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HEAVENBiblical Answers to Common Questionsadapted fromHeavenRANDY ALCORNTyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
Visit Tyndale’s exciting Web site at www.tyndale.comTYNDALE is a registered trademark of Tyndale HousePublishers, Inc.Tyndale’s quill logo is a trademark of Tyndale HousePublishers, Inc.Copyright 2004 by Eternal Perspective Ministries. Allrights reserved.This booklet is adapted from Heaven 2004 by EternalPerspective Ministries.Cover photograph by Russell Illig/Getty Images. Allrights reserved.All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible,New International Version . NIV . Copyright 1973,1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used bypermission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rightsreserved.ISBN-13: 978-1-4143-0191-4ISBN-10: 1-4143-0191-XPrinted in the United States of America11910 09 08 07 06 05876543
I once scorned ev’ry fearful thought of death,When it was but the end of pulse and breath,But now my eyes have seen that past the painThere is a world that’s waiting to be claimed.Earthmaker, Holy, let me now depart,For living’s such a temporary art.And dying is but getting dressed for God,Our graves are merely doorways cut in sod.Calvin Miller
INTRODUCTIONMaybe you feel as if you’ve passed yourpeak, physically or emotionally, and thatyour best opportunities are behind you.Perhaps you’re burdened, discouraged,depressed, or even traumatized. Perhapsyour dreams—your marriage, career, orambitions—have crumbled. Perhaps you’vebecome cynical or have lost hope.An understanding of the true Christianteaching about Heaven (not the popularcaricatures of Heaven) can change all that.That’s why I wrote Heaven, a full-lengthtreatment of the subject that deals with allthe questions people ask about this greatsubject.1 The purpose of this little booklet isto give you just a taste of the glorious truthabout Heaven.1For more information about Heaven and other resources, goto www.epm.org. 5
God’s people in ages past had a source ofstrength and perspective largely unknown tous today: Heaven. It was their central referencepoint, the North Star by which they couldnavigate their lives. But in contemporary society, Heaven has fallen off our radar screens.“Whenever I think about Heaven,” a pastor said to me, “it makes me depressed. I’drather just cease to exist when I die.”“Why?” I asked.“I can’t stand the thought of that endlesstedium. To float around in the clouds withnothing to do but strum a harp . . . it’s all soterribly boring. Heaven doesn’t sound muchbetter than Hell. I’d rather be annihilatedthan spend eternity in a place like that.”Where did this Bible-believing, seminaryeducated pastor get such a view of Heaven?Certainly not from Scripture, where the apostle Paul says that to depart and be with Christis far better than staying on Earth (Philippians1:23). My friend was more honest about it thanmost, yet I’ve found that many Christiansshare the same misconceptions about Heaven. 6
Our unbiblical assumption that Heavenwon’t be a real, earthly place blinds us towhat Scripture actually says. Rarely do wehear descriptions that capture what theBible portrays as a New Earth with a greatcapital city made with precious stones; aNew Earth that contains trees and rivers,and where resurrected people come in andout of the gates, engaged in meaningfulrelationships and productive activity.J. C. Ryle, a nineteenth-century Britishtheologian, said, “I pity the man who neverthinks about heaven.”2 We could also say,“I pity the man who never thinks accuratelyabout Heaven.” It’s our inaccurate thinking,I believe, that motivates us to think so littleabout Heaven.As you will see, the problem is not thatthe Bible doesn’t tell us much aboutHeaven. It’s that we don’t pay attention towhat it tells us.2J. C. Ryle, Heaven (Ross-shire, Great Britain: Christian FocusPublications, 2000), 19. 7
The Present Heaven andFuture HeavenWhat we usually think of when we hear theword Heaven is what theologians call theintermediate Heaven. For Christians, it’swhere we go when we die. It’s the placewe’ll live until our bodily resurrection.Our Christian loved ones who’ve died arenow in this present, intermediate Heaven.(This is not the same as purgatory, which isnot a biblical concept. The Bible teachesthat Christ paid the complete price for ouratonement, and thus we can do nothing toadd to it.)The Heaven we go to when we die is aplace without suffering, but it is not theplace where we’ll live forever. Our eternalhome, where God will come down to dwell 8
