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Will we know each other in Heaven?

 

Personal observations:

I find nothing in scripture to suggest that we will not know each other in Heaven.  On the contrary, a study of scripture suggests to me that Heaven is, and will be for us, a very dynamic and revealing place, where we will know God, each other, and ourselves more completely than we can ever know God, each other, or ourselves in this life.  In Heaven all questions will be answered.  All pretence will be stripped away.  All secrets will be revealed.  We will know God as He Is (the great I AM).  And we will know each other and ourselves for what we really are - not what we think we are, or what others think we are, or what we pretend to be.

 

Will we know each other?  Oh, yes, I think so – and better than we can (or even want to) know each other, or be known by each other, now!

 

But we ought not worry too much about all that.  The standards by which things are judged good or bad, great or small, perfect or imperfect, important or trivial, will be those standards God has revealed to us in scripture - not the standards used by the world (and too often used by we Christians – shame on us).

 

In Heaven we at last will be freed from the corruption of this life, and we will be made fit to get on with the business of Heaven (whatever that may be – some things are just not made known to us in this life).

 

One of the best books I can recommend on the subject is The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis; an allegory in which Mr. Lewis (one of the 20th Century's great Christian apologists) describes in a dream what it might be like to go to Heaven.

 

I think the misconception that we will not know each other in Heaven may have entered early Christian thinking from old Roman and Greek beliefs about the afterlife.  To many Romans and Greeks, the afterlife was the absence of light, life, warmth, loved ones, and all the good things of living.  It was a dark and melancholy place, a place where the spirits of men and women exist in a state of perpetual longing forever for what they had lost when they died.

 

Nothing in scripture suggests anything of the sort for 'them that love the Lord'.

 

We can know little of Heaven in this life

 

2 Corinthians 12:  2 – 4

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven.  Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know — God knows.  And I know that this man — whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows — was caught up to paradise.  He heard inexpressible things - things that man is not permitted to tell.

 

But Heaven will be where our salvation is made complete

 

2 Timothy 4:  8

Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

 

Heaven will become our home

 

John 14:  1 – 3

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.  In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4You know the way to the place where I am going."

 

Heaven is where we should be storing up our treasure

 

Matthew 6:  19 - 21

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 

1 Corinthians 3:  10 - 15

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it.  But each one should be careful how he builds.  For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.  If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light.  It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.  If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.  If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

 

In Heaven, we will exchange our weak, corruptible bodies for strong, incorruptible bodies

 

1 Corinthians 15:  42 – 53

So will it be with the resurrection of the dead.  The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.  If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.  So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.  The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.  The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven.  As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.  And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.

I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.  Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.  For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.

 

In Heaven, God will wipe away all past sorrows and tears - we will have a new beginning

 

Revelation 21:  3 - 4

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.  They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

 

Heaven will be filled with the glory and majesty of God

 

Revelation 4:  1 - 11

After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven.  And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this."  At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.  And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian.  A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.  Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders.  They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.  From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing.  These are the seven spirits of God.  Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back.  The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle.  Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings.  Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."  Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever.  They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."

 

Heaven will be unlike anything in this life

 

Revelation 21:  1 - 27

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.  They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"  Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.  To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.  He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.  But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars — their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.  This is the second death."

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."  And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.  It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.  It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates.  On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.  There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west.  The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls.  The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide.  He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia (about 1,400 miles)in length, and as wide and high as it is long.  He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits (about 200 feet) thick (or high) by man's measurement, which the angel was using.  The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.  The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone.  The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.  The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl.  The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.

 

I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.  The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.  The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.  On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.  The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.  Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

 

Heaven will have everything we need – including work to do

 

Revelation 22:  1 - 7

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city.  On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month.  And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.  No longer will there be any curse.  The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.  They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.  There will be no more night.  They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.  And they will reign forever and ever.  The angel said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true.  The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place."

 


 

http://www.tahoechurchofchrist.com/heaven.htm

 

Tahoe Church of Christ

 

Will we know each other in Heaven?

 

I have heard of a few who contend that we will NOT know each other in heaven.  The usual rationale is that we won't know each other in heaven, because if we did and looked around and "so & so" wasn't there we would be sad and pained in heart.

 

First of all, the scripture plainly says, Rev. 21:4, that God will wipe away all tears, pain and sorrow - so that settles that.  Because I don't know HOW He will do that and still retain our memories, does not mean He cannot do it!!!  He WILL do it.

 

But to me, there is a deeper principle involved here.  If we will not know each other in heaven,  WILL WE KNOW OURSELVES?  Will we know who we are?  Will I know who I am?

