I asked this question in the chatroom a couple of nights ago, and despite the very helpful (and much appreciated) advice received, I felt that it was largely unanswered. This issue, while somewhat trivial, has been on my mind for a while, and I was hoping people could give their input to it.
From reading Revelation 20:11-15, I believe there to be a day or time of judgement coming, where all people will be judged, with those whose names are in the book of life entering into Heaven and those whose aren't entering into Hell. This appears to occur after the apocalypse, so I'm assuming that at this judgement day, everyone will be present, and everyone will be judged.
However, the bible states that Enoch and Elijah went straight to Heaven, which leads me to believe that they are there now. Will they be present at the judgement and will they be judged, even after being in Heaven?
At various points the bible also mentions Sheol, which is said to be a place of unconsciousness for the dead awaiting the resurrection and judgement. I know that Heaven and the next dimension operate outside the boundaries of time that the Earth is bound by, and so I was wondering whether as Christians, when we die, will we experience no time delay between dying and judgement and ultimately entry into Heaven?
Surely someone who died thousands of years ago would not have to consciously wait thousands of years for the world to end in order to enter Heaven. So, is it the case that to the person, it would seem as though judgement follows death straight away, but on Earth we know that that person is in an unconscious state awaiting the resurrection? Because the way I read it, there is no-one in Heaven at the moment apart From God, Jesus, angels, Enoch, Elijah, and possibly the fellow being crucified next to Jesus who was promised that TODAY he would be with Jesus in paradise - everyone else must await the mass judgement.
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks.
From reading Revelation 20:11-15, I believe there to be a day or time of judgement coming, where all people will be judged, with those whose names are in the book of life entering into Heaven and those whose aren't entering into Hell. This appears to occur after the apocalypse, so I'm assuming that at this judgement day, everyone will be present, and everyone will be judged.
However, the bible states that Enoch and Elijah went straight to Heaven, which leads me to believe that they are there now. Will they be present at the judgement and will they be judged, even after being in Heaven?
At various points the bible also mentions Sheol, which is said to be a place of unconsciousness for the dead awaiting the resurrection and judgement. I know that Heaven and the next dimension operate outside the boundaries of time that the Earth is bound by, and so I was wondering whether as Christians, when we die, will we experience no time delay between dying and judgement and ultimately entry into Heaven?
Surely someone who died thousands of years ago would not have to consciously wait thousands of years for the world to end in order to enter Heaven. So, is it the case that to the person, it would seem as though judgement follows death straight away, but on Earth we know that that person is in an unconscious state awaiting the resurrection? Because the way I read it, there is no-one in Heaven at the moment apart From God, Jesus, angels, Enoch, Elijah, and possibly the fellow being crucified next to Jesus who was promised that TODAY he would be with Jesus in paradise - everyone else must await the mass judgement.
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks.