and not his spiritual body. Your having to think " Ok Jesus went to heaven in his spiritual body but came back in a physical one and will return back to heaven in a physical...oops spiritual body ". You see, you will probably get a bit confused with this so hold on for a few moments. It will make sense to you soon. In fact if you think about it, Jesus didnt return to heaven for 43 days ( round figure ). It was 3 days until he rose again and 40 more days with the apostles before he left Earth, so it was impossible for the thief on the cross to be with Jesus in paradise that very day . No ?? Please continue reading...
Note that the punctuation of the Bible is not inspired, but was added by men. Greek and Hebrew texts did not include punctuation. The comma in Luke 23:43 should have been placed after the words "to day" rather than before, so the passage should read, "Verily I say unto thee to day, shalt thou be with me in paradise." Or, "I'm telling you today-- ((( when it seems that I can save no one, when I myself am being crucified as a criminal )))--I give you the assurance TODAY that you will be with me in paradise." Christ's kingdom is set up at His second coming (Matthew 25:31), and all the righteous of all ages will enter it at that time (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17) and not at death. This is confirmed by the thief on the cross who said in Luke 23: 42: ...remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. ( WHEN YOU COME INTO THY KINGDOM ). Am I making a play on words or punctuation ? I am not here to deceive ! Please read this, this will certainly shed the light needed for this mysterious comment Jesus made. 2 Timothy 4:1 -I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; ..... Just as the thief said to Jesus on the cross " Remember me when you come in thy Kingdom ", it is repeated in 2 Timothy that Jesus would return at his appearing and then the judgement would happen at that time. This fact is proof that there is not a play on words or punctuation and in turn gives irrefutable evidence that the comma was placed " mistakenly " by man and not God. If this is not enough just a few verses past that and we read in verse 8: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. Here verse 1 has been repeated but this time something interesting has been added........ " and not to me only but UNTO ALL THEM " that love his appearing. This means we all do not see Jesus upon death as the moment we die because we all dont die at the same time correct ? We will all see him TOGETHER at his appearing, not at our appearing unto him but unto his appearing unto us ! Now its going to get deep. I feel the need to really dig into this punctuation agenda I have proposed. I could go into a long rant about the history of the manifestation of the translated bible from the original manuscripts but I dont feel that would be best. Allow me to share another example of a punctuation error that could " if allowed" create a whole new doctrine which is not found anywhere else in the bible. 1 Corinth 15:29- Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead? And why stand we in jeopardy every hour?
This is straight from the King James Bible. First notice the smaller case "w" after the question. That is strange ( I will touch on that later ), but more importantly note the placment of the comma after the word " dead ". Any bible scholar knows that there is no baptism for the dead. Our fate is sealed upon death. This is a hideous doctrine the mormons believe in. It should read ( as it should be understood ) Else what shall they do which are baptized, for the dead if the dead rise not at all then why are they then baptized,for the dead? What Paul is saying " if the dead dont rise then why is a person getting baptised" ? The whole theme on that chapter is talking about the 2cd coming of Christ. Paul was saying " if there is no 2cd coming, then what is the point of being baptised. Whats the point of being baptised and commiting yourself to Christ if the dead are not resurrected ? Do you see how the misplacement of a comma can create a doctrine that is nowhere else to be found in the bible and not only that but contradicts what the bible teaches ? Lets now go back to Luke 23:43 and take a look at the latter half of the verse. 43: And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. I once was having a hard time with this verse because if I moved the comma to set after the word " to day " it made the latter part of the sentence to look like a question. I thought that because of this face that maybe the comma set before the word to day but then it would conflict with all of what the bible says about a future resurrection for all . How could this be ? I was really stumped. So it dawned on me to look up all verses in the bible that had " shalt thou". Lo and behold there are 9 verses in the New Testament that have these two words in that order . Mt:4:10: Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Mt:5:36: Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. Mt:7:5: Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. Lk:4:8: And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Lk:6:42: Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye. Lk:14:10: But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. Lk:23:43: And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. Acts:25:12: Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, Hast thou appealed unto Caesar? unto Caesar shalt thou go.Heb:1:12: And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. Nowhere are these two words used to even slightly suggest that a question is being presented. They are all declarative statements and so is Luke 23:43 !
Mathew 4:4 says It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. How true this is but punctuation additions can do more damage than imagined. To learn more about punctuation errors ( added my men not inspired by God ) please visit ......
Now lets put the punctuation debate to the side and study on a word that most probably havent even considered when reading Luke 23:43 The word is paradise.
Why would God use the word "paradise" instead of "heaven" in the bible. The word heaven is used in the OT 136 times and the word paradise is used ZERO.
In the New Testament the word heaven is used 172 times and the word paradise is used in only 3 verses, one obviously being Luke 23:43. What an interesting find ! Whats behind this find ? Only 3 times in the whole bible is the word "paradise" used. Whats up with this mystery word ? The 3 verses in the bible that use the word paradise are Lk:23:43: And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise,2Cor:12:4: How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter, Rv:2:7: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
BUT just before we touch on paradise, I need to interject an understanding in which we have touched base already......" The presence of God " This is a beautiful illustration of the importance of understanding scripture as it is intended. SHALT THOU BE WITH ME (Man’s PRESENCE with GOD)
“Shalt thou be with me”, indicates the PRESENCE of God WITH Man. It is the PRESENCE, NOT PROXIMITY. God is NOT Only NEAR you in your situations of life like the thief on the cross was with Jesus but God is WITH you in your situation. In the fiery trials that the three Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced, Jesus Christ, the Son of God was in the fire with them as expressed by a pagan king. God became Immanuel, meaning God is present with us, in the person of Jesus, so that Man could be present with God and Jesus affirms this. Wow, this is really beautiful ! Now back to paradise without being sidetracked...
