Do We Go Directly to Heaven When We Die?
Do We Go Directly to Heaven When We Die?
There are several passages in the New Testament that indicate believers in Christ go directly to heaven to be with the Lord.
In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul says that to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord. His thinking is that when a believer dies, they go directly to be with the Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:1-10 āFor we know that ifĀ theĀ earthlyĀ tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a houseĀ not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.Ā 2Ā For indeed in thisĀ houseĀ weĀ groan, longing to beĀ clothed with our dwelling from heaven,Ā 3Ā inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked.Ā 4Ā For indeed while we are in this tent, weĀ groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to beĀ clothed, so that what isĀ mortal will be swallowed up by life.Ā 5Ā Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, whoĀ gave to us the Spirit as aĀ pledge.Ā 6Ā Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing thatĀ while we are at home in the body we are absent from the LordāĀ 7Ā forĀ we walk by faith, not byĀ sightāĀ 8Ā we are of good courage, I say, andĀ prefer rather to be absent from the body andĀ to be at home with the Lord.Ā 9Ā Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to beĀ pleasing to Him.Ā 10Ā For we must all appear beforeĀ the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed forĀ his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.ā
Paul continues with this mindset in Philippians 1 where he speaks of departing from this life and going to be with Christ. The idea is not that he would depart and go to Hades until Christ returns, but that he would immediately be with Christ.
Philippians 1:21-26 āFor to me,Ā to live is Christ and to die is gain.Ā 22Ā But ifĀ I amĀ to liveĀ on in the flesh, thisĀ will meanĀ fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose.Ā 23Ā But I am hard-pressed from bothĀ directions, having theĀ desire to depart andĀ be with Christ, forĀ thatĀ is very much better;Ā 24Ā yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.25Ā Convinced of this I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joyĀ in the faith,Ā 26Ā so that yourĀ proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.ā
Thirdly, I also think of Jesusā words to the criminal crucified next to him: āToday, you will be with Me in Paradise.ā There is no delay in entering Godās presence for those who place their faith in Jesus. This passage is also very powerful to me in that someone can live their whole life in defiance of God as a criminal and yet turn to Jesus in their movement of death and experience this promise of salvation.
Luke 23:39-43 āOne of the criminals who were hangedĀ thereĀ wasĀ [l]hurling abuse at Him, saying, āAre You not theĀ Christ?Ā Save Yourself and us!āĀ 40Ā But the other answered, and rebuking him said, āDo you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?Ā 41Ā And we indeedĀ are sufferingĀ justly, for we are receivingĀ [n]what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.āĀ 42Ā And he was saying, āJesus, remember me when You comeĀ in Your kingdom!āĀ 43Ā And He said to him,Ā āTruly I say to you, today you shall be with Me inĀ Paradise.ā
Luke 16 is a fourth passage that comes to mind. Itās a parable Jesus told about what two men experience immediately after death. While the rich man opens His eyes in torment in Hades, Lazarus is carried by angels to Abrahamās bosom, which appears to be a way of speaking about heaven. There he is comforted. The chasm mentioned in verse 26 implies that these are distinct places. Ā It appears that Lazarus is carried to Godās presence, while the rich man is cut off from it in Hades. Either comfort from Godās presence or torment from the lack thereof are experienced immediately.
Luke 16:19-31Ā āNow there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day.Ā 20Ā And a poor man named LazarusĀ was laid at his gate, covered with sores,Ā 21Ā and longing to be fed with theĀ crumbsĀ which were falling from the rich manās table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.Ā 22Ā Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels toĀ Abrahamās bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.Ā 23Ā InĀ Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and *saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.Ā 24Ā And he cried out and said, āFather Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony inĀ this flame.āĀ 25Ā But Abraham said, āChild, remember thatĀ during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.Ā 26Ā AndĀ besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, andĀ thatĀ none may cross over from there to us.āĀ 27Ā And he said, āThen I beg you, father, that you send him to my fatherās houseāĀ 28Ā for I have five brothersāin order that he mayĀ warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.āĀ 29Ā But Abraham *said, āThey haveĀ Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.āĀ 30Ā But he said, āNo,Ā father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!āĀ 31Ā But he said to him, āIf they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.āā