among his people, is called the New Earth(Revelation 21:1).At the culmination of human history,we’re told in reference to the New Earth,“The dwelling of God [will be] with men,and he will live with them. They will be hispeople, and God himself will be with themand be their God” (Revelation 21:3). SinceHeaven is, by definition, God’s dwellingplace, the fact that he will come down todwell with us on the New Earth will make itsynonymous with Heaven.Often we think of going to Heaven asdeparting from our place into an angelicrealm to live with God in his place. But theBible says that in the ultimate Heaven Godwill come down from his place to live withus in our place, the New Earth.Immanuel, one of the names of Christ,does not mean “us with God”; it means“God with us.” Where will he be with us?On the New Earth.We’ve heard it said, “This world is not ourhome.” That’s true, but it’s a half truth. We 9
should qualify it by saying, “This world—the earth as it now is, under the Curse—isnot our home.” But we should also say,“This world—the earth as it once was,before sin and the Curse—was our home.”And we should add, “This world—the earthas it one day will be, delivered from sin andthe Curse—will be our home.”In the intermediate Heaven, we’ll be withChrist, and we’ll be joyful, but it won’t beour permanent home. We’ll be looking forward to our bodily resurrection and relocation to the New Earth. (Our loved oneswon’t go to the New Earth before we getthere. We’ll go together to colonize the NewEarth.)The idea that we’ll go to a disembodiedstate fits with Platonism and Eastern mysticism, but not with Christianity. Scripturesays that there is a resurrection, but if thereweren’t, we would be of all people most tobe pitied (1 Corinthians 15:17-19).On the New Earth, we’re told, “No longerwill there be any curse. The throne of God 10
and of the Lamb will be in the city, and hisservants will serve him” (Revelation 22:3).God is the sovereign ruler, and all false godswill be taken down. Satan will be eternallydethroned. People who reject God will beeternally dethroned. God will be permanently enthroned. The Lord’s prayer, prayedcountless millions of times over the centuries, will be dramatically answered: “Thykingdom come, thy will be done on earth asit is in Heaven.”Righteous human beings, enthroned byGod to reign over the earth from Eden butdethroned by their own sin and Satan, willbe re-enthroned forever with God. “And theywill reign for ever and ever” (Revelation22:5). God’s people will reign with him onthe earth, not only for a thousand years butforever. As the angel said to Daniel, speakingof an earthly kingdom that will replace thecurrent Earth’s kingdoms, “The saints of theMost High will receive the kingdom and willpossess it forever—yes, for ever and ever”(Daniel 7:18). Christ will become the 11
unchallenged, absolute ruler of the universe.Then he will turn over to his Father the kingdom he has won (1 Corinthians 15:28).Redeemed humans will be God’s unchallenged, delegated rulers of the New Earth.God and humanity will live together in eternal happiness, forever deepening their relationships, as the glory of God permeatesevery aspect of the new creation.So, according to the Bible, God’s peoplewill reign over a resurrected universe, centered on a resurrected Earth, with a resurrected Jerusalem as its capital city. Carefullyread Revelation 21–22 and many other passages, and you’ll discover that we’ll eat,drink, work, worship, learn, travel, andexperience many of the things we do now.References to “nations” on the New Earthsuggest that civilizations will be resurrected,including human cultures with distinctiveethnic traits (Revelation 21:24, 26). In themiddle of the city will be the tree of life, justas physical as it was in Eden, and we will eata wide variety of fruits (Revelation 22:1-2). 12
A great river will flow through the city. Bothnature and human culture will be part ofthe New Earth.God chose not only to make physicalhumans to live on a physical Earth, but hechose to become a man on that same Earth.He did this to redeem mankind and theearth, and to enjoy forever the company ofhuman beings in a world made for them—aworld called the New Earth (Isaiah 65:17;66:22). That world is what we are to belooking forward to (2 Peter 3:13).We have never known an Earth withoutsin, suffering, and death—yet we yearn forit. God tells us that the world we—and allcreation—long for, a world delivered fromthe Curse, will one day be ours to live in . . .forever (Romans 8:19-23). 13
Will Heaven (the New Earth)Be an Actual Place?Jesus told his disciples, “I will come backand take you to be with me that you alsomay be where I am” (John 14:3). He usesspatial terms to describe Heaven. The wordwhere refers to a location. Likewise, thephrase “come back and take you” indicatesmovement and a physical destination.If Heaven isn’t a place, in the full sense ofthe word, would Jesus have said it was? Ifwe reduce Heaven to something less than orother than a place, we strip Christ’s wordsof their meaning.We do not long for a non-body, non-Earthand non-culture, but for a new body, NewEarth, and new culture, without sin anddeath. This is all part of longing for the resurrection of the dead, which is at the heart andsoul of the Christian faith (1 Corinthians 15). 14
