“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.”—I Peter 1:3,4
If we are to have a scriptural understanding of what lies beyond the grave for both sinners and saints, it is necessary to take into consideration what the inspired record has to say concerning heaven. There is no mistaking the scriptural fact that God created man to live upon the earth, and that the earth was created as a home for man. While man lost his earthly dominion, and was sentenced to death because of sin, restoration to life upon the earth has been assured for him through the death and resurrection of Jesus, as the Redeemer. The exception to this general resurrection for all men to a life of human perfection on an earth made glorious are the faithful footstep followers of the Master who, the Scriptures make clear, are to receive a heavenly reward.
The Bible, particularly the New Testament, has a great deal to say about heaven and about the heavenly hopes. Jesus, for example, said, “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 unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”—John 14:2,3
This is a very definite promise, clearly implying a change from earthly to spiritual conditions. Much misconception has been attached to these words of the Master, however. We often hear expressed the hope of possessing one of these “many mansions,” yet Jesus distinctly shows that they were not for his followers, but rather that he was going away to “prepare a place” for them. The thought is that there already were many “mansions” at the time he spoke, but that a new place, or condition, was to be provided for his followers.
The expression, “many mansions,” conveys the idea merely of dwelling places or conditions in which there is a superabundance of blessing and joy. The earth itself, and the condition of perfect human life represented in our first parents, was doubtless one of these “mansions.” This mansion, of course, was forfeited because of sin, yet it is to be restored in God’s due time, as we shall see later.
There are, according to the Scriptures, various angelic planes of existence. These, too, could properly be included among the many “mansions” mentioned by the Master. How many planes or orders of life there are in the Creator’s spiritual realm we do not know; but judging from the great variety of life that exists in what we call the material realm, there must be many. But now there was to be a “new creation”—another plane of existence was to be prepared and provided for the church—a place with Jesus and to which he was exalted at the time of his resurrection.
THE CHURCH’S FUTURE POSITION
Jesus said, “That where I am, there ye may be also.” This shows that the future state of the Master’s faithful followers will be the same place, or condition, to which he was exalted. Concerning Jesus’ exaltation the apostle says, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth.”—Phil. 2:9,10
High exaltation, indeed, was given to the Master by the Heavenly Father, even to the “right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:2) And this same highly exalted condition is being “prepared” for the church. Note Jesus’ promise in Revelation 3:21: “To him that over- cometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.”
No wonder Peter said that through the resurrection of Christ the Christian is “begotten again to a lively hope,… to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.” Note the apostle’s words in the verse that follows: “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”—I Pet. 1:5
The “last time” or “last days” mentioned frequently in the Bible, has reference to that period following the second coming of Christ. This means that the heavenly inheritance reserved for the church has not, down through the centuries, been received by each individual Christian at the moment of death, as creedal theology teaches, but is a reward to be given at the end of the age when Jesus returns and the dead are raised. This agrees with the Master’s own promise concerning the “place” to be pre- pared for his followers: “I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go … I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also.” How evident it is from these words that no Christian can hope to be with the Master until he “comes again,” and “receives” them unto himself.
The Apostle Paul bears testimony to the same fact as follows: “I have fought a good fight, … I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” (II Tim. 4:7,8) Ah, yes, well did the apostle know that his heavenly reward as a joint-heir with Christ in the Messianic kingdom would not be received until the end of the age, when Jesus would return to take all his saints unto himself.
PAUL’S EARNEST DESIRE
Through a mistranslation of Paul’s words in Philippians 1:23, some have been led to believe that the apostle expected to be in heaven with Jesus immediately upon his death. We quote the passage as it appears in the King James Version: “For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better.” The word “depart” in this text is from the Greek word analusai, and evidently should have been translated “returning,” and is so translated by Prof. Wilson in his Emphatic Diaglott.
In the preceding verses the apostle explains that he is not sure whether or not he is shortly to be executed, or whether he is to be released by the Roman authorities and so be permitted to continue on for a time in the ministry. He had no choice between these two things—”I am in a strait betwixt [the definite article, “the,” although omitted in the King James Version, is in the original Greek text] two.” But there was a third thing he did very much prefer, and that was the analusai; and his preference for this was that he might be with Christ. Paul knew that he could not be with Christ until the “returning” of the Master, and he was merely giving expression to his longing desire for this glorious consummation of every true Christian’s hope. Prof. Wilson, in a footnote on this text in his Emphatic Diaglott, comments as follows:
“The word analusai occurs in Luke 12:36, and is here rendered return—Be you like men waiting for their master, when he will return, etc. Jesus had taught his disciples that he would come again, or return. … Paul believed this doctrine and taught it to others, and was looking for and waiting for the Savior from heaven … when … he would ever be with the Lord.”
Even though some may insist on the correctness of the King James Version, it still would not prove that Paul expected to go to heaven the moment he died. There were only two possible things from which he might choose—one was a little longer time to live and serve the truth and the brethren, the other was to fall asleep in death. But there was something which would be “far better” than either of these, and that was to be with Christ; but this he knew was impossible at that time. He knew that the “returning” of Christ was a long way in the future; and he also knew his reward as a Christian would not be given to him until he received it in the resurrection at the last day.—II Tim. 4:7,8
“OUR EARTHLY HOUSE”
The words of the Apostle Paul in II Corinthians 5:1-9 are sometimes misconstrued to mean that Christians go to heaven immediately when they die; but the passage does not teach this when properly understood. Paul says, “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.” Paul knew that this glorious provision of heavenly life had been promised by Jesus, but did he expect to receive it at the moment of death?
