EVIDENCES FROM THE BIBLE SHOW THAT GOD NEVER PLANNED THAT ANYONE WOULD GO TO HEAVEN

The idea of going to heaven is very popular, we see it in movies, hear about it in songs, read about it in books, and learn about it from the pulpit, but what does the Bible say about it?

The "going to Heaven" concept is so ingrained in modern Christianity that many Scriptures are wrongly used in support of this pre-conceived notion. The Scriptures are plain that the earth, not Heaven, is the abode of the Believer/Righteous and there are several Scriptures to support this belief.

 

In John 3:13 Jesus said, “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.” Did Jesus forget Elijah? No, He did not.

He equally stated in John 8:21 that where He was going (Heaven), the disciples could not come. 

Also, Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”

I know you are probably already thinking of common questions like, “What about Elijah, or the thief on the cross, or Lazarus in Abraham’s Bosom?” Here are some of the most common questions concerning this teaching and our replies:

DIDn’t ELIJAH and enoch GO TO HEAVEN? 

Remember that Jesus said in John 3:13, “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.” God’s Word never contradicts itself. II Kings 2:11 describes a fiery chariot which came and took Elijah in a whirlwind into heaven. Some suppose that this is the "heaven" where God’s throne is located. Actually, the Bible speaks of three heavens, II Corinthians 12:2. The first heaven is where the atmosphere and clouds are, from whence the rain comes, e.g., Genesis 7:11. The second heaven is outer space, home of the planets and stars, e.g., Psalm 8:3. And the third Heaven is where God’s throne is located, e.g., Psalm 11:4. A whirlwind took Elijah into heaven, according to God’s direction. Obviously it was the first heaven, for only in the atmosphere can a whirlwind be operative. God took Elijah to another place to live out his days, his office being transferred to Elisha, II Kings 2:12-15. Notice that the sons of the Prophets knew that God was going to take Elijah from them, verses 1, 3, 5. After he was taken away, they sent a search party of 50 men, but in 3 days could not find him, verses 16-17. They knew nothing about Elijah going to the third Heaven!

Elijah was taken into heaven during the reign of Jehoshaphat, King of Judah. Yet years later, a letter from Elijah came to Jehoshaphat’s evil son, King Jehoram, warning him of a horrible death because he had not walked in the ways of his father Jehoshaphat, II Chronicles 21:12-15, which means he was still on earth at that time. Compare II Kings 3:1, I Kings 22:42, and II Kings 8:16. No man has ascended into the Heaven where God’s throne is.

Genesis 5:21-24 tells about Enoch, who walked with God "and he was not; for God took him." It does not say God took Enoch to Heaven. Hebrews 11:5 says that God translated Enoch so that he should not see death. We know from Jude 14-15 that Enoch preached powerful sermons in a wicked and perverse time just before the Flood. Did Enoch not die? Was he taken directly to Heaven? No, because Hebrews 11:13, in referring to Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and Sarah, says that "these all died in faith, not having received the promises." They all died and must await their reward at the resurrection when Christ returns. The word "translated" in the Greek means "moved to another place." The same Greek word for "translated" here is used in Acts 7:16 as "carried over," referring to transferring Jacob’s dead body to Sychem. Because Enoch’s preaching was gaining opposition and he was likely to be killed in that age of violence, Genesis 6:11, God took him so that he would not be killed, and he was not to be found, Genesis 5:24. The Almighty took Enoch bodily to another place, exactly as described in Acts 7:16.

what of the 144,000 servants of god in the book of revelation?

Revelation 7:1-10 describes 144,000 servants of God who are sealed in their foreheads, so they are protected during the wrath of God on the earth, sea, trees, etc. Now, if they were in Heaven, they would not have to be sealed for protection (Read the verse for yourself).

It is easy to see that Revelation is not a continuous chronology of events. There are inserts that carry the history of the church, the beast, etc. Revelation 7 is an insert as well. Verses 1-8 describe the seal of protection put upon 144,000 Israelites, so they would not be hurt by the trumpet plagues of the Eternal described in Revelation 8 and after. The 144,000 are certainly not in Heaven, or they would not have to be protected from anything! Notice verse 9, "after this." It doesn’t say how long after this. But verses 15-17 give an important clue. Compare these verses with Revelation 21, especially 21:2-4, 6-7, 22-24 and Revelation 22:1-5. We can see that Revelation 7:9-17 is not talking about saints being in Heaven. It is describing the glorious period of the New Heaven and New Earth, when the throne of God will be in the New Jerusalem which is coming down out of Heaven to the remade earth.

