Please explain paradise and purgatory
Categories: Bible Questions and AnswersIf upon death the spirit is returned unto God then are the Christians in Heaven prior to judgement day? Please explain “Paradise” and purgatory. Thank you.
Thank you for your question.
I wouldn’t necessarily say that Ecclesiastes 12:7 means that we return to the presence of God, just to His care. I.E. He controls our destination at that point. So I wouldn’t think that this would mean Christians are in heaven immediately upon death.
The term “paradise” is used several times in the New Testament. Jesus tells the thief that this is where both he and Jesus would be after their death (Luke 23:43). Paul states that he “knew” a man who was caught up there in 2 Corinthians 11:4. Revelation 2:7 states that the tree of life is in paradise, and Revelation 22:2 says that the tree of life is in heaven.
It is convenient for us to think about “space” in the afterlife, because that is how we think about being somewhere today. However, I am just not sure where all of these spaces are and how God has things arranged, and I don’t think that we need to know those things for certain here upon the earth.
If we look at the case of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19 and following, we get a good picture of the things that God wants us to know post death. There will be those who are safe, sound, and cared for. Then there will be those who are in agony, pain, and suffering. We know who goes where. By the way, purgatory is a concept from Catholicism that is not found in the Bible.
The other thing that we need to remember is that there is going to be a judgment day in which every single person will be judged. So the order of things seems to be as follows: 1) immediately after death, the faithful go to paradise and the wicked go to the place of torments. 2) Then, everyone is judged on the judgment day. 3) Then, all of the resurrected souls will either enter heaven or hell, which will be the final dwelling places for all souls.