We will begin by studying some Scriptures to help everyone to know the truth concerning the place where the believers go. In these days we have mentioned God’s building, especially the abode of God with the believers. Because of this, we would like to address the inaccurate belief in Christianity concerning the matter of going to a heavenly mansion. The concept of going to a heavenly mansion is very strong in Roman Catholicism, even to the extent that it has become a superstition in an extreme. Even in Protestantism, the poison of this superstition of Catholicism is still not altogether removed. Up to this day, among the many children of God there still exists this kind of inaccurate concept concerning going to a heavenly mansion. Therefore, I feel that we should come together to study the Word concerning this matter.
Before we study the Bible, I would like to speak a little word concerning the general belief in Christianity. I believe that the brothers and sisters all know that among orthodox Christians it is universally believed that when a person who believes in the Lord and is saved dies, although his body is left on the earth, his spirit goes to a heavenly mansion, to the place where God and the Lord Jesus are. Therefore, at a Christian’s funeral the pastor or preacher usually says something like this: “Do not be troubled or sorrowful. This person has been taken by the Lord. He has gone to a heavenly mansion and is in God’s house enjoying the eternal blessing with God. That place has gates of pearl, walls of jasper, and streets of gold. It is far better than anywhere else. Therefore, we should be happy and rejoice for him. One day we also will take this way and go to that beautiful place.”
Naturally, everyone who hears such a message with candied words will have a sweet sensation. However, we know that deceiving words almost always are very pleasant to our ears. In the previous year when I was overseas, I read some notes of a message spoken by a pastor at the funeral of an aged woman. He said over and over again that this aged woman has gone now to a heavenly mansion. While I was reading it, I said in my heart, “This is nonsense. This is altogether cheating people. Fortunately, this old woman cannot come back. If she could, she would tell you, ‘This is altogether false. I am not in a heavenly mansion. Where I am, you do not know.’” It seems that I am speaking sarcastically. But I want the brothers and sisters to have a deep impression that today in Christianity the teaching concerning going to a heavenly mansion is inaccurate.
Now we want to see where the spirit and soul of a saved person go if he dies before the Lord’s coming. We must study this matter clearly and not merely listen to the traditional teaching in Christianity. I have said many times that Christianity has brought in many things that are wrong and we must therefore exercise our discernment. We want the gospel, we want the Bible, and we want the Lord Himself, but we do not want Christianity with its organization and doctrines. We abandon the traditional theology in Christianity with all its errors.
Now we come to see what the Bible says concerning this matter. First let us read Luke 16:22: “And the beggar died, and he was carried away by the angels into Abraham’s bosom.” We all have to admit that this beggar Lazarus was a saved one. He would not have been carried away by the angels into Abraham’s bosom unless he was a saved one. Now we must ask, What kind of place is Abraham’s bosom? Once the bosom is mentioned, we know it means comfort. We all know that the mother’s bosom is a place where a child is most comforted. Verse 25 says, “Abraham said...now he is comforted here.” Hence, Abraham’s bosom is a place of comfort and not a place of anguish.
Let us go back and read from the second half of verse 22 through verse 23: “And the rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham from afar and Lazarus in his bosom.” Here it clearly says that the rich man died, his body was buried, and his spirit went down to Hades. Furthermore, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham from afar, and he also saw Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom.
Let us go on and read verses 24 through 26: “And he called out and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in anguish in this flame. But Abraham said, Child, remember that in your lifetime you fully received your good things, and Lazarus likewise bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all these things, between us and you a great chasm is fixed, so that those wanting to pass from here to you cannot, neither from there to us may any cross over.” Here it says that Lazarus was being comforted in Abraham’s bosom, but the rich man was suffering anguish in Hades. The rich man in Hades saw from afar Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom. This shows that they were separated by quite a distance from each another, and not only so, there was a great chasm fixed between them so that they could not pass one to the other. We know that the rich man was in Hades. Now we need to ask where Lazarus and Abraham were.
