[Friends and listeners,]

What is the source of your beliefs? Are you sure you got them from the Bible?

Remember, there is much deception and ignorance in this world. Truth is often mixed with errors. There is a rampant pollution of truths even in Christianity. If it is hard to believe what I'm saying, I'd like to give you a little challenge.

One of the popular concepts in Christianity is the matter or subject of saints going to heaven or saints in heaven. Since these are very popular teachings, there should be plenty of references to it. I'd like therefore to challenge you to find phrases such as in the authorized Bible saying "when we go to heaven", "when we meet in heaven", or "the saints are in heaven." You would be surprised that there are no statements in the Bible at all. Yet many people have always assumed that these things are in the Bible. It's time to wake up to the reality and to the truth of the matter on this subject.

The popular concept of heaven and the saints in heaven, they would picture a place paved with glass or gold and a maybe with a rainbow at the background and St. Peter at the door and angels with wings going back and forth and also probably the saints will have suddenly sprouted wings as well, holding or strumming harps and in some cases pictured as floating on clouds. That's where we got the popular statement about "floating in cloud nine." But surprise of all surprises, you won't find that description in the Bible at all. Where did these come from? Very surprisingly, it did not come from the Bible, but from the writings of an Italian poet in the thirteen hundreds A.D. named Dante Alighieri. You would see therefore that it's not from the Bible but rather Dante Alighieri also got that concept from the Greeks, from the Egyptians, from the Romans, and also from the ancient Babylonians, never from the Bible.

Let's go back to the concept of how heaven is pictured. It is pictured as such a very nice place, splendid place, radiant place that there are no problems and all things are taken care of. And that they assure sure, or at least religious people assure you that as soon as you die, you go immediately to heaven and enjoy the bliss of heaven. We have just one problem. Because proponents of that concept and most believers of that concept are not trying hard to go to heaven, does not seem to be in a hurry to go to heaven, are not trying to beat each other to be first to go to heaven. In fact, people will do everything; pay any amount just to avoid dying which they say is the gateway to heaven.

Now, you begin to see there a conflict, a discrepancy. If heaven is really what it's picture to be, people will be rushing, doing everything to get there. Now, besides that, the way heaven is described, it actually is the most boring place. Could you imagine, let's say floating on cloud nine or say cloud seven, whatever you would like to pick, and wearing white robe, maybe with a pair of wings, and a little bit of a harp. You know, a guitar would be more interesting. But then plucking that harp, that melancholy harp, not just for one hour, not just for one day, not just for one week, not just for one month, not even a year, not ten years, not a hundred years, not a thousand years but for all eternity. It would be most boring and many people, honestly, in their mind and in their heart, they would rather die, rather than be into that kind of ordeal, a very boring manner of existence. Now, we begin to see here that there is discrepancy and by the way, that kind of description of heaven does not exist in the Bible.

We ask the question, are saints really in heaven? What does the Bible say about that? When you have to find out the truth of a matter, it's good to get witnesses especially first hand witness to a certain fact or event.

Since no other person has gone up to heaven, it would be good to ask somebody who has been in heaven or has come down from heaven to this earth. And it is best to get his witness report about what He saw there and what is the real fact on the matter. There is no other person better than Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus Christ Himself is One who came down from heaven, came to this earth, and incidentally, there is a witness report written in the Bible about what He has to comment concerning whether there are people in heaven.

I'd like you to open with me to the Bible and find out this matter, in John 3:13. Now, I have always challenged my listeners not to obey or not to just simply believe what I say but rather believe what you read in your own Bible. John 3:13: Jesus Christ said, "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven." So here Jesus Christ Himself said, he has been there, He saw and He testified that no one has ascended to heaven.

Now, that is the testimony of Jesus Christ. If we probably have to think of the best candidate to be in heaven, we would probably think of a man that is close to God, a man whose heart is for God, and who is willing to do the will of God. Actually, there is such a man. And the apostle Paul comments about such a man. But we will find out whether this man is in heaven as a result of being having such good qualities which God likes.

I'd like you to open with me to Acts 13:22-23, talking about the great qualities and character of King David of Israel, the apostle Paul said, "... He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I have found David[c]the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will [now, that is a very good comment from God].' (23) From this man's seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior—Jesus." The lineage of this man is so good that God chose to have him as the ancestor of the Savior of Israel, Jesus Himself.

Now, talking about this King David of Israel, a man after God's own heart, is he in heaven? Let's see the testimony of the apostle Peter, weeks after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, after He has been raised from the dead, when the saints would have probably followed Him to heaven, what do we read? Acts, 2:29, the apostle Peter said, "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." Now, did you notice the words, dead and buried? Now, some may say, well, his body might be buried, but you know he is somewhere up in heaven. Let us continue reading in verses 34-35, the same apostle Peter who should know, said, "For David did not ascend into the heavens [read that again, he said, "for David did not ascend into the heavens"], but he says himself: 'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, (35) Till I make Your enemies Your footstool."'" We therefore see testimonies here from Jesus Christ Himself and from Peter and Paul talking about these things.