Ever wonder why Jesus did not use the word ‘Heaven’ in Luke 23:43 but instead said paradise ? The history of the word paradise is an extreme example of amelioration, the process by which a word comes to refer to something better than what it used to refer to.
Honestly, I don’t know if Paradise is a geographical location synonymous with ‘Heaven’ when God’s throne is, or if it is metaphorical as in the saying that God lives in the praises of men ( Psalm 22:3)
and /or if it is physical with a longitudinal and/or latitudinal construct. I dont know. But what surfaces is that if the root of the word paradise was pairidaēza meaning “a wall enclosing a garden” it reminds me of the garden of Eden where man communed with God was shut from man by a wall of a flaming sword and angel so that man could not access the tree of life (Genesis 3:24). Man could not have access to the garden where God came down in the cool of the evening to be with his creation. Now with the final and finishing act of God’s redemptive work, demonstrated by Jesus being crucified in the stead of man, we see that the perimeter wall that precluded man from reaching God (and access to THE TREE OF LIFE i.e., Jesus) in the garden is now removed and the garden (paradise) is accessible to man as expressed by Jesus when he said, Verily, I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in Paradise. The garden that was shut is now open. Furthermore, irrespective of where paradise is physically, I believe that when Jesus is WITH me and you, anyplace is Paradise. If paradise is metaphorical in its usage as proported in Luke 23:43, lets examine the 2 and only 2 other verses in the bible that use the word paradise to see if there is a connection. 2Cor:12:4: How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
Caught up in paradise from what ? From his body, whether from in or out of the body he did not know. He was caught up and the use of the word paradise was showing a contrast from whence he had been to what heaven is like. Paul was wrestling with wanting to go to heaven which is paradise in reflection to the life he was living here on earth. He enjoyed so much his work here on earth for Jesus but he also as much yearned to be in heaven.
Rv:2:7: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. This verse obviously shows a contrast between heaven and the original dwelling place of man. Man overcometh the world and entered into a place much different than his original place which would be like paradise in comparison.
About the thief on the cross. As we know Jesus did not ascend into heaven that day he said those words. He said he didnt. I cant imagine how the thief on the cross felt, or for that matter how Jesus felt on the cross but try to imagine if you were the thief putting your faith into this " ragged naked man " on the cross who was dieing next to you .He certainly did not look like a person that was going to claim any kingdom on this earth.
Imagine GOD in the form of a man dieing a humiliating death next to you and you said "remember me". It is my belief that Jesus knew this mans pain and even knew of the degree of this mans faith that he was God . I cant say for sure but it would appear from what the thief knew of Jesus was very little so there must have been an ample amount of doubt as well. ( this causes me to recollect the verse about how the faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains ).
This thief as I understand did not see Jesus do any miracles to win his conviction or belief through sight , but through faith of hearing the words of Jesus. Romans 10:17. Its my belief that Jesus used the Word " today " as in the context that I suggest because he wanted to assure this man that very day " that though Jesus himself could do nothing on that very day of the crucifixion ( because of Gods eternal plan ) on the cross to save himself" that he would be in a place that was the OPPOSITE in comparison to the situation they were in at the moment......... when he comes back to call up his saints. 1 Thess, John 5:28-29
Consider this Jn:14:2: 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.3: And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. This is VERY interesting. Jesus said this about 40 days after his crucifixion. What did he mean ? Was he going to heaven to build us a place for us ? He said there were already many mansions in His Fathers house so what did he mean ? If the mansions were already there what was he preparing ? I know he didnt say " build " so its obvious something else was being prepared ! Something hadnt been done yet and that something was the work that Jesus began on the cross and the Holy Spirit was doing afterward in the world and still is. It will not be finished till Jesus calls up HIS saints. Listen ! Jesus said " He will recieve you " When ??? When He comes again !!! His 2cd return to earth !!! He is not going to recieve you when you die. He will recieve you when he returns to earth and calls the dead and the living UP ! The theif on the cross could not have gone to heaven ( paradise ) because Jesus said that his work was not yet done . This is proven in Jn:14:16: And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;... and in John 14:26 and in John 15:26 and especially in Jn:16:7. Never the less I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. So when Jesus told the thief on the cross ( that day ) that he would be with him in paradise, he certainly meant it. BUT before the thief could be in heaven, the Holy Sprit had to come and do 'HIS" miraculous works in saving all those that would come to Christ BEFORE Christ could call up his saints at the last day. Jn:6:39,Jn:6:40,Jn:6:44,Jn:6:54,Jn:12:48
Martha said in Jn:11:24 to Jesus, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Even Martha knew that the resurrection would take place at the last day but how beautiful it was that Jesus replied to her in the next verse "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:" And Lazarus was raised from the his death of 4 days ( John 11:17 )! Yes, but what happened after that ? He died again. He did not enter into heaven and get vacuumed back down to earth. I dislike being crude in my illustrations but to believe that one goes to heaven instantly forces us to create such situations to consider. And Lazarus wasnt the only one who had been brought back to life.
The Holy Spirit is presently working in the world to save us, through the Word of God who we are PRESENTLY sharing it with. Jesus said " I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." His Words were also to be understood by the thief on the cross HAD HE BEEN ALIVE TO HEAR HIM !! Jesus has not yet returned to earth in HIS kingdom yet. If so, I'll say this many times " If so, we have missed it " !!! Read all of Ephesians chapter 1. It tells of the beautiful work that God has put into place to reunite mankind with his initial intended relationship with him through the redemptive blood of Jesus Christ. This is a truly beautiful reading ! There is no doubt in my mind even at this early point that we wait for a future judgement. But in hopes of making this subject matter as clear as possible, we are going to go over MUCH MORE !