We should come to the Word to find the answer. Genesis 25:8 says, “And Abraham expired and died in a good old age, an old man and full of days, and he was gathered to his people.” Verses 34 and 35 of chapter thirty-seven say, “And Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth upon his loins and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted and said, Surely I will go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Then 42:38 says, “But he said, My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. And if harm should befall him on the way in which you go, then you will bring down my gray hairs in sorrow to Sheol.” Finally, 47:29-30 says, “And the time for Israel to die drew near. And he called his son Joseph and said to him...when I lie down with my fathers.” Jacob’s grandfather was Abraham, and Jacob’s father was Isaac. Here, to “lie down with” means to die. Jacob said that his death was his going down to Sheol. He also said that the time of his death was the time when he would lie down with his fathers. By this we are clear that the spirits of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the Old Testament saints also went to Hades at their death.
You may be frightened at the mention of Hades and cry, “Alas! How terrible it is for a person to die and go down to Hades! Is it not equivalent to going to hell?” Please do not be scared; it is not that simple. If we have the time, we can read all the verses in the Old Testament concerning Hades; then we will be clearer. Many places in the Old Testament plainly tell us that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the saints who received the promise went down to Hades (Sheol) after their death.
In Luke 16 the Lord said that after Lazarus died, his spirit was in the bosom of Abraham to be comforted. Therefore, he was in a place where he was comforted. Although he went down to Hades, the Hades where he was was different from the “Hades” commonly known to people.
According to Luke 16, Hades is clearly divided into two sections. Between these two sections a great chasm is fixed so that those in one section cannot pass to the other, and vice versa. One section is the section of torment, while the other is the section of comfort. The section of torment is for the perishing people of the world, whereas the section of comfort is for saved saints. This is very clear.
Concerning Hades, I want to add another word. What is Hades? Hades is the place where the disembodied spirits, the spirits without a body, are kept. We must know that when a human being leaves his body and becomes merely a spirit, that is abnormal. The Bible says that this is like a person who is naked, unclothed. We all are sitting in this meeting hall today. If a brother were to walk in naked, would you let him stand here? I believe we all would send him to a small room, ask him to wait there for a while, give him some clothes, and tell him to come out after he had clothed himself. This is a small illustration. When a person dies, his spirit puts off his body. A person’s body is his clothing; a spirit without a body is naked. Hence, when one dies and puts off his body, he becomes a disembodied spirit. This condition is very abnormal. Therefore, God has arranged a place for the dead ones to be kept until the time of their resurrection when they will put on their body. This waiting place is Hades. All dead persons, their bodies being left on earth and their spirits separated from their bodies and becoming naked, go to wait in Hades.
However, the spirits who are in Hades are divided into two groups. One group is composed of the saved ones, and the other group is composed of the perished ones. Therefore, Hades is divided into two sections, one for the perished spirits and the other for the saved spirits. Although it is divided into two sections, as a whole it is called Hades in the Bible. This is because whether they are saved spirits or unsaved spirits, they all are disembodied spirits; they are naked and should not be seen. Hence, they have to be put in a place where they will wait for the time of resurrection to be clothed with their body; everything will be resolved at that time. Therefore, Hades is divided into two sections, one section being a place of torment, and the other section being a place of comfort. Both sections are called Hades. We should not be frightened when we hear the mention of Hades, for there is more to it than we think.
Let us go on to read Luke 23:42, which is the word spoken by the saved thief who was crucified with the Lord: “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” This thief did not know the truth, but because he heard that the Lord Jesus would be King and would receive a kingdom, he hoped that the Lord would remember him when He came into His kingdom. Although his prayer was very confused, the Lord’s answer was very clear. Verse 43 says, “And He said to him, Truly I say to you, Today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” Please notice that the Lord did not say, “After three days you will be with Me in Paradise.” Rather, He said, “Today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” This “today” was, of course, the very day of the Lord’s crucifixion. Therefore, it is evident that Paradise is the place where the Lord went after His crucifixion and before His resurrection.
