Pope Francis Makes Headlines Again! Is Every Religion A Way To Arrive At God?

 

Vatican News reported, “During an interreligious meeting at Singapore's Catholic Junior College, Pope Francis urged young people to work toward unity, become responsible citizens, and pass down what they have learned to future generations.” He continued, “God is God for all, and if God is God for all, then we are all sons and daughters of God.” Pope Francis also said, “All religions are paths to reach God. They are, to make a comparison, like different languages or dialects to get there. But God is God for everyone.”¹

Is every religion a way to arrive at God? Are all religions the same? Do all religions lead to heaven?

No.

In an earlier blog of mine, I explained why all religions cannot lead to God & heaven:²

“Three reasons could be posited to explain why all religions cannot lead us to God and heaven:

            1. Every major religion contradicts the other.

            2. There can be only one God.

            3. There can be only one means of salvation.

Every Major Religion Contradicts The Other

Every major religion claims exclusivity. I provided a glimpse of the exclusivity claims of the major world religions in an earlier article of mine, entitled Exclusivity Claims of Major World Religions. While discussing the exclusivity claims of Hinduism, I wrote, “Hinduism excludes other religions based on its core doctrines. Consider the doctrine of God in Hinduism. Brahman, the absolute God of Hinduism, is a mysterious being.

Although Brahman is one God, he manifests in innumerable forms, “Hinduism is unique because it is essentially a monotheistic faith which acknowledges polytheism as reflective of the diversity in God’s creation. God is one, but also many. He manifests Himself in innumerable forms and shapes.” But the God of Christianity does not manifest Himself in innumerable forms. Hence, Hinduism should exclude Christianity or Islam on the basis of the Godhead. The same holds true for doctrines such as karma and reincarnation, which absolutely contradict Christianity and other religions.”

Even Islam, Buddhism and Judaism claim exclusivity. So if every religion contradicts the other, then all religions are not teaching the truth. Only one religion would teach the truth, whereas the others do not.

Historic Christianity also claims exclusivity. Conservative Christians believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven. This belief renders every non-Christian as an eternal inhabitant of hell. But the conclusion that Jesus is the only way to heaven is predicated on the premise that Christianity is the only religion that makes valid truth claims.

Since every religion contradicts the other, all religions cannot lead man to God and heaven.

One God

God is the ‘maximally great being’ or the ‘greatest conceivable being’ or the ‘greatest being possible.’ The maximally great being should be omnipotent (infinitely powerful), omniscient (possessing unlimited knowledge), and morally perfect, to say the least. 

Such a maximally great being ought to be singular. In other words, there cannot be two maximally great beings. They cannot be maximally great if they are equal. Maximal greatness signifies that one of the two would essentially be greater than the other.

Therefore, there can only be one God.

One Salvation

Salvation is the deliverance from the power and penalty of sin. Sin is an assault on God. In other words, sin is the transgression or violation of God’s commands.

If God is one, then the sin of mankind is essentially against that God (because there are no other Gods). Hence, there can be only one means of salvation, for it is that one infinite God who offers the means of salvation to erring finite humans.

But what if God offers two or more means of salvation to the erring humans? Is this possible? It is possible as long as the means of salvation do not contradict each other.

There are two major means of salvation offered by the major world religions. While Historic Christianity offers salvation by the grace of God through faith in Christ, the other major world religions teach salvation through good works.

Salvation by grace through faith is a non-negotiable tenet of Historic Christianity. Historic Christianity teaches that mankind cannot perform good works (i.e. be perfectly obedient to God) to go to heaven because man is a perpetual sinner. Hence, God graciously sent HIS Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to die on behalf of all (the sins) of mankind, thereby paying the penalty for sin, which is death. Christ then overcame death through HIS resurrection and ascension. Thereby, those who believe in Christ are saved by virtue of Christ’s one-time perfect sacrifice and their belief in HIM.

Contrarily, the other major world religions teach that mankind would have to perform good works i.e. being obedient to God, to go to heaven. For instance, Islam teaches that worship of God and obedience to his commands are the prerequisites for salvation.

Hence, salvation by grace through faith contradicts salvation through good works. Since the means of salvation in other religions and Christianity contradict each other, there could only be one way to be saved.

Conclusion

There is only one way to God. All religions cannot lead us to God. Those believing that all religions lead to God are treading dangerously. They are risking their eternity.

If you are in that boat, think this through and make sense of your life. If you pray to God to lead you to the right path, HE will. May the truth set you free.

