The Hereafter

If you study the Ancient Scriptures of Israel (Old Testament) carefully, you'll find that the patriarchs (Noah, Abraham, etc.) and the pre-Christian Israelites were never really promised life after death. And the fact that there is so little mention of a hereafter in the earliest Bible writings shows a marked contrast between the beliefs of pre-Christian Israelites and other peoples throughout the world.

The Egyptians, for example, believed that they had immortal souls, and they seem to have been obsessed with the idea of maintaining their lifestyle after they died. And down through the ages, the belief that people have immortal souls that go 'into the light' (to heaven) after their bodies die, has been the mainstay of almost all pagan religions, from the ancient Babylonians, to the Greeks, to the ancient Chinese, and to the earliest Native Americans.

However, if you would like to see to read what the Bible says the the early Israelites believed before the time of Jesus, look at what Solomon said about this at Ecclesiastes 3:18-22 & 9:4-10, for as he points out there, when a person dies, he or she is just dead.

Read, for example, 1 Kings 2:10. For there (as in the case of most deaths mentioned in ancient Israel) the Bible tells us, 'So, David went to sleep with his ancestors and he was buried in the city of David.'

Notice that the account doesn't say he went to God, or to heaven, or to Sheol, or to Hades. He just went to sleep with his ancestors.

Also notice what Job said about death at Job 14:12, 'So, when man goes to sleep he won't rise again, until [the stars] are sewn together… they never awaken from sleep.'

Psalm 49:19, 20 says of a man who dies, 'From generation to generation he'll go down to his fathers, and through the ages he'll never see light. For a man of honor does not realize, that he resembles the unthinking cattle, and that he very much like them.'

Psalm 146:3, 4 says, 'Do not rely upon rulers… the sons of men who have no salvation. For, his breath goes out; he's gone from his land; and in that day his thoughts pass away.'

The Bible Hope

Then, what hope did faithful men and women of old (such as King David) have for life after death? They believed that in some future time, God would resurrect them and bring them back to life. And although the faithful man Job was the first to mention his hope of a resurrection, the first person to prophecy about it was a woman, Hannah, the mother of the Prophet Samuel. For she said (as recorded at 1 Samuel 2:7, 8):
'For, Jehovah kills and gives birth to the living;
He takes them to the grave and leads them back out.
It's Jehovah who makes the poor and the rich;
Yes, He humbles and raises.
He resurrects the needy from the ground,
And He raises the poor from the dirt,
To seat them with the mighty of the people,
Where a throne of glory they'll inherit.'

And when did they believe that 'the poor' would be raised 'from the dirt?' Well, Job prayed (at Job 14:13-15 LXX), 'O that in the grave You had guarded and hid me, until You anger had passed. Please order a time to be set for me, when You'll mention my name once again. Can a man live again after he dies, once the days of his life have all past? As for me, I will wait 'til I live again, when You will call me and I'll listen.'

So, the clear hope of the earliest servants of God was that He (God) would remember them (the faithful) at some future time and resurrect them (make them stand again), giving them back life, and when they will be rewarded for their faithfulness by being appointed to be kings. From later accounts, we see that these faithful then had their names written in God's Scroll of Life.

A Contradiction?

Two scriptural references, however, have been understood as meaning that certain individuals had in fact been taken to a heavenly reward during pre-Christian times. The first is found at Genesis 5:22-24, where we read, 'God found Enoch righteous; and he lived on for some two-hundred years as he fathered other sons and daughters. So, Enoch was three-hundred and sixty-five years old. Then, because he pleased God, God transported him and he disappeared.'

In Greek this reads, 'kai euerestesen Enoch to Theo kai ouch eurisketo hoti metetheken auton ho Theos,' or literally, 'and pleased Enoch the God and not found, [for] transported (or translated) him the God.'

Many read the above scripture and assume that God took Enoch to heaven. But this can't be true, if you believe the Bible, because we read at John 3:13, 'No one has gone to heaven other than he who came from heaven, the Son of Man.'

In Greek this reads, 'Kai oudeis anabebeken eis ton ouranon ei me ho ek tou ouranou katabas ho uios tou anthropou,' or literally, 'And nobody ascended into heaven (or sky) if not he/who from heaven descended, the son of man.'

Also, Colossians 1:17 says of Jesus, 'He's the earliest and the first one to be born from the dead, so that he would be first in everything.'

