Is Your Dead Relative Looking Down From Heaven?

The state of the dead is one of the biggest arguments going between Adventists and others. Adventists believe that The Bible, overall, teaches plainly that the dead are sleeping. The saints are sleeping in Christ. So what does one say when they hear things like, "Well, my mother must be looking down and smiling."?

It's an awkward situation to say the least. We know it somehow brings comfort to those that say it, and those that believe it. Adventists just can't go charging in at a time like this. Although, many Adventists are quick to put up a fight anywhere, anytime, regardless of feelings or just being "Christian."

We will not really debate the state of the dead here. That's for a different time. As The Undercover Adventist likes to do, well will look at this particular situation using The Bible and logic.

Smiling down from heaven brings up images of people living, looking down, watching our every move. Perhaps a dead mother watching lovingly and smiling as her son does well. Okay. Let's take that as truth, just for argument here. A starting point, if you will.

If that is true, that your departed loved ones are looking down smiling, would they not be crying as well? And even more so? The world is broken. Sin abounds. People, even good people, do bad things. Would you really want your dead mother seeing you cuss someone out on the freeway? We could not have it both ways. Are we saying that the dead are living in heaven, but only being able to see the good things? That makes no sense. Having them able to experience the good, the bad,and the ugly would make no sense. Heaven is a joyful place. There are no more tears.

No more tears would mean your departed loved ones, whether they are awake in heaven to begin with, are most assuredly NOT looking down.

This notion that dead people are watching us is based more on comfort and wishful thinking than The Bible. And it seems to The Undercover Adventist that this is the first step in believing that the dead go right to heaven. But we will leave the true state of the dead for another day.

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