Jesus said to his disciples, “At the renewalof all things, when the Son of Man sits onhis glorious throne, you who have followedme will also sit on twelve thrones, judgingthe twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:28).He could have said “at the destruction ofall things,” but he said “renewal” instead.“All things” means that this present earth isbursting with suggestions of what the NewEarth will be like. What will be gone is notEarth and our bodies, but sin and death andthe Curse!Peter preached, “[Christ] must remain inheaven until the time comes for God torestore everything, as he promised long agothrough his holy prophets” (Acts 3:21).In Heaven, the full-length book, I citedozens of passages where the prophetsspoke of the coming restoration of theearth. This is why Peter said, “In keepingwith his promise we are looking forward toa new heaven and a new earth, the home ofrighteousness” (2 Peter 3:13). 15
What Will Heaven Be Like?Scripture gives us many images that are fullof implications about Heaven. Put themtogether, and these jigsaw pieces form abeautiful picture. For example, we’re toldthat Heaven is a city (Hebrews 11:10;13:14). When we hear the word city, weshouldn’t scratch our heads and think, Iwonder what that means? We understand cities. Cities have people, buildings, activities,gatherings, art, music, athletics, events of allkinds, and goods and services.Heaven is also described as a country(Hebrews 11:16). We know about countries. We also know what Earth is like, andthus we know much of what the New Earthwill be like. If we can’t imagine our presentEarth without rivers, mountains, trees, and 16
flowers, then why would we try to imaginethe New Earth without these features?If the word Earth means anything, it meansthat we can expect to find earthly thingsthere—including atmosphere, mountains,water, trees, people, houses—and even cities,buildings, and streets (which are specificallymentioned in Revelation 21–22).Just as a new car is a better version of anold car—but with all the same essentialcomponents (four wheels, an engine, transmission, steering wheel, etc.), so too willthe New Earth be a far better version of theold Earth, but with the same essential physical components.The New Earth will be God’s dwellingplace, but it will also be fashioned by Godfor resurrected people to live there. We’lllove our eternal home, and we’ll love beingwith Jesus and his family—which will beour family forever. 17
What Will We LookLike in Heaven?Jesus had a physically resurrected body thatallowed him to walk, talk, and eat (John21:1-14; Luke 24:36-43). We’re told thatour bodies will be like his (1 Corinthians15:20, 48-49; Philippians 3:21; 1 John 3:2).After his resurrection, Jesus invited thedisciples to touch him and said, “Look atmy hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touchme and see; a ghost [disembodied spirit]does not have flesh and bones, as you see Ihave” (Luke 24:39).Christ’s physically resurrected body is themodel for our resurrected bodies on the resurrected Earth. After our resurrection, wewill not be ghosts; we will be physicalhuman beings. Many people believe we willlive for a thousand years on the old Earth 18
(Revelation 20:1-7). But even those whodisagree on whether the Millennium shouldbe understood literally agree that we willlive forever, after the final rebellion andjudgment, in resurrected bodies on the NewEarth (Revelation 21–22).When God speaks of our having “newbodies,” do we shrug our shoulders and say,“I can’t imagine what a new body would belike”? Of course not. We know what a bodyis—we’ve had one all of our lives—and wecan remember when it looked better! Wecan imagine a new body, without pain andweakness. We are not past our peak—wewill be raised to a new life and a new bodyon a new Earth, all beyond our wildestdreams.In our resurrected bodies, we will be asphysical as we are now. After the New Earthis established and we are relocated there, wewill be forever physical but no longer subject to sin, death, suffering, and the Curse(Revelation 21:4).Christ is a carpenter. Carpenters not only 19
create things; they also fix things that needrepair. Do our bodies, minds, and attitudesneed fixing? He’s going to fix us. He’s goingto fix the universe itself.Don’t underestimate God’s plan andChrist’s redemptive work. He created us, ourbodies, and the earth. And he hasn’t givenup on us, our bodies, or the earth. He’scommitted to repairing them permanently. 20
What Will We Dofor All Eternity?At death, the human spirit leaves the body(Ecclesiastes 12:7). We go either to Heaven orHell (Luke 16:22-31). As demonstrated in thestory of the rich man and Lazarus—andaffirmed by Christ when he tells the thief hewill be with him in paradise “today” (Luke23:43)—there is immediate conscious existence after death, both in Heaven and Hell(2 Corinthians 5:8; Revelation 6:9-11;Philippians 1:23).Both in the intermediate Heaven andon the New Earth, we’ll find our greatestpleasure in God. We’ll worship and thankhim as we see him revealed in the wondersof creation, including our fellow creatures.Furthermore, incredible though it may 21