Matthew 12:40 says, “For just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.” Now I want to ask you, is Paradise in the heavenly mansion? If you put these two portions of the Word together, you will know where Paradise is. Before He was crucified, the Lord told the saved thief, “Today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” Then, from the first day to the third day after His death, the Lord was in the heart of the earth. Hence, this clearly shows us that Paradise is in the heart of the earth. Perhaps some will say that the Lord being three days and three nights in the heart of the earth refers to His body being buried in the earth. But no, the Greek text here is “the heart of the earth” and does not refer to the place just under the surface of the earth. Thus, it does not refer to the burial of His body.
We will read another passage, and then we will be clearer that after His death the Lord was in Hades for three days. Acts 2:24-32 says,
Whom God has raised up, having loosed the pangs of death, since it was not possible for Him to be held by it. For David says regarding Him, “I saw the Lord continually before me, because He is on my right hand, that I may not be shaken. Therefore my heart was made glad and my tongue exulted; moreover, also my flesh will rest in hope [referring to being buried in the tomb full of hope, awaiting resurrection], because You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor will You permit Your Holy One to see corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of gladness with Your presence.” Men, brothers, I can say to you plainly concerning the patriarch David that he both deceased and was buried, and his tomb is among us until this day. Therefore, being a prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him to seat One from the fruit of his loins upon his throne, he, seeing this beforehand, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was He abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. This Jesus God has raised up.
This word plainly tells us that after the Lord’s death and before His resurrection, His body was buried in the earth, yet His spirit and soul went to Hades. “Today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” “So will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.” “You will not abandon my soul to Hades.” When you put these three portions of the Word together, immediately you clearly see that the Paradise where the Lord went after His death is the heart of the earth in Hades. That Paradise is the place where Abraham is, the place in Hades where the saved ones are comforted. Although it is Hades, it is a place of comfort. Hence, it is Paradise.
Now we are clear that Abraham’s bosom is in Paradise, and that Paradise is the pleasant section of Hades, the place where men are comforted after they die. This is acknowledged by orthodox Bible expositors in Christianity, and it is acknowledged even by some who say that the believers go to a heavenly mansion after they die. Certain ones say that the Old Testament saints, the saints who died before the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, went to Paradise in Hades, that even the Lord Jesus went there to stay for three days and three nights, and that the saved thief also went there. They say, however, that on the day of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, this pleasant section—Paradise—was transferred to heaven by the Lord Jesus.
The Scofield Reference Bible says something to this effect. The footnote on Luke 16:23 separates Hades into two states—Hades before the ascension of Christ and Hades since the ascension of Christ. Before Christ’s ascension, Hades had two sections occupied by the saved ones and the perished ones respectively, as we have said earlier. Up to the present time the unsaved dead persons are still suffering anguish in Hades, waiting for the coming of the final judgment. But, after the ascension of Christ, the spirits and souls of the saved ones were moved with the Lord Jesus from Paradise into heaven. Hence, Paradise is now in heaven where God is. The saved ones who die today in the church age depart from their body to be with the Lord. Hence, they are in Paradise in heaven.
Is this kind of interpretation accurate? Has Paradise been transferred? Has it been transferred from Hades to the third heaven? We need to study this matter. The main basis of those who say that Paradise has been transferred is Ephesians 4. Verse 8 says, “Having ascended to the height, He led captive those taken captive and gave gifts to men.” Who are “those taken captive”? Are they not (some ask) the souls of the saved ones in the Old Testament age? They were captured and brought to Hades by Satan. They were redeemed and did not have to die, yet they were taken captive by Satan through death. Now the Lord Jesus has abolished death and destroyed the devil, the one who has the might of death, so when the Lord was resurrected from death, death no longer has power over these saints. These souls who had been taken captive by death were captured back by the Lord. Those who hold this kind of interpretation ask, “Since these souls have been led captive and come back, where should they be put?” No doubt, they say, they were brought by the Lord with Him to heaven.
