Moat churches teach today that when you die that your body or soul goes either to heaven or hell . This is mostly used in the main stream churches today . They use this as a scare tactic , to get people into the church . They say that it is biblical fact that when you die you either go to heaven or hell . But your Bible teaches nothing of the sort. Maybe many of you have heard it preached in the pulpit on Sunday's , where the Minister gets up and gives this scary sneer of an everlasting hell fire . And that you're body or soul is going to burn for ever and ever . Well I will show you through scripture that this is not so .

                We shall take a look at these two words before we start our Bible Study . The Strong's Complete New Dictionary of Bible Words : Heaven 1534 , 7834 , 2032 , 3321 . Now we shall take a look at each one of these . The first one that we used is from the Hebrew : Heaven : 1534 .Galgal, gal - gal; by redupl. from 1556 ; a wheel; by anal. a whirlwind; also dust ( as whirled ):-heaven, rolling thing, wheel. The next one also from the Hebrew : Heaven : shachaq, shakh-ak; from 7833; a powder (as beaten small): by anal. a thin vapor; by extens. the firmament:-cloud, small dust, heaven, sky.

                This one is from the Greek : Heaven : 2032 . Epouranios, ep-oo-ran-ee-os; from 1909 and 3772 ; above the sky:-celestial, (in) heaven (-ly), high. The next one also from the Greek : Heaven : 3321 . mesouranema, mes-oo-ran-ay-mah; from a presumed compound of 3319 and 3772; mid-sky:-midst of heaven. Now we have a clear view from the Hebrew and the Greek the English word for heaven . As you can see that they refers to many other numbers to explain the English word for Heaven . Explaining the same thing's but in different words . Many of my other Study Aids also explain the Hebrew and Greek word for Heaven . But I am not to concerned about this word Heaven , because the most of us will agree that this word means the sky above . 

                Now we will take a look at the word Hell . I will only do this very briefly , because I am going to do a whole Bible Study on Hell . This word Hell is going to be a lot harder to explain , especially on paper . But God willing I will try and explain the best way I can . This study should be done through Bible Study at home or with a group who understands what the word Hell really means . I will show you what the word Hell means in both Hebrew and Greek . Be sure and read my next study on Hell .

                The English word ( Hell ) is translated from three different Hebrew & Greek words which are the same thing . Hell = Hades = grave / Hell = Sheol = grave / Hell = Gehenna = Hinnom = place of punishment .

                These word's are also taken from The Strong's Complete New Dictionary of Bible Words : The Greek word for Hell is Hades : Hades 86 hades, hah-dace; from 1 (as neg. particle) and 1492; prop.unseen, i.e. Hades or the place (state) of departed souls:- grave, hell.

                The next word is Sheol taken from the Hebrew : Sheol 7585 . Sh owl, sheh-ole; or sh ol, sheh-ole; from 7592 ; hades or the world of the dead (as if a subterranean retreat). incl. its accessories and inmates:-grave, hell , pit.

                The next few word's also comes from the Greek : Gehenna , Hinnom 1067 . geenna , gheh-en-nah; of Heb. or . (1516 and 2011 ; valley of (the son of Hinnom; ge-henna (or Ge-Hinnom). a valley of Jerusalem, used (fig.) as a name for the place (or state) of everlasting punishment:-hell , grave .

                As you can see that all of these words in both Hebrew and Greek tie together . They all mean the same thing , grave , pit , hell . That is why I told you in the very beginning that you have to learn a bit about Hebrew and Greek culture , customs and now as you can see also their language . This is very important in understanding the Bible . Remember the Bible was written mostly for the Jewish people , but don't  forget also that it was wrote for man kind . I will go on to explain these word's in more detail , when I do the Bible Study Hell . There is so much more to learn about these words .

                We will now start our Bible study on Heaven or Hell . As I was saying at the beginning that most churches teaches that when you die , you either go to heaven or hell . If not bodily , then in the soul . I have yet to hear a Minister while doing a funeral say  , that this person is going to hell . Every Minister , Priest always says , Oh , he or she is up in heaven with Christ or up with the angels . So what is this Minister or Priest doing , well he is taking the place of God . He has already judged the person who has died , by sending him or her to Heaven . ( We all have to be judged Christian or Non Christian ).

                What gives this Minister or Priest the right to judge anyone . That is not man's right to judge . That is up to God the Father & God the Son . Now there are those who will say , well he is only showing sympathy for the loved one of the person who has died . Well why teach it in the church . Yes they believe this and they teach it along with all of the rest of their false doctrines . I challenge you , the next time you speak to a Minister or a Priest ask him how many funerals has he done since he became a priest or a minister . Then ask him , how many did he say , that they would go to hell . The answer will be 0 .

                So let's see where we go when we die . Let Scripture teach us . Let's use God's Sacred Word . Let God tell us what is going to happen to us when we die . We will start with Genesis . 3 : 19 . Hear we see God giving out the punishment for Adam when he had eaten of the fruit of the garden . And his punishment was Genesis . 3 : 19 . In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground , For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return . We came from dust and we shall return to dust until the time of Christ return when all of mankind will be judged .