Now, how about the heroes of faith, the prophets, the great men, Moses, Abraham and all the rest, where are they?

I'd like to ask you to read with me in Hebrews 11:39, after naming all what we normally call as the heroes of faith, the apostle Paul wrote, "And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise." Meaning, they all died, and they are still dead. Now, if these great biblical personalities are not even there in heaven, how much more for lesser personalities. Now that is a big problem regarding the teaching on this subject.

We come to another point regarding this teaching about saints being in heaven. We address the question, are the dead conscious? Can they think? Are they active? Are they going about their life? Now, let us take first the case an actual, physical, living person because from there we could probably determine.

Now, look at a physical person, you, your friends, your relatives, anyone you know. When the person is sleeping, he is not conscious. You could do things, if his eyes are closed, he does not notice anything. And you do quietly, he would not hear anything. A sleeping person is not conscious.  Now, he is just sleeping. A person in coma is even more unconscious. No matter what you do, it is not aware of anything happening. And for that matter, an unconscious person, because of fainting or other problems is definitely not conscious about anything that is happening around him or even to him.

Now, if the person who is even living but whether sleeping in a coma or is unconscious is not conscious about anything happening, how much more for the dead? Now, of course people will say, "But it's different when he has a spirit," Okay, the Bible talks about a spirit in man. We know that. Now, that is what some people call as the soul. However, we would notice that all people since they have the spirit in man which people will refer to as soul, that soul or spirit in man is not conscious of itself apart from physical sensory, organs in this life. For example, you've notice that a blind man, a physically blind man can't see. He cannot see. And a physically deaf person cannot hear even if he has the spirit in man or what we would call soul in him. Same with a mentally diseased or retarded person, he can't think properly even if he has the spirit in man. Now, that's something that should alert your thinking on this matter.

Now, we are talking of living person. How about the dead? What does the Bible have to say about the dead? I'd like you to open with me to Ecclesiastes 9:5. It says, "For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing..." The dead know nothing. Now, we know that even a physical person, when he is asleep, know nothing, he does not know the passing of time, how much more for the dead. And that is what your Bible says.

Now, I'd like you to think further. Let us try to evaluate the veracity and the validity of many of these religious concepts and teachings that are floating around, popularly taught, whether they are biblically true, biblically founded or not.

Let's ask some needful questions. If souls are already in heaven, happily enjoying God's presence, why is there still the need for a promised resurrection from the dead? Have you ever thought about that? Why will Christ still have to come down to this earth to resurrect them if indeed they are already in heaven happily enjoying the presence of God? It does not seem logical, it does not seem reasonable. Now, obviously something is wrong with the popular teachings of the immortality of the soul and of saints being in heaven after death.

Now, let's look into the Bible for more facts concerning these. Definitely, the Bible talks about the need for a resurrection. In Job 14:14-15, the patriarch Job was inspired to write. [Now, I'd like you to note down, Job 14:14-15.] He was inspired to ask the question, "If a man dies, shall he live again...? He answered the same question by saying, "... All the days of my hard service [or as the King James Version would say, all the days of my appointed time] I will wait, till my change comes." Change from the state of dead to the state of the living. That is what we call resurrection. Verse 15 said, "You shall call, and I will answer You; You shall desire the work of Your hands."

There's another testimony not just from the patriarch Job, but from the prophet Daniel. The prophet Daniel wrote in Daniel 12:2, he said, "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake [now, this is what we refer to as the resurrection], some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt."

In John 11:25, concerning the death of Lazarus of Bethany, Jesus said to his sister, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live." Now, it's future tense. He is not saying that, well, He just change the state from earth to heaven, but Jesus Christ said, "he shall live." Meaning today he is a dead but in the future he shall live or whenever that will be granted by God.

A fourth witness here, from the apostle Paul writing to the Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 15:22: "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive." Now it's talking about going from or getting out from the dead to life. But He said in verse 23, "But each one in his own order: Christ the first fruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming." So the first that was resurrected from the dead is Christ, and the second will be those who will or who are in Christ at His coming. Now, if we already have an immortal soul and we are all living, there's no need for Christ to come back and resurrect us because we would have a continuing life anyway.

We will begin to see therefore that the popular teachings in Christianity do not square with the teachings of the Bible and the witness of Christ and the prophets and the writers of the Bible.

