Is There Anybody Now In Heaven Or In Hell?
Q: Sir I have understood that nobody is right there in hell or in heaven now unless they are resurrected by Christ, but some people believe that souls are already there in hell or heaven. Can u just open my mind sir!! Thanks±
A: The Bible says, ".... it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment." (Heb 9:27). This means that once a human dies, he has no power over the eternal destiny that he has already chosen when he lived on this earth. Those who have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior before their physical death on earth are destined to go to heaven. Those who have rejected Jesus are destined to hell fire. When the preceding verse speaks about Judgment, it speaks about the Judgment for the saints and also for the unrighteous wicked. For all the unrighteous dead right from first sinner without salvation to the last one at the end of the Millennium rule of Jesus Christ will take part in the judgment for condemnation only on the day of White Throne Judgment, when they will all rise up in their physical body with sin nature and will be judged for their sin and condemned to 'eternal hell fire' which in Greek is called 'Gehenna' (Rev 20:11-15; John 3:18-20; Mark 16:16). Until then the sinners will be waiting in the place called as 'hades' in Greek, which means 'the region of departed spirits of the lost" (but including the blessed dead in periods preceding the ascension of Christ).' This Hades had two section in the past before Christ's ascension, one for the righteous dead and the other for the unrighteous dead with a great impassable gulf fixed in between them. This we can see in the story of 'the Rich Man and Lazarus' which Jesus spoke before His death and ascension (Luke 16:19-31). The section in which the righteous souls of the Old Testament times, who were in captivity until then in Sheol was taken captive by Jesus to heaven after His resurrection (Matt 27: 52-53; Eph 4:8-10). As a result of it, the whole righteous section in which the righteous souls were lodged were completely emptied forever.
At this point of time all of them were born again in their spirit and was thus made fit to enter heaven with Jesus as a new creatures in Him (Heb 11:39-40; John 20:22-23; 2 Cr 5:21, 17). Now because all the believers are already born again in their spirit-man as new creatures, they are qualified to enter in to the very city of God in heaven in perfect holiness withour which no man can see God (Heb 12:22-23, 14; 10:10, 14; 1 Cor 6:11). This is the reason, Apostle Paul said with great confidence, "For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better." (Phil 1:23). If we ask the question, 'Where is Christ now?' The clear answer from the Bible is, 'He is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven, as King of Kings and Lord of all Lords' (Phil 2:9-10; Eph 1:19-21; 2:6). When we received Jesus as our Lord and Savior of our life, at that moment our spirit was born newly in to the very image of God, without a spot of sin in it (Eph 1:13-14; 4:24; 1 Cor 6:17). Because we are born again now, already our spirit-man is seated with him in the heavenly places in Christ spiritually. Our spirit-man does not have any time and space restriction to connect to the invisible place where Christ is seated, so we are already spiritually seated with Him in dominion and authority. So now once a believer dies, he will be present in the next moment in the city of Zion where God and Christ resides. But we as believers will rise up in our glorious body in one of these following three resurrection that might follow us, 1) The Rapture Resurrection when Christ comes for salvation to take away His Bride which is the Church (1 Thes 4:13-18; Heb 9:28). 2) The Second Coming Resurrection in which the power of death over saints will be swallowed up in victory fully (1 Cor 15:50-58; Matt 24:29-31; Rev 11:15-19; Rev 20:4-6; Isa 65:20). 3) The Final Resurrection of all the righteous saints who lived during the Millennium and died during that time will be resurrected during the White Throne Judgement which will confirm the doomed gloomy destiny of unbelievers to eternal second death, but the Millennium believers will be justified because their name will be written in the Book of Life (Rev 20:5-6, 11-15). Praise the Lord!
So the bottom line is, all the souls of the righteous will be in heaven but all the souls of the unrighteous unbelievers will be in the makeshift temporary place of 'Hades hell' which is under the earth till the White Throne Judgment take place (Eph 4:8-9; Rev 20:11-13), after which they will be thrown in the real Hell fire of 'Gehenna', where they will be tormented forever and ever (Rev 19:20-21; 20:10; 20:14-15; Matt 10:28; 25:41, 46; Mark 9:43-38).