seem, God has decided that we’re actuallygoing to help him run the universe (Luke19:11-27)! He will give us renewed minds andbodies so that we will be whole people, full ofenergy and vision, eager to undertake new projects for God’s glory and our enrichment.We’ll reign with Christ over the NewEarth, where we’ll exercise leadership andauthority, making important decisions. Thisimplies specific, delegated responsibilitiesfor those under our leadership, as well asspecific responsibilities given to us (Luke19:17-19). We will set goals, devise plans,and share ideas. Our best workdays onEarth—when everything turns out betterthan we planned, when everything’s doneon time, when everyone on the team pullstogether and enjoys each other—are just aforetaste of the joy our work will bring us inHeaven.In Heaven, we’ll rest (Revelation 14:13).We know what it means to rest. And to wantto rest (Hebrews 4:10-11). We will serveChrist there, working for his glory. We 22
know what it means to work. And to wantto work. We will work without any of thepainful toil that came with the Curse, whichwill be forever lifted (Revelation 22:3). 23
What Will Our Relationshipwith God Be Like?The thought of seeing God is shocking andalmost blasphemous to anyone who understands the Old Testament teaching on thetranscendence and inapproachability ofGod (Exodus 33:18-23). To see God’s face,as the sinners we are, is unthinkable.Yet, Revelation 22:4 says of God’s resurrected people on the New Earth, “They willsee his face.” This means that somethingradical must have happened to us by then.It is only because we will be fully righteousin Christ, standing in our resurrected bodies, untainted by sin, that we will be able tosee God and live. To see God will be ourgreatest joy. Not only will we see his faceand live—we will likely wonder if we everlived before we saw his face! 24
Ancient theologians spoke of the beatificvision, which meant “a happy-makingsight.” The sight they spoke of was Godhimself.The God who lives in unapproachablelight became approachable in the person ofJesus (John 1:14). People could look atJesus and see God. But Revelation 22:4appears to speak of our actually seeing theface of God the Father.To see God’s face, we must be fully righteous in Christ, untainted by sin, in theglory of our resurrected bodies. “Blessed arethe pure in heart, for they will see God”(Matthew 5:8).To look into God’s eyes will be to seewhat we’ve always longed to see: the personwho made us and for whom we were made.And we will see him in the place he madefor us, and for which we were made. SeeingGod will be like seeing everything else forthe first time. We will discover that seeingGod is our greatest joy, and life itself. Everyother joy of Heaven will be derivative, flow 25
ing from the fountain of our relationshipwith God.Beholding and knowing God, we willsee ourselves, and all other people andevents, through God’s eyes. We will spendeternity worshipping, exploring, and servingour great God. We will see his breathtaking beauty in everything and everyonearound us. 26
Won’t Heaven Be Boring?If you picture the eternal Heaven as a disembodied state, you have reason to fearboredom—because God didn’t make us forsuch a world. But when you understand themeaning of our bodily resurrection and thenew universe, all thought of boredom willdisappear.The New Earth will be a place where theimpulses to come home and to launch outinto a new adventure will both be fully satisfied. It’ll be a place where we’re constantlydiscovering—where everything is alwaysfresh, and possession of a thing is as goodas the pursuit of it. Yet it’s the place wherewe’ll be fully at home—where everything isas it ought to be and where we find, undiminished, that mysterious something wenever fully found in this life. 27
We will no longer be homesick for Eden.We will experience at last all that Godintends for us. Because the joys of Heavenwill overflow from the multifaceted wonders of God, Heaven will be endlessly fascinating, just as God is infinitely fascinating.Will we ever tire of praising God? Augustine said, “We shall not be wearied by thepraise of God, nor by his love. If your loveshould fail, so would your praise; but if lovewill be everlasting, because the beauty ofGod will be uncloying, inexhaustible, fearnot that you will lack power ever to praisehim, whom you will have power ever tolove.” 28
Will There Be Animalson the New Earth?I have included two full chapters on this fascinating subject in the book Heaven, but Iwill try to summarize the main points here.Animals were part of God’s perfect original design for Earth and mankind. “Godmade the wild animals according to theirkinds, the livestock according to their kinds,and all the creatures that move along theground according to their kinds. And Godsaw that it was good” (Genesis 1:25).Because animals were a significant part oflife on the original Earth and Scripturemakes it clear that God will remake theearth just as he will remake mankind, itstands to reason that animals will be part ofthe New Earth. (Why wouldn’t they be?)We’re told that animals, along with all 29