In Revelation 14:1-5, the 144,000 are described as being on Mount Sion, singing a new song before the throne. This is undoubtedly another insert, reminding us of the future good fate of those who do not take the mark of the beast described in chapter 13. Verses 9-11 of Revelation 14 describe the fate of those who receive the mark of the beast.

ARE SAINTS OR PEOPLE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE US NOT IN HEAVEN?

Now let us examine what the Bible tells us about some of the people who have gone before us, to see if any of them have gone to heaven. Listen to what Peter says about King David.

Acts 2:29,34 - Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day… For David did not ascend into the heavens…

If anyone was going to ascend to heaven, surely King David would be on the list. After all, he was a “man after God’s own heart”. Yet, Peter clearly tells us that he did not go to heaven, but is in fact still dead and buried in his tomb. This should already raise some serious questions about the popular doctrine of heaven.

Now, some people claim that Jesus was the first to ascend into heaven, and when he ascended he took others with him. However, notice that Peter gave this message after Jesus ascended into heaven, and he boldly claims that David is not in heaven.

The book of Hebrews also provides us with a long list of names of people who are credited as great men and women of faith, who have not yet received the promise. The list of names includes people such as Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses, and tells us:

Hebrews 11:13,39,40 - These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth… And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.

That last phrase, “that they should not be made perfect apart from us” is such an amazing hope for us, to know that those who lived before us are waiting for us, and we will all be made perfect together. They did not get a head-start in the afterlife. We will all be raised up together when Messiah returns.

Lazarus and the Rich Man

The account of Lazarus and the Rich Man is found in Luke 16:19-31. This account is used as a major argument to support the teaching that the "saved" go instantly, at death, to Heaven, while the "lost" are sent to hell fire to suffer indescribable agony for all eternity. Let’s look at what this passage really means.

Verse 22 says, "And it came to pass, that the beggar [Lazarus] died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man died and was buried." 

It does not say Lazarus was taken to Heaven. Nor does it say he was taken immediately after he died. We know from other scriptures that the dead "sleep" in an unconscious state until the resurrection.

This is the only reference to Abraham’s bosom in the Bible, and some people think it is the name of a location, perhaps a compartment in Sheol, or a reference to paradise, or even heaven itself. However, all of those opinions are merely speculation, and cannot be found anywhere in the Bible.

To claim that Abraham’s bosom is a compartment in Sheol is no different than saying Abraham’s bosom is a crater on the moon because neither of those opinions can be found in the Bible. Abraham’s bosom is not a reference to heaven. Being in one’s bosom is to have an intimate relationship with that individual. All true believers, Israelite or Gentile, upon conversion become "Abraham’s seed, [children] and heirs according to the promise" Galatians 3:29. Through the Messiah they become "children of Abraham" Galatians 3:7. At the resurrection, they inherit the same reward the Almighty promised to Abraham, along with Abraham. The promise that the Almighty made to Abraham was eternal life on this earth, Hebrews 9:15, Romans 4:13. Only at the first resurrection will the saints inherit this promise, I Corinthians 15:50-53.

Lazarus was "carried by angels" into Abraham’s bosom. When? We know that angels will come down from Heaven to gather the saints at the last trumpet, Matthew 24:29-31. This is at the return of the Messiah at the resurrection, I Thessalonians 4:16-17.

WHAT ABOUT THE THIEF ON THE CROSS?

Luke 23:42-43 - Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.

Many people believe that this verse proves that the thief went to heaven with Jesus that day. We need to realize three very important things when looking at this event.

There are no commas in the original Greek text, they are all added by translators. Punctuation can make a huge difference in how we understand a text. If the comma is placed in a different location, it would say, “Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise”. Do you see the difference? By moving the comma, it becomes “today I tell you…” instead of “today you will be…”

Meanwhile, the most important thing to consider is that Jesus was NOT in Heaven the day He died. He died, and was buried for three days, and rose from the dead on the third day, and had not yet ascended into Heaven. Remember that he told Mary, “Do not touch me, because I have not yet ascended to my Father” (John 20:17). So, if Jesus had not yet ascended into Heaven, then it is impossible for him to have been with the thief in Heaven on the day he died.

