When we die do we go straight to Heaven?

[Andrew]

“For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God” -Job

Job is waiting for the first resurrection of the dead which is yet to happen, so if he is currently in Heaven in his flesh looking at God... how? Is he just some blind spirit without a body wandering around in Heaven?
If so does he all of a sudden have a body at the first resurrection? How then will the 2 martyred witnesses stand and ascend after being dead three days in front of onlookers?

Where is Job?

The answer is he is gathered at Abraham's bossom in the Paradise portion of sheol/Hades, you know, the paradise that the repenting thief on the cross was said to go by Jesus, and Jesus descended into the heart of the earth where He and the thief will be together in Paradise.

Hell is not Paradise.. Hades is not Hell, Hell is a place of torment, Hades is another word for Sheol or the grave, the underworld.
Hades has two sections separated by a large gulf, on one side you have the wicked (HELL), the other side you have Paradise/Abraham's Bosom.

Paradise is what we imagine as Heaven, yet the dead have not risen so... where is Job?

Job is in Paradise along with all the faithful, the presence of the Lord God Almighty is with them, its a joyful reunion kind of like people who have a near death experience and see their loved ones and often they report beeing just outside a heavenly Gate.

Now imagine feeling you are already in Heaven but actually in paradise, and then ascending into actual Heaven at the resurrection! Could you imagine going from an already beautiful Paradise and THEN up to Heaven?

Again, if the dead of the righteous are risen from the graves first and ascend to Heaven, then why do so many believe that when you die you skip the grave and are resurrected into Heaven?

It is appointed for everyman to die once and then after the judgment.. Indeed you are judged upon death to enter either into Paradise awaiting Heaven or Hell awaiting the Lake of Fire/second death

The 2nd resurrection are the rest is the dead, unbelievers, they will stand at the mercy seat of God and be judged according to their works.

God is merciful, willing that all men be saved, God will still have mercy on some unbelievers who's deeds are pleasing by His judgment.

 

[Lamb]

Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

That's what happens when we die, our spirit goes to be with God.

 

[Andrew]

Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

That's what happens when we die, our spirit goes to be with God.

In a spiritual body/resurrected body?
that's the confusing part

 

[Lamb]

In a spiritual body/resurrected body?
that's the confusing part

Immediately upon our death our spirits go to be with God to wait for Judgment Day when our bodies will be resurrected and we will be transformed into new bodies and a new Jerusalem will descend from heaven which will be our new earth to dwell with God for all eternity.

Signs Of The End Times: What Christians Need To Know – Christian.net

Signs of the end times that will let us know about the secoond coming of Christ. Know how to be spared from the end of the world.

christian.net

 

[Josiah]

Do "we" go directly to heaven? Yes.

However, there remains lots of mysteries....



.

 

[pinacled]

Which heaven?

 

[atpollard]

Which heaven?

The third.

 

[pinacled]

The third.

Have you ever contemplated a 4th or 5th heaven?

 

[atpollard]

Have you ever contemplated a 4th or 5th heaven?

Yes.

For those unfamiliar, the First Heaven is the air above us where the birds fly. The second Heaven is the place beyond the first Heaven, where the stars exist. The Third Heaven is beyond that and is the place where God dwells.

I have contemplated the coming 4th Heaven. In Revelation it describes the passing away of the old heaven and earth and the creation of a new Heaven and earth. There are many speculative ideas, including many strange concepts by cults, about some people living on earth and some living with God in Heaven. I think that they have missed an important literary device. In Genesis 1, God created the “heavens and the earth”. This is an important figure of speech that denotes not just the items listed, but includes an implied “and everything in between”. Another famous example is Jesus claiming to be the “Alpha and Omega”, where the claim is more than JUST the first and the last, but carries the implied “I am first and last and everything in between”. It was meant as an exclamation that nothing was excluded.

Back to Revelation. Heaven is where God is. However in Genesis we learned that where God wanted to be was walking with men in the garden in the cool of the day. In Revelation we get a vision of the fulfillment of the promise that God will dwell among His people. Therefore, I believe that the ”new Heaven and earth” is not a description of two new places ... a new Heaven and a new earth ... but of one new place to replace both ... a new “HEAVEN AND EARTH”. A “Fourth Heaven” to replace both the old Earth and all three previous “heavens” where God WILL walk with man in the garden in the cool of the day.

 

[pinacled]

Yes.

For those unfamiliar, the First Heaven is the air above us where the birds fly. The second Heaven is the place beyond the first Heaven, where the stars exist. The Third Heaven is beyond that and is the place where God dwells.

I have contemplated the coming 4th Heaven. In Revelation it describes the passing away of the old heaven and earth and the creation of a new Heaven and earth. There are many speculative ideas, including many strange concepts by cults, about some people living on earth and some living with God in Heaven. I think that they have missed an important literary device. In Genesis 1, God created the “heavens and the earth”. This is an important figure of speech that denotes not just the items listed, but includes an implied “and everything in between”. Another famous example is Jesus claiming to be the “Alpha and Omega”, where the claim is more than JUST the first and the last, but carries the implied “I am first and last and everything in between”. It was meant as an exclamation that nothing was excluded.

Back to Revelation. Heaven is where God is. However in Genesis we learned that where God wanted to be was walking with men in the garden in the cool of the day. In Revelation we get a vision of the fulfillment of the promise that God will dwell among His people. Therefore, I believe that the ”new Heaven and earth” is not a description of two new places ... a new Heaven and a new earth ... but of one new place to replace both ... a new “HEAVEN AND EARTH”. A “Fourth Heaven” to replace both the old Earth and all three previous “heavens” where God WILL walk with man in the garden in the cool of the day.

Thankyou for the beautiful expression.