02-15-2005, 05:07 PM
Dan, you've asked a pretty deep question, here. :-)
Well, I don't know anything about the "gates of heaven being closed". Never heard a phrasing like that about the gates being "closed", however....
From what I do know, prior to Christ, souls went to a place that was generally known as the place of the dead - Hades. Then, there were 2 parts of it, separated by a huge gulf: One was for the souls accepted by God (also known as "Abraham's Bosom") and one for those who were to be condemned.
After Christ's resurrection, those good souls were brought out and went on to heaven, where they remain to this day.
I don't know as much about all of this as I should, admittedly, but I've given the