A: The Bible says, ".... it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment." (Heb 9:27). This means that once a human dies, he has no power over the eternal destiny that he has already chosen when he lived on this earth. Those who have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior before their physical death on earth are destined to go to heaven. Those who have rejected Jesus are destined to hell fire. When the preceding verse speaks about Judgment, it speaks about the Judgment for the saints and also for the unrighteous wicked. For all the unrighteous dead right from first sinner without salvation to the last one at the end of the Millennium rule of Jesus Christ will take part in the judgment for condemnation only on the day of White Throne Judgment, when they will all rise up in their physical body with sin nature and will be judged for their sin and condemned to 'eternal hell fire' which in Greek is called 'Gehenna' (Rev 20:11-15; John 3:18-20; Mark 16:16). Until then the sinners will be waiting in the place called as 'hades' in Greek, which means 'the region of departed spirits of the lost" (but including the blessed dead in periods preceding the ascension of Christ).' This Hades had two section in the past before Christ's ascension, one for the righteous dead and the other for the unrighteous dead with a great impassable gulf fixed in between them. This we can see in the story of 'the Rich Man and Lazarus' which Jesus spoke before His death and ascension (Luke 16:19-31). The section in which the righteous souls of the Old Testament times, who were in captivity until then in Sheol was taken captive by Jesus to heaven after His resurrection (Matt 27: 52-53; Eph 4:8-10). As a result of it, the whole righteous section in which the righteous souls were lodged were completely emptied forever.
At this point of time all of them were born again in their spirit and was thus made fit to enter heaven with Jesus as a new creatures in Him (Heb 11:39-40; John 20:22-23; 2 Cr 5:21, 17). Now because all the believers are already born again in their spirit-man as new creatures, they are qualified to enter in to the very city of God in heaven in perfect holiness withour which no man can see God (Heb 12:22-23, 14; 10:10, 14; 1 Cor 6:11). This is the reason, Apostle Paul said with great confidence, "For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better." (Phil 1:23). If we ask the question, 'Where is Christ now?' The clear answer from the Bible is, 'He is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven, as King of Kings and Lord of all Lords' (Phil 2:9-10; Eph 1:19-21; 2:6). When we received Jesus as our Lord and Savior of our life, at that moment our spirit was born newly in to the very image of God, without a spot of sin in it (Eph 1:13-14; 4:24; 1 Cor 6:17). Because we are born again now, already our spirit-man is seated with him in the heavenly places in Christ spiritually. Our spirit-man does not have any time and space restriction to connect to the invisible place where Christ is seated, so we are already spiritually seated with Him in dominion and authority. So now once a believer dies, he will be present in the next moment in the city of Zion where God and Christ resides. But we as believers will rise up in our glorious body in one of these following three resurrection that might follow us, 1) The Rapture Resurrection when Christ comes for salvation to take away His Bride which is the Church (1 Thes 4:13-18; Heb 9:28). 2) The Second Coming Resurrection in which the power of death over saints will be swallowed up in victory fully (1 Cor 15:50-58; Matt 24:29-31; Rev 11:15-19; Rev 20:4-6; Isa 65:20). 3) The Final Resurrection of all the righteous saints who lived during the Millennium and died during that time will be resurrected during the White Throne Judgement which will confirm the doomed gloomy destiny of unbelievers to eternal second death, but the Millennium believers will be justified because their name will be written in the Book of Life (Rev 20:5-6, 11-15). Praise the Lord!
So the bottom line is, all the souls of the righteous will be in heaven but all the souls of the unrighteous unbelievers will be in the makeshift temporary place of 'Hades hell' which is under the earth till the White Throne Judgment take place (Eph 4:8-9; Rev 20:11-13), after which they will be thrown in the real Hell fire of 'Gehenna', where they will be tormented forever and ever (Rev 19:20-21; 20:10; 20:14-15; Matt 10:28; 25:41, 46; Mark 9:43-38).
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