No one goes to heaven!

[KingJ]

Today yes. In the future...?

Rev 20:4l Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Will they reign in heaven or on the Earth?

Rev 21:1; Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
Rev 21:2; And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3; And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,

If we want to get technical, you cannot pin God. He is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. He could have a home in every galaxy in the universe.

What we do know, is that in His dealings with us specifically, He is making a home for Himself on a planet He has given us. This tells us a lot of what is to come. Humans will continue doing ''what they do' on earth. Eating fruit, keeping pets, mountain climbing, surfing etc etc. Maybe no more eating animals?

But one cannot and must not put saints or God in a box. We currently travel to the Moon and are trying to go to Mars. God and us could easily have vacation homes on Pluto. I see the new Jerusalem as the capital city of a galaxy or galaxies.

I believe it is wrong of us to make Christians who are able to call God of the universe their Father, despondent on what is to come. We should be able to imagine and assume the absolute best.

I hear all the time on atheist forums for example how we who go to heaven will be forced to sing all day long to a vain God. What a load of croc. The devil is behind silly statements like that. Let's not make similar insinuations from some cherry picked scriptures that are most certainly not intended to be the A-Z teaching on a topic. The bible contains all we 'need' to know.

 

[B-A-C]

I hear all the time on atheist forums for example how we who go to heaven will be forced to sing all day long to a vain God.

Maybe, on the other hand...

Rev 7:14; I said to him, "My lord, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Rev 7:15; "For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.
Rev 7:16; "They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat;
Rev 7:17; for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes."

 

[Butch5]

Where does the Bible say this?

In Mathews account Jesus tells the Disciples to tell the vision to no man until He has risen.

While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead. (Mat 17:5-9 KJV)

Peter also speaks of the account on the mountain. He calls it the power and coming of the Lord.

For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. (2Pet:16-20 KJV)

It seems Peter understood that event as prophecy.

 

[Butch5]

The reason some of you guys are struggling with these passages is based on your holding of the Immortal Soul doctrine. It's causing you to misinterpret passages. If you rid yourself of the doctrine many of these issues go away.

 

[B-A-C]

The reason some of you guys are struggling with these passages is based on your holding of the Immortal Soul doctrine

You seem to be the only one struggling here.

John 6:51; "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh."
John 6:58; "This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever."
1Jn 2:17; The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

Rev 20:10; And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Rev 22:5; And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.

Matt 25:46; "These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
John 3:15; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.
John 3:16; "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 10:28; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.
1Jn 2:25; This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.
Luke 20:36; for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

I could easily come up with a dozen more similar scriptures.

 

[Butch5]

You seem to be the only one struggling here.

John 6:51; "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh."
John 6:58; "This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever."
1Jn 2:17; The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

Rev 20:10; And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Rev 22:5; And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.

Matt 25:46; "These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
John 3:15; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.
John 3:16; "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 10:28; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.
1Jn 2:25; This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.
Luke 20:36; for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

I could easily come up with a dozen more similar scriptures.

Well, I was trying to help. These passages aren't really the topic, but, I don't struggle with these. You guys do. I've addressed the issue with the translation of aion many times.

And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world,

It won't be forgiven in this eternity or the one to come. I wonder how many eternities there are.

47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: 48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. 49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, 50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Mt 13:47–50.

I guess the angels are going to sever the wicked from the just at the end of eternity. That's a long time to wait for salvation. It might not even get here. What's the point in getting saved if it doesn't happen till the end of eternity? it'll never get here. Does that mean no salvation for anyone, not even the believers? That's kind of a tough spot to be in just to prove some translators are correct. In order to be consistent and hold that aion means forever one must also hold that salvation never comes. That's really being caught between a rock and a hard place.

All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Mt 28:18–20.

Funny, the same translators that say aion means forever, don't seem to believe that the apostles would be preaching the Gospel for eternity. They're being inconsistent.

"Inconsistency​

A person commits the fallacy of inconsistency when he or she makes contradictory claims."

