Heaven is a topic many people think they understand, but if you compare what they believe to what the Bible says the beliefs don’t match up. In this video Seventh-day Adventist Pastor Mark Finley, uncovers 5 myths about Heaven.

<p>Heaven is a topic many people think they understand, but if you compare what they believe to what the Bible says the beliefs don’t match up. In this video Seventh-day Adventist Pastor Mark Finley, uncovers 5 myths about Heaven.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

HopeLives365

Mark Finley

5 Shocking Myths About Heaven Every Christian Should Know

Have you ever believed something and then after a while you've learned that the thing you believe wasn't true at all?

For centuries, human beings believed that the Earth was the center of the universe, that the Sun and planets revolved around the Earth.

But then in the 16th century a free-thinking Pole by the name of Nicholas Copernicus recognized through his scientific studies that the Sun was the center of our solar system and the earth and planets revolved around the sun.

There are many myths that people believe thinking that they are true.

Some of those myths are actually about Bible truths that are extremely important.

5 myths about heaven that people believe that they think are true that are not, I want to dispel in this presentation.

Myth number 1, people go to heaven immediately when they die.

Most Christians believe that, yet that's not what the Bible teaches.

In Ecclesiastes chapter 9 and verse 5, the Bible says, For the living know that they will die.

Each 1 of us know that we'll die unless Jesus comes first.

We continue, they have no more reward for the memory of them is forgotten." In other words, no more reward after they die of things that take place on earth.

Their love, their hatred, their envy have now perished.

Nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun." Verse 10, whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you're going.

So if the dead immediately went to heaven, certainly there would be wisdom, certainly there would be knowledge.

Notice how the Bible makes this truth plain in Psalm 6, verse 5.

David in Psalms speaks about death and he says, Return, O Lord, deliver me, O save me for your mercy's sake, for in death there is no remembrance of you.

Well, if you went to heaven when you died, certainly you would give God thanks in the grave.

Psalm 115 verse 17 puts it this way, the dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down to silence.

Then you might ask, what does happen when you die?

If you don't go to heaven, immediately you don't go to hell at that point.

Fifty-three times the Bible speaks of death as a sleep.

In fact, you'll remember when Jesus' friend Lazarus died, Jesus was going to the home of Mary and Martha and Lazarus there in Bethany.

And as Jesus arrived there, shortly before in fact arriving, Jesus described to his disciples what had happened to Lazarus.

And he said this, John chapter 11, verse 11 and onward.

These things he said, and that after he said to them, Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.

The disciples said, Lord, if he sleeps, he'll get well.

They thought that Jesus was speaking about Lazarus resting from some sickness or disease when Jesus said he was sleeping.

Then Jesus said in verse 12, the disciples rather in verse 12, Lord if he sleeps he does well.

Verse 13, however, Jesus spoke of his death and they thought that he was speaking about taking a rest and sleep.

So when Jesus said, Lazarus is sleeping, he said, then Lazarus is dead.

Jesus went to Lazarus' grave, and he said, Lazarus, come forth.

And Lazarus came forth from the grave, resurrected from the dead.

Now if anybody could tell you about life after death, it would be Lazarus.

If anybody could write a book about life after death, it would be Lazarus.

Because all during that time he was sleeping.

So it is a myth to believe that when we die we immediately go to heaven.

In fact, the Bible teaches that when we die we rest until the coming of Jesus.

You remember what The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verses 16 and 17, the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the triumph in the trump of God.

The dead in Christ shall rise first and we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air." So when do we meet the Lord in the air?

It's but a sleep, as the Bible teaches, until the coming of Jesus.

So myth number 1 has to do with the idea you go to heaven when you die.

Somebody says, but wait a minute, didn't Jesus say to the thief on the cross that he would be with him in paradise?

Well, the truth of the matter is Jesus didn't go to Paradise that day because you remember Jesus made that statement on the Friday of his crucifixion.

But on Sunday, after his resurrection, when Mary rushed to him, Jesus said, touch me not for I have not yet ascended to my Father." So if Jesus didn't go to heaven on Friday, how could He have been assuring the thief that they'd be there that day together?

In Luke chapter 23, for example, Jesus spoke to the thief.

The nails are driven through his hands and blood is running down his wrists.

There's a crown of thorns upon his head and blood's running down his face.

And as Jesus is dying on that cross, as he's breathing his last, 1 thief looks over at him and says, if you're the son of God, come down from the cross and take us down.

And the other thief says, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.

And what does Jesus say in Luke the 23rd chapter?

Jesus said to him, assuredly, I say to you today, you'll be with me in paradise.

You see, it depends where you put the comma.

Jesus did not say to the thief today he was going to be with him in paradise.

In other words, this day that I'm dying on the cross, this day with nails through my hands, this day that it doesn't look like I can save anybody, I say to you today, he made the statement that day, that he, the thief would be with him in paradise.

He gave the thief the assurance of eternal life that day, but Jesus did not go to Paradise himself that day because he said to Mary a few days later that he hadn't yet ascended to the Father.

We go up to Heaven immediately when we die.

We go to heaven as spirit beings, and then somehow there is this immortal soul that leaves the body, and we're living up in heaven as spirit beings.

When we live in heaven with Christ, when he comes again, we live in glorious immortal bodies.

We do not live in heaven as spirit beings.

1 Corinthians 15 verse 51, Behold I tell you a mystery, we shall not all sleep.

And when you fall asleep, there's no passage of time.

The next thing we know as believers in Christ is that Jesus is coming.

We shall not all sleep, we shall be changed.

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet shall sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible.

For this corruptible, there we go, must put on incorruption, this mortal must put on immortality.

So when this corruptible is put on incorruption, this mortal is put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying is written, death is swallowed up in victory.

So we have a mortal body now, subject to disease, subject to death, but we'll put on a glorious what?

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5 Shocking Myths About Heaven Every Christian Should Know

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