The idea that we will go to heaven after death is an entirely unbiblical concept. It is derived from paganism.

As Lewis Brown explains in “This Believing World”:

“In very early times that idea flourished not alone among the Babylonians and Egyptians, but also among the barbaric tribes in and around Greece…these mysteries [came] down from Thrace or across the sea from Egypt and Asia Minor… they declared that for every man, no matter how poor or vicious, there was a place in heaven. All one had to do was to be ‘initiated’ into the secrets of the cult.”

The Hebrews did not believe that we go to heaven when we die. Neither did the early Christians. But in time, the concept developed within the Roman Catholic Church that one will be saved and go to heaven when one has been baptized into the church as a little baby.

The Bible does not teach this. Much confusion exists because many do not understand that the Bible speaks of more than one heaven.

When the Bible speaks of “heaven,” it may refer to any one of three different locations. See Update #97. The first heaven is the atmosphere, surrounding the earth, where birds can fly and clouds move (Genesis 1:20; 27:28). The second heaven is the universe, with all its galaxies, suns, stars and planets (Psalm 8:3).

It is possible for man to reach these two heavens—at least, to a limited extent. But man cannot reach the third heaven, where God dwells—where His angels live and where His throne is located. It is spiritual, not physical. Physical beings cannot enter it—except in a vision—and we won’t go there after our death, either.

According to the biblical testimony, the only Being who entered the third heaven after death was Jesus Christ. Others saw the third heaven in a vision—such as Daniel (Daniel 7:9), Paul (2 Corinthians 12:2), Stephen (Acts 7:56) or John (Revelation 4:2), but they did not enter heaven in bodily form, or as spirit beings.

Christ said in John 3:13 that no human being–except He Himself –has entered the third heaven. The original German Luther Bible wrote: “And no one goes to heaven except for the Son of Man…”

This rendition sets forth accurately the intended meaning of Christ’s words to Nicodemus. Christ explained to him the significance and nature of being born again and the Kingdom of God, and He pointed out that only Spirit beings can enter or become part of the Kingdom, and that they won’t enter the Kingdom or Family of God in heaven, but that the Kingdom will be ruling here on earth.

Most translations render the passage as, “No one has ascended up to heaven…”, but even then, it is at least clear that no one before Christ ever went to the third heaven. This means that contrary to popular belief, Elijah and Enoch did NOT enter God’s third heaven. See Updates #128 and #130.

The same must be true, then, for Abraham, the father of the faithful and a friend of God; Noah; Moses; Samuel; Job; the major and minor prophets, including Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel; as well as King David, a man after God’s own heart who will rule in the Millennium under Christ over the nations of Israel and Judah. The Bible stresses expressly that David did NOT go to heaven when he died (Acts 2:34, 29).

The Bible compares death with a dreamless sleep without consciousness, out of which one must awake. Compare John 11:11-14; Ecclesiastes 9:5-6, 10; Psalm 6:5.

Man is not nor does he have an immortal soul. Man IS the soul that can and will die (Ezekiel 18:4, 19-20), and that must be resurrected from the dead. In order to enter into eternal life and the Kingdom of God, man must be changed to immortality (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; Job 14:14-15; Philippians 3:20-21).

The very fact that man is mortal and that he must be brought back to life through a resurrection from the dead PROVES that he does not go to heaven when he dies. Martin Luther asked the pertinent question, why there should be a resurrection from the dead if the dead are already living in heaven. He concluded: “The fact that there is a resurrection from the dead proves that man does not go to heaven when he dies.” Sadly, today’s Lutheran Churches have totally rejected the words of their “founder.”

God promised man the gift of eternal life (Titus 1:2)–here on earth (Matthew 5:5). Abraham was promised eternal life on the earth as an inheritance (Romans 4:13; Galatians 3:29). Until now, no one has inherited the promises of eternal life and rulership on the earth (Hebrews 11:13, 39-40).

When the righteous enters into eternal life, he will reign under Christ during the Millennium. However, he will not reign from or in heaven, but he will reign ON the earth and over the earth (Revelation 5:8-10; 11:15; Daniel 2:44; 7:13-14, 21-22, 26-27).

Christ will return to the earth—His feet will stand on that day of His appearing on the Mount of Olives—and He will sit on the throne of David… here on earth (Zechariah14:1-2, 4, 8-9, 11, 16-19; Isaiah 9:6-7; 2:1-4; Jeremiah 23:5). We read that all nations will appear before the judgment seat of Christ… here on earth (Matthew 25:31-34,41).

Some claim that we will “rule” in heaven for one thousand years, while the entire earth will be empty and void—with no human being alive at that time. This is the viewpoint of the Seventh Day Adventists, but as we have seen, this position is unbiblical. Please note too that the earth will not be without inhabitants during the Millennium. Christ told us that the days will be shortened just before His return so that NOT everyone would be destroyed… some WOULD survive. Isaiah 24:6 tells us that a few men WILL be left. Compare, too, Isaiah 11:1-12, 16. During the Millennium, the survivors will be “fruitful,” bear children and multiply, and everyone will live in peace and prosperity (Micah 4:4).