So according to the Bible, nobody could have gone to heaven until Jesus opened the way, for he had to be the first to be born from the dead. Thus, to harmonize the scriptures, we must assume that Enoch wasn't really taken to heaven, but to somewhere (or some time) else. Could he have been transported into the future? Possibly, for that is possible with God, but the Bible simply doesn't tell us.

The second scriptural reference that some use to teach a resurrection to heaven prior to Jesus' death and resurrection is found at 2 Kings 2:11. It says there, 'And as they were walking along and talking, {Look!} a flaming war chariot with flaming horses rode between them and [took] Elijah into the sky in a tornado.'

Other Bible translations usually say that Elijah was taken 'into the heavens.' And because of this, most people believe that he went into the presence of God (heaven). Yet, as you'll notice in this translation's Notes (such as the references linked to the scripture found at Genesis 1:1), Elijah simply flew (on the chariot) into the SKY… because that's what the Greek word ourano (and the equivalent Hebrew word) really means. And (in harmony with John 3:13) notice that he didn't actually go to heaven, because King JehoRam later received a letter from Elijah (see 2 Chronicles 21:12). So, God had apparently used the celestial chariot to take him to another place here on the earth. Also notice that earlier, a man named AbDiu, who was a servant of the unrighteous IsraElite King Ahab, had spoken of such a thing happening to EliJah (see 1 Kings 18:12.

The Promise of Jesus

Despite the fact that the Hebrews and pre-Christian Israelites didn't necessarily have a reason to believe in the idea of life in a 'hereafter,' and belief in an 'immortal soul' was an openly pagan belief that seems to have originated in post-downpour Babylon, it's easy to see why, after the deaths of the Apostles, early Christians came to the conclusion that they don't really die, but that they went to heaven immediately upon their deaths. For, notice how John 11:25, 26 is rendered in other Bible translations: 'Jesus said to her: I am the resurrection and the life. He that exercises faith in me, even though he dies, will come to life; and everyone that is living and exercises faith in me will never die at all. Do you believe this?'

Unfortunately, those words are a poor translation of what Jesus actually said (for more information, see the Note in John, Never Die?), for it appears as though Jesus was teaching that people wouldn't die… and yet they died. How do you rationalize this?

Well, many assumed that they were living in the time when the Kingdom of God was coming, and if they survived until the time of its arrival, they would never have to die. For, Paul wrote at 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, 'Look, I tell you a mystery: Not all of us will be laid to rest, but we'll be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, during the last trumpet. The trumpet will blow and the dead will be raised clean and we will be changed.'

And since First-Century Christians believed that they were living in the 'last days' of this world, it was an easy stretch to think that they were living during the time of the 'last trumpet,' and that they would never have to die at all. However, this belief has continued for more than two-thousand years now, so it isn't likely that those were 'the last days;' and believing that the resurrection has already happened totally contradicts Jesus' promises and the words of Revelation Chapter Twenty, where we're told that the resurrection happens 'in the Lord's Day.'

The teaching that people were immediately resurrected into heaven upon their deaths had apparently already started to surface in the Christian Congregation near the end of Paul's ministry (mid-60s C.E.). For notice what he wrote to his protégé Timothy about this teaching (at 2 Timothy 2:17, 18), 'That was the problem with Hymenaeus and Philetus. They got away from the truth and started teaching that the resurrection has already happened, which misdirected the faith of some.'

Well then, what was Jesus talking about when he said that people who believed in him wouldn't die? Notice that he also said, 'Whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live.'

So, he wasn't saying that people who believe in him wouldn't die; he was promising them a resurrection. But then, in what sense could Jesus refer to them as not having to die?

The God of the Living

At Matthew 22:31, 32, it's recorded that Jesus said, 'Haven't you read what God told you about the resurrection of the dead [when he said], I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He isn't the God of the dead, but of the living.' And this is just one of several instances throughout the Bible where the faithful and righteous are referred to as 'the living.'

In the same vein, there are many instances where those who are unrighteous are referred to as 'the dead.' For, as Jesus said (at Matthew 8:22), 'Let the dead bury their dead.' Also notice what Paul wrote of Jesus at Romans 14:9: 'And the reason why the Anointed One died and came to life again, was so that he could be the Lord of the living and the dead.'

