I have been thinking about how to best frame this post. I am writing about what happens when Christians die. I hear people make reference to other Christians who have passed from this life as waiting in Heaven - that they are looking down on us - And the ones who are left behind are looking forward to the day when they are reunited as a family. I heard a pastor say, just today, that when Christians die they go to heaven. That is true but the question I am addressing is when do they go to heaven? Let's look at what the Bible says? But first some perspective. There are two groups of people in this world. Saved and Lost. Heaven bound and hell bound. What happens to mankind is God's plan not ours. We are just trying to understand spiritual truth the best we can.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:8-9
God the Father sent Jesus the Son to save us - give us eternal life - spiritual life - born again spiritually by faith - sealed eternally by the Spirit of God. That is John and Ephesians.
I recently watched the interview of the father of one of the American Airlines pilots that died in that midair collision at Reagan National. He said his son was a spirit in a body and now he is a spirit. It rekindled my thinking about what we Christians believe about physical death. What happens when we close our eyes for this last time this side of heaven? Martie and I both will be 75 this year. We know we are on the back side of this mortal life. We may have 15 or 20 years left on Terra Firma, only the Lord knows for certain. But we know that there will come a day when we breathe our last breath, just like all preceding generations - just like you. And then what?
We know God has revealed the fact that there will be a resurrection of the dead and a place for us in heaven. Jesus said ...
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14: 1-3
Jesus was leaving and then coming back. But if we were with Him already, wouldn't it stand to reason that He would not have to come back to get us. Confusing? It is for me. It's like Paul was saying - that we see as through a glass darkly. Not a clear picture. Paul wrote to the Church in Thessalonica ....
"For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord." - 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17
Honestly, I don't know that anyone really knows exactly what happens. The reference to falling asleep I can relate to. I fell asleep last night and like all the other times, I did not remember going to sleep. I never have any awareness of the passage of time while I am sleeping. I woke up this morning - with this issue on my mind actually, but I had no sense about how long I had slept until I looked at the clock. I am thinking that perhaps Jesus and Paul used the idea of sleeping because that is what death is like. We have an earthly perspective on time, but I think the heavenly reality is quite different. Jesus struggled with the Jews in particular because they lacked spiritual understanding. Even the disciples needed explanations of His spiritual parables. At the time, they lacked the Spirit of God to help them. Peter gives us some insight into the contrast of the natural and the spiritual with respect to time.
"But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." - 2 Peter 3:8
Whether it is one day in Heaven or a thousand years on earth, the time we were asleep would seem like a moment. To put that verse another way. If I live 80 years on this planet that is the same as living for 115 minutes or just short of 2 hours in Heaven - according to my math. So, if the Lord tarries for 5 days in Heaven, that is 5,000 years on planet earth. That would mean that I could "sleep" a long time but would not know it. You get the idea?
When a loved one passes, we look for comfort, like the father of that Airline pilot. If the one who has died was not a Christian - there is no consolation about eternity that you can give those who remain. Apart from Jesus, the lost are bound for hell. I know that is a hard truth that we really don't want to share with those who are grieving. For Christians who die, we have an eternal hope. For that dad, he is confident that his son, spiritually speaking still exists and is only asleep or may be awake in heaven. Do you remember the story of the girl who everyone thought was dead?
"When Jesus came into the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose." - Matthew 9:23-25
I think that was a spiritual lesson for those who have ears to hear and eyes to see. Referring to those who are born of the Spirit. I think that we, with good intentions, mistakenly impose earthly constructs on heavenly realities. But we won't really know until we know and that will be when we are face to face with Jesus.
The bottom line, whether we are sleeping waiting for Jesus to take our hand or we are in heaven waiting for the end of days, it should have no effect on how we live our lives while we still have breath. My thinking is that I will stop trying to figure it out and not stress over what I don't know. Resting in what I do know. What's that you ask?
Jesus saves! My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus and His righteousness. On Christ the solid rock I stand - all other ground is sinking sand. I don't really need an answer because it is a win-win as far as I can tell. We will know when we see Jesus.
Now if I can just figure out how many angels can stand on the head of a pin? Just kidding!
Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone
