Hey all! How are you doing? I hope good. I didn’t post last week, because I didn’t read any critical piece that I felt deserved The Spotlight. I was actually quite busy, so if there was one, I would have missed it :(.
Well, today’s topic caught my eye, and it was truly an interesting read. Very thought provoking, indeed. The author makes an astonishing claim that Christians won’t be heading straight to Heaven when they die! I’ve actually thought so myself in light of Paul’s teaching on the rapture and resurrection of the dead, but other Scriptures which suggest otherwise, such as when Jesus said to the thief that “today, you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43), have caused a little confusion for me. However, I believe it is time to dig deeper to know what the Bible teaches, so that we are comforted by the truth.
I have no idea the name of our Author. I’m also assuming he is a guy (please correct me if I am wrong). He blogs at http://www.factsbasedtruth.com, and his tagline is simply “Truth based on facts”. I am actually new to his site content, and feel challenged to read more. I like his writing style and the way he responds to challenge and criticism, being confident and knowledgeable of the Scriptures. I actually learnt something new from our brief exchange on his blog.
His post is called: CHRISTIANS DON’T GO TO HEAVEN WHEN THEY DIE. Follow the link to read it, and if you love it, please like, share and comment as you are led. Here is an excerpt:
Yes, that’s right. Christians don’t go to heaven when they die. Allow me to explain. If you grew up in a religious background, you’ve likely grown up believing when a person dies, they either go straight to heaven or hell. A simple idea that many of us have been taught, but likely never investigated in scripture because it seemed obvious. However, if we investigate the scripture on where people go when they die, we might be surprised to find that it’s not as obvious as we’ve always been taught. Let’s observe what the scripture states first in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17.
1 THESSALONIANS 4:13-17
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 states “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.” Read more…
So have you read it? Were you convinced? Did you already think or believe that?
To be honest, even though there were quite a lot of points made in support of his argument, there are still some things that are unclear. I definitely feel a need to investigate this further. One of the things that rang with me was how he differentiated what Jesus said to the Apostles and what He said to His other disciples. I hadn’t noted that distinction before, but I can’t say I agree that we are not also branches grafted in the Vine, but simply the fruit of the Apostles. According to Paul’s teaching, we are also branches, called to bear fruit (Rom 11:17-21).
If you agree with his conclusions on the matter, do you find it comforting that the dead in Christ are not instantly united with Him in Heaven? Do you know where they go? Do you think this is important for Christians to know and agree on? And if you don’t agree that Christians don’t go to Heaven immediately, why not? Let’s hear from you.
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If you like this post, you might like THE SPOTLIGHT: “HOW CAN A LOVING GOD SEND PEOPLE TO HELL?”
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Categories: Critical Thinking, Series, The Latest, The Spotlight, True Religion
Grace and Truth 
Reblogged this on Search for Serenity and commented:
I have been speaking to followers of Islam. Which means ‘peace’ there Quran follows off from the Bibles story of Jacob and Esau. I hold xhristian faith and values yet I am appreciative that the Quran respects scholars to ask, repeat ask and interpret as we too try to interpret an ancient language. The acccount of Sodom and Gomorrah from Lots perspective is much more graphic and the way it is written is in greater detail of the sin of mankind. The bibles account is more from a sheltered perspective. Yet draws parallels. A man told me of the story of one who was bedridden for 50 years and healed still could not answer where he was going. I have learned this Easter not to dismiss anothers religion when we are yet to fathom the interpretation of true grace and humility of our own. Happy Easter from Australia.
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Happy Easter! Thanks for the reblog 🙂
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