So, with this understanding in mind, consider what Revelation 20:12 says will happen to these dead ones: 'Then I saw the dead – the great and the small – standing before the throne, and several scrolls were opened. Then another scroll was opened, which was the Scroll of Life. And the dead were then judged by the things that were written in the scrolls, by the things that they did.'

So, they were 'standing' (they had already been resurrected), and yet they were described as 'the dead.' As you can see, God resurrects them but still considers them the dead, and they must thereafter stand before God's throne to be judged. For scrolls will be opened to reveal 'the things that they did.' But, just when did they do these things that are written in the scrolls?

If we were to assume that the things written in the scrolls are records of things they did in their past lives (before their resurrection), we would have to ask, 'Then why would God resurrect them, just to condemn them once again?' That makes no sense at all!

Rather, it appears as though they are resurrected earlier in the Millennium, and at the end of the thousand years they are judged by the things that they will do during that time, not for the sins of a past life. So, they are still referred to as the dead, because the unrighteous are not counted among the living until God judges them and finds them worthy.

If you go back to the Bible account in Revelation 20:12, you'll see that this judging of the dead comes immediately after the nations under Gog of Magog attack God's Holy City. Then the Slanderer is destroyed, and thereafter is where we read of the judging of the dead. So, since the resurrection is spoken of as happening earlier in the Revelation, we would assume that these will have been resurrected much earlier, but will remain in the dead condition until they are judged as either one of the living or to condemnation.

But notice that (at Revelation 20:12) another scroll (the scroll of life) is also then opened, and apparently it contains the names of those who are found faithful by God at that time.

However, realize that the judgment of the dead at the end of the Millennium isn't the beginning of the writing of names in the scroll of life, for at Philippians 4:3 Paul wrote of 'fellow workers whose names [were already written] in the Scroll of Life.'

And at Daniel 12:2 we read, '[God] will raise all those whose [names] were written in the Scroll, and many who died and were buried will be resurrected, some to age-long life, some to disgrace, and some will be scattered and shamed in that age.'

So, we must assume that God has already counted many as righteous, and their names have already been written in the Scroll of Life. And this means that they (like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) are considered among the living, so they don't stand before God in judgment, as do those whom God considers the dead.

The Resurrection

Therefore, the only hope for dead humans that was ever taught in the Bible, is of a resurrection. What does this mean? Well, resurrection comes from the Greek word anastasia, which means 'to stand again.' By definition, it can't mean that people (souls) don't die. It simply means that they will live (stand) on the earth once again.

Now, the thing that makes the teachings of the Bible so different from all pagan religions, is that it (alone) speaks of a resurrection and the hope of being brought back to life here the earth as humans once again (see Matthew 5:5). Also, this resurrection isn't immediate (as the pagans believed); rather, it happens 'in the last day.' For, notice what Jesus said at John 6:40: 'This is what my Father's will is: That everyone who pays close attention to the Son and believes in him should have age-long life, and I will resurrect him on the Last Day.'

Who was the first person that was promised a resurrection by God? It was the Prophet Daniel. We find this promise at Daniel 12:13 (LXX), where Daniel was told, 'Now go and rest, because there are many seasons and days until the end comes. But you will be resurrected (gr. anastese) in glory at the end of the days.'

Different from Pagan Beliefs

The fact is, the teaching of the resurrection was totally different from anything that the Greeks believed in Paul's time, for notice how those who gathered to listen to Paul at the AeroPagus reacted when he spoke of it (Acts 17:32), 'Well, when they heard of a resurrection of the dead, some started joking about it.'

So, the Bible's teaching of a resurrection differed so greatly from the traditional Greek (and other pagan) religious teachings about life after death, that the idea sounded foolish to the Greek philosophers at the time.

Who are Resurrected?

And notice that the Bible's teaching of a resurrection isn't just promised to the faithful. For, Paul wrote at Acts 24:15, 'And I have this hope in God, which they (the Pharisees) also share, that there's going to be a resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous.'

So, we may conclude from these words of Paul that in God's great justice, even those who are unrighteous will be given the opportunity to serve God faithfully and live, regardless of their education, mental condition, age, nationality, or circumstances.

The reason why there is so little mention of the resurrection or the hereafter in the Ancient Scriptures of Israel (and the reason why Solomon spoke so gloomily of mankind's hope in Ecclesiastes) is because there was no hope until after Jesus came and gave his life as a ransom for mankind. The sacrifice of his perfect life is what opened the way for men to stand again. As Jesus himself said, 'I am the resurrection and the life.'