Four - Doesn't the Bible say Christ went and preached to lost souls in hell between His crucifixion and resurrection? (1 Peter 3:18)
No, the Bible passage in question is 1 Peter 3:18-20. The preaching was done "by the Spirit" (verse 18) in Noah's day--to people who were then living (verses 19, 20). The "spirits in prison" refers to people whose lives were in bondage to Satan. (See Psalms 142:7; Isaiah 42:6, 7; 61:1; and Luke 4:18.) If some think that their were lost people in hell, let me ask you this one question. For Jesus to go to hell there had to be some there before he got there right ? And you think this happened after Jesus died on the cross ? What does the bible say ? Col:1:18: And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. If Jesus is the firstborn from the dead, how could those in hell be there before Him ? If they were resurrected from death and sent to hell, then what kind of pre Jesus-crucifixion judgement took place ? The idea that Jesus went to hell to preach to lost souls in hell is ludicrous and this fact is another reason that the dead do not go to hell or heaven upon death.

Five- What about John the book of Revelations who said he was immediately transformed and went to heaven. This one will be a short explanation in a question. Did John die to have the ability to report the "vision" of heaven or was he " transformed " ?
6. Did Steven go to heaven ? Chapter 7
54: When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.
55: But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
56: And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
57: Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,
58: And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.
59: And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
60: And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Many IR defenders hold tight to this situation but lets go over the situation first.
This is Stephen’s final act of ministry: his fearless witness to Jesus Christ and his martyrdom. What did Stephen witness to, in particular, that so enraged the Jerusalem mob and moved them to such great violence? These were Jews, after all, and not barbarians. If someone had asked them, “Do you believe in God; do you believe in the Scriptures; do you believe that God has promised a Messiah?” the vast majority of them, perhaps all of them, would have instantly answered “Yes.” And yet, they stopped their ears against Stephen’s witness and killed him with stones. Why should this have been? “But [Stephen], being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven.” Stephen was “full of the Holy Ghost,” who had descended upon the Church, through the Apostles, to enliven and strengthen all believers. Stephen, therefore, was alive before God in a way that the members of the mob simply were not. Stephen, alive in Jesus Christ and indwelt by the Holy Ghost, had a redemptive, saving relation to God in Christ that his enemies lacked, and so they resented his confidence in the God of his salvation. Look more carefully, too, at the second part of this statement, which tells us that Stephen “looked steadfastly into heaven.” The original could be translated even more literally to say that Stephen had given his full and undivided attention to heaven, so that he really wasn’t paying attention to the crowd or to their discontents. He was certainly speaking to them, but his purpose wasn’t to please them or, as we hear too often today, “to meet their perceived needs.” Stephen’s purpose was simply the truth: the truth about God; the truth about God’s Son Jesus Christ; and the truth about the simple way that anybody who will submit his life to God in Jesus Christ can be saved from his sins and live forever. The mob, on the other hand, as is true of all mobs, had given its full attention to itself. The mob was unhappy, so someone had to die, and not very long before, this same mob had joined in crucifying Jesus Christ, and for essentially the same offense. Jesus, and now his disciple Stephen, had refused to pay any attention to the popular and deadly notion that God belonged to Israel, rather than the other way around.This sense of “owning God” was, of course, a travesty and a reversal of all that the Old Testament had taught. It was a denial of everything that the Patriarchs and Prophets of Israel had believed. Nevertheless, for the members of the mob at least, this terrible error had its attractions. It sounded religious, and it allowed a profession of faith and supporting quotations from the Bible. It provided social respectability, even as each man went his own way according to his own lights. It allowed them to disobey any commandment of God that they felt like disobeying, as long they said that the Bible was “hard to understand.” And it kept God in a box, lest he become so powerful in their lives that he might actually take control of their lives away from them. But there stood Stephen, the prisoner of God’s love and grace, paying attention only to heaven and to heaven’s God. And he dared to tell them, to their faces, that God didn’t care at all about their domesticated, human religion. God only cared about his own true religion, established in the blood of his Son and by the power of the Holy Ghost. And God didn’t need their permission to send a Messiah, to give the Gospel, or to set up his New Testament Church. So they stopped their ears for fear of being converted, and they killed God’s messenger of grace. Now we have studied the situation , and have a feel about what happened here but lets look closer at the scriptures themselves for a minute. These ill Jews were biting Stephen ! How strange ! But at this time during the biting of Stephen, he looked up and saw into heaven and Jesus sitting at the right hand of God. First thing I notice here is that Stephen is looking into heaven before he was being stoned. This is very interesting and something that the IR defenders do not point out. After it was noted that Stephen was looking into heaven, the mob ( in verse 57 ) were enraged and all gathered up onto Stephen and began,,,.... well the bible says they were gnashing at them with their teeth ! Maybe this was a custom or something I do not know but I do know that before the mob began stoning him, Stephen was looking up into heaven. This looking up into heaven by Stephen was seen in its physical realm by the mob so at this time Stephen had his feet planted firmly on the ground. With all this taken into account, I can NOT say that Stephen was NOT actually looking into heaven but it " appears " to me that scene that Stephen saw was metaphorical in his hopes and expectations instead of him literally seeing this with his eyes. With his being filled with the Holy Spirit and looking upward into the sky was a symbol of his belief in what he knew was true. This is only my hypothesis but was is not a hypothesis is this. Whether he actually saw into heaven or not is not the question, the question is did he see this vision after his death and the answer is undebatably no.


----------------------------------------------- Pros for a future resurrection --------------------


ONE - King David - King David died oh a thousand years B.C., and the Bible says he slept with his fathers. You get down to Acts chapter 2 and Peter’s says 'Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day."David’s still dead, he’s still buried, and he’s not yet in Heaven. Acts:2:29
But, when Jesus comes, King David is coming out of his grave, he’ll be caught up with the righteous to meet the Lord in the air, he’ll have his immortal, glorified body. When David closed his eyes and Bath Sheba and Nathan the Prophet were around his bedside and died, David knew nothing of himself or those around him. This verse literally says that King David at the time of the writings that he was still in the grave and hes still there now. There is no need for interpretation of this literal passage.
"All that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth." John 5:28, 29. "David ... is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day." "For David is not ascended into the heavens." Acts 2:29, 34. "If I wait, the grave is mine house." Job 17:13.
"Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Revelation 22:12. "The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, ... and the dead in Christ shall rise ... and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17. "We shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, ... and the dead shall be raised incorruptible. ... For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." 1 Corinthians 15:51-53. Listen to what God just said. The mortal must ( at that future time ) put on immortality. God has said that we are not immortals until he makes us immortals. 1 Timothy 6 ...13-16: I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen. / I understand this to say until resurrection day ( while we are mortal and corruptible ) we can not enter into heaven and the physical presence( not only spiritual but physical ) presence of God until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: God says here here and many other places that no man has seen (literally) heaven and no man can approach it UNTIL THE APPEARING OF JESUS.
Christ's kingdom is set up at His second coming (Matthew 25:31), and all the righteous of all ages will enter it at that time (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17) and not at death.
TWO- 1 Corinthians 2:9-But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. I think this is talking about heaven. It certainly sounds like it ! John 14:2 , John 14:3 If this verse says noone has seen heaven, maybe it means..... ( UH,,,, noone has seen heaven ) That is of course, God and His angels which both are not men.
THREE - ( About SLEEP and what the DEAD KNOW ) - "Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt" (Daniel 12:2).
Here the bible says those who are dead sleep in the dust of the earth only later to come to everlasting life ( in heaven ) or contempt ( hell ) Some people say God calls us up one at a time, instantly upon death, but God in the book of Daniel says " THE MULTITUDES" ! It says to me that everyone will be called up at the same time , just as it says everywhere else in the bible.
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:51).
Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, 'Lord, do not charge them with this sin.' And when he had said this, he fell asleep" (Acts 7:60). The previous verse Stephen said just before his death " receive my spirit." Stephen was giving up the ghost just as Jesus had. Both acknowledged their life had come to and end. The spirit of life was giving back to God from whence it came. - Lk:23:46: And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
The Bible often refers to the state of death as "sleep." This is because the dead will actually be "awakened" (resurrected) at the end of time, some, as Gabriel says, "to everlasting life, others to everlasting contempt."
The Bible says the dead "know not anything" (Eccl. 9:5), they "do not praise the Lord" (Psalm 115:17), and that their thoughts have perished (Psalm 146:4).
Jesus "said to them, 'Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.' Then His disciples said, 'Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.' However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, 'Lazarus is dead.'" (John 11:11-14 NKJV).
Surely if he had went to heaven that moment after he died and was brought back to life ( literally yanked out of heaven and back down to earth ) he would have certainly mentioned what heaven was like but remember.... ( no man has been to heaven ) No eye hath seen no ear.....( 1 Cor 2:9) . Jesus intervened in his death in the grave/sleep and brought him out of the state of being dead. He also said, "This is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day" (John 6:39). Jesus says the dead really are dead. They are not yet in heaven, nor are they yet in hell. They are "asleep," awaiting the resurrection "at the last day." AT THE LAST DAY, AT THE LAST DAY, AT THE LAST DAY . Please read what the bible says,... at the last day !
"The living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun." "There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6, 10. "The dead praise not the Lord." Psalms 115:17.
"So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep." "His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them." Job 14:12, 21. "Neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun." Ecclesiastes 9:6.
Jesus called the unconscious state of the dead "sleep" in John 11:11-14. How long will they sleep? "So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more." Job 14:12. Till heavens be no more ? Job says man dies and will not rise again until heavens be no more. Hmmm ? When will heavens be " no more " ? Lets read 2 Peter 3:10. 2Pt:3:10: But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. The heavens will pass away. He didnt say "heaven" but " heavens ". We know they are 3 heavens. Earths atmosphere, the space above earths atmosphere, and Gods home. We know Gods home will not pass away so the other remaining two ( plural ) are earths atmosphere and beyond will pass away and God says that will happen when the Lord comes ! I am continually amazed at how the prophets of the old and new testament write things that fit like pieces of a puzzle together even when the scriptures being wrote are thousands of years apart ! So man will rise not until the heavens are no more, mean they will rise when Jesus returns in His kingdom ! Isnt God amazing !

