Why do we believe we can go to Heaven right after death?

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Where do we come from as Catholics when we say we believe that we are judged right after death and go to Heaven (or else) instead of believing we just stay dead in body and soul until the resurrection of the body like some protestant groups do?

I would especially love to know what scripture verses and other important theological facts back this Catholic belief.

I have been (friendly) discussing with a loved one who is a member of a protestant group (a ministery) and they believe we don’t go anywhere after death (so they obviously don’t believe in saints or such) until the end of times when Christ raises everyone from the dead.

On their Ministery website they have a listing of where they stand on most faith topics, and on this specific topic they back up their position with the following:

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 became a living soul.

Genesis 3:19:
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou
art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Psalms 6:5:
For in death
there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?

Psalms 49:17:
For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.

Psalms 115:17:
The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence.

Psalms 146:4:
His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.

Ecclesiastes 3:20:
All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

Ecclesiastes 9:5,6,10:
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.
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do
it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

As you can see this group is very heavily focused on bible studies and they love studying the verses in their original language if possible, and other methods they use to try to assure understanding scripture without bias. This is why I would love an answer that utilizes scripture as well to explain our belief.

I know Catholic intellectuals and theologians love doing this as well but as a cradle catholic sometimes I don’t have all the answers. I would love to get some help!
 
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You see the concept developed through the Old Testament, with newer books reflecting the survival of the soul following death. You quoted Ecclesiastes 9, but Ecclesiastes 12:7 reads “and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”

We have Jesus’s words to the thief on the cross that that day he would be in paradise (not sleep, what ever was meant), the story of the rich man and Lazarus, and we see the saints in Heaven in Revelation before the Last Judgment. By the time of Jesus’ day the notion that the soul survived death was very common, and while I don’t think Jewish beliefs are as dogmatic as Catholic on the matter, Judaism tends to see things the same way (as far as the soul surviving death). The cult of the martyrs that developed in the Church very early clearly expresses this belief, too.

The Resurrection, too, is completely absent from the earlier written books of the OT. This also was developed and revealed over time.


This article from Jimmy Akin also has some great examples. I can’t believe I forgot Saul and the witch in Samuel.

https://jimmyakin.com/2012/01/quick-answers-to-soul-sleep.html
 
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