Where are Believers after Death? 💀

Q: Where are people after they die, and where are believers? 

A: There is a false teaching about soul sleep that has been around for a long time. This explains that issue. 

Scriptures teach that, for the believer, "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord" Philippians 1:23, 2 Corinthians 5:8

Jesus spoke of conscious Abraham,  a poor Lazarus in Paradise, and the Rich man in Hell. He even named them. 

Luke 16:19-31

Now Jesus was also saying to the disciples...

 19“Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day.  But a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.  Now it happened that the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom, and the rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and *saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things. But now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you are not able, and none may cross over from there to us.’  And he said, ‘Then I am asking you, father, that you send him to my father’s house—  for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ But Abraham *said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’  But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Revelation 5:8–10  “Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”

Who can sing this new song? Not the angels. Not the Old Testament saints. Only the church can sing this song, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb!

Revelation 6:9-11

And when He opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the witness which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Master, holy and true? Will You not judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” And a white robe was given to each of them; and it was told to them that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow brothers who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.

Believers are in Heaven. 

Do you remember this story that shows us people in Paradise were seen in the towns and then taken to Heaven with Jesus?

Matthew 27:52: "And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many."

Mary Magdalene encountering the resurrected Jesus and attempted to hold him. Jesus says to her, "Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" John 20:17

The idea of seperation was because until Christ's resurrection paradise was in Sheol. They were still in God's presence as we are now in his presence as well. But after the resurrection Jesus took them to Heaven. *Now* all believers who die go straight to Heaven to be with their Lord. 🥰

These are all conscious believers whose souls are awake, aware, talking, interacting with each other and with God.

The BODY remains in the grave until it is translated transformed into the eternal sin free body at the rapture...

John 5:28-29

“Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,

and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”

John 6:40

“And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

1 Thes 4:13-18

 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. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.  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.  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.  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.  Therefore comfort one another with these words

Hope this helps 😊

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