 

(1)  If I will, then I'll just introduce myself to everybody, and they can introduce themselves to me - and problem solved!!!

 

(2)  If I will NOT know who I am - then what kind of reward is that?  If I will not know who I am, then the old Don Givens is annihilated!   (O.K., no cute comments).

 

If we will not know ourselves - then God will annihilate our identity and we will be given a totally new identity.  This new identity will have NO connection with who we were on earth, and if it does - then we won't know it!!

 

The scripture says "If anyone's work which he has built on endures, he will receive a reward.  If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss, BUT HE HIMSELF WILL BE SAVED, yet so as through fire."  1 Cor. 3:14,15.  How can this be if "he" (or "she") does not retain their identity?

 

"HE" will receive a reward.  Who he?  He who?  A totally new identity - or the SAME person who lived on earth?

 

What reward is it to ME if someone whose identity I have no connection with and don't even know inherits a Billion dollars?  Do I feel rewarded if Joe Slobobnick inherits a Billion dollars?

 

If I am named in a will / testament and Joe Slobobnick gets my money - what reward is that??

 

Scripture says, "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, THEY may rest from their labors, and THEIR WORKS do follow them."  Rev. 14:13.

 

Who dies in the Lord? Me and you!  "Their works" follow - not somebody else's works, or the works of a brand new identity.  It is Don Givens (and you) who dies in the Lord.  It is me and you whose works will follow and who will be rewarded.... not Joe Slobobnick or some new "life form."

 

So - if one contends that we will not know each other in heaven, one would also have to say we won't even know ourselves - and heaven is robbed of any reward or continuity with earth and whether or not we were Christians or heathens.

 

"Beloved, now WE are the children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we KNOW that when He is revealed, WE shall be like Him, for WE shall see Him as He is."  1 John 3:2.  We - "we" (retaining our identity) shall know HIM (we will recognize fully who Jesus is, just as the rich man recognized who Abraham was, and Lazarus was, and he remembered that he had five brothers back on earth).

 

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy has begotten US again to a living hope... to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, that does not fade away, reserved in heaven FOR YOU... in this YOU greatly rejoice... receiving the end of YOUR faith, the salvation of YOUR souls."  1 Peter 1:3-9.

 

The same person whose name is written in the Book of Life - will be rewarded with eternal life in heaven,  Rev. 21:27;  and "behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to each one according to his work.... blessed are those who do His commandments, that they (not somebody else, or some new identity)  may have the right to the tree of Life."  Rev. 22:12, 14.

 

Don Givens

 

 

http://www.scripturessay.com/q41.html

 

What do the Scriptures Say?

 

Q. Will we know each other in heaven?

 

This is an important question. It's not simply something for the curious to be interested in, it's not just for those who have dear ones already beyond the door of death.

 

There is a doctrine which states: "When we get to heaven we will not know one another." In plain words this doctrine says: "We will not be able to remember, recognize or know those that we have known in this life."

Let's note from the following passages what the Bible has to say about our faculties on the other side of the grave - because this is the issue: will we retain all our faculties?

 

1) Matthew 7:21 - 23 (NASB)

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'"

 

A. In this passage, those at the judgment are pictured arguing with God about their good works while on earth.  If they lost their faculties at death, how could they remember their good works?

 

B. The scriptures clearly establish the fact that in judgment men will be possessed of the memory of deeds done here!  We do retain all our faculties according to this passage.

 

2) Matthew 25:40(NASB)

"And the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'

 

A. Again we have the judgment scene.  Why did Jesus refer to brethren if they couldn't know or remember?

 

B. They had just asked, "When did we see you sick?"  In other words they were searching their memory trying to remember.  If they didn't have their faculties to remember, why would Jesus bring up something for them to remember?

 

C. Already in these two passages we have the doctrine of rewards and punishments taught, which implies and necessitates the conclusion that future recognition is an assured fact.  In the field of criminal jurisprudence, for example, a man is regarded as worthy of punishment for unsocial acts committed only when it appears that he is mentally capable of recognizing the nature of his deed.

 

3) LUKE 16:19-31(NASB)

 

A. A study of the context will show that the rich man had all his faculties.  He could feel, see, hear, remember, etc.  If you say it is a parable, that changes nothing.

 

B. This is a glimpse of the future state of the dead, and it lifts the curtain of the future and enables us to look for a moment on scenes of the yet-to-be.

 

C. All are conscious of their surroundings.  Memory is retained.  "Child, remember" is a necessary inference for all to remember.

