The answer
is yes, as I will show you from a number of Bible verses. The saved in
Heaven are conscious and awake. Some think that when a man dies he
goes to sleep and knows nothing until the resurrection. The Bible does
say that man sleep, but "sleep" has reference only to the body.
First Thessalonians 4:13: "I would not have you to be ignorant,
brethren, concerning them which are asleep." In John 11, Jesus spoke
of Lazarus as being asleep. But that has no reference to the soul and
spirit. There are other Bible verses that teach that those in Heaven
are conscious and know what is happening on earth.
Here is a good rule to follow when interpreting the Bible: never
use an obscure passage to contradict a clear one.
Let me show you several verses that teach that those in Heaven are
conscious and awake.
Luke 15:7 and 10 says there is more rejoicing in Heaven over one
sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just person who need no
repentance. The rejoicing is not by the angels, because angels do not
know what salvation is. The only ones who can rejoice are those who
know about salvation.
Up in Heaven, the saved look down on earth. They see friends and
loved ones who accept Christ as Saviour, and they rejoice over their
salvation.
We read in Revelation 6:9,10 when the fifth seal was opened, "I saw
under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God,
and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud
voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge
and avenge out blood on them that dwell on the earth?"
Now, these people in Heaven are those who had been martyred or
slain. The Bible says they cried out with a loud voice. They were not
asleep. Rather, they were talking to the Lord and asking Him how long
before He did something about those who had martyred them.
Notice several things here. These people in Heaven could look back
on earth, and they saw the people who had martyred them were getting
by without punishment. So they asked the Lord, "How long...dost thou
not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on earth?"
Notice something else. The Lord spoke back to them, and verse 11
says, "And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was
said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until
their fellowservants also their brethren, that should be killed as
they were, should be fulfilled."
Now do the saved in Heaven know what is happening on earth?
Hebrews 12:1: "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so
great a cloud of witnesses..." These witnesses are those mentioned in
Hebrews 11, which lists at least seventeen names: then Hebrews 12
begins, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a
cloud of witnesses..."
In the original manuscripts, there were no chapter-and-verse
divisions. These were added by men. Spurgeon complained about those
who chopped the Bible up into chapters and verses. I think his
complaint is justified. Now if we stop at the end of Hebrews 11, we
miss a very important truth, because Hebrews 12:1 teaches that those
in Heaven know what is happening on earth. We war "compassed about"
with such a great cloud of witnesses.
Do the saved in Haven know what is happening on earth? yes. How
much do they know? I am not sure they see all the sin and sorrow. I am
not sure they see all the murder and wickedness. But I do know they
know when unsaved people trust Christ as Saviour, because Luke 15:10
says they rejoice in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner
who repents.
Man existence is divided into three stages--the present, the
intermediate and the eternal. The present is from the time a man is
born until he dies. The intermediate is from the time a man dies until
he is resurrected. And the eternal is from the time a man is
resurrected on through eternity. I sat through because it is a common
expression. Of course, there is no such thing as going through
eternity. When a man is resurrected, from that point on is the eternal
state.
I am living in the present. If I were to die right now, my soul and
spirit would leave my body and go to be with Christ. My body would be
buried. And that intermediate stage would be the time between death
and resurrection, while we await the coming of Christ.
There are several theories concerning this intermediate time. Some
say there is soul-sleep, that people don't know what is happening. Our
dear catholic friends say there is a purgatory where unconfessed sins
are purged before going to Heaven. But the Bible says that between
death and resurrection a man is with Christ, that he is conscious,
that he has a body, and that he does know what is happening on earth.
End of Chapter Six
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