Are there souls in heaven now

All individuals who have ever lived on earth are seen before the throne. The books are opened and the records of the life of every person consulted Dn. Also, the book of life, containing the names of all believers is opened Rev. The dead are judged in accordance with their works Mt. The sea gives up its dead; so do Death and Hades. Here is the one, general resurrection of all the dead.

The entire Bible teaches but one, general resurrection read Jn. This one and only and general resurrection takes place at the last day Jn. The universe, earth, and all things are both burned and then renewed as the New Heavens and the New Earth is unveiled.

While the souls and bodies reunited of the unrepentant are cast into eternal hell, believers are welcomed into the New Heaven and New Earth. One of the most remarkable passages among so many equally astounding passages is found in St. Thus, the human soul.

From the breath of life at conception to the inscrutable event in ages to come when, body and soul, we witness the climactic fulfillment of the ancient Covenant, this is the soul of a believer. The soul without Christ is in peril.

The soul of any who calls upon the name of the Lord to be saved will be gloriously transformed. As a pastor and a teaching theologian, this is one of the most frequent questions I receive. However, the inquiry most often comes to me, not in the form of an abstract question, but in the context of crisis. Indeed, this is how the question was posed by Mrs. Henley: in a defining moment of her faith on trial. I was a young pastor. I was on assignment as a pastoral care intern for a congregation not my own.

My mission? I was told that the Henley family was gathered at a nearby nursing home and that they had requested a pastoral presence.

The elder who telephoned me gave instructions that I would find Mr. Henley, a long-time member, in room Gladys Henley, his wife of sixty-some-odd years would be there to greet me. They had flown in from the West Coast to be with the matriarch and patriarch in this difficult time.

I rehearsed the coming pastoral visit in my mind as I pulled into the covered parking garage. I guided my trusty old Buick sedan into that most appreciated of privileges — clergy parking. I put her in park. I killed the engine. Before departing for the brief stroll to the nursing home, I opened my Bible.

I keep a list of familiar Bible chapters and verses for hospital visits. The passages are arranged, in smeared fountain ink from my own hand, according to spiritual cure of common conditions — aging, bereavement, conflict, and so forth. The family greeted me at the lobby of this elegant elderly care facility. Formal introductions in hushed tones formed the introduction to the family. The Henley son, Robert, Jr. Robert Henley, Sr. The wise old jurist was a long-time follower of Jesus Christ.

Others recognized his gift of gentle leadership and patient wisdom. He was a well-beloved elder, a lay officer, in his home church. Robert Henley had been a prominent attorney in the community where I served. Henley was known as a godly, devoted family man, who also gave much of his life, and not a small amount of his fortune, to the service and needs of his neighbors. He never had political aspirations. However, if you were a politician and wanted to increase your chances of election, you likely would pay a visit to Robert Henley before you even filed as a candidate.

I guess one could say that Mr. Henley had gravitas. He was a big man, a great man, and a faithful man. His immediate family—Mrs. Henley and her adult son, Robert, Jr. For, by then, Mr. Henley was a dying man. It would be a familiar scene in my ministry for years to come. A grieving family gathered around a weakened figure. Prayers, hymns, silence, and memories converge to form a needed blanket of peace for the one about to depart if not more so for those remaining.

Being with a family at such a tender time remains one of the greatest honors of my life. Ask any pastor. He will tell you the same.

I had been in Mr. The family had been there much longer. My contemplations were pleasantly interrupted when a cheerful nurse came in to check for vital signs of her patient.

As she finished her monitoring, she looked at Mrs. Henley and smiled. The kind woman leaned over and put her arm around Mrs. The Pilgrims ascend, circa His new book is God and the Pandemic. TIME Ideas hosts the world's leading voices, providing commentary on events in news, society, and culture. We welcome outside contributions. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of TIME editors. Related Stories. But It Happens All the Time. There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies ; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

A terrestrial body is not evolving into a celestial body. When God created Adam and Eve, they had perfect terrestrial bodies. It was not sinful and imperfect. Creation, especially man, were very good. In the resurrection, mankind will be resurrected with healthy, terrestrial bodies. See Isaiah Only spirit-begotten Christians have been called to a heavenly resurrection.

When a person accepts Jesus as Savior and consecrates his life to God, he is begotten to a new life. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

Back to your question. Are there souls in heaven now? God, angels, and resurrected Christians are now in heaven. The dead in Christ refers to those who have died as saved or born again Christians as a result of accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. If you as a Christian, believe Jesus died and rose from the dead, then we too will eventually rise from the dead.

And that will happen when Jesus returns. Then, we which are alive and remain, shall be caught us together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we be with the Lord forever. I should point out here that as we and the dead rise up to meet the Lord in the air, before we get to Him, our bodies will changed, in the twinkling of eye, into a new incorruptible body. Jesus then will give back to the dead, their spirits that had been placed back in God and the dead will once again become a living soul to enjoy being in the presence of the Lord for ever.

This is the joy of Eternal Life. This is how the bible wants us to comfort one another as Christians. By the way, if people go to heaven immediately after death, then why is Jesus coming back to get us? The bible provides no answer for comfort for those who die without accepting Jesus Christ while they were alive.