This kind of interpretation is farfetched. Concerning the portion of the Word in Ephesians 4, there is great debate over the translation. The expositors who were experts in the Greek language told us the meaning here is that the Lord captured the enemy’s capturing power. Satan, as one who always captures people, has the capturing power. We know that his capturing power is the power of death; death is the power of Satan by which he captures people. According to these expositors, at the time of the Lord’s resurrection and ascension, Satan was disarmed of his power of death; his capturing power was stripped off and taken captive by the Lord. This is consistent with the thought of the Scriptures. However, regardless of which translation one uses, to merely use Ephesians 4 as the basis to say that Paradise has been transferred is truly farfetched.
Those who claim that Paradise has been transferred use 2 Corinthians 12 as their second basis. They say, “Does it not plainly tell us that Paradise is in the third heaven?” Now let us read 2 Corinthians 12, beginning with verse 1: “To boast is necessary, though indeed not expedient; yet I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.” Please remember that the subject of this chapter is neither Paradise nor a heavenly mansion but visions and revelations of the Lord. “I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body I do not know, or outside the body I do not know; God knows) such a one was caught away to the third heaven. And I know such a man (whether in the body or outside the body, I do not know; God knows), that he was caught away into Paradise” (vv. 2-4). Those who hold the view that Paradise has been transferred strongly use this portion as their basis. They say, “If Paradise has not been transferred, how can it be in the third heaven? At the Lord’s death Paradise was clearly in Hades, but the Paradise here is in the third heaven. Does this not show that Paradise has been transferred?” Verses 4 to 7 continue, “That he was caught away into Paradise and heard unspeakable words, which it is not allowed for a man to speak. On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on behalf of myself I will not boast, except in my weaknesses. For if I desire to boast, I will not be foolish, for I will speak the truth; but I refrain lest anyone account of me something above what he sees me to be or hears from me. And because of the transcendence of the revelations, in order that I might not be exceedingly lifted up, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh.”
Before I go on to expound, I would like to ask a question: Why did the apostle twice say that he knew such a man, whether in the body or outside the body, he did not know, but God knew? Based on the Chinese translation it is hard to answer, but if you study the original text, right away you are clear. A very important word was omitted in the Chinese version—the conjunction and at the beginning of verse 3: “Such a one was caught away to the third heaven. And I know such a man...that he was caught away into Paradise.” Here was caught away is also a big problem. The phrase may be translated “was caught up,” or it may be translated “was caught away,” as some English versions have. According to the context, it is clear that the translation which reads “was caught up to Paradise” is barely acceptable, because to be caught up implies to go up from down below.
Furthermore, a number of versions put “whether in the body or outside the body, I do not know; God knows” in parenthesis, making it easier to read, since these words are merely for emphasis. Now let us read this portion again as follows: “I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago...such a one was caught away to the third heaven. And I know such a man,...that he was caught away into Paradise.” By reading it this way you can no longer insist that Paradise is in the third heaven. For example, I know that Brother Chang was sitting in the elders’ room two hours ago, and I know that he is sitting in this meeting hall now. Can you say that this meeting hall is the elders’ room? I believe the third heaven is the third heaven, and Paradise is Paradise. If Paradise and the third heaven are the same place, there is no need to use and. Since and is used, they must be two different places. This is a logical explanation based on the original text.
We have to know that here the apostle is not talking about Paradise being in the third heaven. Here he is talking about the revelations he received. The revelations God gave him were exceedingly great in that he was shown the situation of the entire universe. God showed the apostle Paul all the “stories” in the universe concerning God and man.
The stories of God and man in the universe occur in three places: in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. In heaven refers to the third heaven, on earth—this we all know, and under the earth refers to Hades, the place where the spirits of the dead persons are. All the stories of God and man in the universe occur in these three places. Philippians 2:9-11 says that when God exalts the Lord to the highest peak, those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth will bow their knees, and all will openly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Therefore, there are three distinct places in the universe.
