Abraham’s Bosom: Part 4 of 4
(Please be sure you’ve read Parts 1-3 first)

Folks, the record shows there was only ONE ascension into heaven and that was Christ’s!

This also proves there was only ONE resurrection to immortality and that was Christ’s. In order for any of the dead to have ascended into heaven, they would have first needed to be resurrected unto immortality because, as the bible has clearly shown, they were (and are still) dead! But the record only shows ONE resurrection unto immortality and ONE ascension into heaven! Both belonging to Christ alone!

And just for the record, there were other resurrections AFTER the resurrection of Christ, however, Christ’s was still first! But these weren’t the same type of resurrections. Christ’s resurrection was unto incorruptibility and immortality… spiritual! The few resurrections that followed AFTER His, were of a miraculous nature like that of Lazarus and others who had previously been brought back from death to normal life, but would eventually die again some time later. And besides, none of these ever ascended into heaven like Christ did. You can find the record here: Matthew 27: 52-53.

And for the immortal soul theorists, how do you resurrect an immortal soul if it can’t even die in the first place? To resurrect- or resurrection, means to restore to life or bring back to life! In this theory, the soul is what is considered having life and the body is just an inert glob of mud and clay housing this life. The biblical doctrine of a resurrection then destroys your theory of an undying immortal soul! For the resurrection RESTORES life to ONLY that which once (past tense) had it, but has since ceased living! It does not restore life to that which is incapable of life- or that which never had it in the first place.

So one more time, when will we be resurrected and gathered unto Christ?

1Co 15:23 But each in his own order: Christ the first-fruit, and afterward they who are Christ’s at His coming;

Once again, the bible is in agreement as to when we will be gathered to Christ- and that is at His coming!

Now let’s backup a bit:

The phrase, “When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts to men” is what really throws off so many lacking real solid study.

Is it being implied that Christ held Abraham and other souls as prisoners (captives) and led them away into heaven?

Isn’t Christ the author and authority on free will and free choice? Why would he have to take anyone CAPTIVE to heaven? When one is being taken captive- it is usually against their free will isn’t it?

Isn’t the phrase in question already telling us as to who is being led away as a captive though? Sure it is:

“He led CAPTIVITY captive…”

Leading Captivity captive speaks of the utter demise of CAPTIVITY! The “FORCES” who held God’s people captive- or in captivity, have now been led captive!

Jesus Christ, at the cross (and resurrection), has triumphed over and bound forever THE POWERS of Satan, sin and death, which once held man in absolute captivity.

And as a result of the total annihilation of these enemies, God freely gives gifts to men such as the possibility of eternal life for any who chooses to follow its path of obedience.

The gift of eternal life is promised to the righteous ONLY!

But if man- whether he is righteous or not, already possesses immortality through an immortal soul, then what need would there be of the promised gift of eternal life? Even this promise would be made vain and to no effect- wouldn’t it? Sure it would!

So the bottom line is this: Every belief and every claim you make as being biblical, must harmonize with the rest of the bible. ALL OF IT!

You can’t take one isolated phrase out of context such as “Abraham’s Bosom” and try and force your false interpretation of it to harmonize with the rest of the bible- it’s impossible! You must let the Bible interpret the Bible!

And when you see that it doesn’t harmonize but rather contradicts, then you must let it go and accept whatever truths your bible is actually pointing you to.

Abraham’s Bosom was never a literal place. It was mentioned only once in the entire bible in the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man.

Again, please check back often for the upcoming article, “Lazarus and the Rich Man”.

Abraham’s Bosom: Part 3 of 4

(Please be sure you’ve read Parts 1 and 2 first)

The following verses are often shown as evidence that Abraham and all the other righteous souls who resided at his bosom followed Christ to heaven during Christ’s ascension:

Ephesians 4:8 Therefore He says, “When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts to men.”

Ephesians 4:9 (Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

Ephesians 4:10 He who descended is the same also as He who ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things.)