 

Endnotes:

¹https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-09/pope-calls-singapore-youth-unity-during-interreligous-dialogue1.html

²https://rajkumarrichard.blogspot.com/2019/01/three-reasons-why-all-religions-do-not.html

Websites last accessed on 15^th September, 2024.

Varying Rewards In Heaven

 

            Christians will be offered varying rewards in heaven (cf. Daniel 12:3; 1 Corinthians 3:14-15). The Bible says all Christians will stand before the judgment seat of God and each of us will give an account of himself to God (Romans 14:10,12). Apostle Paul writing to the church in Corinth tells the Corinthians, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” (2 Corinthians 5:10; cf. Luke 19:17,19).

            Christians need not fear; for during this judgment we will not be relegated to hell (cf. John 5:24; Romans 8:1). God will only judge the Christians to evaluate and offer varying degrees of rewards in heaven (cf. Revelations 11:18).

            It also seems that the sins of Christians would be revealed on the last day for the Lord, “will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.” (1 Corinthians 4:5; cf. Colossians 3:24,25). The sins that will be exposed will be exposed as sins that have been forgiven, and thereby there will be the occasion for giving glory to God for the richness of HIS grace.

            While on earth, we, as Christians, should be careful as to how we live, “Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:12-15, ESV).

            Even though there will be degrees of reward in heaven, the joy of each person will be full and complete for eternity. If we think that those with greater rewards or higher status would be more joyful in heaven, we are mistaken. For if those with higher status would be more joyful, the apostles and the heavenly creatures would be more joyful than the others. In a state of perfection, this disparity does not seem plausible.

            Millard J. Erickson in his work Christian Theology (Second Edition) offers a useful analogy. He compares the joy in heaven to the varying degrees of pleasure people derive from a concert. The same sound waves fall on everyone’s ears, but the reactions may range from boredom to ecstasy. A similar situation may well hold with respect to the joys in heaven, although the range of reactions will presumably be narrower. No one will be aware of the differences in the range of enjoyment, and thus there will be no dimming of the perfection of heaven.

            What should we do now to gain better rewards in heaven? Gotquestions.org describes this beautifully, “The closer we were to God during this life, the more centered on Him and aware of Him, the more dependent on Him, the more desperate for His mercy, the more there will be to celebrate.”¹

            Last but not the least, can a born-again Christian willfully disobey God and yet expect rewards in heaven? This question does not need an answer per se but a more significant aspect to consider is if a born-again Christian could even think of willfully disobeying God. If a Christian thinks so, would it not question his born-again status?

Endnotes:

¹https://www.gotquestions.org/rewards-in-heaven.html

Content sourced from: Systematic Theology (An Introduction To Biblical Doctrine) by Wayne Grudem and Christian Theology (Second Edition) by Millard J. Erickson.

The website last accessed on 30^th April 2021.

If We Have Free Will In Heaven, How Can We Not Sin?

            The Bible teaches us that there will be no evil and sin in heaven (Revelation 20:10, 21:4, 8, 27, 22:3, 15 cf. Isaiah 35:8-9). Would the heavenly residents have free will to not sin or would they not have free will at all?

            Those in heaven will have free will, but they will not sin. Norman Geisler explains the notion that heaven will be a place of moral perfection:¹

Heaven Is a Place of Moral Perfection

The present world is laden with layers of evil; even the apostle Paul considered himself the chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). In heaven, though, every believer will be made absolutely perfect, for “when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears” (1 Cor. 13:10; cf. 1 John 3:2).

“Nothing impure will ever enter it [heaven], nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev. 21:27). Therefore, we are to “make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). Heaven is a place of ultimate and complete sanctification.

            According to Geisler, heaven will also be a place of perfect knowledge: “[Now] we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. (1 Cor. 13:9–12)”²

            Heaven, Geisler writes, is also the place of the Beatific Vision (seeing God face to face):³

Heaven Is the Place of the Beatific Vision

The Beatific Vision is the blessed vision that Moses sought, God forbade, Jesus promised, and John described—seeing God face-to-face.

Immortal Man Will See God

However, immortal human beings will see God face-to-face; John declared that in heaven “they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads” (Rev. 22:4). Again, Paul explained, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Cor. 13:12). The psalmist added, “In righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness” (17:15). As John said, “When he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).