Inconsistency

These, and many more, are the passages that you guys can't explain. You can't explain how eternity or forever, end. Those ending defies the very definition of the words. It clearly shows that this definition cannot possibly be correct. It's amazing to see so many Christians who claim to believe the Bible argue against the very words of the Bible. Jesus and the apostles said the aion ends. Yet, an untold number of Christians argue against this. It's mind numbing.

 

[KingJ]

Maybe, on the other hand...

Rev 7:15; "For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.

We all serve God in heaven. This verse is just interesting as it speaks to some 'extra' special reward / attention given to them as they will serve Him ''in His temple''.

The wrong way to interpret this is as though you have no choice but to do as you are told. You need to read a verse like this with 1 Cor 6:3 and note that angels who serve God right now, still make mistakes.

 

[Rhema]

Nope. Going into a different body isn't resurrection. It's reincarnation.

Reincarnation is going through many lives and or forms

So then by your own definition, being resurrected once into a new body that has nothing to do with the corrupted dead and dissolved body isn't reincarnation.

It's going to be difficult to have any meaningful conversation if you keep changing your definitions.

Thanks,
Rhema

 

[Butch5]

So then by your own definition, being resurrected once into a new body that has nothing to do with the corrupted dead and dissolved body isn't reincarnation.

It's going to be difficult to have any meaningful conversation if you keep changing your definitions.

Thanks,
Rhema

If one somehow exists after the body die and goes into a different body it is reincarnation. Resurrection is bringing the old body back to life.

 

[Rhema]

And, when they do, it opens up many more questions. Like for example, surely if the dead 'lose' their memories from something like being burnt at the stake, it would have been mentioned. Also, if they 'lose' their memories how then are they judged?

Why? Why would something like "being burnt" have to be mentioned? All those dead have died, from whatever the cause. And the cause is irrelevant, since they are .... Dead.

(Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 KJV) For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.​

The dead know nothing. They are not living elsewhere, since they are .... Dead. And yes, the dead have no memories. How could they? They're not alive, they're dead. Whatever the dead loved, hated, whatever they envied, all of that is gone. They're dead. Nor do the dead have any more portion for ever in anything under the sun. Why? Because they are dead. They're not looking back down on the Earth. They're not interceding on behalf of the living, to ask God for anything. They're dead.

Until the Resurrection.

At the Resurrection, one's Individuated Sentient Consciousness is brought back into being again, and one would think that God could restore their memories, no? So I'm not sure what the problem is.

Its not a rabbit trail.

The topic of this thread is not Annihilationism, ergo, it's a rabbit trail by definition. But let's hop on down.

I then know why you interpret the verse as you do and know that every verse speaking of eternal conscious torment of the wicked, you reject too.

But there are no verses speaking of eternal conscious torment of the wicked. At least not in the Greek text. But one shouldn't find it surprising that scholars of the Church of England would create a translation that skews to their theology. The Church of England is Catholic, and by the time of the KJV's creation, it (as do most Protestant Churches) had fully adopted the Eternal Torment in Hell fantasy of the Catholic Church, including the heresy of the Saints interceding on behalf of the supplicant. (LINK)

As I have explained to you before it is not a parable.

And as I have explained to you before it IS a parable. But since your eschatology demands that it not be a parable, you interpret it that way, creating some excuse to reject Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 as written.

There are a few times this has been proven here. You have not yet made a solid case for it being a parable. Yet a solid case is made for it not being one.

No you have not yet made a solid case for it not being a parable. (Although I realize that you are convinced of your reasons.)

For me, since I am not an annihilationist, I simply interpret that specific line as ''the dead don't know what the living know''.

Yes, and you bring your own bias to reject what the words actually say.

if you were a JW I would take the discussion a lot more seriously over if you were a Christian who believed in annihilationism.

Couldn't care less. Whether you take the discussion seriously or not is up to you. (I'm certainly not sitting here all worried about it.)