FOUR - ( JESUS'S RETURN ) What happens to the righteous dead at the second coming of Christ?

"Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Revelation 22:12. "The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, ... and the dead in Christ shall rise ... and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17. "We shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, ... and the dead shall be raised incorruptible. ... For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." 1 Corinthians 15:51-53. In our future the dead will be rewarded. They will be raised, given immortal bodies, and caught up to meet the Lord in the air. There would be no purpose in a resurrection if people were taken to heaven immediately at death. This is pretty simple ( the dead know nothing---- but only AFTER resurrection day )
FINISHING THOUGHTS - If that boy who died ( or anyone that claims to have died and gone to heaven ) saw anything which resembled heaven, he saw what his neuroligical receptors were still sparking off what he had been taught of heaven OR he may have been giving a vision from elsewhere but the bible teaches that when you are dead you know nothing until resurrection day and that moment of time is in the future. Satan is an angel of light, the great deciever. He will do anything to take the glory and attention that God deserves away. Satan wants you to believe a lie no matter what it is or insignificant you may think it is !
FIVE- Hebrews 9:27 -And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: Simple enough. God has apointed man to die but once and then the judgement . To die once. Exactly when are we dead ? I can say this with assurity. If your dead, mortally, clinically , with a name tag on your toe dead and you come back to life for whatever the reason, your not going to " wake back up in this world". The judgement is a future event for all of us at the same time! You dont get to go to heaven , come back and die again. What if everyone had that opportunity. Then they would make a decision on heaven by sight/experience and not by faith ! Its very interesting that God only spoke of heaven vaguely in His Word and I think theres a reason for it. Why would a man be able to go to heaven, come back and be able to add " more " to what God has told us ? Sounds like a violation of Rev 22:19 John in the book of Revelation was Gods last prophet and was translated and caught up into heaven to give a vision of heaven and the things to come. This was a special situation of future events that was revealed to us by God in his love. To let us know of our future and in His Word we are to put faith in His Word. To even begin to listen to a mortal man today who claims he has seen heaven violates everything the bible says about the subject.
If we did go instantly to heaven when we die, why isnt there literally thousands of people who flatline on the medical scene who come back to life giving exactly the same descriptions of heaven/hell ? I mean shouldnt everyone who flatlines come back and tell us they saw heaven or hell. No, everyone doesnt.
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Now for an interesting look into the bibles references to the soul and spirit by Joe Crews. This study also exposes the truth about what happens to us the moment we die !
Now the first question we'll ask is this, (and it's the one that Job asked in Job 14:14), "If a man die, shall he live again?" Now there's a question that has haunted men for generations. That's one of the oldest questions that has ever been asked. "If a man die, shall he live again?" What about the dead? Can we expect to see them living again? Well, God gives the answer. You remember in 1 Corinthians 15:16-22 how positive and clear God is when He says that the day will come when the trump of God shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible. "For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 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. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 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. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." Now it tells us here in essence that Christ was risen from the dead, thus guaranteeing that all Christians who die could follow Him and be raised also from the dead.
You know, we ought to thank God right now that Christ's tomb is an empty tomb. Mohammed's tomb is not empty. The grave of Confucius is not an empty grave. Parts of Buddha have been enshrined all over the Orient in various and sundry places, but the tomb of Christ is an empty tomb. And that's what Paul is talking about. Then he added that since Jesus had been raised, Satan's prison house was opened so that all the redeemed who have gone to sleep in Jesus will be raised again. And so the question, "If a man dies, shall he live again," has been forever settled on the authority of the Scripture, and God's plain unqualified answer is "Yes."
But you ask, "How did it all come about? What happens to man between the time he dies and the time he's raised from the dead?" Let's see what God says, I'll read from Ecclesiastes 12:7. This is a statement made by the wise man, Solomon, the wisest man of the past. He's making a general statement here on death in verse 7. "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." There are two things that this text nails down. Point number one. The body will return to the dust and the dust to the earth. Point number two. The Spirit, whatever that is, will return to God. Now those two things are made clear in this passage of Scripture. Let's go a step further. What is the Spirit, this Spirit that goes back to God when a man dies? What is it? I would like to read a New Testament Scripture now and then an Old Testament Scripture after that. First, James 2:26. "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."
Now according to this Scripture, the Spirit is the thing that keeps the body alive. In translating the Bible, the translators were not sure just how some of these words should be placed in the Scripture text. There are several meanings of some words and if they're not sure, they put one word in the text and the other word in the margin. Now the word in the margin makes it much clearer to us. It says "or breath." And so according to this text, this spirit that goes back to God is the thing that keeps the person alive and it is called also the breath. Let's see if the Old Testament writers agree with this. We turn to Job 27:3. "All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils." And the margin says here "by the spirit of God," That is, "the breath which God gave him." Now I want you to notice what this text proves. This text proves and shows that this spirit which goes back to God is in man's nostrils and the margin says it's the breath which God gave him. So this spirit which returns to God when man dies is simply the breath of life.

