06 heaven - what does the bible say about

What does the Bible
say about life after death?
By JanEgil Gulbrandsen
Nov. 2014
gulbrandsen@islandnet.com
Updated
March
2015

Most Christians look forward to
heaven. That’s good.

But many have a view of heaven
based on dreams, visions and
speculations that are not
supported by the Bible.

There are about 60scriptures we
are going to look at that deal with
the topic of heaven
and
life after death

Only the Bible give us the correct
“facts” about heaven…
God gave us some information.
But not all.
This is the word of God:

“And no man hath ascended up to heaven”
John 3:13
What is John trying to tell us?
That no man has “been to heaven” and returned –
so we don’t know – and we are not suppose to know –
except what the scriptures teaches us….

“But as it is written, eye hath not seen,
nor ear heard, neither have entered
into the heart of man, the things which
God hath prepared for them that love
him”.
1 Cor. 2:9
This scripture tells us that no mans heart have seen or
heard – understood or grasped – by dreams or revelation –
what heaven is really like…
The details of heaven is God’s secret – that one day
will be revealed…

“Set your hearts on things above, where Christ
is seated at the right hand of God. Set your
minds on things above, not on earthly things”
Colossians 3:1-7
So our mind is to be on Christ in the heaven lies –
not on “the things” of earth…

1) What happens
after the believer die?

And He (Jesus) said to him,
"Truly I say to you, today you
shall be with Me in Paradise*
Luke 23:43
*) Paradise - The “heavenly holding place” of spirits and souls.
At death all believers go to Paradise in Heaven to await the
time of their resurrection.
Since paradise is a part of heaven, you will always be in
the presence of The Lord.
Un-believers also go to their “holding place” – Hades. (not hell).
Their human spirit is alive and they are awaiting the time when they
will be bought before the great white judgement throne.

Timeline
The church age
Paradise
Christians die
End time
events
Unbelievers die
“The holding
place” (Hades)

I will come back and take you
to be with me that you also
may be where I am.
John 14:4

For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with
the archangel's call and with the sound of God's
trumpet, will descend from heaven,
and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive, who are left (living), will be
caught up in the clouds together with them
to meet the Lord in the air;
and so we will be with the Lord forever.
1 Thess. 4:13-17

They will see the Son of Man coming on the
clouds of the sky, with power and great
glory. And he will send his angels with a loud
trumpet call, and they will gather his elect
from the four winds, from one end of the
heavens to the other.
Matt. 24:30-36

3) The judgment seat of Christ
(the Bema seat – the reward and
honor seat)

Timeline
The church age
Paradise
Christians die Resurrection
and
Rapture
The judgment seat of Christ
End time
events
Unbelievers die
“The holding
place” (Hades)

The “Bema Seat” of Christ – The judgment
seat of Christ - Believers Judgment by Christ
The Judgment Seat of Christ is reserved for
the judgment of Christians only - born again
believers in Christ Jesus.
(If a person is unsaved and dies in sin, he
will be judged at the Great White Throne
judgment following Christ's millennial reign
on earth.)

10 A) This is the reward that all
believers will get:

"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward* is
great in heaven, for so they persecuted the
prophets who were before you."
Matthew 5:12
*) Reward – singular – the crone of life

Blessed is the man who remains
steadfast under trial, for when he has
stood the test he will receive the
crown of life, which God has promised
to those who love him.
James 1:12

And upon the seats I saw four and twenty
elders* sitting, clothed in white raiment;
and they had on their heads crowns of
gold.
Rev. 4:4
*) a picture of the church

They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and
honor and power, for you created all things, and by your
will they were created and have their being."
Rev. 4:9-11

1) The Imperishable Crown –
1 Corinthians 9:24-25
Question: "What are the heavenly crowns that
believers can receive in Heaven?"
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but
only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the
prize.
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict
training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but
we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

2) The Crown of Rejoicing –
1 Thessalonians 2:19
Question: "What are the heavenly crowns
that believers can receive in Heaven?"
For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which
we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when
he comes? Is it not you?

3) The Crown of Righteousness –
2 Timothy 4:8
Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on
that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have
longed for his appearing

4) The Crown of Glory – 1 Peter 5:4
And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will
receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

5) The Crown of Life – Revelation 2:10
Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell
you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you,
and you will suffer persecution for ten days.
Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you
life as your victor’s crown.

“For we* must all appear before the
judgment-seat of Christ, that each one may
be recompensed (rewarded) for his deeds in
the body, according to what he has done”
Cor. 5:10-11
*) we – us – the believers

Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a
luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends,
your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors;
if you do, they may invite you back and so you will
be repaid.
But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the
crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be
blessed.
Although they cannot repay you, you will be
repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.“
Luke 14:12-14

For the Son of Man is going to come with
his angels in the glory of his Father, and
then he will repay each person according
to what he has done.
Matt. 16:27

“He who plants and he who waters are one /
on the same team, and each will receive his
wages (reward) according to his own labor”
1 Cor. 3:8

We Are not Judged For Sin
Although it is tremendously serious with eternal
ramifications, the Judgment Seat of Christ is not
a place or time when the Lord will hand out
punishment for sins committed by a child of
God.
Rather, it is a place where rewards will be given,
or lost, depending on how one has conducted
his life for the Lord.