God gave the apostle Paul a great revelation that he might understand all the matters related to God and man. We should believe that Paul was very clear concerning the things on earth; hence, what God needed to show him were the things in the third heaven and the things in Paradise under the earth. God gave him a full revelation by bringing him to the third heaven to take a look there and then by bringing him to Paradise under the earth to take a look. Therefore, Paul said that he was caught away to the third heaven and he was also caught away into Paradise and heard unspeakable words. He was a man on earth, but he had been to heaven and he also had been to Paradise under the earth. Hence, the revelations that he received were truly exceedingly great. Therefore, what the apostle meant here is, “I am a person born on earth, yet I was caught away to heaven, and I also was caught away into Paradise, which is under the earth. I know the things on earth, I know the things in heaven, and I also know the things in Paradise under the earth. Therefore, the revelations that I received are exceedingly great.” This shows us that Paradise is not in the third heaven. On the contrary, if you read this portion carefully, you can see that the third heaven is in heaven and Paradise is under the earth. Hence, after the Lord’s ascension, Paradise was not transferred; it is still under the earth. (This Paradise is not the same as the Paradise mentioned in Revelation 2:7. This is the Paradise in Hades, whereas that one is the coming New Jerusalem, for in its midst is the tree of life.)
Let us go on to read Revelation 6:9-11: “And when He opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and because of the testimony which they had. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Master, holy and true, will You not judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? And to each of them was given a white robe; and it was said to them that they should rest yet a little while, until also the number of their fellow slaves and their brothers who were about to be killed, even as they were, is completed.” This portion of the Word says that the souls of those who had been slain because of their testimony on behalf of the Lord, the souls of the Lord’s martyrs, were underneath the altar. The altar is in the outer court of the tabernacle. All Bible students acknowledge that the tabernacle signifies the earth and the altar signifies the cross. The cross is not something placed in heaven; it is something on earth. Therefore, the souls under the altar are the souls under the earth. This shows us that at the time of Revelation 6, the souls of the Lord’s martyrs are still under the altar and are not yet in heaven. Therefore, this also proves that even after the Lord’s ascension, Paradise is still under the earth and has not been removed to heaven.
Acts 2:34 says, “David did not ascend into the heavens.” Those who hold the view that Paradise has been transferred say that at the time of the resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus, He removed Paradise from Hades to the heavens. There is no doubt that David should be in Hades. If Paradise had been removed to the heavens, David surely also had gone to the heavens. However, even after the Lord’s ascension, up to the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up and still said that David had not ascended into the heavens.
Therefore, I want to boldly tell the brothers and sisters that up to this day only one person has ascended to the heavens, and this One is Jesus of Nazareth. Perhaps some will say, “Did not Elijah and Enoch also ascend to the heavens?” However, the Lord Jesus said to Nicodemus, “No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven” (John 3:13). There had never been a man in heaven. Now in heaven there is only one man, the Lord Jesus who died and resurrected. This One is not a disembodied spirit; He is a perfect man who has been clothed with a resurrected body. The Bible tells us that David has not yet ascended to the heavens. His body is left on earth, and his soul is comforted in Paradise, the pleasant section of Hades.
Let us go on to read 2 Corinthians 5:1-3: “For we know that if our earthly tabernacle dwelling is taken down, we have a building from God, a dwelling not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens. For also in this we groan, longing to be clothed upon with our dwelling place from heaven, if indeed, being clothed, we will not be found naked.” Here the earthly tabernacle refers to our physical body, whereas the eternal dwelling in the heavens refers to our resurrected body, our transfigured body, which will be raptured. Let me ask you, is Paul clothed with such a resurrected body? What about Peter? What about all the saved ones who died throughout the centuries? It is clear that they all have not been clothed with such a resurrected body. What if they were found to be unclothed? We have said earlier that disembodied spirits are abnormal. Hence, those who have died and have not been resurrected may not be brought to the heavens. Disembodied spirits, those who have the lingering scent of death, cannot be in the heavens. God has to put them in another place where they will be comforted and wait to be clothed with a resurrected body.