Why do the Seventh Day Adventists teach that the saints will be in heaven for the duration of the Millennium, and that the earth will be destitute and constitute the habitation of demons?

The reason lies in the person of Ellen White. On April 7, 1847, she claimed that she was transported, in a vision, to heaven, where she saw, in combination with subsequent visions, the righteous ruling for 1,000 years in heaven, while the earth was “emptied of its inhabitants” and “the home of Satan with his evil angels for 1,000 years.”

The Seventh Day Adventists regard Ellen White as a prophetess and accept her visions as godly revelations and as the truth–contrary to the clear teachings of the Bible. However, visions and revelations, which are in opposition to the Word of God—the Holy Bible—must be rejected. They must never be used to establish “new” understanding.

The biblical understanding is not complicated, but pure and simple, and very easy to comprehend: When a man dies, he is dead, but he will live again through the resurrection from the dead. Until then, he will sleep a dreamless sleep, without any consciousness. He will not go to heaven when he dies, nor will he suffer in a purgatory or “hell.” Rather, he is asleep, until Christ awakes him out of his sleep. And He will, because as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all will be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22).

(To Be Continued)

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

After Christ has returned and freed the tribes of Israel from slavery, brought them into the Promised Land and begun the reinstitution of the temple service, He will allot the Promised Land to the twelve tribes. This will apparently occur during the remaining 3 ½ years of Christ’s ministry to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (compare our Q&A, “What will Jesus do after Satan has been banished?”).

Beginning with Ezekiel 47:13, and continuing until the end of chapter 48, we are introduced to the description of the borders by which the Promised Land will be divided as an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph will have two portions in his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh, who will each have a separate inheritance. The priestly tribe of Levi will receive a special area (Ezekiel 45:1-8; 48:8-14), but since Joseph’s inheritance is divided into two tribes to compensate for Levi, the number of twelve for the tribes will be maintained.

As the Nelson Study Bible and the Ryrie Study Bible explain, the tribes will not be arranged as they were historically under Joshua. A reason for this deviation is not expressly given, but some indications can be deduced, as explained below. To the north of the central district around Jerusalem, which will be set aside for religion and government, will be the seven tribes of Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, Reuben and Judah. To the south will be the remaining five tribes, i.e., Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulon and Gad.

The Nelson Study Bible includes the following interesting comments:

“The tribes resulting from the offspring of Jacob and his wives’ servants are given lands farthest from the most holy areas…, while the descendants of Jacob’s wives occupy a central position… the tribe of Judah is most favored, for it produced the Davidic and messianic line…. Historically, the tribe of Dan had occupied the northern limits of the land… Its idolatry was well known—Jeroboam had placed a golden calf there… Benjamin like Judah is favored.”

Some, like Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible, maintain that the boundaries of the Promised Land and the borders are different than they were under Joshua—that they will be much larger and more extensive, being similar to the borders and boundaries under David and Solomon—while others state that the boundaries “are substantially the same as those given by Moses in Nu[mbers] 34:1-29; they here begin with the north, but in Numbers they begin with the south (Nu[mbers] 34:3)” (compare Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary).

Barnes’ Notes on the Bible agrees, adding: “The borders of the land follow closely Numbers 34, where they begin from the south, as the people came up from Egypt; in Ezekiel, they begin from the north, as they might return from Babylon.”

The Ryrie Study Bible summarizes the boundaries in Ezekiel 47 in this way:

“The northern border of Israel’s land will run from the Mediterranean north of Tyre to a point near Damascus (vv. 15-17); the eastern border will be formed by the Jordan River and the Dead Sea (v. 18); the southern boundary will run from a little below the Dead Sea to the river of Egypt (v. 19… [Note that some commentaries feel that the reference to the “river of Egypt” is not identical with the Nile]); and the western border will be the Mediterranean. This particular area will be allotted to the Israelites for their residences, though apparently they will control all the land from the Nile to the Euphrates (cf. Gen. 15:18).”

Ezekiel 47:21-23 specifically adds that strangers who will join and live among the tribes of Israel, will also obtain the right of inheritance. That was not the case under Moses and Joshua, showing further distinctions between the original distribution of the Promised Land under Joshua and the future allotment of the Promised Land, as foreseen by the prophet Ezekiel.

