| SUNDAY | May 24 |
When Do We Get to Heaven?
It is quite astonishing that the idea of an immortal soul—which is separable from our physical body and which ascends to heaven right at death—has become so dominant among Christians. Satan's lie in Eden was: " 'You will not surely die' " (Gen. 3:4, NIV).
What do the following passages teach us about the true nature of death?
When we die, we enter into a state of unconsciousness that the Bible compares to sleep. Unaware of what happens in the world, we await the morning of the resurrection. Only then will the great multitude of the redeemed enter heaven to join the very few, such as Enoch and Elijah, who have preceded them! But it is not going to be a long wait. The moment we close our eyes in death, the next thing we know will be Christ at His second coming. In other words, as far as those who die in Christ are concerned, it will make no difference whether it was 3,000 years ago or the day before Christ returns. They close their eyes in death, and the next thing they are conscious of is Jesus returning to get them. It will seem, to them, instantaneous.
What is the glorious truth about our future entrance into the heavenly realm? John 14:1-3, 1 Thess. 4:13-18.
"In the New Testament the blessed hope never focuses on individual death, but always on the return of Christ and the resurrection and translation of the saints to meet Him together, at the same time. It is in this future, and not what happens at death, that saints can find comfort."—Norman Gulley, Christ Is Coming (Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald® Publishing Association), pp. 293, 294.
| Why is the promise of heaven so important to us? If there were no heaven and this life were all there was, then what hope does anyone have at all? |
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