creation, long for the deliverance that willbe theirs at the time of the redemption ofour bodies, at the resurrection (Romans8:19, 23). They await and long for it,because they will be part of it.As the entire creation, including animals,plants, and nature itself, fell on humanity’scoattails, so shall the entire creation rise onour coattails, as beneficiaries of Christ’sredemptive work.Isaiah 11, 60, and 65 depict animals onthe New Earth. (For reasons I explain in thebook, the application of these passagescannot be restricted only to the millennialkingdom.)God’s plan for a renewed Earth after theFlood—the judgment of water—prominently involved animals. Wouldn’t weexpect his plan for a renewed Earth after thefuture judgment of fire to likewise includeanimals? The rescue of mankind and animals in the ark is a picture of the resurrection, through which people and animals arerescued to live on the New Earth. Since 30
according to Romans 8 it is those presentlysuffering and groaning who will be delivered, it’s likely that some of the same animals on the present Earth will be remade tolive on the New Earth.Because the New Earth will be earthly, weshouldn’t be surprised to realize it will haveanimals. Like all of God’s other creations,they will declare his attributes and we willfind joy in God by finding joy in them. 31
Will We Have Our OwnHomes in Heaven?Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are manyrooms. . . . I am going there to prepare aplace for you” (John 14:2). The word placeis singular, but rooms is plural. This suggeststhat Jesus has in mind for each of us anindividual dwelling that is a smaller part ofthe larger place.The word room is cozy and intimate. Theterms house or estate suggest spaciousness.That is Heaven: a place both spacious andintimate. Some of us enjoy coziness, beingin a private space. Some of us enjoy largeness, a wide-open space. Most of us enjoyboth. The New Earth will offer both.Heaven isn’t likely to have identical residences. God loves diversity. When we seethe particular place he has prepared for us— 32
not just for mankind in general but for us inparticular—we will rejoice. We will realize itis truly the perfect home, tailor-made for us.After speaking of the shrewd servant’sdesire to use earthly resources so that “people will welcome me into their houses”(Luke 16:4), Jesus told his followers to usetheir earthly resources to gain friends bymaking a difference in their lives on Earth.The reason? “So that when it [life on Earth]is gone, you will be welcomed into eternaldwellings” (v. 9).Our “friends” in Heaven appear to bethose whose lives we’ve touched on Earthand who will have their own “eternal dwellings.” Luke 16:9 seems to say that these“eternal dwellings” will be places wherewe’ll stay and enjoy the companionship ofour friends.Because many people don’t understandthat the ultimate Heaven will be the NewEarth, it never occurs to them to take thispassage literally. They think “eternal dwellings” is a general reference to Heaven. But 33
surely Christ isn’t saying we’ll enter Heavenbecause we used our money wisely! In theparable, the eternal dwellings are Heaven’sequivalent to the private homes that theshrewd servant could stay in on Earth. SinceJesus promised us a house and rooms andplaces, and we know we’ll be in bodies on aphysical New Earth, why shouldn’t we takethis promise literally? 34
What Won't Be in Heaven?No death, no suffering. No funeral homes,abortion clinics, or psychiatric wards. Norape, missing children, or drug rehabilitationcenters. No bigotry, no muggings or killings.No worry or depression or economic downturns. No wars, no unemployment. Noanguish over failure and miscommunication.No con men. No locks. No death. Nomourning. No pain. No boredom.No arthritis, no handicaps, no cancer, notaxes, no bills, no computer crashes, noweeds, no bombs, no drunkenness, no trafficjams and accidents, no septic-tank backups.No mental illness. No unwanted e-mails.Close friendships but no cliques, laughterbut no put-downs. Intimacy, but no temptation to immorality. No hidden agendas, nobackroom deals, no betrayals.Imagine mealtimes full of stories, laugh 35
ter, and joy, without fear of insensitivity,inappropriate behavior, anger, gossip, lust,jealousy, hurt feelings, or anything thateclipses joy. That will be Heaven.There won’t be churches or temples in thenew universe, not because they’re bad, butbecause they won’t be necessary. We won’tneed to be drawn into God’s presence. We’lllive there, constantly and consciously. We’llthank God profoundly, and worship andpraise him together, whether we’re workingin a garden, singing, riding bikes, or drinking coffee (no reason to think there won’tbe coffee trees on the New Earth).Jesus said, “Blessed are you who hungernow, for you will be satisfied. Blessed areyou who weep now, for you will laugh.Blessed are you when men hate you, whenthey exclude you and insult you. . . . Rejoicein that day and leap for joy, because great isyour reward in heaven” (Luke 6:21-23).No one will go hungry, and all will be satisfied. No one will weep, everyone will laugh.That is the promise of Jesus. Count on it. 36