We also read that there will be exits of the city of Jerusalem, and the gates of these exits will be named after the tribes of Israel. Note the following comments by the Nelson Study Bible:

“The northern gates are Reuben (the firstborn), Judah (the tribe of the messianic line), and Levi (the priestly tribe)—all descendants of Jacob and Leah [Jacob’s first wife, even though Jacob was tricked into this marriage by his uncle Laban]… On the eastern side the gates represent Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan. While the first two were children of Jacob and Rachel [Jacob’s second wife whom he really loved and wanted to get married to in the first place], the third [Dan] was the child of Jacob and Rachel’s servant Bilhah… South of the city, the three other offsprings of Jacob and Leah have gates named for them: Simeon, Issachar and Zebulon… The three western gates are named after Gad and Asher—the sons of Jacob and Leah’s maidservant Zilpah—and Naphtali—a son of Jacob and Bilhah.”

It is interesting to compare the physical description of Jerusalem and the surrounding areas with the spiritual or heavenly Jerusalem (in which there will be no Temple), as described in Revelation 21 and 22, which will descend to the earth after the Millennium, the Great White Throne Judgment and the Third Resurrection, when God will create a new heaven and a new earth, in which there will dwell righteousness. This will be the topic of a further Q&A.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

The New Testament has many references to disciples and apostles.

Strictly speaking, a disciple is anyone who follows another’s teachings. In the Bible, the name “disciple” comes from the Greek word, “mathaytes,” which means learner, student or pupil. We read that the loyal disciples were not just learning, but also, that they agreed and followed their leader, Jesus Christ. However, many turned away who at one time were His followers during His 3½ year ministry. We read in Acts 1:15 that there were only about 120 disciples just before the day of Pentecost. This was after preaching to many thousands of people, feeding miraculously more than 10,000 people, and performing many healings!

 As Jesus was teaching, we read in John 6:60: “Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can understand it?’” A few verses later, we read in verses 66-69: “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you also want to go away?’ But Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’”

We see that many departed, but the twelve apostles stayed firm at that time. Later, however, Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, betrayed Christ, and after his suicide, he was replaced with Matthias who became known as an apostle (see Acts 1:26). Tradition has it that all of them, with the possible exception of John, suffered martyrdom.  

Both John the Baptist (Matthew 9:14) and the Pharisees (Matthew 22:16) are shown as having disciples. Even the twelve apostles were originally called disciples (Matthew 10:1). It is interesting to note that there were far fewer apostles than disciples – all apostles were disciples, but very few of the disciples became apostles.

The word apostle is derived from a Greek word, pronounced “ap-os-tol-os,” which means a messenger or one who is sent. From His disciples, that is, His students, Jesus selected a group of twelve men as His apostles. We read in Luke 6:12-13:

“Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself, and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles.”

Then, He sent them to do His work. First, He sent them to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 20:5-15), but later, Jesus told them to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations… ” (Matthew 28:19).  

Still later, Paul and Barnabas were ordained to the rank of apostle to carry out the Work of God (Acts 13:1-3; 14:14). In Romans 16:7, we find a reference to Andronicus and Junias, who might also have been apostles. The passage says that they were of note among the original apostles. This could mean that they were well known to the apostles, or that they themselves were distinguished as apostles.

In our Q&A on ministerial ranks in the church, we state the following:

“We read that Paul referred to himself as an apostle and a preacher and a teacher (1 Timothy 2:7). He is also described as a prophet and a teacher in Acts 13:1. He even clarified that there were ‘ranks’ and different functions within the office of ‘apostle,’ calling some of the apostles ‘chiefest apostles’ (Authorized Version) or ‘most eminent apostles’ (2 Corinthians 11:5; 12:11). These would have included Peter and James, the half-brother of Jesus (compare Galatians 1:18-19). We read that the gospel to the uncircumcision [non-Israelite nations] was entrusted to Paul, while the gospel of the circumcision [Israelite nations] was entrusted to Peter (Galatians 2:7-8).”

In 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 we read that Satan the devil has his own apostles: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.”

One other important factor should be noted. Christ’s disciples are followers of Christ, whether they are ministers or members. A disciple may not be ordained to any ministerial function, but an apostle, as well as an evangelist or a pastor or an elder, are always ordained ministers, as we read in Ephesians 4:11-13: “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Please see again our Q&A, which addresses the question of ministerial ranks in God’s Church.

Today, in the true Church of God, we are all disciples of Jesus Christ, and a number have been ordained to the rank of evangelist, pastor and teacher or elder. We do not believe that there are any apostles in the Church of God today. Due to his fruits, the late Mr. Herbert W Armstrong, who was Pastor General of the Worldwide Church of God until he died in 1986, was acknowledged in the Church as an apostle (one sent out), as he met many world leaders and preached the gospel of the Kingdom of God in many parts of the world. It is not, of course, a requirement for an apostle to have to meet world leaders, but the fruits of his activities should clearly establish that God has approved a minister as an apostle. We do not believe that there are today any prophets in the Church of God, either. This is not to say that in the future, God might not ordain some of His ministers to the rank and office of apostle and prophet. For further information, read our Q&A answering the question whether there are today any prophets in the Church of God.

Lead Writers: Brian Gale and Norbert Link