Search form

Search

Where Are the People That Died Before Jesus? Heaven or Hell?

You are here

UCG.org / Bible Study Tools / Bible Questions and Answers / Where Are the People That Died Before Jesus?...

Where Are the People That Died Before Jesus? Heaven or Hell?

by United Church of God 43 comments Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Add to my study list

Login or Create an Account

With a UCG.org account you will be able to save items to read and study later!

Sign In | Sign Up

×

Understanding how God is working with people to grant them eternal life in His coming Kingdom is a most important and precious truth. Jesus, the Son of God, came to the earth as a human to die for our sins and to preach this message. Believing in Jesus and the message He brought makes it possible for us to become God's children and receive everlasting life (John 1:12; 3:16). When we repent of our sins and are baptized, we receive God's Spirit—the promise that we will receive eternal life in the future (Romans 8:9-11). The Holy Spirit is thus the identifying key as to who belongs to Christ and who will receive eternal life.

Prior to Jesus coming to this earth, the Bible reveals that only a very few had God's Spirit. These included some of the prophets and individuals, such as David, with whom God specifically worked (1 Peter 1:10-11; Psalm 51:11).

Now we must determine when people enter the Kingdom of God. Many people today assume that people who have died with the Spirit of God are now in heaven. But the Bible reveals that this is a mistaken assumption.

In A.D. 31 on the Day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter said of David, "that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day" (Acts 2:29). Years later, Paul wrote that the dead in Christ (those who had died with God's Spirit) would be resurrected (brought back to life) when Christ returns a second time to this earth (1 Thessalonians 4:17). The Kingdom of God will thus be established when Jesus returns to this earth at some time in the future (Revelation 11:15).

The Bible reveals that no human beings have yet ascended into heaven (John 3:13). All humans who have died (even those who have had God's Spirit dwelling within them) are waiting in their graves for the return of Jesus Christ to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. If you would like to learn more about this subject, we recommend reading our free booklets: Heaven & Hell—What Does the Bible Really Teach? and What Happens After Death?

Death Heaven and Hell Resurrection

You might also be interested in...

Comments

  • kat4552
    Kathleen Buchanan

    God took Enoch & Elijah To Heaven Without Them Dying?
    According to the Bible, Enoch & Elijah are the only two people God took to heaven without them dying.
    Genesis 5:24 tells us, "Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away."
    Second Kings 2:11 tells us, "Suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind."
    Enoch is described as a man who "walked with God for 300 years" (Genesis 5:23).
    Elijah was perhaps the most powerful of God's prophets in the Old Testament. There are also prophecies of Elijah's return (Malachi 4:5-6).
    Why did God take Enoch and Elijah? The Bible does not specifically give us the answer. Some speculate that they were taken in preparation for a role in the end times, possibly as the two witnesses in Revelation 11:3-12.
    This is possible, but not explicitly taught in the Bible. It may be that God desired to save Enoch & Elijah from experiencing death due to their great faithfulness in serving & obeying Him. Whatever the case, God has His purpose, and while we don’t always understand God’s plans. Doesn't this say that there are at least 2 in heaven

  • Stephenb
    Stephen w. Broyles

    The people are in heaven but they have a fixed gulf which can't be crossed overcomers on one side. with God and the others on the oposite side awaiting the 1000. year reign of Christ or just waiting on judgment day to be blotted out in the lake of fire . God will give all his children the opportunity. to be saved none will perish in ignorance. Remember God isn't the God of the dead but the living .I heard the sermon where are the dead yesterday and it was very disheartening what was taught . It is still bothering me . The dead are with our heavenly Father . The flesh dies and has no more reward but that spiritually. body steps out at the time of death and goes home . Compare. Luck 16 with the Goodspeed Apocrypha second Esdras chapter 7:77 -105 .The term sleep is just a figure of speech which means they are dead in the flesh . Heaven is in different dimension. than ours that's the reason you have to die to see God .

  • Santis523
    Eric D. Pace

    Isn't it sad how people forgo verses of the Bible, and pick and choose verses which lean toward "philosophers of old" false doctrine (nicean counsel: a counsel of people brought together to merge pagan Trinitarian beliefs and Oneness of the Godhead [which is Jesus Christ alone, but not an eternal son] together in order to appease the Romans bloodlust and let the Christians conform to this new belief) which is cultish. Yes! I would never want my beliefs to correlate with the same beliefs of Roman Catholicism that is a cult.
    Replies may use a barrage of verses, but the only verse to start on the path that leads to truth is Acts 2:38