God of The Living

Matthew 22:29-33 says “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.’ And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.”

People often claim that the phrase “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living” is a reference to people being alive in heaven. However, the context of this statement has absolutely nothing to do with heaven, and everything to do with the resurrection. Not only is the framework of this conversation exclusively about what will happen in the resurrection, but Jesus even says, “concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read…” Thus we cannot conclude that the phrase “God of the living” has anything to do with the souls of the deceased living in heaven.

He contrasts the “god of the dead” with the “God of the living”, showing that the God of Abraham is unique among all other gods. The souls of the dead do not go to heaven to be with God because God is not the god of the dead. The dead rest in their graves until the God of the living brings them back to life at the resurrection.

what of the place he went to Prepare for us?

Did Jesus contradict Himself a few verses later in John 14:1-3? Jesus went to Heaven to prepare an office, a position of ruler-ship. Where He was going, the disciples could not come, 13:33. He would come again, receive His true followers, and where He would be, they would be there also, 14:3.

He will be ruling the earth with His saints! The Lord shall descend from Heaven, and the saints, those alive at the time and changed along with those resurrected from the dead to life immortal, will rise in the clouds to meet Jesus in the air and thereafter be with Him forever. The angel in Acts 1:11 said Jesus would return in the same way He ascended. He must complete the reverse trip. The saints will meet Him returning to the earth in the clouds, come back to the earth with Him, and rule with Christ a thousand years, Revelation 5:10, 2:26-27, 20:4-5.

What Is Everlasting Life?

When Jesus returns, he is going to resurrect the dead, and sort them, separating the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the tares, and giving those who belong to him everlasting life, while sending the rest to everlasting punishment. So, we see that eternal life actually begins with the resurrection, when Messiah returns not earlier.

Other AREAS/VERses used to support the “going to Heaven” idea are these:

