Where are they now?

What happens to the people we love after they die? It is one of the most profound questions we carry, and the answer is far richer than we might expect. This message takes us deep into the biblical concept of the present heaven, sometimes called the intermediate heaven, and reveals that the story of eternity unfolds in stages. Drawing from Revelation 21, 2 Corinthians 5, and the powerful exchange between Jesus and a dying criminal in Luke 23, we discover that to be absent from the body is to be present with Christ in a real, tangible place. The word Jesus uses for paradise is the same word used to describe the Garden of Eden, pointing us to a place of breathtaking beauty and intimacy with God. This is not the final destination, but it is a glorious one, and understanding it changes the way we grieve, the way we hope, and the way we live right now.