Dear Prof. Joe,

I want to better understand the original text translated into the word "heaven."  What happened to people upon death prior to Jesus?  Did they go to heaven if they were righteous in God's eyes?  What’s the deal with Enoch and Elijah?

Can you explain the background behind the word heaven as it is used in reference to being in the presence of God after death as opposed to merely the stars and the sky up above?  Additionally, how does this impact the interpretation of the state of man's soul prior to Jesus' death and then after he died?

Dear Micah,

Your question about heaven in the Old Testament is a fascinating one. A few months ago, I did an in-depth study of heaven using the Bible and Randy Alcorn’s book entitled Heaven. After researching, there are many references to Sheol, Abraham’s bosom and “joining your descendents” in the Old Testament. Trying to compose one view of explaining the Old Testament afterlife is a little mysterious.

This being said, there are some things that we do know. Did you know that we will not go directly to heaven when we die, but wait for the preparation of the “New Heaven and New Earth”. Therefore, I think that the people that were saved by faith before the coming of Jesus will be in the same paradise that we will go to before the creation of this New Heaven and Earth that is described in Revelation 21.

Prof. Joe