But is this what it really says and is this possible? Again, this view raises more questions and answers absolutely none!

Christ says in some of the above verses that we have already seen in this article, that He will gather us unto himself when He RETURNS AGAIN! Not when HE IS LEAVING US at the time of His ascension.

So how could it possibly be that Abraham and the rest of the righteous have already been gathered to him, without Him ever having RETURNED for us as He promised?

And also remember that the bible also says that WE- you and I, are to be gathered unto Christ TOGETHER with all of the other righteous (dead or living) including Abraham, at the same time!

Furthermore we are told that Christ was to be the first fruit (first to ascend into heaven). Notice in the following passage that the word firsfruit, is SINGULAR – not plural! Indicating only one single resurrection and ascension during the time of His ascension into heaven!

1Corinthians 15:20 But now Christ has risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruit of those who slept.

WHO has risen from the dead? The above verse indicates that Christ ALONE- THE FIRSTFRUIT, has risen from the dead unto life eternal! That means that the rest of the dead are still dead! Abraham and the others could not have been raised to immortality- eternal life; otherwise it would have been FIRSTFRUITS and not Christ the FIRSTFRUIT!

Some other bible versions do render the word “FIRSTFRUITS”, but this is just an indication that there will be OTHERS to follow unto life eternal, as in the FIRST resurrection- those to be resurrected first among all mankind and ascend unto Christ in heaven. Christ, however, is the very first among all! After all, it is Christ Himself that will be receiving the firstfruits among men when He returns!

So this also proves that if Christ was and is the FIRST FRUIT to rise from the dead and ascend to the Father in heaven, then no one has preceded him there! Not Enoch, Not Elijah, Not Moses, NOT ANYONE!

So this proves that CHRIST- not some disensouled body, was actually DEAD! And was the firsfruit of those who SLEPT to be resurrected to immortality and ascend unto the Father in heaven! As always, the bible describes death itself as a sleep! But immortal soul advocates claim that there is no such thing as soul (apart from the body) sleep and I agree, the bible is silent as far as us actually being an independent soul apart from the body. WE ARE SOULS! And that includes our bodies! Here is the record:

Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man (This clay- or dust from the ground) became a living soul.

Whoever and whatever you are- YOU, THE REAL YOU- THE SOUL, is what actually dies!

The bible says that death is like a sleep. So what happens when you fall asleep? You just lie there like a log! Unconscious and completely unaware of time, space and your surroundings!

Please go to Part 4, the final part of this article.

Abraham’s Bosom: Part 2 of 4

(Please be sure you’ve read Part 1 first)

Once again, here are the facts in regards to Abraham and Abraham’s Bosom:

The Phrase Abraham’s Bosom, is only found once in the entire bible- in a New Testament parable! Please see Luke 16:19-31.

The Bible tells us that Abraham and the rest of the Old Testament Patriarchs DIED and therefore are still dead- being that God ALONE is immortal (1 Timothy 6:16), and that they have not yet received the promises:

Hebrews 11:13 These all died by way of faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off.

For even David, a man after God’s own heart, is still dead, buried and has not yet ascended into the heavens:

Acts 2:29 Men, brothers, it is permitted to say to you with plainness as to the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

Acts 2:34 For David has not ascended into the heavens…

And Abraham also died without finding the city from God:

Hebrews 11:10 For he looked for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

The same city which Christ has promised to the righteous:

John 14:2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

But, NO ONE can go to that city in heaven now- it’s impossible! Therefore not even Abraham is there now!

John 13:36 Simon Peter said to Him, Lord, where do You go? Jesus answered him, Where I go YOU CANNOT now follow Me, but you shall follow Me afterward.

So WHEN will we be able to follow him into that glorious city which is currently in heaven?

John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come AGAIN and receive you to Myself, so that where I am, you may be also.

There you have it! No one is in heaven right now! Not Abraham, not David, not the thief on the cross, not any one! It’s impossible! The only way and the only time we will get there is when Christ RETURNS AGAIN! Only at that time will he receive us unto Himself just as he has so clearly stated in scripture.