Evidently not, for in the fourth verse he continues, “Not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.” In I Corinthians 15:51-55 he shows clearly that the church will not be clothed upon with immortality until the resurrection, at the sounding of “the last trump.” This puts it beyond the second coming of Christ, and is in agreement with all the other scriptures bearing on the subject.
When in II Corinthians 5:8 Paul speaks of being “absent from the body,” and of being “present with the Lord,” he apparently is not contrasting this present life with the resurrected life beyond the grave, but rather is speaking of two conditions that are possible for the Christian right here in this life. One, a condition of nearness to the Lord, through faithfulness in doing his will, and the other that of comparative alienation from him through unfaithfulness in heeding his words of instruction. Paul says, “Wherefore we labor, that whether present or absent we may be accepted of him.” That is, whether we are always able to realize a sense of near- ness to the Lord, or whether at times we may feel far away from him because of our imperfections, we as Christians should labor earnestly that we might finally be accepted of him, and hear the Master’s “well done.”
“THEIR WORKS DO FOLLOW THEM”
Revelation 14:13 is a precious promise applying during a very limited period at the end of the age, and cannot properly be used as a general statement describing God’s method of dealing with his people throughout the Gospel age. It reads: “Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.”
The expression, “from henceforth,” is the key to a proper understanding of this passage, showing, as it does, that the promise is applicable only from a given time forward. The context indicates that the time alluded to is at the end of the age, following the second coming of Christ; that there would be a period called a “harvest,” during which the faithful saints, when completing their earthly course in death, would not need to remain asleep in death, but would be immediately resurrected to take part in the activity relative to the establishment of the new kingdom.
Paul alludes to this in I Corinthians 15:51,52: “Behold, I show you a mystery,” says the apostle, indicating that what he is about to mention is an exception to the general rule, “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
Yes, all the saints must die—be “faithful unto death”— and “all” must be changed in order to put on immortality; but there will be some, at the sounding of the last trump, who will not need to remain “asleep” in death. These are the ones who, while they will cease in death from their laborious toil in the Master’s service, being immediately resurrected, will continue right on with their work for him. But even this immediate change from mortality to immortality will not be because they are death-proof, but because their resurrection will come at the moment of death—they do not need to wait in sleep until the second coming of the Lord, as was necessary for the remainder of the church.
“NO MAN HATH ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN”
No heavenly promises were given to God’s faithful servants prior to the First Advent of Jesus; and the Master himself makes it plain that up until that time no one had gone to heaven. We quote Jesus’ words: “No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man.” (John 3:13) The apostles of Jesus understood this matter clearly, for Peter, speaking on the day of Pentecost concerning the faithful patriarch David, said, “For David is not ascended into the heavens.”—Acts 2:34
It is supposed by many that Enoch, whom God translated, was taken to heaven, but not so. Evidently Enoch’s “translation” consisted merely of his being removed in death without the necessity of himself experiencing the dying processes incident to death; and possibly before he had the distressing experience of seeing others die. The record is that he was translated that “he should not see death.”
Paul, in the 11th chapter of Hebrews, includes Enoch among the faithful ones of the past, concerning whom he said, “These all died.” (Heb. 11:5,13) In Genesis 5:24 we are told that Enoch “was not; for God took him.” A similar expression to this is found in Jeremiah 31:15, where, in describing the condition of Rachel’s dead children, it says that they “were not.” The evidence is convincing, then, that whatever else may be implied in the thought of Enoch’s translation, he did not go to heaven.
ELIJAH AND THE CHARIOT
Some contend that Elijah must be in heaven, inasmuch as they suppose he was taken up into heaven in a chariot. But the record shows that the fiery chariot merely separated Elijah from Elisha. It was the whirlwind that caused Elijah to ascend into heaven. (II Kings 2:11) It should be remembered in this connection that the words “heaven” and “heavens” are often used in the Scriptures as descriptive of the circumambient atmosphere about the earth; and it was evidently into this “heaven” that Elijah was taken by the whirlwind that ended his eventful life.—Gen. 1:8,9,14,15,17,20; 7:11,23; Zech. 2:6
The fact that in the transfiguration vision the disciples saw Elijah and Moses does not mean that these two prophets were then actually alive somewhere in heaven. In coming down from the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus said to his disciples, “Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.” (Matt. 17:9) A vision is not a reality. Peter saw a vision of unclean animals let down from heaven in a sheet, but they were not real animals. John, on the Isle of Patmos, had a series of visions in which all sorts of objects, animate and inanimate, appeared before him in a great historical panorama of two ages, but none of the things he saw were realities. So the disciples saw a vision in which Moses and Elijah appeared, yet both of those prophets were actually asleep in death, and still are to this day, and will be until the resurrection.—Heb. 11:35,39,40
This transfiguration vision was of the kingdom of Christ when established to reign over the earth. All true Christians, then exalted to heavenly glory, will reign with Christ, the purpose of this reign being to bless mankind in general with health and life upon the earth. It will be during this time that paradise is to be restored.