Dover Assembly of God
We are into our third week of our current series, Heaven.
Last week we talked about and compared heaven to a great vacation. You need reservations, it will be permanent, we sacrifice during the year to prepare for vacation, so we also sacrifice during our lives in order to have a more excellent reward in heaven.
And most importantly, vacation and heaven are special because of who is with you.
Today we are going to look at what happens right after we die.
I mentioned in the first week that heaven or an after-life is something that is becoming popular in society today.
People who are not religious, don’t attend and religious service or may not even believe in God at all, are beginning to believe in some kind of after-life.
We sometimes are amazed at that, but God told us why.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV
God put the idea of an after-life in everyone’s hearts even though they can’t comprehend God.
One study found that 32% of atheists and agnostics believe in life after death.
Pew research found that 37% believe in heaven and 27% believe in hell.
Imagine not believing in God and you lose a child a spouse or even a parent to death--how painful it must be to think that they are simply turning to dust and that is all.
The human mind has to think there is something else, just to ease our suffering. How that jives with not believing in a creator, is difficult.
These types of questions always come up at the time of loss. Where are they right now? Are they alive, do they remember me? What are they doing right now?
These are not new to our generation or even modern history.
This scripture we have read the past few weeks addresses some of those questions.
Paul was asked by the church in Thessalonica about Christians who had died before Jesus returned.
Paul first addresses the question of death.
1 Thessalonians 4:13 NIV
This is one of a few times that a believer’s death is referred to as sleep.
When a ruler came to Jesus to tell him his daughter died, Jesus said . . .
Matthew 9:23-24 NIV
Acts 7:59-60 NIV
Acts 13:36 NIV
This word is interesting because it literally means “to sleep” and is used when someone checks into an Inn and then wakes up the next day to continue their journey.
It’s also the same word for dormitory.
Our word cemetery comes from a Greek word “koimeterion” which means sleeping place or dormitory.
So for Christians, a cemetery is just a place where we stop and then continue our journey to heaven . . .
. . . or the other place for those who don’t believe.
Luke 16:19-21 NIV
We have a real story, not a parable. Jesus uses real names and specific examples, none of which he used in his parables.
Here we have the examples of two types of people, those who trust Jesus and those who don’t.
Note: Their material wealth or lack of it is not what determined their future, it was their spiritual condition.
Luke 16:22 NIV
Everyone will eventually come to this point, where our earthly lives are over.
This verse doesn’t say that he was buried, had a funeral or a service. As a beggar, his body was probably just taken to the town dump / trash burning dump.
At the point of his death, it says that angels (more than one) escorted him to paradise. His soul (spirit) was escorted to paradise. He didn’t take that journey alone.
Angels (more than one) escorted him up through the 2 heavens we talked about earlier into the 3rd heaven.
There have been many testimonies of Christians close to death seeing angels by their beds. I don’t discount them. Because it tells us that they are not alone when they go to heaven.
Try to imagine what that is like. It’s almost too fantastic to grasp.
Then he arrives not just in heaven, but along side Abraham. He was greeted when he got there.
Ever go to an event and not know anyone and you stand along the side, because no one was there to greet you and welcome you?
Not in heaven, it says that Lazarus wasn’t alone and wasn’t just trying to mingle, Abraham was the one to whom he was escorted.
Luke 16:22 NIV
Remember, we don’t think Lazarus was buried, but. . .
Imagine the funeral service he must have had. And the grand tomb for his body.
What a contrast to Lazarus.
But look at the next part of that verse . . .
Luke 16:22 NIV
No angelic escort, no welcoming him. He just woke up probably due to the pain.
I’m not going to go into the hell aspects, we’ve taught that before, but I will mention one thing . . .
Luke 16:26 NIV
Once we die, there is no going back, no second chances, and hell is not a temporary stay until we get better.
The punishment is forever.
Back to Heaven, let’s look at this place called Hades (NT) or Sheol (OT)
Hades was one location with 2 compartments.
One side for those who didn’t believe and the other for the faithful.
Lazarus was on the paradise side where the rich man could see him.
At the point of Jesus death, he went to the paradise side of Hades. Along with the one thief.
Luke 23:43 NIV
When Jesus was resurrected, he spent 40 days giving final instructions, then he ascended.
Acts 1:9-11 NIV
But at this point he also took with him the paradise side of Hades with him to heaven.
Ephesians 4:8-11 NIV
So Hades has only one compartment now and it is awaiting final judgement. And all those who don’t trust Christ will end up there while believers are escorted into heaven.
Hades is not the final place, it gets worse.
Revelation 20:14 NIV
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NIV
There’s a saying: Born twice, die once, born once, die twice.
That is why it is imperative that we have been born again.
So here’s a question.
Our bodies go in the grave. The Bible says that we don’t reunite with our dead bodies until the rapture.
So what do we have until then? Are we just disembodied spirits? Do our souls just float around?
The rich man spoke of Lazarus’ finger, dipping water on his tongue.
So they must have some kind of physical form.
How’s that happen?
God gives us temporary bodies.
2 Corinthians 5:1-3 NLT
When angels appear in the Old Testament, they have some kind of temporary physical form that looks like a body.
Genesis 18:1-2 NLT
Truth is, we don’t have to understand everything there is to know (or not know) about Hades, or our bodies or the resurrection.
One truth that should comfort us is that Jesus will be there.
And I think at that point, we won’t have any questions.
1 Corinthians 13:12 NLT
Heaven is simply being with Jesus.
I don’t know how all this will work, but I don’t think we’ll have to wait in a line to see Jesus, we won’t have to schedule an appointment. We will be with Him.
John 14:3 NLT
Luke 23:43 NIV
1 Thessalonians 4:17 NIV
Philippians 1:23 NIV
John 17:24 NIV
