What happens to the righteous when they die?

From what i have read so far from the Word when the righteous dies he/she is basically "asleep" until the trumpet sounds. I hear people talking about when you die you go straight to heaven. Read the text below..why do they need to rise if they are in heaven already.. Any thoughts?

Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Hi

There are four main theories that i am aware of assuming that when you say "righteous" you mean born again.

1)they are immediately conscious in the presence of the Lord in the present Heaven (not the new everlasting Heaven that will come with the new earth in a future time). They have no body but are comprised of spirit only.

2) same as #1 only they are given a temporary body to "get them by" until their permanent one is given at a later date.

3) they are "asleep" in Christ which basically means they are not dead (as in not existing) but dead in the sense of not conscious. They will remain asleep until a future date of when they will receive their everlasting heavenly body.

4) Some believe that Abraham's Bosom as described in the parable of Lazarus is the current Heaven for all saints until the new Heavens and Earth are renewed.

I believe that you will find a confused mixture of #1 and #2 among "Evangelical Christians" today. #3 is more popular with JW and some other cults all though there are legitimate branches of Christianity that do believe in soul sleep. I am not sure how popular #4 is among current Christian thought, there is heavy debate about this as in how much of a parable should be taken literally since they seem to be intended to convey a principle or specific idea rather then give us precise details.

I suspect this is one of those questions that we will never answer to a full degree this side of Heaven. It is like trying to describe Heaven or Hell itself. We can come up with many fundamental ideas but in the end the specific details are not known... and perhaps are not important at this time.

What happen to the righteous when they die? Servant referred to the story of Lazarus...from it many Believers understand the deceased saint will be in a conscience state, in a pleasant place.

I have heard testimonies of people who had a vision of 'heaven' and they saw loved ones who were very much alive, who were enjoying the glories of 'heaven'. After seeing this they did not want to return to earth.

I know Jesus says the dead 'sleep', whatever that means. In any case, I am sure it will be perfect because that just is the nature of God as he deals with his children. It will be glorious, wonderful beyond any and all imagination. Since this is s something that is in God's control I am content to allow him to do as He wills.

Did you ever try to imagine heaven? Read the book of Revelation and allow its description of the heavenlies fill your mind and inform your imagination. Meditate on it. I cannot comprehend eternity - my mind, imagination freezes up. Heaven does not do that, but it comes close although I do not mind it. I just know it will be glorious which gets me excited. Since this is the case I wonder why people work so hard, spend so much money to delay their arrival there.

My understanding and opinion.

Paul says in 2 Cor. 5:6-10 "Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."

Our spirit is in either of two places at death: heaven or hell. At the final resurrection, body and spirit are reunited to either glorification or eternal punishment. For the saved, eternal glory and for the lost, eternal torment.

When the Scripture uses the word "sleep", it is an older English way of saying the body is dead.

Servant 101, your input is greatly appreciated.

Personally, I think when you die you are asleep (not conscious) and when the trumpet sound you will be called to rise up like Lazarus (Mary and Martha's brother)

Parable of Lazarus to me means exactly what it is called, a parable. Still trying to grasp why people take this literally.

Thief on the cross- Christ told him that he will remember him in paradise that day...does not mean the thief on the cross was going to paradise that day. Christ told him on THAT day that he will remember him.

I know that when we die the breath of God goes back to him and our body remains. I find it hard to believe that righteous people who died are actually up there in heaven in the same physical state they were in on earth.(i.e- at a funeral many pastors say the deceased is in a better place looking down upon us..i don't believe this)

Servant 101, I agree with you about the details not been important but what is important is that we will be there.

blessings!

To be totally accurate, Paul never said that to be absent from the body was to be present with the Lord. He said that he would rather be absent from the body and present with the Lord. That being said, I do think there is evidence that the spirit returns to the father at death. As is noted there are many scriptures in Rev. which show the spirits of dead saints around the throne and Jude says, "Jud 1:14-15
(14) And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
(15) To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him."

Personally I believe when we die we do return to the Father in the spirit and then return with Him to be reunited with our bodies which will be resurrected and glorified.

But if I am wrong...I will either be changed in a twinkling or rise glorified anyhow.

I'd recommend reading a book I currently going through called "Heaven" by Randy Alcorn. It's tackling the subject of heaven and what it will be like based on what the scriptures tell us. Very good so far.

Based on some of the scriptures above posters have already cited, namely the Rich Man and Lazarus as well as the Martyrs under the altar in Revelations, it seems that Scriptures point to a place that you do go to immediately after you die. This is usually referred to as the "Intermediate State" or "Present Heaven". You could see it as a waiting state for the return of Christ, but it appears from Scripture to be a physical place (the rich man had a tongue and could feel thirst, Lazarus had a finger, the martyrs wore white robes and could cry out to God, as well as view events happening on the earth).

Whether you go to a place a torment or paradise (to be with Christ) is based on faith, or in other words, The Judgement of Faith. This is different from the Great White Throne of Judgement. When that happens, all the dead are raised to be judged on where they shall spend eternity. The unrighteous, to the lake of fire.

Then the judgement of the believer, A Judgement of Works. Then we enter into our heavenly reward. There's a New Heaven and a New Earth, an eternal heaven. The Redemption of creation is complete and the earth is returned to it's original Edenic state and Mankind again will be given dominion over it. Heaven comes to Earth. Paradise. And we shall dwell with God, with no ablility in us to sin. Hallelujah.

