Re: Going to heaven when we die.

Yes, for many that passage in Revelation would be a confirmation that we go straight to heaven when we die. But that's not how I interpret it especially since Revelation is a very symbolic book and so I think it's important to be careful in how we interpret it. If we took all of Revelation literally, then we'd end up with some really wacky stuff that would also contradict lots of other teachings throughout the scriptures.


So this is part of what I would say about that passage in Revelation:

I think Rev.6-9-11 ties back to this passage in Matthew:

Matthew 23:33

33 Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? 34 Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, 35 that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

In that passage it says these saints had been murdered between the temple and the altar. Then in that passage in Relevation it says the souls are crying out from "under the alter".

I don't think these souls are literally crying out from under the alter, just as I don't think Abel's blood literally had a voice and was crying out to God from the ground. I think we've got some symbolic meaning going on here as well as the passage in Revelation:

Gen. 4:10
And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.

These saints had been murdered by evil men, God promised to bring vengence on those evil men, and all those saints who were murdered along with the rest of believers of all time, will be resurrected to an eternal inheritance.

But in the meantime, they securely "sleep in Jesus" awaiting the ressurection.

1 Thess.

13But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

But whether "asleep in Jesus" or alive here on earth, believers in Christ are "enrolled in heaven":

Hebrews 12:23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,

And also, whether "asleep in Jesus" or alive here on earth, believers in Christ are "seated us with Him in the heavenly places":

Ephesians 2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

But then it says in Acts 2:34:

34“For David did not ascend into the heavens..."

So lots to think about and study with all this.


But I agree that how we view the intermediate state (whether we are consciously living in heaven or not before the resurrection) is not a salvational issue at all. God's certainly not going to condemn us if we get it wrong.

And as I see it, the next moment immediately after we die (that we are aware of), we are raised to life and that's why I think the scriptures refer many times to the first death as "sleep" because it's a lot like how we experience sleep on this earth. We go to sleep, time passes, and then the next thing we know, we are waking up again. Why else would he refer to death as sleep if it was nothing at all like sleep?





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