Personally I use the example of Jesus and the criminal on the cross from Luke (NIV).
40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[d]”
43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
To me, this shows that we do go straight to heaven. But how do we explain the rapture and people rising from the dead during the second coming? (cant find a reference right now).....Thoughts?
I (Linda) can’t personally answer the question. The only source I have is the Bible, and I don’t think a definitive answer is given there. The following scripture in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 sounds as though this will happen when Jesus returns to earth.
ReplyDelete“According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that we who are still alive and are left will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”
I read various commentaries on this, and the word paradise (use in the Luke passage with the thief) is interpreted in different ways; i.e. heaven or a place where the soul resides between death and the second coming when it then goes to heaven. Jesus also would have had the authority to take the thief directly to heaven if he chose to do so. Hebrews 11:5 tells of Enoch who did not experience death but was taken by God.
I don’t think we can know for sure until we get there. The important message both of these passages gives us is that those who are in Christ are assured of being in heaven with him.
As far as the rapture question goes, that word is not in the Bible, so I’ve never understood exactly is meant by that.
I (Mike) agree with what Linda has written. It amazes me the number of things that come up from individuals that they hear and assume are in the Bible. We do not know how or what happens to us after we die. But I am sure God will do what is best for each of us that are believers.