Now, there are many things that we need to discuss about these things. Time is limited. But I'd like to refer you to a booklet that we offer free of charge. It's called Heaven and Hell, What Does The Bible Really Teach?  This booklet, Heaven and Hell, What Does The Bible Really Teach? addresses certain things. For example, it goes into the history of the pre-Christian belief in the afterlife in heaven. And by the way, this concept that is popularly taught has began to lodge itself in the Christian religion seven centuries after Christ' death. It also addresses another topic. About Paul's desire to depart and be with Christ, what did he mean by that? Does Paul really mean that right after his death he will be with Christ? Now, we have to notice other scriptures that give context and greater understanding to what these writers mentioned. Please open with me to 2 Timothy 4:6-8. He said, "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. (7) I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (8) Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day [now, what day is he referring to, the day when he said, continuing with the verse], not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing." It also addresses certain question concerning Enoch and Elijah. Are they in heaven? Many people believed they are in heaven, but what does the Bible say? Now, this booklet will explain further. You would notice that concerning Elijah, which people think is in heaven, you would notice in 2 Chronicles 21:12-15, some twenty years after he was supposed to have been caught by a whirlwind in heaven, there was a letter that was received coming from Elijah the prophet saying, "Thus says the LORD God of your father David: Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah, (13) but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot like the harlotry of the house of Ahab, and also have killed your brothers, those of your father's household, who were better than yourself, (14) behold, the LORD will strike your people with a serious affliction--your children, your wives, and all your possessions; (15) and you will become very sick with a disease of your intestines, until your intestines come out by reason of the sickness, day by day." So it shows here that Elijah was somewhere else on this earth otherwise there would have been no letter sent to the King at that time, Jehoram. Then it also addresses the question about are there saved human beings in heaven. Many based their belief on Revelation 19:1. But as you would see, we would check on the correct translation here of Revelation 19:1, the term in the King James Bible which says "a people" there it's not actually people, the Greek word is oclos which simply means multitude. And there are twenty-four elders there which are spirit beings and if it refers to people, the Greek word should not have been oclos, it should have been anthropos meaning humans or people. And that's where we got the word for anthropology, study of man. But it did not use the word anthropos. Also, some people believed that the thief on the cross went to heaven right after his death because of the promise of Jesus Christ, he will be in paradise. Actually, the thing there is what Jesus Christ is saying is, "I'm telling you today, you shall [in the future, at the appointed time] be with me in paradise." Not that very day. Sometimes, people misplaced the comma, and in original manuscript there was no comma. Translators simply put the comma, but sadly, in this particular case, it's in the wrong place.

Now, how can we verify whether what we are saying is true? Because Jesus Christ said, prior to His death in Matthew 12:40, Christ said, "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." So Christ would be in the heart of the earth seventy-two hours (twenty-four hours times three days and three nights). In other words, if the thief on the cross went to heaven that day of their death, then he would have been ahead of Christ. That cannot be. Why? Because the Bible says that Jesus Christ is the first born or first begotten from the dead. I'd like you to notice with me, Revelation 1:5: "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth." Did you notice that? Jesus Christ is the first begotten of the dead, not the thief on the cross, not anyone else, but only Him. And we read that earlier in 1 Corinthians 15.

Now, at the same time, most religions teach there is only one resurrection. If so, why does the Bible talks of first resurrection? Remember, there is the word first resurrection like in Revelation 20:5-6. It says, "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection." And repeating in verse 6, "Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection: over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." Now, notice the words, first resurrection and second death.  It tells you that there is another resurrection and when it talks about a second death that means that our life is not the only one.  There is a death appointed unto all men but there is still that second death. And to have that second death, you need to be resurrected from the dead. And not only that. In Hebrews 11:35, it describes that first resurrection. Please open with me, talking about that first resurrection, it refers to that as the better resurrection. Now, better is a comparative word, comparative term, meaning there is more than one and this resurrection is the better one, the first resurrection. Hebrews 11:35 said, "Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection."

In conclusion therefore, Jesus Christ Himself said, and He is the ultimate authority, in John 5:28-29, Christ Himself said, “Do not marvel at this; for the [a definite time] hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice [that's in a definite time] (29) and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."

He did not say that those in heaven, in hell, in limbo, in purgatory, will hear His voice. Rather He said, "All who are in the graves." He did not talk about heaven, hell, limbo or purgatory but in the graves. They will all at that given hour hear His voice. And this is talking about the resurrection which, of course, refers to the act of rising from the dead or returning back to life. Now, which would you rather believe the words of Christ and the Bible or the teachings and ideas of men?

For more information on this very important subject, please request for our free fifty-six page thoroughly researched booklet, Heaven and Hell What Does the Bible Really Teach? You will be surprised at the truth contained therein.

In the next broadcast, we will talk about what really is God's plan for our mortal human life. In other words, why did God create man? Why was he put on this earth? Why is he made of clay in the very first place and allowed to suffer?

[In behalf therefore of the Good News of the World Tomorrow, this is Ed Macaraeg, thanking you for listening.]