Now perhaps you'd like to ask, "Are you sure of this? I've never heard that before. Are you positive that the spirit which goes back to God when a man dies is the very breath of life?" Well, let's establish and reestablish, friends, these two facts. We must remember that God in the beginning placed this spirit or breath in man's nostrils. In order to see just what it was that God did place in man's nostrils let's read another text. This time in Genesis 2:7. Remember now, whatever this spirit is, God gave it in the beginning and He put it in man's nostrils and then later it was to return to God after death. "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." You see how clear and plain it is, friends, there's no room for question at all. The Scripture plainly shows that the spirit that returns to God when a man dies is the breath of life which God placed in his nostrils in the beginning when man was created. Now that's exactly what David also taught in the Psalms. Psalm 146:4, speaking of death, "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." You see there's a perfect agreement among the Bible writers. Now before we go further, there are several things we ought to establish in regard to the spirit. Then we'll go on to another topic.
Point number one. The spirit or the breath of every person that dies, whether that person is good or evil, returns to God. That's found in Ecclesiastes 12:7. A lot of people have taken that scripture and have said, "Now here's proof that something goes off to God from the righteous people when they die." But that isn't what the text says at all. It has to do with all people, not just the righteous people. So this spirit, the breath of life, goes back to God when a person died whether that man is good or evil.
Point number two. Men have the same spirit or breath as do animals. Now we may not like to think of that and I certainly wouldn't say it if I just made it up, I might not be appreciated, but God said it in Ecclesiastes 3:19, 20. "For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; ... all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again." There it is. God said it. No question about it at all. He has forever settled it.
Point number three. This is a very interesting thing, friends, that I call you to consider now. This word, translated "spirit," is used 948 times in the Scripture and yet not one time is it ever shown to have life, personality, feeling, wisdom; nor is it ever given any attributes of personality. Now you think of that for a moment. If it's true as people say today that the spirit is something you fear and it goes off and has wisdom, knowledge, etc., why is it that in 948 opportunities the Bible writers never one time spoke of it? There must be a reason, friends. There is a reason. The spirit is simply the breath which God gives to a body, making that body live. No more and no less, that's what the Scriptures teach. It's the power of God, the touch of God's hand, as He put life into that dead body.
In the beginning, He simply formed that body out of the dust. It was all there but it was not alive. The heart was there, it wasn't beating. The blood was there, it wasn't flowing. The brain was there, it wasn't thinking. And then, the Bible says, that God put His breath into that body. He did not put a soul in. He put in the breath and the text says, "man became a living soul." Now I hope you'll remember this, friends. When death comes, that breath returns to God. We found out that the spirit and the breath are the same thing. Whatever God gave, now it returns, and it's called "breath" in one text and "spirit" in another, but they are one and the same thing! The spirit returns to God and the body returns to the dust as it was, and so the life ends right there.
Yesterday we introduced the intriguing subject of life after death or what is a soul? What happens to an individual when death comes? This is a question that has perplexed people right down through the ages. What is the soul?
We're going back to Genesis 2:7 to get God's definition of a soul. Now friends, God knows. We may not know and understand it all, but He certainly has the answer for us. Notice this text. "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Now here's God's own definition of it, friends. Let no man think that he can improve on it. We might put it in a little formula like this: BODY + BREATH = SOUL. That's all there is to it. A body plus the breath of life and we no longer have a body and a breath but we have a combination known as a "soul." That's the first and general definition in the Bible concerning a soul. We are souls. I'm a soul. You're a soul. A living, walking, talking, living human being is a soul.
Now the word "soul" is used to mean two other things also in the Scripture. It's used in some cases to mean life itself. One example of this is Job 12:10. "In whose hand is the soul of every living thing." Well, of course, that's talking about life itself. And then the third definition, is the mind or the intellect. An example of soul being used this way is found in Psalm 139:14, "... and that my soul knoweth right well." So there you have three definitions. They mean almost the same thing. They've overlapped until there is a very little difference. It's easy to tell which is meant by the context. A few verses before and a few verses after and you can easily see which of the meanings is required.
Some people say, "Oh my, that confuses me." But, you know, friends, we don't need to be confused with it at all. It's a very common thing in the English language for a word to mean more than one thing. Take for example the word "air." It can mean several things. It can mean what we're breathing right now, that kind of air. It can mean the melody of a song. It can mean a person's bearing, we say sometimes, "he had a haughty air." All these three things, but we know what it means by how it's used in the sentence or paragraph. Now it's the same way with these three meanings of the word "soul." But it doesn't make any difference which definition you use. It takes a combination of two things to make that soul. It takes a body + breath. You have to have both of them or you will not have a soul regardless of which definition you want to use. It doesn't make any difference about that. If it means life, you must have body + breath. If it means intellect, you must have body + breath or you don't have the soul. The general usage in the Bible is a person, a personal being.
Now let me ask you a question and I really want you to answer to your own heart. If a body + the breath makes a living soul, then what happens to that soul if the breath is taken away? Well, it would die, that's exactly right. It's the truth. Now I know that many folk will almost start up in horror and say, "A soul die, why that's ridiculous! That's impossible! I've always heard that souls never die!" Yes, friends, I've heard the same thing all of my life as well, but let's see what God says about it. This is the important thing. It's not what man thinks; it's what God says. Listen to this in Ezekiel 18:20. "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." Die. Now, friends, if the soul was naturally immortal it could never die. But God says Himself, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." So on the authority of God's Word, souls do die after all.
Now let's review a little. We've covered some of this very quickly and I want to be sure that we're together. Point number one. The Spirit that returns to God when a man dies is the breath of life. Point number two. The breath or spirit of every person who dies whether he's evil or good, returns to God. Point number three. Body + breath = (or makes) a living soul, so we are souls. Point number four. Souls do die. Now I know that you have a question and I know what it is. You're saying, "I don't understand where the soul goes. What happens to it anyway?" Well, let's try to illustrate it friends. Supposing I had some boards here and some nails, two things, then I took these boards and with a hammer I drove the nails in and made a box. So boards + nails = a box. In the same way we have a body. We put the breath into that body and we get a soul. Now listen, friends, suppose I didn't want the box any longer so I took a hammer and pulled the nails out and put them in a little stack and I put the boards back down on the other side. What happened to the box? Well you say, it just isn't anymore. It ceases to exist. That's right, it takes the combination of those two things to make a box. When you take them apart, you don't have a box any longer. That's exactly right. Now listen, you have a body. You put in the breath and you have a soul. But suppose you take this breath away and just leave the body, my friends, you don't have a soul anymore, just as you didn't have a box any longer.
We could illustrate it the same with a light bulb. If I push the button, the electricity flows into that light bulb and you have a light as the result. Now if I subtract the electricity, I have only a bulb; there is no light. It works the same way once again with the soul. Breath and body, a combination of the two things, makes the soul. Separate one from the other and the soul no longer exists. Just remember that you must have those two things in combination or there is no such thing as a living soul. The Bible is exceedingly clear on that. If one is gone then the soul is no more. That's the way the Scripture regards it all the way through. It's wonderful to see the agreement of the Scripture and to see how one prophet agrees with another and one apostle agrees with another all the way through.
You remember the story in the New Testament in the book of Luke about Jairus. He was one of the rulers of the Jews, ruler of the synagogue. His little daughter was ill and so I suppose after he had tried a number of things, he finally sent across town and said to call the Master, Jesus, to come quickly. In fact he sent this word, "My little girl is sick unto death." And so they called Jesus and He started across the city but the crowds pressed around Him and He could hardly get through. He was delayed and finally the little girl died. So Jairus sent his messengers saying that it was too late, for Christ not to worry, that she had died. Well, Jesus ignored that completely and went on over to the home. He put out the professional mourners and went in and raised that girl to life. Did you ever notice what the Scripture record says about that, friends, in Luke 8:52-55. The Scripture says this, "And her spirit came again." What does it mean? Well, it means precisely what it says. When she died a few hours before or maybe even a few moments, her spirit, the Bible says, returned to God who gave it, her breath, in other words, as we discovered in our study yesterday. Now when Christ came and called her back to life, her breath came forth again when the hand of God touched that body and she got up and walked out.
Another example is the case of Jesus on the cross. You remember He said, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." Luke 23:46. It's the same thing exactly. He knew that the breath returned to God. It would be given back to Him early Sunday morning when He was raised from the tomb. Steven, the first Christian martyr was stoned to death outside the city because he dared uphold the name of Jesus. And as he was dying, he said, "Lord, Jesus, receive my spirit." He understood the Bible doctrine that we are teaching right here because it was a doctrine that was taught from the beginning of creation. The spirit, or the breath, goes back heavenward when a man dies; it returns to God. So this is not a new thing at all. It was taught 3,000 years ago by the great prophet and singer in Israel, David. In Psalm 104:29, "Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, (or breath) they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth." You see the same thing exactly, friends, and that was preached 3,000 years ago by David.