Will Time No LongerExist in Heaven?We will live for eternity as finite beings.God, who is timeless, can accommodatehimself to us by entering into time, but wecannot accommodate ourselves to timelessness because that is a condition of infinity.The phrase “and time shall be no more”comes from a hymn, not from the Bible.Revelation 8:1 speaks of “silence in heavenfor about half an hour.” Even the presenceof music in Heaven implies time, becausemeter, tempo and rests, all of which areintrinsic to music, are time related. (What isa half note or a quarter note without time?)Songs, like conversations, have a beginning,middle, and end.Some people point to 2 Peter 3:8 as evidence that time is suspended in Heaven. But 37
that verse refers to God, not humans. Whenit says, “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like aday,” it is speaking of God’s infinity. Heexists outside of time and space, but wedon’t. He created us to live in time andspace, as finite creatures. Heaven clearlyenters into the sequence of time on Earth,right down to the inhabitants of Heavenrejoicing over conversions on Earth (Luke15:7). The martyrs look for and anticipatejudgments on Earth, asking God, “Howlong?” and being told they must “wait a little longer” (Revelation 6:9-11). Waitinginvolves the passing of time.The book of Revelation shows a continuous interaction of Heaven with sequentialevents happening on Earth. (This contradicts the notion that people in Heaven aredisconnected from or disinterested in whathappens on Earth.) 38
Will We Know EverythingWhen We Get to Heaven?God alone is omniscient.God sees clearly and comprehensively. InHeaven, we will see things with clarity(1 Corinthians 13:12). But we will never seecomprehensively. We will know much morethan we do now, but we will never knoweverything, because we will never be God.In Heaven we’ll be without flaws, but notknowing everything isn’t a flaw. It’s part ofbeing finite. Angels don’t know everything,and they long to know more (1 Peter 1:12).They are flawless but finite. Shouldn’t weexpect to long for greater knowledge, just asangels do?We’ll spend eternity gaining the greaterknowledge we’ll seek. God puts us in theheavenly realms “in order that in the com 39
ing ages he might show the incomparableriches of his grace” (Ephesians 2:6-7). Thismeans that God will be revealing himself tous throughout eternity.That seems to clearly indicate we willlearn in Heaven. When we enter Heaven, wewill presumably begin with the knowledgewe had at the time of our death. (After all,we’ll give an account of our lives, whichrequires knowledge.) God may correct andenhance our knowledge. I imagine that hewill reveal new things to us and set us on acourse of eternal learning. Once we’re in ourresurrected bodies with resurrected brains,our capacity to learn should greatly increase.Jesus said to his disciples, “Learn fromme” (Matthew 11:29). I frequently learnnew things about my wife, daughters, andclose friends, even though I’ve known themfor many years. If I can always be learningsomething new about finite, limited humanbeings, surely I’ll learn far more about ourall-knowing and almighty Creator. None ofus will ever begin to exhaust his depths! 40
Will We Remember WhatHappened on Earth?After death, the martyrs depicted in Revelation 6:9-11 clearly remember at least someof what happened on Earth, including thatthey underwent great suffering. If theyremember that, what wouldn’t they remember? There’s no reason to assume that inHeaven we will forget our lives on Earth. Infact, we’ll likely remember much more therethan we do here, and we’ll probably be ableto see how God and angels intervened onour behalf when we didn’t realize it.In Heaven, those who endured bad thingson Earth are comforted for them (Luke16:25). This comfort implies memory of whathappened. If there was no memory of the badthings, what would be the need for, purposeof, or nature of comfort concerning them? 41
After we die, we will give an account ofour lives on Earth, down to specific actionsand words (2 Corinthians 5:10; Matthew12:36). Given our improved minds andclear thinking, our memories should bemore, not less acute concerning our pastlives on Earth. Certainly we must rememberthe things for which we will give an account.Because we’ll be held accountable for morethan we presently remember, presumablyour memory will be far better as well.Heaven cleanses us but does not revise orextinguis
caricatures of Heaven) can change all that. That’s why I wrote Heaven,a full-length treatment of the subject that deals with all the questions people ask about this great subject.1 The purpose of this little booklet is to give you just a taste of the glorious truth about Heaven. 5 1 For mo