  • dandan1
    dan dan

    In this article the author debates a sensitive subject of which he has very little knowledge about . His main supportive bible texts are found in Revelation 19 where he says that the voices of the great multitude standing before the throne of God are actually angels not human beings, thus, there are no humans in Heaven.... well..... where should I start.... lets start with when Jesus was alive and well on the mountain with the apostles and decided to hang with MOSES AND ELIJAH ( both dead and pretty much in spirit form on the mountain with Jesus) .....and of course I do belive we need to call Jesus a liar based on what the author of this article is saying for you see, when Jesus told the thief on the cross ' verily I say unto you today you shall be with me in Heaven' he was actually speaking under the influence of some very potent vinegar ( lol ) ..... further more ..... I do think the author of this article needs to catch up on his bible study because in Revelation 7 : 9-17 it talks about a multitude of many nations ( angels don't have nationality ) before the throne of God.... wow .... my question to you as a Church is : how can you be so reckless and allow this guy write this ?

  • Kingsley316
    Kingsley Adah

    I am so honored to be talking in matters concerning Jesus, really throughout at the years we have been deceived but I am thankful that people like this guy who wrote this article is really enlighten people. Now I want to point out this part when you said Jesus promised the theif on the cross I don't want to talk much but let Bible interprete Bible, John 20:17 New International Version
    Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" I hope you can read this, and Jesus said this 3 days after His death on the cross, if 3 days ago, Jesus said to the thief that today you shall be with me in paradise, and 3 days later Jesus is saying He has not yet ascended to heaven, then where is the theif? You need to understand that God lives outside time and that is Jesus talking as God not as flesh, it's a promise to the theif that when Jesus returns he will be with Jesus in paradise. God is love and will never lie and He will never purnish anyone and nobody has ascended up except Jesus, because He is God.

  • Davidew
    David E Whiting

    Hi Kingsley. I wanted to comment on your post concerning your view that Jesus's spirit could not have left His body because of what was said in John 20:17. It can be easy to overlook the fact that there was two completely different events taking place here. A person's spirit leaving the body behind at the moment of death( on the cross, and in John 20:17, Jesus's physical body(together with His spirit) going through some sort of transformation that would enable both body and spirit to visually be witnessed ascending up into the Heavenly realm, joining His Father. And apparently His body could not be touched durring or after this transformation, which is what Jesus was referring to. Once we are aware of the difference, it takes away most any confusion or contradictions that may have been there. Personally, I have no reason to doubt that both Jesus's and the thiefts spirits were committed into the Fathers hands. This would allow Him the opportunity to temporarily leave paradise and go preach to the lost souls and then reunite Himself into His body that lay waiting in the tomb for the resurrection of both body and spirit on the 3rd day.

  • Glett61
    Gale Lett

    When you say where was the thief when Jesus was appearing to his disciples after the resurrection, you're forgetting one thing. Jesus laid in the tomb three days. He ascended to Heaven as soon as his spirit left his body and so did the thief. God does not lie and neither does Jesus. When he said you shall be with me this day in paradise, he meant it.

  • Steven Britt
    Steven Britt

    Hi, Dan - I'd also like to point out that the Resurrections and Eternal Life is one of the Fundamental Beliefs of the United Church of God - see https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/fundamental-beliefs-of-the-united-church-of-god/the-resurrections-and. The "resurrection of the dead" is listed as one of the "elementary principles of Christ" in Hebrews 6:1 - notice that it's not just Jesus resurrection, but the resurrection of the dead in general. If you want to dig into the truth of this in the bible, start with reading Revelation 20 carefully and honestly and pay attention to what it says about the dead "living again," a "second death," the "first resurrection," and related statements - you really might be surprised!

  • Lena VanAusdle
    Lena VanAusdle

    As for Revelation 7; when Christ returns to earth He will establish His throne (on earth); this great multitude of people are those that are called and converted during the great tribulation. Since they are converted, it means that they will be a part of the first resurrection, and will serve and rule with Jesus Christ on this earth.

  • Stephenb
    Stephen w. Broyles

    King James version 1 Peter 3:18-20. 1Peter 4:5-6. Tells us that the ones all the way back to the time of Noah had the gospel preached to them and in that forth chapter of 1Peter says alot of them overcame . They excepted Christ.and are overvomers .

  • Lena VanAusdle
    Lena VanAusdle

    Hi Dan,
    Well. I have a couple of things that I think you should consider with the verses that you cite in an attempt to refute this article. First, Matthew 17, the "transfiguration." You'll notice at the end of this passage Jesus Christ says to his disciples, "Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, 'Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.''
    The word "vision" means, "a supernatural presentation of certain scenery or circumstances to the mind of a person while awake." Jesus was not speaking with the actual Moses and Elijah. As for the verse in Luke 24, the NKJV says, "And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (verse 43). Do you know that the original language did not have punctuation? Which means that when Jesus says this verse it could have also just as easily said, "assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise."
    Notice how that one movement of the comma changes the entire meaning? A meaning that fits with the many other verses of the Bible.

