The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Panorama City, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the tape, GC 70-14, titled "Questions and Answers--Part 42."  A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE. Copyright 1993 by John MacArthur Jr., All Rights Reserved.

The question you asked, “When we depart, do we go immediately to heaven?” I think the answer Scripture gives is “yes.” I think it’s clear from perhaps three passages. One of them would be Philippians, chapter 1, where he says in verse 23, “I am hard pressed from both directions having the desire to depart and be with Christ.” That statement, “to depart and be with Christ” leaves no room for anything in the middle--“to depart and to be with Christ,” and we know where Christ is: He’s at the right hand of the throne of God on High. Right? We see Him in the vision of Revelation 4, and Revelation 5, and where is He? He is the Lamb in the midst of the throne, and John says that throne was in heaven because he was caught up to heaven to see it. So, “to depart and be with Christ,” is clearly the promise that is given to the believer who dies.

2 Corinthians, chapter 5, also says, and I think this is equally strong, verse 6, of chapter 5, 2 Corinthians, “While we were at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord, for we walk by faith not by sight.” Verse 8, “We are of good courage, and I say, prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:8, “to be absent from the body; to be at home with the Lord.” To depart is to be with Christ. And I think one other Scripture, perhaps that we could add to that would be the text of Hebrews 12:23, where you have the general assembly and the church of the firstborn who are in heaven. Hebrews 12:23.

Those that are in heaven, do they know what’s taking place here on earth? Now, if the answer is no, in Revelation 6 it says, “when he broke 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 maintained. And they cried with a loud voice, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, will thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth.’”

“Do they know what’s going on, on earth?” And the answer to that question is they know what went on. There’s no reason to assume that all of a sudden they have had a blanked out memory of the past. I think it is a selective memory, because if they could remember evil-if they had the capacity to remember and cogitate with evil, they could put themselves in a position where sin could influence them. So I think what they can do at that point in time is to remember what occurred on earth, but they remember it with a pure mind so it never degenerates into an evil thought. And what you have then in Revelation 6 are not people in heaven who are watching what’s going on in the world; there’s no reason to assume that they would do that. In fact, all that we know about heaven is that we will contemplate the Lord, and we will contemplate His throne, and we will contemplate His glory, and we will be face to face, and we will know as we are known, and the Lamb is all the glory of that place, and so forth and so on.

So, I don’t believe that there is anything going on, on earth, that can in any way distract them from the preoccupation that they have with the living Christ. So that what you have in Revelation 6 are people who are focused on Christ, who are enamored with the glory of Christ, who are so overwhelmed with who He is, that they are pleading with Him to exercise the authority to bring the world into harmony with His glory. So I think that the vision that elicits the prayer is not the vision of the problems in the world, or even necessarily the memories, specifically of their suffering, as much as it is the preoccupation with the right that Christ has, to be all and all, and to be fully exalted.

I think you understand what I’m saying; I don’t think people are in heaven looking down on earth. I don’t think Hebrews 12 has any reference to that when it says, “We are encompassed about by so great a cloud of witnesses.” You know that passage. You probably have heard sermons where you’ve got all the saints in heaven, and they’re in a big arena, and you’re down there running, and they’re watching you. I don’t think that’s what it means at all. I think what you have there is a great cloud of witnesses--witnesses to what--not witnesses of you, but witnesses to the validity of a life of faith as described in chapter 11. They are living in eternity as witnesses to the validity and benefit of a life of faith. It isn’t that they are sitting in an arena watching us do what we do. The Glory of Christ would make us very disinteresting to them, and I think the only reason that they even pray about what is going on, on earth, is that Jesus Christ might have the fullness of glory and worship and majesty that He is due, and how long is He going to tolerate anything less when He is as glorious as He is?

Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur’s Questions and Answers" by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
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