No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven…
Summary: Asking questions about the Bible often opens the door to new insights. In this meditation, we look at what it meant to be dead before Jesus had gone back to heaven. What we found might surprise you.
To the best of my knowledge, the Bible only mentions one person who had personal experience with heaven.*
To be clear, we are not talking about angelic beings visiting earth. There are many stories in both the old and new testaments describing visitations from heaven. What we are talking about here are people born on earth who have previously lived in heaven
Jesus said, “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.” (John 3:13)
This statement confused me at first. How could this be if Moses and Elijah were seen talking with Jesus during the transfiguration? (This happened before Jesus had been crucified and had ascended into heaven.)
The answer, if we take the Bible at face value, is that Moses and Elijah didn’t come from heaven when they visited Jesus. Hmmm… Okay, where did they come from then?
One possible answer to that is found in 1 Samuel 28. This chapter details the story of Saul, just before he died at the hands of his enemies. He is frightened and lost. God has left him (1 Samuel 28:6,15) and he was desperately trying to find out what he should do and what would happen. The prophet Samuel was dead, but Saul reasoned he could still talk with Samuel if he could find a medium who could call Samuel up from the dead.
The text tells us that he found such a person and that the medium was successful. A “ghostly figure” came up out of the earth. “An old man wearing a robe.” (1 Samuel 28:13,14) Then the ghostly figure of Samuel speaks and says, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” (1 Samuel 28: 15)
The picture we see here is a pre-resurrection view of what happened to people when they died. Their spirits rested in a place between earth and heaven waiting for God to redeem them from death.
Later, after Jesus was raised from the dead and had ascended into heaven, Peter writes, “For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead…” (1 Peter 4: 6). This might sound fantastic, but we actually see it happening during the transfiguration.
It is sometimes assumed that Moses and Elijah were encouraging Jesus when they met with him on the mountaintop. But what if Jesus was the one who was encouraging them? What if that meeting was to assure those already dead, who were waiting for God’s salvation, that redemption was near? If that is the case then Moses and Elijah would have taken the message back to people like Samuel that God’s salvation was not far off.
Heaven is a place of mystery in many ways. Yet, we know one thing for certain: It is a place. Heaven exists because Jesus tells us that he has been there and that he is returning there. If we are going to do God’s will here on earth, we need to listen to the man who came from heaven; Jesus.
Application: Listen to Jesus. Do what he says!
Food for Thought: Why is it important that we understand that heaven is real?
*Remember that Paul refers to three heavens in 2 Corinthians 12:2. For Jesus’ words to be accurate, we have to take this into account when considering other statements in Scripture such as 2 Kings 2:11 where Elijah is taken up into “heaven” in a whirlwind. It would appear that Elijah was taken up into the sky (the first heaven) while Jesus is referring to what Paul called the third heaven, meaning the place where God dwells.
Why is it important that we understand that heaven is real?
Because the Bible tells us so… and if someone doesn’t believe in what the word of God tells us, about Jesus and, what He did for us, then they don’t get to experience Heaven. I don’t fully understand what gnashing of teeth is but I really don’t desire anyone to experience it.
I’m sorry to be short and quick lately.
Thanks, Tim!
We understand about the ‘short and quick lately.’ You have a few things on your plate!
As far as the ‘gnashing of teeth’ goes, I have a thought on that. Matthew uses the phrase, “weeping and gnashing of teeth” a lot.
For example, Matthew 8:12 says:
“But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
My sense is that there are two kinds of people in hell. The weeping kind realize too late that they have rejected their only hope of salvation and they are remorseful. The other kind are people who never see themselves as wrong. Instead they are angry. There is no remorse. When they gnash their teeth they express indignation at being thrown into hell.
I like this explanation. It actually puts things into a different perspective that had not crossed my mind before.
I absolutely agree with your assessment of weeping and gnashing of teeth. I have always viewed that as excessive sorrow on one hand and anger on the other.
Why is it important that we understand that heaven is real?
I can think of a couple of reasons:
As humans, we need to visualize we are heading somewhere. whether is be a savings goal, a degree, building a house, we need to “see” or “understand” that this is taking us someplace. Its in our DNA.
Also, as humans, we need to understand the dynamic that is God. God is real, He has a form, He lives in a place, that place is Heaven, that is His throne. The universe is not a spinning ball of chaos. There is a Creator, there is a structure, and we are a part of that. God wants us to be a part of that.
Interesting, Chris.
You are right, of course. We have a need for structure. That is why we test boundaries.
I think it is critically important to understand that Heaven is real. It is connected with believing that what God tells us is real and that we can trust Him. John 14: 1 – 3. Jesus says we need to trust Him about this. Do we?
It is also tied into our hope. 1 Peter 1: 3 – 5.
Rich,
What an important and beautiful point!
12-16-2022, Why is it important that we understand that heaven is real?
The only way we could know for sure that heaven exists would be for someone to die and go there, and then come back to life and tell us about it.
Not only did Jesus prove heaven is real, He teaches all how we could become citizens of heaven ourselves. It is crucial we live in this reality as Christ in us overcomes all the lies of this world which we have been taken out of, and live in “Our citizenship in heaven”
Our salvation is secured. So what are we to do now? This was my big question while as a new believer, I kept shaking the cobwebs out of my head and did my best to wake up to the reality of living for Christ rather than myself. The answer was always the same. STUDY MY WORD!
God made it clear, and for the next 5 years I lived alone, had a timer on my music device in my bedroom so I would go to sleep each night and wake up each morning to the gospel music being sung.
I worked each day, studied His word with other men through each week and became involved in my church. I lived like a monk and loved it. In time I began telling others about Jesus. In Gods timing, I was prepared and willing to serve His purpose for me. Live in humility as I allow Christ in me to reveal His truths to others as the Holy Spirit was convicting them of sin, righteousness, and judgement to come, John 16:8.
“I AM CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
Philippians 3:20
WE HAVE BEEN RAISED UP WITH CHRIST, and are to keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set our minds on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For we have died and our life is hidden with Christ in God.
Colossians 3:1-3
WE ARE CALLED TO REJECT CONFORMING TO THIS WORLD: and be transformed by the renewing of our mind, that we may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Romans 12:2
We can only do these things by the power of the Holy Spirit who places the power of our risen savior Jesus Christ in our hearts, and we begin living our eternal lives in obedience to our risen Savior who is now seated at the right hand of God.
Ron,
The more you share about your life the more I see a model for myself and others. I know that your life had more than its share of bumps, but you also benefited from a unique dependence on Christ that developed into a unique devotion to our Lord and King.
Study God’s Word.
Great advice!! 🙂