Annihilationist's have a better view of God over those would teach eternal 10/10 torture.

10/10 ???? Don't you mean 24/7 ?? Curious. Do you use a different clock? What is this 10/10? Some secret test?

Most Christians believe in it because they cannot accept that a good God can torture. That is a sound reason.

So.... ???? Are my reasons sound or not? I'm taking the text at face value, without putting a spin of bias on it.

Annihilation = cease to exist. Spirit, body and soul.

@Butch5 has been trying to make the case that Soul = Body + Spirit. It would seem you disagree and embrace the Greek paradigm?

But yes, the first death is an annihilation. So is the second death. That's why it's called... death.

Rhema

 

[Rhema]

Resurrection is bringing the old body back to life.

My apologies that I've not yet had the time to fully process your previous post, but what verses directly state this? There's no reason to bring the old body back to life. It's dead, it has decayed, it has dissolved.

When putting on new clothes, you're telling me that you keep the old ones on?

Rhema
(And you seem to keep changing your definition of Reincarnation.)

 

[Butch5]

My apologies that I've not yet had the time to fully process your previous post, but what verses directly state this? There's no reason to bring the old body back to life. It's dead, it has decayed, it has dissolved.

When putting on new clothes, you're telling me that you keep the old ones on?

Rhema
(And you seem to keep changing your definition of Reincarnation.)

There's every reason to bring the body back. Its the "you" we've been discussing.


But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. (Rom 8:11 KJV)

When we put on a coat, its over other clothing. Taking off clothing and putting on new clothing doesn't align with the idea of swallowed up.

The only definition I'm giving of Reincarnation is that of an immaterial being going from one body to another.

 

[th1bill]

There's an issue here. John wrote that about 60 years after Jesus resurrected. So, 60 years after the Resurrection still no one had gone into Heaven. That means the apostles didn't go there.

Everything works out fine if we jettison the Immortal Soul doctrine.hat promise

I'm sorry that I need to remind all here of the seldom-taught passage, Matt. 27:50-57, but the Resurrected OT Saints did not march into anywhere from the Holy City but into Heaven. Then there is John 5:24 and so many other verses that promise we will be with Yashuah as soon as we pass over.

 

[KingJ]

Why? Why would something like "being burnt" have to be mentioned? All those dead have died, from whatever the cause. And the cause is irrelevant, since they are .... Dead.

(Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 KJV) For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.​

The dead know nothing. They are not living elsewhere, since they are .... Dead. And yes, the dead have no memories. How could they? They're not alive, they're dead. Whatever the dead loved, hated, whatever they envied, all of that is gone. They're dead. Nor do the dead have any more portion for ever in anything under the sun. Why? Because they are dead. They're not looking back down on the Earth. They're not interceding on behalf of the living, to ask God for anything. They're dead.

Until the Resurrection.

At the Resurrection, one's Individuated Sentient Consciousness is brought back into being again, and one would think that God could restore their memories, no? So I'm not sure what the problem is.


The topic of this thread is not Annihilationism, ergo, it's a rabbit trail by definition. But let's hop on down.


But there are no verses speaking of eternal conscious torment of the wicked. At least not in the Greek text. But one shouldn't find it surprising that scholars of the Church of England would create a translation that skews to their theology. The Church of England is Catholic, and by the time of the KJV's creation, it (as do most Protestant Churches) had fully adopted the Eternal Torment in Hell fantasy of the Catholic Church, including the heresy of the Saints interceding on behalf of the supplicant. (LINK)


And as I have explained to you before it IS a parable. But since your eschatology demands that it not be a parable, you interpret it that way, creating some excuse to reject Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 as written.


No you have not yet made a solid case for it not being a parable. (Although I realize that you are convinced of your reasons.)


Yes, and you bring your own bias to reject what the words actually say.


Couldn't care less. Whether you take the discussion seriously or not is up to you. (I'm certainly not sitting here all worried about it.)


