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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
Some see in Hebrews 12:1 the idea that people in heaven might be able to look down and see us: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses. . . ." The "witnesses" are the...
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Singapore Moses
After death there will be a judgment, not a second chance to live on earth and be saved (Heb 9:27). Death ends all probation for the one who dies. If he is righteous at death, his soul and spirit go to heaven awaiting the resurrection of the body (2Cor. 5:8; Php. 1:21-24 Heb. 12:23; Rev. 6:9-11). If he is wicked at death his soul and spirit go to hell to await the resurrection of his body (Lk. 16:19-31 Isa. 14:9; Rev. 20:11-15). There is no such thing as purgatory or a second chance to be on probation in the Millennium or any other time. Neither is there a reincarnation or a transmigration from body to body. This account of the rich man and Lazarus is of very great importance to every one of us. In recent years, there have been many who have died and then been revived, reporting their “after-life” experiences. I do wish to say, however, that none of these experiences are Biblical, inspired, inerrant, and authoritative. This story of the rich man and Lazarus is, I believe, a parable, but its description of the fate of men after death is both true and unchanging. The rich man's last thought flashes to concern for the fate of his five brothers. He utters a final cry to Abraham, begging him to send Lazarus to plead with his brothers to heed his warning testimony. Abraham replies that they had the writings of Moses and the prophets. The rich man, however, thinks his brothers would listen to one from the dead, indicating that he realizes that Lazarus had been resurrected. Abraham replies that, if they would not follow the Scriptures, they would certainly not be persuaded even by one raised from the dead. These final verses show that Jesus' purpose in giving the parable was to reveal the truth of the resurrection. No saints in Heaven or wicked in Hell cannot see what is going on in the human world until the day of resurrection (RAPTURE)
Boni Watkins
This is a question I hear asked many times, but I do not believe that our loved ones that have gone on before us can look down from Heaven and see us for if that were the case then we would have to say that God's Holy Word is not right and by faith in Almighty God I know that it is! God promises in His Word that there will be no more sadness, nor tears, nor sorrow (Rev.:21:4) when we reach our heavenly home to be with Him for Eternity. If our loved ones could see some of what goes on here with those they love I am afraid there would be much sorrow, sadness, and shedding of tears which would make void the promises of God and Our God is the Father of Truth; He is God and He cannot lie!
Ronald Lane
Let us look to the scriptures to answer the question:" Can people in heaven look down and see us?" Ecc.9:5, For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. (Vs.6) Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun. (Vs.10) Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. Job:14:12, So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. (Vs.13) O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me! (Vs.14) If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. (Vs.15) Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands. Psm.146:3,4, Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. (Vs.4) His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Psm.115:17, The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence. Psm. 6:5, For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks? Acts 2:29, Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. (Vs 34) For David is not ascended into the heavens:(Peter spoke these words over 1000 years after David's death.) I hope this helps.
Seth Freeman
That's one of those fuzzy areas that Scripture isn't entirely clear on. In the parable of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16, the rich man in Hades is able to see those in Heaven. So maybe they could also see us here? In Revelation 6, the martyrs are crying out to the Lord asking how long before He will judge those on earth - it's possible that they could see what was going on and were anxious for it to end. It's also possible they couldn't see at all and were also anxious for it to end;) I don't think we can be certain one way or the other. What I would say though, is that if those who have died to have the capacity to see what is going on here on earth, that is the extent of what they can do - see.
Bryan Naidoo
When a question was raised concerning the dead, Jesus said there that there would be no relationship in heaven, rather that we all will be like angels.Angels as we know are spirit beings. The reason being that we will not have our memories which we had on earth in heaven. Jesus answered this question to the disciples concerning women having seven husbands (Mathew 22: 22-30) But in the scripture concerning the rich and Beggar Lazarus, we need to ask ourselves what was the purpose and teaching of Jesus. Was it to teach the final destination of mankind that they will be either in a Heaven or Hell. I believe also this scripture teaches us that mankind does not need one to come back from the dead to convince us that there is a place called hell. We have the word and we believe the word. Likewise we do not need one who lived a life crime and murder who has been changed by the power if the Gospel to convince mankind about the power of God. We have the "all power Word"....which is the power of God to them that believe Stay blessed
Donna Virgin
I think that there are some things that just can't be explained. Only God knows, and we won't know until we get where we are going. I am saying this because I had an experience with my 2 year old granddaughter 1 week after my father died. My mom and dad and I always went out once a week to visit my granddaughter. We (my mom and I) went the week after my dad died. I was on the floor playing with my granddaughter and suddenly she looked up into the doorway and said matter of factly, "Pappy's here". It was the way she said it and how she looked that convinces me that she saw her Pappy. I can't explain that phenomenon, but God will someday. I don't think we are meant to know some things until God reveals them to us.
Richard Burroughs
Like others above who have quoted 2 Corinthians 5:6, I believe that when we leave this earthly world (physically die) we go to be with Lord (since the Bible is not wrong therefore Paul's words are not wrong as they were inspired/given to him by God). However, there are two other passages in scripture that clearly tell us that we will be in heaven when we depart this earth. 1. In Matthew 17:3 (the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain in front of Peter, James, and his brother John), "And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him (Jesus)." In order for Moses to be there with Jesus his spirit/soul had to go to Heaven upon his death: 2) Deuteronomy 34:5-6, "5 So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. 6 And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor; but no one knows his grave to this day." Based on these two items, I wholeheartedly believe that when we depart this world, we go to be with Jesus in Heaven where we will be in awe and wonder as we worship Him. Thank you.