                And what about what we read in Ezekiel . When God tells Ezekiel to prophesy the the people of Israel . Ezekiel . 37 : 12 - 13 . Therefore prophesy and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel . ( 13 ) Then you shall know that I am the Lord , when I have opened your graves, O My people , and brought you up from your graves .
Here we see it again that it is going to be God who opens the graves and brings the people up from their graves . Not bringing them all down from Heaven to be judged . But bringing them up from their graves .

                Just as God showed Ezekiel how he was going to do these things . If we go back to Ezekiel . 37 : 1 - 11 . The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. ( 2 ) Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. ( 3 ) And He said to me, Son of man, can these bones live ? So I answered, O Lord God, You know. ( 4 ) Again He said to me, Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord ! ( 5 ) Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live .

                ( 6 ) I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord. ( 7 ) So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. ( 8 ) Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. ( 9 ) Then He said to me, Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live. ( 10 ) So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army . ( 11 ) Then He said to me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, Our bones are dry, our hope is lost and we ourselves are cut off !

                So as you can see that all things are possible with God . We are going to be taken out of our graves , not taken down from heaven or bring up from hell . When we die we go back into the ground , from which we came .

                Now we will go to the New Testament and see what the New Testament has to say about going to heaven or hell . Here is a scripture that is going to shock most people because they don't pick up their Bible and read what the scriptures have to say . We are going to Matthew . 27 : 52 - 53 . This is when Christ had just died on the cross ( stake , tree ) at the very instant that He died , the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom . There was also a great earthquake , and the rocks were split open . And there was total darkness in all the land . And scripture says , that it was from the sixth hour till the ninth hour .

                And from the divisions of the Day which is recorded in the New Testament . John. 11 : 9 - 10 . This would have from 12:00 noon until 3:00 pm. But look at what else that had happened the very second that Christ had drew His last breath . Matthew . 27 : 52 - 53 . And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; ( 53 ) and coming out of the graves after His resurrection , they went into the holy city and appeared to many . Can you imagine such a thing happening , well according to scripture that is exactly what had happened . People coming out of the graves and going into the holy city Jerusalem .

                We are not told how long these people have been dead . It could have been for a couple of hours , a couple of days , a couple of months , a couple of years . It might have been that they were dead for fifty years a hundred years , who knows ! But the point is that they were not in Heaven or in hell ( As man sees Hell ) , they were in their graves .

                Now here we have John talking about when Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour comes back to this earth . He is given the power and the authority to execute judgement on mankind by God the Father . But notice what it says in , John . 5 : 28 . Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice . These scriptures are very clear , it is clearly talking about the end time , when Christ comes back . It is clearly saying , that all of the people who are in their graves , meaning all of the dead since Christ that  died , at His coming will hear His voice .

                Now we can go to another account in John . This one is where Lazarus is already dead , his whole household is mourning over his death . His sisters are there and they said that Lazarus their brother was already dead four days . John . 11 : 41 - 44 . Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  ( 42 ) And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me . ( God the Father & God the Son ).

                Now when He had said these things , He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth ! ( 44 ) And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, Loose him, and let him go . A couple of things to watch for here . The first thing that Jesus did was to  lifts His eyes and prayed to his Father . And He also wanted the people to know that His Father had sent Him . Then He cried with a loud voice and raised Lazarus from the dead . Lazarus was dead for four days before Jesus even got there . Lazarus was in his grave . Jesus did not call him down from heaven or up from hell .

                Now we come to a crucial part of our Bible Study . Here we will learn that David was a man after God own heart . There was no better man on this earth besides Jesus Christ that God loved more . For we read in Acts . 13 : 22 . And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king,  whom also He gave testimony and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will .  God is saying that He loved David , and that David was a man after His own heart . Now wouldn't you think that David is in heaven with God ?

                No David is not in heaven according to the apostle Paul . David is dead and in his grave . Acts . 2 : 29 . Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tome is with us to this day. As you can see that David is both dead and buried in his grave . He is not in heaven with God or the angels . He is still here on this earth .

                Now take a look at Acts . 2 : 34 . For it says , here that David did not ascend into heaven . How much more plainer can the scriptures be . Acts . 2 : 34 . For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand. Do the scriptures need to be any plainer .

                Well scripture is very plain , you can get no plainer than John. 3 : 13 . No one has ascended to heaven but he who came down from heaven , that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven . There you have it there is no one in heaven and there will be no one in heaven and no one is going to heaven . Not until Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour comes back to this earth , when He judges all of mankind . And then we are to reign on earth for one thousand years with Christ not in heaven . The Bible doesn't teach that we are going to heaven when we die . Not in body or not in soul ( human being , breath , the gift of God ) .

                You have read the truth from the pages of your own Bible . If you want to keep following man's ways , that is your choice . But I have shown you very plainly through you're own bible what it says , about us going to Heaven or Hell .

You are responsible for what you read !

By : Edward P. Porter