Your sins are forgiven and even God Himself says,
"Your sins and iniquities I will remember no more."
Isaiah 43:25 and Hebrews 8:12
They are removed as far as what? As far as the East
is from the West. How far is that? That's far!
They are buried in the depths of the sea; they are
forgotten by God, because of the Blood of Jesus
Christ.

It is good that believers will not be judged for their
sins. These scriptures make this totally clear:
Rom. 8:1-2 “There is therefore now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
John 3:18 “He who believes in Him is not judged;
he who does not believe has been judged already,
because he has not believed in the name of the
only begotten Son of God.”

Anyone who breaks one of the least of
these commandments and teaches others
to do the same will be called least in the
kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices
and teaches these commands will be called
great in the kingdom of heaven
Matt. 5:17-20

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good
and faithful servant.[a] You have been
faithful over a little; I will set you over
much. Enter into the joy of your master.
Matt. 25:21

3) Heaven starts of with a party!
(a feast)

The Reference to the Marriage and Marriage Supper
of the Lamb
In Revelation 19:7 John recorded part of the loud proclamation
of a great multitude in Heaven (vv. 1, 6):
"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him; for the
marriage of the Lamb (Christ) is come, and his wife (the church)
hath made herself ready."
Concerning the wife of the Lamb, John continued to write, "And
to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen,
clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
And he say’s unto me, Write, Blessed are they who are called
unto the marriage supper of the Lamb" (vv. 8-9).

People will come from east and west and
north and south, and will take their places
at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed
there are those who are last who will be
first, and first who will be last."
Luke 13:29-33

“In (the new) Jerusalem, the Lord of
Heaven’s armies will spread a wonderful
feast for all the people of the world. It will
be a delicious banquet with clear, well-aged
wine…”
Isaiah 25:6 (NIV)

Logical consequences:
No 1:
Well aged wine requires grapes
grown in a wine yard

No 2:
A wine yard requires workers

No 3:
Aged, vintage wine requires storage…
(time)

“In (the new) Jerusalem, the Lord of
Heaven’s armies will spread a wonderful
feast for all the people of the world. It will
be a delicious banquet with clear, well-aged
wine and choice meat.”
Isaiah 25:6 (NIV)

No 1:
Meat comes from animals.

No 2:
Someone must kill the animals
and prepare the meat

Isaiah 25:6 The Message (MSG)
But here on this mountain*, GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies
will throw a feast for all the people of the world,
A feast of the finest foods, a feast with
vintage wines,
a feast of seven courses, a feast lavish with
gourmet desserts.
*)mount Zion - heaven

“The tree of life will be in heaven bearing a
different kind of fruit each month”
Rev. 22:2

4) Returning to earth for 1000
years to live and reign with Christ

“This same Jesus, who was taken up from you
into heaven, will so come in like manner as you
saw Him go into heaven."
Acts 1:11
Jesus left earth from the Mount of Olives and
rose up into the clouds in the sky to ascend to
heaven.
Jesus will return to the Mount of Olives in the
same way as He left, returning in the clouds
from heaven.

Timeline
The church age
Paradise
and
Rapture
Party
Christ returning
(incl. us)
Anti-christ rule –
7 years of tribulation
1000 years of
Christ reign
on earth
End time
events
Unbelievers die
“The holding
place” (Hades)

In the book of Revelation, the apostle John records
that after the second coming of Jesus Christ
the Saints will reign with Him for 1,000 years.
Here's what it says:
"And they lived and reigned with Christ for a
thousand years ...” Rev. 20:4-6

5) At the end of the thousand year
reign -
The white throne judgment
will take place

Timeline
The church age
Paradise
and
Rapture
Party
Christ returning
(incl. us)
Anti-christ rule –
7 years of tribulation
1000 years of
Christ reign
on earth
The great white throne judgment
Hell for satan and his demons
Heaven
for ever
End time
events
Unbelievers die
“The holding
place” (Hades)
New heaven and
New earth

The Great White Throne Judgment is a trial, set in the future,
for all people who have rejected God's call to salvation.
Every person who has lived upon earth and has refused to
accept God's way to redemption from sin, will kneel before
their Creator at this time, and acknowledge that He is God--
that Jesus Christ is Lord.
No person who has not been saved by acceptance of the
Lord Jesus' sacrifice on the cross will escape this horrifying
judgment against sin.
The Lord Jesus foretold of this moment:
"And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart
from me, ye that work iniquity.“ Matt. 5:23

The Great White Throne Judgment is also for
people that came to faith in Christ
during the tribulation.
(many of them were killed as martyrs)
They will all be invited into heaven

"Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it.
And I saw the dead*, great and small, standing before the throne,
and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which
is the book of life. And the dead* were judged by what was
written in the books, according to what they had done.
And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades
gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each
one of them, according to what they had done.
And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he
was thrown into the lake of fire"
Revelation 20:11-15
*) The spiritual dead that never was made alive in Christ

Believers in Christ that were taken up in the rapture
escape the Great White Throne Judgment
because their debts and transgressions have been
paid for by Christ, a fact that Paul mentions:
"And you, who were dead in your trespasses, God
made alive together with him,
having forgiven us all our trespasses,
by canceling the record of debt that stood against us
with its legal demands.
This he set aside, nailing it to the cross"
Colossians 2:13-14

The fact that all believers have already been made
alive in Christ; have been “living” in paradise after
their death,
resurrected from the grave or take up in the rapture;
have been rewarded before the throne of Jesus;
celebrated the “supper of the Lamb” and ruled with
Christ for thousand years,
should be a 100% guaranty that
“the white throne judgment” is nothing to fear.

6) How long do we stay in
heaven?

And these shall go away into
everlasting punishment:
but the righteous into life eternal.
Matt. 25:46

7) What does heaven look like
relationally / socially ?

Heaven is a perfect family with God as
Father and with us as His children
Rev. 21:7

At the resurrection people will be like the
angels in heaven.
Matt. 22:30

And God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes; and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there
be any more pain: for the former things are
passed away.
Rev. 21:4

There will be no more night.
Rev. 22:7

Jesus replied, At the resurrection people will
neither marry nor be given in marriage.
Matt. 22:29

No longer will there be any
curse (sin).
Rev. 22:3

Will we know each other in
heaven?
Beloved, now we are children of God, and cit has
not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that
when He appears, we will be like Him… 1 John 3:2
If we will be like Jesus, we will
know – love – feel – remember – like he does.

8) What does heaven look like -
physically?

God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
Heb. 11:16

But ye are come unto mount Sion, and
unto the city of the living God, the
heavenly Jerusalem
Heb. 12:22

The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in
the city. Rev. 22:3-5

The New Jerusalem
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a
great and high mountain, and showed me
the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out
of heaven from God. Rev. 21:10

There will be the New Jerusalem on earth, a
holy city of believers 1500 miles in height,
width, and length Rev. 21:10, 16

… for the Lord God will give them light.
Rev. 22:7

There won’t be any seas any longer,
though there will be rivers…
Rev. 21:1, 22:1-2

The tree of life will be in heaven on both sides
of the river, bearing a different kind of fruit
each month, and its leaves are for the healing
of the nations.
This literal trees symbolize eternal life, peace,
harmony, total enjoyment, pleasure, perfect
worship, and probably much more Rev. 22:2

And the twelve gates [were] twelve
pearls; every several gate was of one
pearl: and the street of the city [was]
pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
Rev, 21:21-25

And the foundations of the wall of the
city were garnished with all manner of
precious stones.
The first foundation was jasper; the
second, sapphire; the third, a
chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald
Rev. 21:19

And I saw no temple therein: for the
Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the
temple of it.
Rev. 21:22

In my Father's house are many mansions: if
[it were] not [so], I would have told you. I
go to prepare a place for you.
John 14:2
"In my Father's house are many rooms. If it
were not so, would I have told you that I go
to prepare a place for you?"
2 Chronicles 31:18

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and
thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for
ever and ever, The twenty-four elders* fall down before
him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives
for ever and ever.
Rev. 4:9-11
*) Most scholars believe the 24 elders is “the church”

…the twenty-four elders (the church)fell down
before the Lamb, each having a harp Rev. 5:8

Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him
in his mighty heavens!
Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute
and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with
loud clashing cymbals Psalm 150:106

“And the LORD God took the man, and put him
into the garden of Eden to dress it (work it) and
to keep it (take care of it)”
Genesis 2:15
Will we be working in heaven?

It will be possible to go in and out of the city
because there will be believing people and
believing kings on the new earth.
All will bring reverence to Christ, for all will
conduct themselves by the light of Christ
Rev. 21:24-26

There will be no curse (no sin) because
there will be no death. Work won’t be
toilsome but pleasurable, and there won’t
be any struggles relationally between
people Rev. 22:3

New Heavens and Earth
“The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and
the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will
be the serpent's food. They will do no evil or
harm in all My holy mountain (Heaven) ," says
the LORD Isa. 65:25

”For the Lamb at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd; he will lead them to
springs of living water.
Rev. 7:13-17

To him who is thirsty I will give to drink
without cost from the spring of the water
of life. He who overcomes will inherit all.
Rev. 21:4-8

"Blessed are the gentle*, for they shall inherit the earth”. Matt.5:5
(*from the Greek word Praus: To exercise strength under God’s control)

06 heaven - what does the bible say about

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (19)

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (20)

Similar to 06 heaven - what does the bible say about

Similar to 06 heaven - what does the bible say about (20)

More from Grace Camp Ministries

More from Grace Camp Ministries (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

06 heaven - what does the bible say about