Ken Hougey
The question whether the faithful in heaven watch (their loved) ones on earth seems simple, but it involves questions about the second coming, resurrection, and the judgment. First, scripture trumps the sentimentality and emotional comfort of any popular views. Second, the Bible doesn't directly answer the question. Third, are the departed saints actually in heaven? Fourth, we confess ignorance in humility, because in God's dimension, time bears little relation to how we experience it (2 Pet. 3.8), and that affects our attempts to grasp the order in which things may occur. In Luke 16.19ff (where the use of an actual name suggests a true story rather than a parable), we have the clearest view of the state of the dead. Here we see that all the dead--righteous and unrighteous--are in a temporary state known as Hades, related to sheol in the OT (Ps 49.15), best understood as the place where the dead exist until the resurrection. They have a conscious existence, but no interaction with the living. The term used for the state of the righteous dead is paradise, while that of the unrighteous is torments or tartarus. After the judgement, they will both go to their eternal reward. As for judgment and pre-judgment, Matt. 25.31ff has the Son of Man in Glory on His throne, surrounded by angels. He tells the righteous, "inherit the kingdom," because they acted toward those who needed help as though they were Christ himself. To the "goats" who failed in this, He says "depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." In 1 Cor. 15.20ff, Christ, the first fruits is already resurrected. Then at His coming, those who are His are resurrected. He has reigned until He has abolished all powers and enemies including death. And He then hands over the kingdom to His Father. In v. 42, a perishable body is replaced by an imperishable/spiritual body. In v. 51ff, the last trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised, we will be changed, putting on immortality. In Col. 3.1-4, Christ is at the right hand of God, but when He is revealed, then we will be revealed with Him in glory In 1 Thess. 4.13ff, God will "bring with" (raise) with Christ, those who have fallen asleep. At a shout, archangel's voice, and the trumpet, the dead will rise first, then the alive will be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air. The "cloud of witnesses" (Greek word marturon--martyrs) in Heb 12.1 are not described as watching us; the emphasis appears to be on us contemplating them, just as we do with Jesus in v. 2. 2 Pet. 3.7,10-13 has the day of the Lord/day of judgment coming without warning, the heavens passing away and the earth being burned up, the works of the ungodly also being destroyed.The heavens and earth will be replaced by new heavens and a new earth. In the book of Revelation do the righteous dead await the judgement in a state other than in God's presence in heaven? The first problem is determining what is "now" and what is yet to be. Are some faithful dead "before the throne" (implying heaven), having not yet stood at judgment? Or, in God's time, are "now" and "not yet" meaningless terms? In Rev. 5.6ff, the Lamb sits on the throne, and before the throne are: the 24 elders (v. 8), every created thing (v. 13), a great multitude in white robes (Ch7,v.9--those who have come through the tribulation) who are being housed, shepherded, guided, and comforted by the Lamb, and who serve Him day and night. Using Hendriksen's recapitulation view of Revelation, the final judgement is viewed from several angles, the most clear of which is Ch. 11, v. 15-19. Here we see the fulfillment of Heb 2.8: "we do not yet see all things subjected to Him." Here the kingdom of this world has become (completely) Christ's, the elders cry "you have begun to reign." Time had arrived for the dead to be judged and rewarded. And the temple of God in heaven was opened. If the dead in Christ are in heaven, they are watching Christ, not us.
Ed Pfohl
I have a question for Selma Moses: "If he is righteous at death, his soul and spirit go to heaven awaiting the resurrection of the body (2 Cor 5:8; hp. 1:21-24 Heb 12:23; Rev 6:9-11). If he is wicked at death his soul and spirit go to hell to await the resurrection of his body (Lk 16:19-31 Isa 14:9; Rev 20:11-15)." My understanding is that in order for anyone to be righteous they are so only because they accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. If they have, they are made righteous at the time of their acceptance and this is forever, including at death. So, if a person, who has accepted Christ sins at death (is wicked), he is still righteous, not because of his actions but because of what Jesus has done. If you don't believe that, then you are constantly living in fear of losing your salvation, and I believe that is contrary to what the Bible teaches as we are all unrighteous, everyone of us and only saved by Jesus. I have accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior and therefore my name is written in the Book of Life and can't be erased by my actions. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. Galatians 2:20
ARUN WAGHMARE
In Lk. Ch. 16:23(Now this is before Jesus coming in mid air.) So for today also it applies. The rich man is remembering every thing and Lazarus is not talking any thing. He is not telling to Abraham about his relatives or friend. One thing is clear that in hell people will remember things of past.
Bernard Bevill
There is no one in "Heaven" at this point, and in fact, the "Heaven" we are going to spend eternity in does not even exist yet. Sources: The Bible. When Jesus calls His people home (the rapture), "The dead in Christ rise first, the sea shall give up her dead, then those yet living will be called up to meet Him in the clouds." Why would the "dead in Christ rise first", if they were already there? Yea, I know, scripture says "To be absent from the body is to be present with The Lord." But not one word in that statement says WHEN that happens, does it? We even write "Rest in Peace" on grave stones showing that at one time people understood death was merely the soul going to sleep. Saul had a witch "wake up" Samuel so he could ask him how to get back in God's favor. And when Samuel appeared, he asked Saul, "Why have you woken me, I was asleep with my fathers?" Your soul goes to sleep when you die, but stays with the body until called for, either at the rapture (Christians only), or at Judgement Day (all non-Christians). And the Heaven we will spend eternity in won't be created until God re-creates the heavens and the earth immediately following Judgement Day and New Jerusalem comes down.
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