• After the Millennium, God and the Heavenly Jerusalem, the New Jerusalem, will descend out of Heaven, and come to dwell permanently on this earth, Revelation 21:1-5. There we will occupy the place Jesus has been preparing for us. We will then dwell with God the Son forever in the new earth. Believers are not going to Heaven! Heaven is coming here to this earth. 
• I Peter 1:4 does not say that resurrected Christians will go to Heaven. It says that our inheritance is preserved (kept undefiled) in Heaven for us. Jesus Christ will bring our reward back from Heaven with Him when He returns, Revelation 22:12, 11:18, Colossians 3:24. Matthew 6:19-21, Luke 18:22, Luke 12:33-34 show that we should lay up treasures in Heaven, so that Jesus can bring our reward back to give to us at His return. Truly, if we endure persecution here and now, our reward is great in Heaven, Luke 6:23. God is keeping an account of all our deeds.
• Philippians 3:20-21, "For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body." As with all the other above scriptures, this verse doesn’t say we go to Heaven to join our eternal body. The truth is, the Saviour will return at the resurrection with our glorious citizenship (reward, treasure, building of God, inheritance). We should look forward to that day!
• It is during the "day of the LORD" that the feet of the LORD the Messiah will stand on the Mount of Olives, Zechariah 14:1,4. No time is allowed in Biblical prophecy for a rapture to Heaven.
• Hebrews 10:34, "knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance." Do I have to go to Heaven to claim this? No! Verse 37, "For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry." The Messiah will return from Heaven with our reward, if we are faithful and endure to the end.
• Hebrews 12:22-24, "But ye are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant." How is it that true believers can come to the heavenly Jerusalem before the throne of the Almighty? We can come boldly via prayer through the Messiah, our High Priest, unto the throne of grace, unto the Heavenly Father, Hebrews 4:14-16, Ephesians 2:18, Hebrews 10:19-20, Ephesians 3:11-15.
• Hebrews 11:16, an Heavenly country. The country the faithful fathers looked forward to was an Heavenly country, the New Jerusalem, the New Heavens and New Earth, verse 10. God has prepared for them a city, verse 16. This city will be brought down out of Heaven to the New Earth, Revelation 21:1-2.
• II Corinthians 5:1-2, "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven." At death, our soul (physical body) returns to the dust, but our spirit (the non-physical substance which allows us to think, plan and reason) returns to God in Heaven, Ecclesiastes 3:21, 12:7, I Corinthians 2:11. There is a "spirit in man," Job 32:8. But this spirit is not immortal. It cannot function apart from the body, Psalm 146:4. The dead, righteous or unrighteous, are unconscious and know not anything (Ecclesiastes 9:5, Job 14:21, Isaiah 63:16). At the resurrection, the righteous dead will be raised and given a "house" or glorious eternal spiritual body with their spirit. They will be "clothed" with this "house" from Heaven. Notice! Their "house" is reserved in Heaven and comes from Heaven when the righteous are "born again" at the first resurrection. This verse does not support the "going to Heaven" concept.
• I Peter 1:4-5, "To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you . . . . ready to be revealed [given] in the last time." The glorious spiritual body of ours is reserved (kept safe, Matthew 6:19-21) in Heaven. This is part of what the Saviour is preparing for us. We have to wait, some of us will wait in our graves, until He comes back with our glorious eternal inheritance, Colossians 3:4, II Thessalonians 1:7, I Thessalonians 4:16-17.
• Colossians 1:5,1 2, "For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven...the inheritance of the saints in light." This verse is similar to the above passages. This mortal shall put on immortality (from Heaven) at the resurrection. Our spirit bodies are reserved (kept safe) in Heaven.
• "Great is your reward in heaven," Matthew 5:12 and Luke 6:22-23. Those who suffer persecution for the Son of Man’s sake have a great reward in Heaven. The Messiah is bringing back that reward eternal life at His return.
• Revelation 5:3, "and no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon." The word translated "man" means "no one." It is properly rendered "no one" in the Revised Standard Version, Modern Language, and New International Version.
• Revelation 6:9-11 describes those who died in the past martyrdom of the saints. Their souls cried out for vengeance. They were given white robes (symbols of righteousness). But they had to rest until their brethren would likewise be killed in the future great martyrdom. It is simple to demonstrate what kind of "souls" this is talking about. The Messiah poured out His soul (blood) unto death, Isaiah 53:12, i.e., He bled to death. Under the Old Testament sacrifices, the blood of the bullock was poured at the bottom of the altar, Leviticus 4:7. Like the blood of the righteous martyr Abel, the blood of the saints is said to cry out for vengeance, Genesis 4:10. The martyred saints are not in Heaven crying out to be avenged. They must continue to "rest" in their graves until after the future martyrdom. Then the Eternal will put an end to those responsible for the martyrdom of the saints and usher in His Kingdom on earth.

Consequences of "Going to Heaven" Doctrine

Rather than a "harmless error," the illustration below will show you the seriousness of the false "going to Heaven" doctrine. "Suppose that a glorious being suddenly appeared in Jerusalem who claimed to be Christ and who fitted the description of Jesus in Revelation 1:13-17. Suppose that he preached warm beautiful Bible truths with power, called fire down from Heaven, healed the sick, helped stop wars, read minds, blessed children, etc. What would be your reaction?" The suggested answer was, "We should know at once that he was an imposter . . . . because Jesus at His coming makes a SKY APPEARANCE and not an EARTH APPEARANCE. He remains in the AIR while imposters appear on EARTH."

The faith of the elect is going to be severely tested. The consequences of the "going to Heaven" doctrine could be that some who hold this belief may miss recognizing the returning Messiah and fight against Him. If one believes the real Christ to be the Antichrist, then he will be fully brainwashed, because of Satan’s great deception, to attempt to resist the conquering King of the Universe, as He arrives to establish His Kingdom on this earth.

Satan wanted to aspire to God’s throne in Heaven, Isaiah 14:12- 15, Ezekiel 28:12-19. He has been leading mankind these nearly 6,000 years to aspire to the same thing - to go to God’s Heaven. Man was made to have dominion over all the creation of God, under God and His Son Jesus, of course, Psalm 8:6. But this ruler-ship must be attained through the building of character, which takes time, in "this present evil world," Galatians 1:4.


Sources: Richard C. Nickels' Study Notes
                Lex Meyers' Teachings