I have often thought of this as well. Especially when I experienced a death of someone close to me that I know died having their sins under the blood. I find the scriptures in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 to be interesting.

v.13 "them which are asleep"
v.14 "them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him"
v.15 "shall not prevent them which are asleep"
v.16 "dead in Christ shall rise first"
v. 17 "caught up together with them"

I like to think that after death maybe our spirits are asleep in Christ, we have returned to God, we sleep to be awakened- to "rise" from sleep, at the last trump. Those that remain will be gathered together with them that have died. And having been asleep it will seem as if we close our eyes in death and open them in eternal life.

Just my thoughts, I am not too concerned either way as long as I am with Christ throughout eternity. :)

Have a blessed day.

David

1Th 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive [and] remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

If we have eternal life in Christ, how can Christ die?

He cannot and we cannot, we only are being planted, the corn of wheat in the ground to be raised again. We are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, He cannot die either. If I am absent from this clay pot or wine skin, Christ, the Holy Spirit and the Father are still with us forever.

I don't know how He will accomplish my eternal life, but this one thing I know, Where as I was blind but now I see.
Christ is life, even in death. He rose again and so shall we physically. We are already alive from the death. We are already resurrected with Him in life. The Physical is just the outward manifestitation of our eternal life. To dye is truly Gain. I will truly be present with the Lord.
Amen.

Alive in Christ: Phillip

Let's start by looking at the Mount of Transfiguration. We have all read in the Gospel of Mathew.... how Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves, and Jesus was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light and how "Moses" and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.

So here we have it, Moses DIED before entering the promised land. And yes Moses did die...
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy%2034:1-5&version=NKJV

But there is Moses clearly alive talking with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. Some people will say and insist that Moses was already resurrected when that took place, but what does scripture say?

Does it not say that Jesus is the first-fruit of those who rose from the dead?

But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 1 Corinthians 15:20

That means that NO ONE will rise from the dead before Jesus, but there was Moses clearly talking with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, before His death on the cross, and before He was resurrected from the dead.

...so now it can be reasonable deduced that Moses was in "spirit form" when he appeared to Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration and NOT in physical form, because Jesus is the first (according to scripture) to rise from the dead in a "glorified resurrected body" and NOT Moses.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Cor%2015:35&version=KJV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Phil%203:21&version=KJV

Browndi,

I agree with you. I know most people will like to think that their love ones are in heaven right now because it makes them feel better but this is not biblical. They are "asleep" (unconscious). When Christ comes the dead in Christ shall rise and those alive who are in Christ will be taken up as well to spend eternity with him. I long for that day. May He find us faithful!

by kwamenat on 2011/2/9 13:51:23

Browndi,

I agree with you. I know most people will like to think that their love ones are in heaven right now because it makes them feel better but this is not biblical. They are "asleep" (unconscious).

Then how do you explain Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration? Moses died, but there he was appearing to Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration!

Earendel,

Point well taken.

However, are you saying that all those who died in Christ are in heaven right now?

If so, Lazarus (Martha & Mary's brother) surely will not pleased that Jesus brought him back to this earth after tasting a glimpse of heaven :-)

kwamenat,

Since you seem to be a strong proponent of SDA teachings I wonder if you could tell us if you agree with these other things that they teach?

1) Ellen G. White’s writings are as inspired as the Bible.

2) "Those who are living upon the earth when the intercession of Christ shall cease in the sanctuary above are to stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator." (The Great Controversy, p. 425).

3) In the last days, just before Jesus returns, only those worshipping on Saturday will be saved. Worshipping on Sunday will be the mark of the beast.

4) The atonement was not completed at the cross, but is still in the process of being completed.

Hi Earendel,
My understanding is that both Lazarus and Moses would still be with the old testement saints in Paradise or Abrahams Bosom until Jesus Death when in matthew 27:51 we see the graves open.So Lazarus wasnt been brought back from heaven but Abrahams Bosom but would not be going back to Abrahams bosom the next time he died.Staff

by staff on 2011/2/9 14:38:38

Hi Earendel,
My understanding is that both Lazarus and Moses would still be with the old testement saints in Paradise or Abrahams Bosom until Jesus Death when in matthew 27:51 we see the graves open.So Lazarus wasnt been brought back from heaven but Abrahams Bosom but would not be going back to Abrahams bosom the next time he died.Staff

Luke 16:26 (New King James Version)

26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’

"Abraham's Bosom" This was before Jesus made propitiation for our sins.

There was a place for the righteous dead (the elect according to foreknowledge) which was separate from the damned.

For until the time that Jesus Christ made an eternal sacrifice for our sins, the way into the holiest of all (the presence of God) was blocked...because of sin.

But Jesus Christ, with His own blood entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption for us. He, having taken away the enmity that was between God and man, made propitiation for our sins - removing the enmity that was between God and man - that is to say He removed our sins forever.

It was not until sin was removed (through the cross of Christ), and the righteous requirements of the law were fulfilled (absence of sin), that the way into the holiest of all (God's direct presence, which people call heaven) was made available, even to us who through obedience to the faith in Christ Jesus are made righteous by His shed blood...in that He took away our sins, and in the absence of sin, ALL the righteous requirements of the law are fulfilled. Therefore, because of this, God's presence first came to us (the Holy Ghost), as a seal and a promise of that which is to come - that we may go to Him.

Mo more Abraham's bosom, but God's direct presence.

1 Thessalonians 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

Where is God bringing them from? Sleep but able to be brought with Jesus for the first resurrection, of which the second death has no hold on.

In Christ: Phillip