10/10 ???? Don't you mean 24/7 ?? Curious. Do you use a different clock? What is this 10/10? Some secret test?


So.... ???? Are my reasons sound or not? I'm taking the text at face value, without putting a spin of bias on it.


@Butch5 has been trying to make the case that Soul = Body + Spirit. It would seem you disagree and embrace the Greek paradigm?

But yes, the first death is an annihilation. So is the second death. That's why it's called... death.

Rhema

Rhema, you are very argumentative, do not properly read or grasp someone's post before you reply and your replies are all over the show. It is so painful discussing with you.

Let's take your line ''10/10 ???? Don't you mean 24/7 ?? Curious. Do you use a different clock? What is this 10/10? Some secret test?''.

This is your reply to me stating this ''Annihilationist's have a better view of God over those would teach eternal 10/10 torture''.

1. Antagonizing reply!
2. Eternal is 24/7.
3. The 10/10 is before the word torture. Obviously speaking to degrees.

Your post does not deserve a reply.

 

[Rhema]

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. (Rom 8:11 KJV)

That's a bit disingenuous. Because you've omitted consideration of verse 10

(Romans 8:11 YLT) and if the Spirit of Him who did raise up Jesus out of the dead doth dwell in you, He who did raise up the Christ out of the dead shall quicken also your dying bodies, through His Spirit dwelling in you.​

(Romans 8:10 KJV) And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.​

The action in verse 11 is based upon the condition in verse 10, which states that your living body IS dead (now). So verse 11 has nothing to do with any Resurrection of a body after death, but rather with the body that IS dead now. This dead body leads one to sin, but is quickened by the Spirit of Christ so that one may no longer be slave to physical impulses (the dead body) that may cause one to sin.

There's every reason to bring the body back. Its the "you" we've been discussing.

No it is not. YOU are not your body. If I cut off your hand, what has happened to your Individuated Sentient Consciousness? Nothing. You've just lost a piece of your body, you have not lost "you." Even if you suffer a stroke, are you a different person? No. You are still the same person, even though that "you-ness" of you can no longer function the same in the physical universe. I had a stroke 14 years ago. My physical body was left mostly untouched, but I lost my expansive vocabulary. Did that mean I was a different me? No. But I am very grateful that all was restored.

I'm beginning to suspect that we are stumbling about in a semantic swamp about what a "you" is.

While I have arrived at the same conclusion as Dr. James Tabor, please allow me to provide a link where he likely presents the information in a more cohesive manner. I'm not trying to duck the conversation, but within Pauline Theology, at the Out-Resurrection the dead body that has decayed and dissolved is gone, and the "you" is given a new body.

It really is worth the time to watch:

 

[Rhema]

Rhema, you are very argumentative, do not properly read or grasp someone's post before you reply and your replies are all over the show. It is so painful discussing with you.

I'm sorry that you are having such cognitive difficulties. And I believe that your perceptions (or judgments) of me may stem from the fact that you and I have had radically different educational experiences.

3. The 10/10 is before the word torture. Obviously speaking to degrees.

Not one person I know would consider that obvious.

your replies are all over the show

The actual idiom is "your replies are all over the MAP" (or "place").

(See my point?)

I am also sorry that you see fit to DEMAND that I use your somewhat odd dialect of the English Language. Should we start conversing in Afrikaans instead?

Now either deal with the substance of my posts, or not. But it's become obvious that you prefer ad hominem instead.

God bless,
Rhema

 

[Butch5]

I'm sorry that I need to remind all here of the seldom-taught passage, Matt. 27:50-57, but the Resurrected OT Saints did not march into anywhere from the Holy City but into Heaven. Then there is John 5:24 and so many other verses that promise we will be with Yashuah as soon as we pass over.

No, Bill. There's not. The Bible tells us that when man is dead, he is dead. The issue is that very few people believe this. Most believe man lives on after death and so they read that right into the Scriptures.

 

[Rhema]

He could have a home in every galaxy in the universe.

