When Jesus was crucified on the cross, did He give His real flesh or His symbolic flesh for the life of the world?  Real or symbolic?  I have a college professor who seems to spiritualize most biblical events.  Thanks.

Sincerely,
Literally Confused

Dear Literally Confused,

Jesus’ death was a real, physical death.  He really breathed His last breath upon that cross (Jhn 19:30).  The Roman soldiers that oversaw the crucifixion checked to make sure He was dead and even stabbed Him with a spear to make sure (Jhn 19:31-34).

Paul dealt with the argument that Jesus’ death and resurrection were merely symbolic in 1 Cor 15.  Paul’s conclusion: if Jesus’ death and resurrection were not real events, we have no salvation, and christians are the most pitiable creatures on the planet (1 Cor 15:17-19).  Jesus died a literal, physical death that we might have life.  He sacrificed Himself for us.

     I recently started reading the Bible, and I’ve always believed that when you die, you either go to heaven or to hell.  Well, as I was reading, I came across some words that kind of confused me.  It mentioned that when the rapture happens, those who have already died will be called up to heaven first.  So my question is: what happens to the christians that die before the rapture?  I know it says they are at peace; I’m just looking for other ways to receive this message.

Sincerely,
What Happens Next?

Dear What Happens Next,

There is no such thing as a “rapture” event, and all the faithful that die wait for the Judgment Day in a place called ‘Paradise’.  The Rapture is a supposed event that will precede a great tribulation on this planet right before the millennial reign of Christ.  This teaching has become quite popular in some religious circles, but it has nothing to do with the Bible’s teachings on the end times – read our post “In The Air” for an in-depth look at why there is no Rapture.

Having said that, God did tell us that when Jesus returns, we will all be caught up together into heaven – the dead and the living together (1 Thess 4:15-17).  But until that Day… what happens to people when they die?

When a christian dies, they go immediately to Paradise and await the day of Judgment, the day when our eternal heaven is created.  Jesus said that angels immediately carry faithful souls off to Paradise (Lk 16:22, Lk 23:43), and the wicked are immediately sent to torments (Lk 16:23).  Both Paradise and torments are part of Hades (‘Hades’ means ‘the unseen place’).  When you die, your spirit is separated from your body and goes to Hades (Jas 2:26).  On the Day of Judgment, all the souls will be emptied out of Hades (1 Thess 4:14), and all the bodies will be removed from the graves (1 Thess 4:16).  On that great Day of Judgment, every soul shall be judged (Heb 9:27).  After that judgment happens, this earth will be destroyed, and a new, heavenly, spiritual world will be created for the saints to live in eternally (2 Pet 3:12-13).

     Can you explain what the 'zeal of God' means?

Sincerely,
Definite About Definitions

Dear Definite About Definitions,

Jhn 2:17 says that Jesus had a zeal for God’s house that consumed Him when He cast out all the moneychangers and those that were selling things in the temple.  Jesus is a great example of having zeal for God.  He felt as strongly about sin and wickedness as the Father does.  ‘Zeal’ is defined as ‘a fervor of spirit’.  We should have a passion for the Lord’s work and the Lord’s will.  If we combine zeal with Bible knowledge, we will be pleasing to the Lord (Jhn 4:24, Rom 10:2).

     Did the Bible come after Adam and Eve, or did they have a Bible?

Sincerely,
Early Reader

Dear Early Reader,

The Bible took roughly sixteen hundred years to write, and the first five books were written around 1425 BC by Moses.  Moses lived thousands of years after Adam and Eve, and that means that Adam and Eve didn’t have a copy of the Bible.  The reason for this is simple – the Old Testament is a law for Jewish people (Deu 5:1-3), and the New Testament is a law for christians (1 Cor 9:21)… Adam and Eve weren’t Jews or christians.  Adam and Eve had a law from God, and it can be found in Gen 2:15-17.  Adam and Eve’s law was to care for the Garden of Eden and to never eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  God has always had laws for people to live by, but Adam and Eve’s laws were different than ours.

     Are those of the Muslim faith going heaven, too?

Sincerely,
Not Mohammed

Dear Not Mohammed,

Muslims can go to heaven if they renounce their Islamic beliefs and convert to Christianity.  Jesus is the only way to God.  Jesus proclaimed, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one comes to the Father except through Me.” (Jhn 14:6)  Rom 1:16-17 says that the gospel is the tool God uses to bring us salvation.  Muslims follow the Q’uran, not the Bible, and they trust in Mohammed, not Jesus.  Islam is in direct contradiction to the Bible.