Now let's review a few facts again about the soul. Point number one. The word "soul" or the word translated "soul" is used 852 times in the Bible. Soul, not spirit, (we've talked about that earlier) that was 948 times, but here the word "soul" 852 times. Point number two. Never in any of these references is it given any existence apart from the body. Point number three. Never in any of those 852 references does it have any life or activity or knowledge or personality separated from the body. Point number four. Always in all of these references is the soul pictured as something that is short-lived, never is it deathless or immortal. The natural undying, immortal soul is absolutely unknown, dear friends, in the Scripture. It just isn't there, and with 852 opportunities all through the Bible, if the great men of God had something to say about an undying immortal soul, it seems strange that no one ever mentioned it. There's a reason, of course. The reason is that the soul is not undying or immortal.
Point number five. Never once in all the Word of God is it anywhere stated that the soul goes back to God. Now I've heard that repeated over and over again, maybe you have also, that your soul does return to God, but that's not in the Bible, it just isn't found there at all. Point number six. At death the soul ceases to exist. I put that in because it needs reemphasizing, friends. At death the soul ceases to exist until the combination is made again and the breath of life is put into that body once more in the resurrection. And then the individual will be resurrected and there will be life. Point number seven. Even the fish of the sea are called souls. The text is Revelation 16:3. You read it and as you read it and study it, you'll be aware of this fact, that anything that has a body + breath is a soul. That applies to animals, fish, birds, anything that has a body and is alive.
Now the question comes, "Then you say that man's soul is not immortal?" Well, no, I'm not saying it at all. I would rather have God say it. If you'll just read 1 Timothy 6:13 and 1 Timothy 6:16 you will understand for yourself because this is what it says: "I give thee charge in the sight of God ... Who only hath immortality." Man doesn't have it. God has it by nature. Man is mortal and subject to death. Now let me ask you something else in closing. Could words be put together that would be plainer than these? This text specifically says, "God ... only (only) hath immortality." No one else, not even the angels of heaven, "God ... only hath immortality." So once again I say, the immortal soul of man is simply just not in the Bible at all and the Bible teaches the very opposite.
We've been studying for several days about the soul of man and what happens at death. Millions of people have wondered about this down through the years. They want to know about their beloved dead. Where do they remain during the time they wait for the great resurrection day? Today we're going to answer this question. We are not immortal. We've found that there is no such thing as a naturally immortal soul. We've found that the body and the very life is made up of a combination of breath plus the body. And when the breath returns to God and leaves the body, there is no longer any conscious existence on the part of the individual. The soul is not in existence as long as the breath is not in the body. These things have been established on previous broadcasts.
But today we want to know this: If we're not immortal by nature, when will the saints of God possess immortality or immortal souls? Will there be a day when God's redeemed will become immortal? The answer, of course, is a positive "Yes." The Scripture for that is 1 Corinthians 15:51-55. "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." Now you see the Scripture is very pointed and very specific on this. There is no question but that man will receive immortality and it says "at the last trump." That's at the second coming of Jesus.
Now we need to make two positive statements in regard to this immortality. First, no one has natural immortality except God only. That was found in 1 Timothy 6:13, 16. "God ... only hath immortality." Secondly, the righteous will receive it at the second coming of Jesus. Now the question naturally arises, "Where are the bodies of the dead if the soul ceases to exist and the breath goes back to God, where are the bodies?" Let's hear Jesus answer this, friends. He gives a specific answer in John 5:28, 29. He said, "... 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." Now notice what Jesus taught. He taught that those who have died are in their graves, both the good and the evil, and they will hear the voice of God call them forth, the righteous to the resurrection of life and the evil to the resurrection of damnation. Now that's too plain to be misunderstood, friends, because Christ Himself taught it. You can depend on it. He makes no mistakes.
Now I know how you feel just about this time. If you've never heard this before, you're saying probably, "Well, isn't there some part of man somewhere or somehow that separates from him at death and that goes somewhere and that might even keep knowing and thinking after death?" Yes, I have heard those things, friends, most of my life. I've read about it, too, in books and pamphlets, that some part of man must keep on living even after death. But what about the Scriptures? What do they teach? They say, "No." In Job 14, let's see what he had to say about death and the condition of man in death. Job 14:12 and then verse 21. "So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep." Here he's speaking of this man who is dead, friends, and who is in his grave in the tomb. And then he goes on with his words, "His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them." Well, you say, that's just the opposite of what I've heard most of my life.
Friends, I say this with kindness and sympathy because this is a very delicate subject. It touches the hearts of individuals because I know many people, most people, have lost loved ones and they're very, very closely tied up emotionally with this topic; and how many times have you heard ministers in public services say, "Your mother is in heaven now. Don't be alarmed. She's looking down right now and knows everything that's taking place here." Well, on the authority of Job 14:21, friends, you can be sure that your loved ones are sleeping the sleep of death in the grave waiting for that glorious day when they will receive immortality at the coming of Christ. Here's another text, Psalm 115:17. "The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence." Now that's clear. If one should die, a righteous one, and be ushered into the presence of God, surely they would be praising God. But this text says, "No, they do not; they can not." Now to me this is a wonderfully comforting doctrine. I've often tried to think of what I would say to people if I didn't know and teach this Bible truth. If I had to teach what men usually teach today in regard to this subject of the dead, I don't know what I could say to comfort people when we stand by the open grave. I'm grateful for this wonderful message of comfort. It's comforting to know that our loved ones are sleeping in the tomb, that's what Jesus called it.
You remember the story in John 11 about the death of Lazarus and how He went quickly to comfort those sisters? The word came to Him from Martha, "Come quickly. Lazarus, your dear friend, is dying." But Christ didn't make it soon enough and they sent the message saying, "He's dead already." Well, He was discussing this with the disciples and He said, "Lazarus is asleep. I'm going to wake him up." The disciples said, "Well, if he's asleep, you'd better just leave him alone; he's better off sleeping." But then the Scriptures say the Lord answered plainly saying, "Lazarus is dead." Over and again the Scripture uses that term "asleep" in reference to death. That's the way the Lord wants us to think of it. Now at your house is there great sadness when somebody rests or sleeps for the night? No, indeed. You go into the other room and there one of the members of the family has gone to bed early and is sleeping. You're not sad, are you? You don't say, "My this is a great tragedy." No. You say, "Well, they're tired and they'll feel better in the morning." And that's what God wants us to think, friends.
Death is a sound, dreamless sleep and we will awaken in the morning, that is on the glorious resurrection morning. You know how it is when you sleep at night, you're tired, your body is fatigued, you get a good night's sleep and before you realize it, you're not conscious of the passing of time, before you realize it that alarm clock goes off and you cannot believe that the night is over. It doesn't seem possible. And that's the way it will be with those who sleep in death. It will seem but a moment of time. They will not be conscious of any passage of time between that moment of falling to sleep in death and waking on the glorious resurrection morning. Just try to picture this. In their last moments, they're lying in a hospital bed perhaps, with the family gathered around weeping and saying goodbye. Then they close their eyes and go to sleep in death. But it seems to the person who's been in the tomb just a matter of seconds and he wakes up again expecting to be in a hospital room, but no, there's an angel reaching out a hand to help him out of the grave. Is there anything sad about that, friends? No, indeed. It's one of the most comforting teachings in all the Book of God. It's what Christ taught and He knew what would comfort men's hearts. In contrast what comfort is it for us on earth to know their are those burning in hell now ? A man can be ever so wicked to say such a thing, but I can say to his loved ones, he's sleeping peacefully now, and it's true because that's what the Bible says. The wicked are asleep just as the righteous are asleep until the judgment day and then they all come forth to receive their rewards or punishments. Now let me give you the plainest text. In Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6, 10, "For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing," isn't that clear? " ... neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in anything that is done under the sun. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." So you see, friends, God doesn't leave us in the dark. There's no question about these things. We could not possibly be confused if we just read the simple statements of the Bible concerning the condition of man after death.
Peter preached the day of Pentecost sermon and if ever a sermon was preached under the direct function and supervision of the Holy Spirit, this was it. Notice now, friends, what was said in this sermon. Acts 2:29, 34, "Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. For David is not ascended into the heavens." Now isn't that clear, friends? You say, can we be sure that David will be saved? Is he a saved man? Yes, Hebrews 11:32 puts him on God's honor roll with all the faithful of the ages. David will be saved, but in the days of Stephen and Peter he was in his grave and he had not gone to heaven. Neither have any other righteous people. They're all asleep in the graves waiting for the coming of Jesus.
Well, these are great thoughts, friends, and we need to understand these things. The soul does not live on in conscious torment or conscious paradise and glory after death. Those things will come after the judgment. Oh, friends, how could there be punishment until after the judgment has taken place? How could a person be rewarded until his life record has been examined and his judgment has taken place? No, God is righteous; God is just; He will give out those things after the resurrection, after the judgment takes place at the end of this world. 2 Timothy 4:1- 1: I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;.... Again here it is, the judgement of the saved and the condemned happen at the appearing of Jesus and His kingdom. Just like the theif on the cross said to Jesus, Luke 23: 42: ...remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.