  • Ivan Veller
    Ivan Veller

    Hi Dan,

    Respectfully, Matthew 12:40 says that Jesus was "in the heart of the earth" for "three days and three nights." "Therefore the dying criminal could not have been with Jesus in heaven that day, because Jesus Himself did not go there then": https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/heaven-and-hell-what-does-the-bible-really-teach/the-thief-on-the-cross

    "Three days and three nights later, Christ is right before Mary saying He hadn’t yet ascended to the Father. So, it would’ve been impossible for Luke 23:43 to mean that today, that very day, that the thief would’ve gone to heaven. That would go against the whole meaning of Scripture, the whole plan of God": https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/the-thief-on-the-cross

  • Davidew
    David E Whiting

    Hi. I replied to Kingsley concern this same subject. Jesus saying that He was committing His spirit into His Fathers hands in Luke and Jesus saying He has not yet ascended to His Father in John 20:17 are two completely different actions going on, and can be easily misunderstood. In Luke, Jesus is referring to His spirit leaving the body behind at the moment of death. In John 20:17, Jesus is referring to both spirit AND His physical body together, had not yet made His final ascension to the Father. His physical body had to go through a transformation to enable it to be visually witnessed by His disciples ascending into the clouds and able to join the Heavenly realm. Body and spirit. And apparently, it could not be touched after this process started. Personally, I have no doubt that both Jesus's spirit and the thiefts were committed into the Fathers hands and Jesus later returning back into His body as it lay waiting in the tomb, for both spirit and body to be resurrected

  • Loretta J
    Loretta Johnson

    The way I read it and understand is that when a Christian dies , God receives their soul at the last breath. He holds that soul which is referring to “paradise” but it is only a soul not a body with a soul , yet. This soull can do nothing but rest ... when Jesus comes back to get his people as he promised , when heaven is prepared it is then that he will bring the “souls” with him and those dead in Christ will rise up from the graves with a “new glorified” body and Jesus will reunite each soul to the bodies of the Christians in the air and from that point they are for the FIRST time heaven bound , Amen what a day that will be . God Bless you all

  • sneakyquick
    adam berendt

    In Luke 16 we have the story of the rich man and Lazarus. This parable gives a glimpse into what happens immediately after we die. We are immediately judged in some fashion, because lazarus is in Abrahams Bosom, and the roch man is tormented by flame. To rectify this parable and other verses about heaven and hell, when we die we go to abrahams bosom or torment, and at the end times, we will be jidged and put to the real heaven and hell.

  • rdjns
    Reed Jones

    I noticed that the NLT version reads differently than most other versions on John 3:13. It says, "No one has ever gone to Heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from Heaven." Others just say no one has ever ascended to Heaven, while NLT says ascended AND returned. Is the NLT incorrect, or did I just interpret it wrong?

  • dduttonnc
    David Dutton

    Id say both are. The Bible has been translated so many times that not all of the verses are accurate. Some have probably been mistranslated. I’d ask that of a bible scholar or someone that’s able to read some of the oldest bibles and give a proper translation.

    This is one of the reasons why I do not take most versus literally. Unfortunately, over the years, the Bible has been mistranslated, and the translations can so biased by the people who translated them

    Personally, I believe if you follow the 10 Commandments, believe in God, believe in Jesus, you’re going to go to heaven be it instantly upon death or later at the second coming.

  • bonniebauer424@yahoo.com
    Bonnie Bauer

    I believe what I'm about to write because of what I have read in the bible. If the dead in Christ rise first and meet us in the air with Christ. Obviously when you die you stay in the grave, battlefield, sea, wherever sleeping til He comes. It's not "absent from the body is present with the Lord ". It is in the sense that that's the next thing YOU know after death.

  • rosewhite
    rosewhite

    Bonnie, You are correct! But don't forget Enoch and Elijah?
    The 'rapture' will be Jesus gathering the living Christians from where they ran to when the abomination was set up once the One World Order/Antichrist system with pope:
    Matthew 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
    15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
    16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
    17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
    18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
    19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
    20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
    21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
    22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

  • Servtogod5
    Chris J Duncan

    Unfortunately, Elisha is dead. When he was taken up, he was deposited elsewhere, and the Bible has him interact further with people after God whisked him away. The Bible records that Elijah wrote a letter to Jehoram, the king of Judah, several years after he was removed in the whirlwind to the heaven which is the sky (only one of three). He is most certainly dead. Enoch was so great that God 'took' him to keep him perfect, not wanting the world to corrupt his soul and spirit, so he is most assuredly dead as well. So Matthew is correct in positing that no, no one has been to Heaven yet.

    • Join the conversation!

    Log in or register to post comments