The bible plainly states that when Christ returns for us, we, who are alive will by no means, precede Abraham and the other currently dead righteous- for we will all be made perfect together AT THE SAME TIME:

1Thessalonians 4:15 For we say this to you by the Word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord shall not go before those who are asleep.

1Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first.

1Thessalonians 4:17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall ever be with the Lord.

Yes, Abraham and all the other Patriarchs are still dead and buried, without having received the promise of being made perfect. They will be made perfect with us when Christ returns for all of us at his second coming and not at any other time before that!

Hebrews 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, did not receive the promise,

Hebrews 11:40 for God had provided some better thing for us, that they should not be made perfect without us.

The Bible is clear! Abraham, David and all the other patriarchs are still dead, buried and are still here with us today, not having obtained the promise yet! For they, will not be made perfect before us, but rather with us!

So the only place where Abraham’s Bosom ever existed was in a parable! It never was a literal place for disembodied righteous souls.

Please go to Part 3 of this article.

Abraham’s Bosom:

What is and where is the present location of Abraham’s Bosom?

To many folks, this was the place where the conscious souls of the righteous dead once dwelt at the moment of an earthly death. They claim that they dwelt there with Abraham until the resurrection and ascension of Christ. Then they supposedly ascended to heaven with Christ at the time of His ascension and therefore, now dwell in heaven. The soul of any righteous person that dies now will immediately go consciously to heaven since Abraham is in heaven now- or so it is claimed, taught and believed.

This argument of course, is part of the advocacy for the immortal soul theory. But just like all of the other arguments that supposedly support this belief, this one too, raises a number of serious issues and resolves absolutely none.

For example, before Abraham was born, where did the righteous dead go at that time??? And when Abraham died, did those former souls of the dead leave their first abode, where ever that was, to go dwell in Abraham’s bosom? Or did they remain in their initial dwelling place while any other righteous dead dying after Abraham, went directly to Abraham’s bosom? Were there two separate dwelling places for the righteous souls- one in Abraham’s bosom and the other somewhere else as is unwittingly being implied by some? Did those prior to Abraham’s death also ascend to heaven with all of those who dwelt in Abraham’s bosom? And if they did, why then couldn’t Abraham and any others dying after his death- just go to the place of dwelling where all the former souls of the righteous dead already were in the first place? And where is there any biblical evidence of ANYONE ever going to heaven in the first place? Is any of this really biblical? And is there any evidence for such tales?

What about the contradictions and inconsistencies this train of thought raises in scripture? Doesn’t that matter? It should! Especially if anyone is really serious about sound biblical truth!

For instance, the bible says that, “God ALONE has immortality” 1 Timothy 6:16. Yet, these folks will tell you that the REAL YOU- your soul, never dies, therefore making you immortal and equal to God’s self sustained living essence despite of what the Bible actually says to the contrary.

Regardless of being profoundly aware of the immense irregularities this position poses in scripture, there are those who stubbornly insist on continuing to embrace these theories and ideas and hold them up as absolute truth. But one can’t help but wonder as to why that is? After all, the evidence to the contrary is overwhelming.

Could it be that there is pride and selfishness involved here? Could it be that they intentionally choose to look away from the truth for the sake of not standing corrected and not tainting their self righteousness? They err, choosing instead their own self justification over sound biblical proof. And thus, their overall faith foundation lacks real biblical substance and can’t withstand the slightest biblical scrutiny. For it is riddled with holes!

Here are some of the facts in regards to Abraham’s Bosom! This phrase is only found ONCE in the entire bible. It is found in the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man, from the New Testament. Please see Luke 16:19-31.

I will not go into the details of explaining this parable in this particular article. Please look for an upcoming article titled, Lazarus and the Rich Man, for a complete explanation. It will be published sometime soon.

Please continue with Part 2 of this article.