This subject matter of being dead isn't spoke of very much in church but as you see it has been covered very much in the bible. I too have a hard time accepting death and anxiously want to be with Jesus. I suppose this is a generalized feeling that all Christians have so its really no surprise that people dont study on this subject as much and extract certain verses out of the bible so they can build a doctrine on something they want to be true. One can not pull a few verses out of the bible and make bible doctrine from it. It is not fair to understand God wants us to have.
God’s word must be understood as a whole, not by taking one part of it and using it separate from what the other parts teach. There are several contexts in which we must handle scripture. There is the immediate context (the passage), there is the mediate context (the book), and there is the remote context (the entire Bible).
Using bible scripture inappropriately is the major flaw to which those run around claiming the bible contradicts itself and the major reason why people have "issues" about bible doctrine. We simply cannot afford to handle God’s word in a way that is inconsistent with other parts of that word and message. We must handle God’s word correctly (2 Timothy 2:15).

Scripture to add - 2 Peter 2:9 -9: The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
John 12:48 -48: He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
Job:21:30: That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath. But where do the dead stay until that day ? Verse 32: Yet shall he be brought to the grave, and shall remain in the tomb.
Mathew 13:40-43 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. WHEN ? AT the END !
Dan:12:2: And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. When ?.... you got it ! If there is no state of being dead as as many so believe, these many verses would not be in the bible.
You cant go to heaven or hell without a judgement . Judgement has not happened yet.
Addition
----------- Did Jesus die and go to hell for 3 days to preach to the spirits there ?------------------
I found it necessary to add this explanation to this work due to some people think that Jesus went to hell to preach to people there. This isnt a comprehensive study on the verse but it should give you enough to go on.
1 Peter 3:18 -19 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;..
If Jesus went to HELL ( as some think and preached to souls in hell ), you just believed a doctrine that says that people can be preached OUT of hell. Short and simple. We know that isnt true. First of all, notice how Christ preached to those spirits in prison. He did it by the Spirit, and that word is capitalized in your Bible. It actually refers to the Holy Spirit. So whatsoever Christ did in preaching during this period of time, He did it through or by the Holy Spirit.With that in view, let's ask this: "When was the preaching done?" The answer is plainly given in verse 20: "when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing." So the preaching was actually done while the ark was being built during the preaching of Noah to that antediluvian world. Now, one more question: "To whom was the preaching done?" The text says here "unto the spirits in prison." Throughout the Bible we find this terminology used in describing those who are bound in the prison house of sin. David prayed, "Bring my soul out of prison, ..." (Psalm 142:7). Paul spoke of his experience in these words, "bringing me into captivity to the law of sin." What Peter is telling us here is simply that Christ, through the Holy Spirit, was present while Noah preached; Christ was there through the Holy Spirit to speak conviction to their hearts and appeal to them to come into the ark. There is absolutely nothing in this text to indicate that Jesus left His body during that time or that He was dead and went to any subterranean place for the sake of ministering to wicked spirits. Once your dead you dont go to purgatory or a half hell like place and get prayed or paid out of it.
The three questions are clearly answered in the text itself: (1) that He preached by the Holy Spirit, (2) He did it while the ark was preparing, and (3) He did it to the spirits in prison, or to those individuals whose sinful lives were bound in the prison house of sin.
What about Jesus being in the heart of the Earth for 3 days ? "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matthew 12:40). "In the heart of the earth" is the wickedness of man's heart, as explained in the parable of the four soils (Mark 4:15, Matt 13). Man's heart is exceedingly wicked (Jeremiah 17:9) and Jesus Christ was immersed in it from the moment He was "betrayed into the hands of men" until He rose again at the dawn of the third day. The Bible clearly says so.On the night He was betrayed, the very words after healing the servant's ear, Jesus said to those arresting Him:"But this is your hour, and the power of darkness" (Luke 22:53)Jesus pointed out that it had begun. At that moment, Jesus BECAME SIN and the suffering began:"For He has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Cor 5:21)
What would be a greater shock to His system than becoming our sins, that He could then be presented as the sacrifice in perfection, which Scriptures show is all part of the three day and three night time frame? ALL of the Scriptures add up to this. Twelve verses describe the three days and three nights and they all include the betrayal or His suffering. Below are three examples.