However, just where would resurrected men stand again?

The Hope of Going to Heaven

In the Bible book of Matthew, Jesus is quoted as repeatedly speaking of the hope of entering 'the Kingdom of Heaven.' And because of these words, many have come to believe (like the ancient Egyptians), that when you die you either go to heaven or Hell. However, it looks like this term (Kingdom of Heaven – gr. te basileia ton ouranon) was actually the result of an ancient (2^nd Century) mistranslation of Matthew from its native language of Aramaic (or Hebrew) into Greek. For, Jesus' same words, as quoted in Mark and Luke (who likely wrote their Gospels in Greek) were to 'the Kingdom of God' (gr. he basileia tou Theou). What is the difference? Well, being in the Kingdom of God doesn't necessarily imply that one is going to heaven. And going to heaven doesn't appear to be what Jesus was talking about. For, as we have shown above, the word resurrection implies standing again as a human on earth.

It can be successfully argued, however, that there will be a resurrection into heaven for a few. We gain this understanding from some unique and controversial words of Paul, as recorded at Philippians 3:11-14, where he spoke of his hope of receiving an out resurrection (gr. exanastasin). However, if a heavenly resurrection is really what Paul was talking about (and that is in question), you can see from all that is written above that the hope of the majority of humankind will not be a heavenly resurrection. For, whatever type of resurrection Paul was talking about was unique, because he went on to say in verse 14, that he was reaching out for a higher or upward calling (gr. ano kleseos), which appears to be something greater than the type of resurrection that others are to receive.

Jesus may have been speaking of such a group when he said of his Disciples (at Luke 12:32), 'Don't be afraid, little flock, because your Father has agreed to give you the Kingdom.' And these words seem to imply that, what they will be given is a position of kingship or rulership in that Kingdom, and if so, then the term little flock is apropos.

Where do we find mention of such a small special group in the Bible? Well, at Revelation 7:2-4 we find these words: 'Then I saw another messenger who was coming up from the sunrise. He had the seal of the living God, and he shouted aloud to the four messengers who were allowed to harm the earth and sea, saying, Don't harm the earth, the sea, or the trees, until after we have sealed the slaves of our God in their foreheads. And I heard how many of them had been sealed: a hundred and forty-four thousand from among every tribe of the sons of Israel.'

So, here is a special group that is chosen out of God's people for a special purpose. Is this number of 144,000 'slaves of our God' literal, or is it figurative? There are several reasons to believe that it is literal. They include:

· We would expect such a heavenly calling to be made up of a symbolic and complete number (such as twelve times twelve thousand).

· The number 144,000 is then contrasted to an unknown number at Revelation 7:9, which says, 'After all this, I saw {look!} a crowd so large that no one could count them.' So, 144,000 is specific in contrast to the unnumbered larger group.

· If these selected individuals are to hold the position of 'kings,' their number would logically be limited, and 144,000 is surely an adequate size for such a government.

Those who argue for a larger number usually do so because they claim (through a special choosing known only to them) to be among those who have been selected by God to serve Him in heaven.

The Requirements for Heavenly Life

The fact is; if all those who claim to qualify to serve as kings and priests in the heavens will really go there, the number would have to be greatly expanded beyond what is said in the Bible. In fact, tens of millions claim that they have already been chosen to that destiny… but they haven't proven faithful until death yet. For, notice what we were told at Revelation 2:10, 'Be faithful to the death and I'll give you the crown of life.'

In fact, it appears as though a martyr's death (like that of Jesus) is required by God to qualify as part of this small group. For, notice what is said at Revelation 6:11, 'Then they were each given a white robe and they were told to take it easy just a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow slaves and brothers was filled (who were going to be killed, as they were).'

Then notice what Jesus said to his Apostles about this at Matthew 20:22, 23, 'Can you drink from the cup that I'm about to drink?' And they answered: 'We can.' So, he said to them, 'You will indeed drink my cup, but sitting at my right and left hand isn't mine to give. It belongs to those for whom my Father prepared it.'

