No one went to heaven before the Great Judgement (seperation of goats and sheep)
No one went to heaven before the Finished work of Christ.
Hebrews 10:4 For it is not possible that the
blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
The old covenant made no one "heaven ready" ( perfect )
Hebrews 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come,
and not the very image of the things,
can never with those sacrifices which they offered
year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
None of those who served under the order of Aaron
went to heaven when they died. They went to the underworld.
The great "faith chapter" Hebrews 11 says that all those people died and saw the promise "afar off".
If you check they lived within 700 years some of them.
This is biblically called "afar off" yet over 2000 years is soon to futurists.
Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith,
not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them,
and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
So they were not made perfect and died and did not receive the promise.
Paul says this concerning them...
Heb 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us,
that they without us should not be made perfect.
So that those old testament hero's of the faith would not be
made perfect without US Paul contempories who were saved.
Heb 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn,
which are written in heaven,
and to God the Judge of all,
and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying,
Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
That shaking took place with the destruction of the temple and earthly Israel.
Only that which can not be shaken remained heavenly temple and Israel
28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: (not earthly and physical)
Christ returned within a generation (40 years)
While the exact day and hour were not know by Christ
yet the season and timeline was well known.
Just as it took 40 years of 'transformation' from Egypt to Israel
so it was 40 years of 'transformation' from Carnal Temple and Nation which is called Egypt in Revelation to Spiritual Israel and the New covenant.
In the temple worship the High Priest alone went into the Holy of Holies.
***IF*** he returned to the congregation they knew that God had forgiven their sins.
Christ when He rose from the dead went into the TRUE holy of holies - the very throne room of the Father and sat at His right hand - when he appear the "second time" then and only then was it possible for men to fo to heaven.
It was at that time that Daniel 12:2 was fulfilled and the general resurrection occurred and the throne of judgement executed.
Then was Israel judged and the Bowls of God's wrath poured out upon Israel and finally the Temple destroyed.
All this was predicted by Christ to happen - within a generation - 40 years.
God at that point "scattered the power of the holy people"
fulfilling Daniel 12:7
The sheep and goats were divided - but as men now die they are judged by Christ
and by the same standard.
There is no more 'resurrections' to be performed because even the place where the souls were kept until Christ
could complete the work was destroyed:
Revelation 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the
lake of fire. This is the second death.
The non-elect were also cast in - not just "hell"
Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in
the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
This is not "the end" of their souls - they are tormented there forever.
All those who now die go either to heaven or to the lake of fire ( referred to as Hell by almost everyone ) |