Therefore, Paul said, “For also in this [tabernacle] we groan, longing to be clothed upon with our dwelling place from heaven, if indeed, being clothed, we will not be found naked. For also, we who are in this tabernacle groan, being burdened, in that we do not desire to be unclothed, but clothed upon” (vv. 2-4a). To be unclothed means to die, and to be clothed is to be transfigured. Paul’s desire was not to be unclothed but to be clothed upon, that is, to have what is mortal swallowed up by life (v. 4b).
I believe the brothers and sisters are clearer now. However, there are two other verses in the Scriptures that easily stir up arguments and therefore also require our attention. One is Philippians 1:23. There Paul says that he had “the desire to depart and be with Christ, for this is far better.” Based on this verse, some have said, “If this is not going to a heavenly mansion, then what is it? You say that the believers are in Hades after they die, but Paul said that when believers die they are with Christ and that it is far better. How do you explain this? Can someone be with Christ and yet not be in the heavenly mansion?”
This is our answer: A person can be with the Lord without going to a heavenly mansion. To be with the Lord is a relative matter and not an absolute one. Even today, we are with the Lord. Therefore, this is a matter of degree. We may not use the fact that a person is with the Lord to conclude that he is in a heavenly mansion. To make a conclusion on this matter we need to refer to the words of the entire Bible.
We all know that our body is physical and our spirit is spiritual. When our spirit is still in our body, we are in the physical world. At this time, even though we have the Lord’s presence in our spirit, this presence is very limited due to the restriction of the physical world. However, after we die and are freed from the physical world, on the one hand, we become disembodied spirits, but on the other hand, we are also freed from the restriction of the physical world and enter into the spiritual world. At such a time, our being with the Lord, of course, will be much closer than in the physical world.
Therefore, to be with the Lord does not prove that we will be in a heavenly mansion with the Lord. What it means is that we will depart from the physical world and enter into a spiritual world to have more enjoyment of being with the Lord. Let me use a little illustration. Today we all are in China, but perhaps next month you will go to America. America has numerous cities, such as New York and San Francisco. Although you are in America, you may not be in New York but in San Francisco. Generally speaking, you are in America; specifically speaking, you are in one of the numerous places in America. Likewise, when we depart from the physical world and enter into the spiritual world, it does not necessarily mean that we are in one particular place.
Another verse in the Scriptures is 1 Thessalonians 4:14, which says, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so also those who have fallen asleep through Jesus, God will bring with Him.” Some may respond, “You say that the saved ones who died did not go to heaven, but here it says clearly that the Lord Jesus will bring them with Him at His coming back. When the Lord Jesus comes back, does He not come back from heaven? Therefore, according to this verse, today they are already with the Lord in heaven.”
To resolve this problem, I would ask you to read the text following this verse: “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are living, who are left remaining unto the coming of the Lord, shall by no means precede those who have fallen asleep; because the Lord Himself, with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, will descend from heaven” (vv. 15-16a). Indeed, when the Lord comes back, He comes back from heaven. Verse 16 concludes, “And the dead in Christ will rise first.” Here the Greek text says “will rise,” not “will resurrect.” Please take note that verse 14 says that they will be brought with the Lord Jesus, while this verse says that they will “rise” first. Verse 17 says, “Then we who are living, who are left remaining, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and thus we will be always with the Lord.”
I believe that by reading these verses, you brothers and sisters are clear that when the Lord comes back, first those who have fallen asleep in the Lord (those who are dead) will rise, and then they will be caught up together with the living believers. If the dead believers are already in heaven waiting for the Lord to bring them with Him at His coming back, do they still need to rise? That would not be a rising but a descending.
The actual meaning of this portion of the Word is that, up to the time of the Lord’s coming, the bodies of all the dead saints are still in the earth, and their spirits are in Paradise, in the heart of the earth. Therefore, when the Lord Jesus descends from heaven in His coming back, their bodies will rise from the earth, and their spirits will also come out from Paradise in Hades to be clothed with a resurrected body. Then they, together with the transfigured living ones, will be caught up to the clouds to meet the Lord. You see, here it still says that they are to meet the Lord. This also proves that they have not met the Lord before His coming.
