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No, You Won't Go to Heaven When You Die
Here's the real reward Jesus promised
Daniel Macaraeg
June 05, 2025
You won’t find it in your Bible.
Not once does Scripture say that righteous people go to heaven when they die.
And yet, nearly every church teaches it.
Ask someone where their loved one is after death, and they’ll say, “In heaven with Jesus.”
But Jesus said something different.
What did Jesus actually say?
“No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man.”
—John 3:13 (NKJV)
Let that sink in.
No one has ascended to heaven.
Not Abraham. Not David. Not even Mary, the mother of Jesus.
The Bible confirms this:
“For David did not ascend into the heavens.”
—Acts 2:34
If David — the man after God’s own heart — isn’t in heaven… where is he?
The truth most churches won’t preach
The dead are not in heaven.
They are asleep. Unconscious. Awaiting resurrection.
“The hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth…”
—John 5:28–29
Jesus didn’t promise heaven as the reward.
He promised eternal life at the resurrection — when He returns to establish the Kingdom of God.
That’s why Paul called death “sleep” (1 Corinthians 15:51), and why he said our hope is the resurrection — not floating off to paradise.
Why this matters more than you think
If you think you’ll go to heaven when you die…
You might miss what Jesus is actually offering.
He’s not inviting you to escape the earth.
He’s inviting you to rule on it — with Him.
“You have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”
—Revelation 5:10 (ESV)
This is not a small doctrinal difference. It’s a completely different purpose.
The reward isn’t disembodied bliss in the clouds.
It’s rulership. In a resurrected body. In the Kingdom of God.
Why did the truth get buried?
When pagan philosophy entered the Church, it replaced Hebrew truth with Greek fables.
Plato taught the immortal soul.
But the Bible says “the soul that sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4).
So what happened?
The Church didn’t lose the truth by accident.
It traded the resurrection for a counterfeit reward — because heaven is easier to sell.
But that deception has consequences.
If you think the goal is heaven…
You won’t prepare for the Kingdom.
You won’t value obedience.
You won’t expect resurrection.
And you won’t fulfill your true purpose.
What’s the real reward?
Not heaven. Not harps. Not halos.
But resurrection. Rulership. Reality.
Inheriting the earth — just as Jesus promised (Matthew 5:5).
The truth is stunningly simple:
No one goes to heaven when they die.
The dead sleep.
The reward is resurrection.
The inheritance is the Kingdom.
Jesus isn’t returning to bring us to heaven.
He’s bringing heaven to earth.
For more information on this vital topic, please read the article, What Really Is the Bible’s Description of “Heaven”?
Tomorrow: Truth #6 — Obedience Is Not Optional
(Why salvation requires more than “just believing”)
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