1. "Saying, the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day." (Luke 9:22)
2. "Jesus said unto them, the Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of man; and they shall kill Him, and the third day He shall be raised again." (Matthew 17:22)
3. "and they shall mock Him, and shall scourge Him, and shall spit upon Him, and shall kill Him, and the third day He shall rise again." (Mark 10:34) (see link at end of article for all Scriptures)
As Scriptures indicate, Jesus became sin on the night He was betrayed, included suffering, the crucifixion, death and resurrection, totaling three days and three nights.
Jesus, as the sacrificial lamb, was without blemish on the night He was betrayed:
"[We were redeemed]... with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." (1 Peter 1:19)

Of course this refers to Jesus being sinless, yet the lamb was to be perfect in every way. The precious blood could not flow or be wasted before the sacrifice began. The blood began to flow on the night He was betrayed when Christ entered "the heart of the earth." When the disciples asked for an explanation of the four soils (where the earth is explained as the hearts of men), Jesus asked, "Know you not this parable? How then will you know all parables?" (Mk 4:13) "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace [prosperity, welfare] was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5)
If the sign that Jesus gave was completed only by His death, time in the grave and resurrection, how was payment made earlier when He was wounded, bruised and given stripes (scourged)? Was He beaten and bleeding before He became sin? Were the bruises and bleeding for nothing? No! Was the Lamb delivered for the sacrifice already bloodied and torn? No! "He was wounded for our transgressions..." (Isaiah 53:5)
"He has made Him to be sin for us...that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Cor 5:21)

Christ had to become sin before payment could begin or the blood would be wasted. The chastisement "was upon Him." The miracle of Christ's redemption began on Thursday night when Christ became sin, the night He was betrayed, immersed in our sins and delivered unto man. THIS was the "heart of the earth" that Jesus spoke of. He never said it was the tomb, for to be separated from God as He became sin would be far more shocking to His system than mere death. Before the first drop of His precious blood, Jesus suffered far more than physical death, He became sin which separated Him from His Father, while being in the heart of the earth ( or more simply .... in the hands of men ). --------------------

Did the ghost of Samuel appear in the bible ? https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/bible-questions-and-answers/did-the-ghost-of-samuel-appear-to-saul-after-his-death


Ghost Hauntings ? Whats behind them ? https://www.gotquestions.org/ghosts-hauntings.html



What does it benefit us who discount Intantaneous Ressurection ? No more ghost stories, no more necormancy ( read Deut:18:10-13,Isaiah 8:19) , no more apparitions of Mother Mary or any other departed person, no more séances, no more dreams or messages from deceased loved ones, no more John Edwards and Crossing over to the other side, etc . In fact the bible says that Satan comes to us as an angel of light and a minister of righteousness with intents of deceiving the world. Demons can portray themselves as spirits of the dearly departed and for those who accept this, have only done so contrary to what the bible teaches.The belief life immediately after death (before the resurrection when Jesus returns ) gives demon spirits the opportunity to impersonate the dead. Do not communicate ( that also means take to heart messages ) with/from the dead or your in direct violation of Gods Word.
To finalize this study please allow me to kindly ask you to read 2 Cor:12:4: Im not going into a study of what took place here for I am using this scripture to make a point. If this person whether or not was in the body heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter ( describe in words ) , then how can all these people on youtube say they can ??
I Corinths 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10: But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. God says nothing about heaven has entered into the imagination of man that would do it justice, so again I ask , " whats ups with all the details of heaven found on youtube ?
The bible is packed full of scripture from one end to the other that people do not go to heaven or hell the moment they die.
You have the warmest welcome to discuss this work and challenge any of it . This study has been sent to more people for scrutiny and analysis than I have time to mention. Its been sent to organizations that study life after death, pastors and churches that support instantaneous resurrection , even the producers who wrote the movie "Heaven for real " and no one has began to try to refute the facts. Not being prideful here, just amazed at the fact that so many people believe what they want to believe regardless of what the bible teaches.
O and by the way, more people have been resuscitated from being clinically dead " who had no recollection of heaven or hell " than those that have had such experiences ; why do you think that is ? Does Jesus allow a peak preview of heaven and hell to a select few and most others not ? Sounds ridiculous and of course it is !
A final note, their were about a dozen people resurrected in the bible. NONE gave an account of seeing heaven or hell ! A coincidence ?

A few more instructions ( The moment you die ) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gzcfw7dej8s

The Dead are dead -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yur4zfqocNE&fbclid=IwAR1-eJYe4vf0T3MyoiasmGhLFU5DPfnTcN_GGHnZplT_vVUe6svX7af8jbo

Now read this ! The Boy who went to heaven and came back to tell about was ... you got it .... lieing ! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boy_Who_Came_Back_from_Heaven
Thanks !

http://www.isheavenforreal.com/