And that's the same question that all who say they've been chosen for life in heaven must ask themselves… Can you drink from that same cup? For, if being publicly executed as a criminal (which is what likely happened to all of Jesus' Apostles) was what would be required of these friends who Jesus dearly loved, why would anyone who expects the same reward think that a lower price would be required of them? So, no one can rightly claim to have a heavenly calling until they've proven their integrity by offering their lives in sacrifice, or at least after having endured great persecution for their faith.

The Promise of a Kingdom

The actual agreement that opened the way for a small number to go to heaven to serve as rulers, was the one that Jesus made with his faithful Apostles during his last supper. Notice what he said, as recorded at Luke 22:28-30, 'However, you are the ones who stuck with me during my trials, so I'm making a promise to you, just as my Father made a promise to me, for a Kingdom… that you may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom and sit on thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.'

This sacred promise by Jesus was the first vehicle mentioned in the Bible that apparently allowed men entry into the Heavenly (rulership) portion of the Kingdom. And it wasn't opened or offered to all mankind, for notice that it was offered to certain chosen individuals, starting with Jesus' eleven faithful Apostles.

This promise was different from the Sacred Agreement that Jesus had inaugurated with his Apostles earlier that same evening, when they shared the sacred bread and wine, for that Agreement never promised life in heaven. (For more information, see the linked document, The New Covenant).

The Hope of the Rest of Mankind

It would seem as though the promises of the Scriptures – that a small group of chosen ones will rule from heavenly thrones – would make the place where the rest of mankind is to be resurrected obvious. However, religious dogma and lifetime hopes don't always lead people to the easy answers. Yet, the Bible clearly tells us at Psalm 37:11, 'the meek will inherit the earth, and find great delight in the abundance of peace..'

For more information, see the linked document, The Resurrection.

Age-Long Life Now?

Notice that Jesus said, at John 5:24: 'I tell you the truth; He who hears what I say and believes in the One that sent me, will have age-long life. He won't have to be judged, for has crossed over from death to life.'

Also notice what he again said at John 6:40 'This is what my Father's will is: That everyone who pays close attention to the Son and believes in him should have age-long life, and I will resurrect him on the Last Day.'

So, notice that the faithful receive age-long life, or they are counted as the living in their current lifetimes; but they must thereafter die and be resurrected by Jesus.

Again, notice Jesus' words at John 6:54, 55, 'For, if you chew my flesh and drink my blood you'll have life within yourselves, and then I'll resurrect you on the Last Day. Those who chew on my flesh and drink my blood will stay in me and I [will stay] in them.'

So, if we are found to be faithful, we are apparently given life within ourselves (our names are written in the Book of Life and/or we are alive in Jesus), but then we must die and await our resurrection on the last day.

The Hope of the 'We' Who 'Will Be Changed'

At 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, Paul wrote, 'Look, I tell you a mystery: Not all of us will be laid to rest, but we'll be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, during the last trumpet. The trumpet will blow and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. Then that which is corruptible will put on incorruptibility, and that which is dying will put on immortality. But, when that which is dying puts on immortality, then the words that were written are fulfilled, Death is swallowed in victory.'

So, what did Paul mean when he said, 'the dead will be raised incorruptible … that which is corruptible will put on incorruptibility, and that which is dying will put on immortality?'

First, recognize just who Paul is writing about here. He appears to be simply talking about what will happen to 'the dead' who will be resurrected, not those who are 'living' in God's eyes. Then he goes on to say 'And we (the living) will be changed.' So it appears as though two separated groups are being spoken of here, the dead (the unfaithful) and the living (those whose names are written in the book of Life). Yet, according to the text, all who are resurrected will be raised incorruptible and in an undying condition.

Understand that the Greek words Paul used here for corruptible and incorruptible are phtharton and aphthrsian, and for mortal and immortal they are thneton and athanasian… and these words don't necessarily mean what many people think they do (that being incorruptible is the same as being immortal). Phtharton indicates a degenerating condition, such as the normal aging process of man. So, apparently 'we' will not then age. And since thneton refers to a dying condition, we won't be raised (or survive) in a dying condition. Rather, we will be granted athanasia, which doesn't really mean incapable of death as some have said, but that we will simply be ALIVE (undying)! For more information, see the linked document Corruption.

But, wasn't Paul speaking of those who have the heavenly hope at 1 Corinthians 15, rather than those righteous who will be resurrected on the earth? We think not. For a full explanation of our reasoning on this, see the linked document, God's Promise of an Inheritance.

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