Here it says that God will bring them with Jesus. This is not hard to understand either. When the Lord Jesus comes again, that is also the time of the resurrection of the dead believers, so they will come with the Lord Jesus. Whatever time the Lord Jesus comes back, that will also be the time of their coming back. At the time of the coming of the Lord Jesus, just as God will bring the Lord Jesus, so also He will bring the dead believers with the Lord. These things provide even less proof that the dead believers are with the Lord Jesus in heaven. Suppose your father is in America and your mother is in Japan. On the day that your father comes back, your mother will also come back with him. Can the fact of their coming back together prove that your mother was in the same place as your father? The answer is obvious.
Furthermore, here it says clearly that the Lord Jesus and the dead believers are in two places. On the one hand, it says the Lord Jesus will descend from heaven, and on the other hand, it says He will come with the dead believers. He will not descend at once to the earth. He will first descend to the air, and then the dead believers will rise out of the earth to be resurrected and transfigured, and they will be caught up together with the living believers to the clouds to meet the Lord. Hence, here you see the comings from two directions. The Lord Jesus will come down from the heavens, and the dead believers will rise and come out of the earth.
I believe that by now the brothers and sisters should be clear that today the believers who died are still in Paradise in the heart of the earth waiting for the Lord’s coming. At the time of the Lord’s coming, they will rise out of the heart of the earth and be clothed with a resurrected body to become one complete person. On that day, before God they will be altogether free from death, clothed with a glorious body, and caught up to the heavens to be with the Lord forever. However, do not forget that the rapture to the air at that time is but for a moment, because the New Jerusalem will still descend from heaven (Rev. 21:2). Therefore, our eternal habitation is not in heaven.
We have to see that the dwelling place God has prepared for us in His salvation is not in heaven. The dwelling place God has prepared for us is God Himself. God’s desire is to save us into Himself that we may take Him as our habitation. Unlike today’s degraded and deformed Christianity, God does not give much attention to a heavenly mansion. In the original text of the Bible there is “heaven” but no “heavenly mansion.” In the Chinese version of the Bible, “heavenly mansion” is mentioned twice, once in Hebrews 9:24 and again in 1 Peter 3:22. In both places the original text is “heaven.” Heaven is mentioned many, many times in the Scriptures, but I do not know why the translators of the Chinese version rendered it “heavenly mansion” in these two places in particular. “Heavenly mansion” is a term used in Buddhism. In the holy Scriptures there is only heaven, which is the third heaven, the present dwelling place of God. One day all the dead believers will be resurrected, and the living ones will be transfigured, and they all will be clothed with a glorious body and be with the Lord. Afterwards, the New Jerusalem will descend from heaven, and God will dwell with us in the New Jerusalem for eternity. Hence, it is the New Jerusalem that will be the eternal habitation of God and us.
This is a mysterious matter which we cannot comprehend thoroughly. Our dwelling place is God Himself, and God’s dwelling place is we the saved ones. If you read Revelation 21, you can see a city there, but you cannot see the people who dwell in it, because the dwellers are the city itself. Peter is one of the foundations, and so is John. The twelve apostles are the twelve foundations. Therefore, you can see that those who dwell in the city are the city itself. God is our habitation, and we are also His habitation.
May God have mercy on us that we may see that the desire of God is to save us into Himself that we may take Him as our dwelling place. At the same time, God also desires to dwell in us and take us as His eternal habitation. Therefore, whether we are on this earth or in Paradise, it is temporary. Just as the earth is a place of our sojourning, so also Paradise in Hades is a place where we receive temporary comfort. Even the day we are clothed with a glorious body and are caught up to the air will be but a moment. Our eternal dwelling place is the New Jerusalem, which is produced by the mingling of God and man.