(Psalms 139:7-8 KJV) Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

 

[Butch5]

That's a bit disingenuous. Because you've omitted consideration of verse 10

(Romans 8:11 YLT) and if the Spirit of Him who did raise up Jesus out of the dead doth dwell in you, He who did raise up the Christ out of the dead shall quicken also your dying bodies, through His Spirit dwelling in you.​

(Romans 8:10 KJV) And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.​

The action in verse 11 is based upon the condition in verse 10, which states that your living body IS dead (now). So verse 11 has nothing to do with any Resurrection of a body after death, but rather with the body that IS dead now. This dead body leads one to sin, but is quickened by the Spirit of Christ so that one may no longer be slave to physical impulses (the dead body) that may cause one to sin.

It's not disingenuous. Paul uses a metaphor and then a real example. Was Christ's body dead in sin? I don't think so. So, he's talking about the real physical resurrection of Christ. It's not a metaphor. Let me ask you, do you believe the spirit will raise up the mortal body to sin again? He's talking about the mortal body. That's not a metaphor. It's the flesh.

No it is not. YOU are not your body. If I cut off your hand, what has happened to your Individuated Sentient Consciousness? Nothing. You've just lost a piece of your body, you have not lost "you." Even if you suffer a stroke, are you a different person? No. You are still the same person, even though that "you-ness" of you can no longer function the same in the physical universe. I had a stroke 14 years ago. My physical body was left mostly untouched, but I lost my expansive vocabulary. Did that mean I was a different me? No. But I am very grateful that all was restored.

Suppose one has their heart removed. What then? They're dead. You're making a fallacious argument. The you is the body enlivened by God. Without the body, there is no "you." What did God put into the dead Israelites in Ezekiel 37 that made them alive? What it their spirit, or soul, or ghost? No. It was "HIS" breath or spirit. That's what made them alive. Just like in Genesis when God breathed into the man that he created, the man became a living soul. Before that he wasn't alive. It's the breath of God that makes man sentient. That breath returns to God at death. The body decays. There is nothing left of man to live on.

I'm beginning to suspect that we are stumbling about in a semantic swamp about what a "you" is.

I'm not stumbling. I've stated it from the start.

While I have arrived at the same conclusion as Dr. James Tabor, please allow me to provide a link where he likely presents the information in a more cohesive manner. I'm not trying to duck the conversation, but within Pauline Theology, at the Out-Resurrection the dead body that has decayed and dissolved is gone, and the "you" is given a new body.

It really is worth the time to watch:

Please show me where this "you" comes from in Scripture. As I said. What makes man sentient is God's breath. That's a part of God. It's not man. In Scriptrue we only see three breaths or spirits in man. The first is the breath or spirit of life. That is God's breath and not man. The next is the Holy Breath or spirit, that is also God's breath and not man. The third is that of demons. They definitely are not man. So, where does this sentience come from?

Also, note Genesis, 2:7. The Lord God formed the "man" from the dust of the earth. Right there in that passage Moses tells what man consists of. Man consists of the elements of the earth. He didn't say God form man out of the dust of the earth and some spirit material, or some soul material, or anything else. He said God formed man from the dust of the earth. That means that's all that man consists of. God breathed His breath into that dust and that dust became sentient. When that breath leaves that dust it returns to God and the dust returns to the earth. There is "nothing" left.

But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding. (Job 32:8 NKJV )

 

[Rhema]

I'm sorry that I need to remind all here of the seldom-taught passage, Matt. 27:50-57, but the Resurrected OT Saints did not march into anywhere from the Holy City but into Heaven.

(Matthew 27:50-53 KJV) Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.​

Who were the many to whom they appeared? Residents of Jerusalem? Yes?

But the text does not say that they came from heaven and went back into heaven. It directly states that they came out of their graves. (μνημεῖον (G3419) - Grave, sepulcher, tomb.) And says nothing about where they went. Therefore we are just left with personal opinion.

Kindly,
Rhema