 

4) I John 3:2(NASB)

"Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be.  We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is."

 

A. If we are to be like Christ, doesn't it also include the ability to remember and recognize?  He can.  We will SEE him, and know him.

 

5) I Corinthians 15:53 - 55(NASB)

"For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.  But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.  O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?"

 

A. Does this include the ability to remember and recognize one another?  If not, then the corruptible memory must not put on incorruption!

 

B. Are we conscious of triumph? How are we conscious?

 

6) I Thessalonians 4:13ff(NASB)

"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope."

 

A. Why did Paul comfort them about the assurances of the resurrection if they wouldn't recognize each other any way?  What difference would it make? How could we ever know if Paul was teaching the truth or error?

 

B. If the personality of those we have loved and lost is obliterated, their memories of us and ours of them forevermore gone and with no tangible marks of identity remaining, how is hope possible and where is there occasion for comfort in such circumstances.

 

7) Revelation 6:9-11; 7:9-15(NASB)

A. Here the souls of saints in heaven are pictured as having their faculties.

 

B. They are even aware of what is going on, on earth.

 

C. They want to know how long it will be before their blood is avenged.  If they don't have their memories, please explain how they knew what had taken place on earth.

 

8) Acts 1:11

11They also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven."

 

A. According to this passage this "Same Jesus is coming back."

 

B. I John 3:2, "We will be like him."   (Will he be able to recognize people?)

 

C. How about us?  We will either be like Him or not like him!

 

9) Matthew 8:11

"I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven;

 

A. If we won't recognize one another, how would one ever know if this statement is true?

 

B. Why worry about names if we won't know each other?

 

10) Job 19:25 - 27

 

A. Job positively affirmed that he (as Job) would see God; he would see God with his own eyes; he would see God in the flesh (following the changes which bodies will experience in the resurrection.)  Therefore, the ancient patriarch, by inspiration assured the resurrection of the body, the preservation of the personality, and identity of the resurrected person.

 

11) Matthew 12:38-41

 

A. The men of Nineveh, who repented at the preaching of Jonah, will rise up in judgment and condemn those of his generation.

 

B. They must therefore have a detailed and minute memory of events that have occurred.

 

12) II Samuel 12:23(NASB)

"But now he has died; why should I fast?  Can I bring him back again?  I shall go to him, but he will not return to me."

 

A. David, stricken with grief, and with the body of his dead child yet unburied, said, "Can I bring him back again?  I shall go to him, but he will not return to me."

 

B. This statement of the grieving father is significant only if when he should "go to" the child he would be conscious of being the child's father, and being in the child's presence.

 

QUESTIONS FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE WE WON'T KNOW EACH OTHER IN HEAVEN:

 

1) Produce ONE passage that teaches we won't recognize each other in the next life.

2) If we don't recognize each other, then wouldn't we think we were the only ones that made it?

3) Will we recognize our own selves? How will we know it is true?

4) Explain how we can be like Jesus and be without our memory faculty.

5) From evidence of Scripture, is there more proof for believing that we will be able to recognize each other, or is there more teaching that we will not?

6) If God were to do nothing but raise my body, and make a being out of it that is not me, an put it up in heaven, why should I be interested any more than if God were to make that being out of a dead animal?

7) How could we praise the Lord for our redemption and salvation from sin in this world, unless we would remember we were once lost, and had been saved?

8) To say that we will become beings without our former faculties is to believe the doctrine of materialism that teaches extinction of man's being.

 

Therefore - We will retain our faculties and ability to remember after death. If we go to heaven or hell, we will be able to remember this life.

 

"What Do the Scriptures Say" is a website provided by the Mt Vernon Church of Christ and Mike Scott, minister.

Portions are Copyrighted 1998-2004 Mike Scott. Webmaster is Keith Rowland.


 

http://www.billygraham.org/

 

Q: What will heaven be like?

 

A: Heaven for the Christian will be a place of glorious life that will never end. Joy inexpressible, limitless peace, pure love, beauty beyond description—that's what heaven is. Greatest of all will be the presence of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, with whom we will enjoy fellowship forever. Loved ones who have known and loved the Lord will be there. Revelation 21:2 says, "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."

 

Mr. Graham has written: "Heaven will be a place in which its inhabitants will be freed from the fears and insecurities that plague and haunt us in the present life. No energy crisis there ... Free from the economic and financial pressures that burden us down here. Free from the fear of personal and physical harm ... No fear of personal failure ... Our relationship with Him will be intimate and direct. I'm looking forward to that glorious day of going to heaven.

