There are many stories and compelling video's of people who went to heaven and others who went to hell after death for a short period of time. There was even a movie recently about a boy who asked Angels to sing a Queen song and while there discovered the name of his older sister who was miscarried before he was even conceived.
Stories and video's are to be rejected as
"extra-biblical fleshly fairy tells". No more needs to be said.
The Bible says until the 2nd coming of Christ people who died are asleep, unaware of the passage of time and they won't be re-awakened until Judgment Day. This implies no one before this time goes to heaven or hell.
You gave no scriptures for your statement~ reason why? Do you have any in particular that you are thinking of?
So, which is it?
The righteous have eternal life NOW the very second when they are born of the Spirit; so they can NEVER, truly, and biblically
die, NEVER. This is not my opinion but the very teachings of Jesus Christ when here upon earth.
John 8:51~"Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
Never means NEVER. The death of the body of the righteous
serves ONLY to deliver us into the very presence of our heavenly family. God is NOT the God of the dead, but of the living.
Luke 20:34-38~"And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him."
Even though these scriptures may speak more of our bodily resurrection, there can be no bodily resurrection with glorified bodies
without the resurrection of our spirits at regeneration which the scriptures call the
first resurrection. God is the God of the living, not the dead, be it spiritual or physical.
John 11:23-26~"Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
Yes Lord, I believe that blessed truth.
Concerning the wicked~they DO NOT have eternal life in ANY FORM whatsoever~when they die now, they go into darkness and silence UNTIL the last day, when they shall be resurrected and judged and sentenced to the SECOND DEATH where they shall PERISH forever.
Psalm 115:17~"The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence."
The dead that praises not God is the spiritually dead souls..... they neither have eternal life in this present world, and certainly not in the grave since they are in SILENCE, DARKNESS, WITHOUT
Consciousness of this present life~ there waiting to go before THE JUDGE with his BOOKS OPEN, with a lake of fire in front of them!
Topic: After Death: Life or Sleep? (Read 478 times)