 

"Heaven will be what we have always longed for. It will be the new social order that men dream of. All the things that have made earth unlovely and tragic will be absent in heaven. There will be no night, no death, no disease, no sorrow, no tears, no ignorance, no disappointment, no war. It will be filled with happiness, worship, love, perfection and other good qualities. Heaven will be a place to challenge the creative genius of the unfettered mind of redeemed man." Revelation 21:4 says, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

 

However, the Bible makes clear that there is only one way to heaven, and that is through repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ who said, "I am the way ..." (John 14:6). Jesus paid for our sins through His death on the cross. God offers us the free gift of friendship with Him in this life and eternal life in heaven when we die if we will but turn from sin and trust in Jesus as our Savior and Lord. "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved ..." (Acts 16:30).

 

 

Q: Do you think we go to heaven the instant we die, or do we sleep (or something like that) until Christ comes again and we are awakened? We had a discussion about this in our Bible study, and I was surprised to find out how many different opinions there were. — G.A.

 

A:  Dear G.A.,

 

Yes, Christians can sometimes sincerely disagree on minor matters—although you should never forget that all Christians agree on those things that are really important, such as the divinity of Christ, His death on the cross for our salvation, His resurrection from the dead, and our hope of heaven.

 

From my own study of the Bible, I'm convinced that when we die, we immediately enter the presence of the Lord. At some future time, we will be given new bodies, similar to the body Jesus had after His resurrection. But in the meantime, our souls are with the Lord, and we are fully conscious of being in His presence.

 

This certainly seemed to be the Apostle Paul's hope. He faced many dangers, and he knew that at any moment his life on earth could end. But he faced death with hope: "We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8).  Elsewhere he declared, "I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far" (Philippians 1:23).

 

Never forget that we have hope of life after death for one reason: Jesus Christ removed the barrier between us and God—the barrier caused by sin. Is your hope in Him?  If not, put your trust in Christ without delay.

 

Q: I know this is probably wrong, but I can't get excited about going to heaven. Eternity is a long, long time, and it all sounds pretty boring to me. Maybe you have a different view. — Z.S.

 

A:  Dear Z.S.,

 

Yes, I have a much different view—and the reason is because the Bible gives us a much different view of what heaven will be like.

 

For one thing, the Bible tells us that God will have work for us to do in heaven. We won't be sitting around, strumming harps, or idly floating around on clouds. The Bible says, "The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the (heavenly) city, and his servants will serve him" (Revelation 22:3). The Bible doesn't tell us exactly what this involves, but I can assure you we won't be bored!

 

At first glance, this may seem like a contradiction. After all, doesn't the Bible say that heaven is a place of rest? Yes, it does; in heaven God's people "will rest from their labor" (Revelation 14:13). But the difference is this: In heaven, we will never grow tired or weary. Then we will have new bodies—bodies that will never age or grow weary. We will work but never grow tired.

 

But the most important thing about heaven is that we will be with God. In heaven, we will have all eternity to explore the wonders of His creation and the depths of His love. Yes, in this life we grow weary and bored. But that won't be true in heaven, which is far greater than anything we can ever imagine. Do you know for sure that you are going there when you die? You can be, by giving your life to Christ today. 

 

Q: Over Christmas, my nephew told me he wasn't sure he'd like to go to heaven because it sounded so boring, and secretly I'd have to agree with him. He's like I am—we both enjoy traveling and doing new things, and heaven doesn't sound very exciting compared with this life. Am I wrong? — Mrs. E.W.

 

A:  Dear Mrs. E.W.,

 

Yes, you are wrong - although I suspect many people have the same idea about heaven that you do. After all, what could be more boring than simply sitting around all day doing nothing?

 

But we won't be doing nothing! For one thing, the Bible makes it clear that God will have work for us to do. The Bible says of heaven, "The throne of God and of the Lamb (Christ) will be in the city, and his servants will serve him" (Revelation 22:3). The Bible doesn't tell us in detail what this means - but unlike our lives right now, we will never grow tired or weary in heaven as we do God's work.

 

Think too of all the new things God will show us when we get to heaven! Distant galaxies that are only a faint speck in an astronomer's telescope today will be ours to explore - and we will have all eternity to do it. Think of it!

Most of all, we will have all eternity to experience the depth of God's greatness and love. The Bible says, "What we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2). Is this your hope? Don't let another day go by without Christ, but open your heart to Him today - and encourage your nephew to do so too. It is the most important decision you will ever make.

 

 

 

 

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