The term Beatific Vision, this face-to-face experience with God, comes from the word for beatitude, meaning “blessed” or “happy.” This vision is the ultimate fulfillment of all divine aspirations—it will be a direct, complete, and final revelation of God in which the believer will see the divine essence…

            The Beatific Vision rules out the possibility of sin and fulfills our freedom, says Geisler:⁴

The Beatific Vision Makes Sin Impossible

Knowledge of God is knowledge of an infinite good;17 once one directly sees infinite good, it will no longer be possible for him to do evil,18 for to be directly informed in one’s mind by absolute good is to become completely conformed to it. Hence, the Beatific Vision makes sin impossible. Just as seeing absolute beauty will spoil one forever from longing for anything ugly, likewise, beholding the absolutely holy will overpower any attraction to or desire for the unholy.

The Beatific Vision Fulfills Our Freedom

Though heaven makes sin impossible, it does not destroy but instead fulfills our freedom. Heaven completes our freedom to completely love God, just as (analogously) marriage here on earth frees us to love the one to whom we belong. True freedom is not the freedom to do evil, but the freedom to do good. The essence of free will is self-determination, and if one’s self chooses to do only the good, then the fulfillment of it in a place where only good can be done is not the destruction of freedom, but the completion of it.19

God is both free and unable to sin; it will be likewise for us when we become most godlike, for the perfection of our freedom is the freedom from sinning, not the freedom of sinning. The best freedom is the freedom to do the best; beholding and loving the absolute best (which makes sin impossible) is the best thing we can ever do.20

            If the Beatific Vision prevents sin in heaven, how did the angels sin in heaven while being in the presence of God? William Lane Craig summarizes an answer to this complex question, “Originally created “at arm’s length” from God epistemically, they had a time to choose either for or against God. Those who chose for God were then sealed with the Beatific Vision, so that no further fall is possible. Fallen angels are Satan and his minions.”⁵

            Craig also explains that those in heaven will not sin because of the Beatific Vision and that the freedom to sin would cease to exist:⁶

God has created us at an “epistemic distance,” so to speak, which allows us the freedom to rebel against Him and separate ourselves from Him. This world is a vale of decision-making during which we decide whether we want to live with God forever or reject Him and so irrevocably separate ourselves from Him. As discussions of the so-called “Hiddenness of God” have emphasized, God could have made His existence overwhelmingly obvious, had He wanted to. During this life, we “see in a glass darkly,” as St. Paul put it; but someday we shall see “face to face” (I Cor. 13.12). Medieval theologians liked to talk of the “Beatific Vision” which the blessed in heaven will receive. There the veil will be removed, and we shall see Christ in all of His loveliness and majesty. The vision of Christ, the source of infinite goodness and love, will be so overwhelming as to remove all freedom to sin. I like to think of it like iron filings in the presence of an enormously powerful electromagnet. They would be so powerfully attracted to the magnet that there is simply no possibility of their falling away. So with the blessed in heaven.

…One could hold that God via His middle knowledge knew exactly which persons, if saved and glorified in heaven, would freely persevere in grace, even though they would retain the freedom to sin. It’s not that they have a different nature than others; it’s just that this is how they would freely choose. God has chosen to create a world in which all the saved are precisely such persons. Hence, everyone in heaven will freely persevere. They could fall away but they just won’t. Interestingly, creating a world like this could involve God’s having to put up with a lot of otherwise undesirable features of the world, such as vast amounts of natural and moral evil. Perhaps only in a world like that would all those who come freely to know God and His salvation be a person who would freely persevere in heaven…

…it seems right to think that the unalloyed vision of Christ would be something so overwhelmingly attractive that freedom to resist it would be utterly removed.

Endnotes:

¹https://normangeisler.com/norm-theologizing-about-heaven/

²Ibid.

³Ibid.

⁴Ibid.

⁵https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/can-people-in-heaven-sin

⁶Ibid.

Websites last accessed on 26^th August 2019.

Can People In Heaven See Us?

            ‘Can People In Heaven See Us?’ is a complicated question. There are two possible answers to this question:

            (1) People in heaven can see the occurrences on earth.

            (2) People in heaven cannot see the occurrences on earth.

            Both these answers invoke further complications.

            If occurrences on earth are inaccessible to people in heaven, there may be no significant problems. But we could pose a question based on the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. If people in their afterlife, remember the catastrophic state of their loved ones on earth, they could be sad and disappointed.

            If their loved ones on earth are either in horrendous pain or not saved, people in heaven could be sad and disappointed. But sadness and disappointment are not the attributes of heaven.

            How could this predicament be resolved?

            Similarly, if people in heaven can see the mayhem caused by evil on earth, would they not feel sad? If so, how do we explain the presence of sadness in heaven in light of hell, where there will be perpetual sadness? This problem is enhanced when we consider sadness in the presence of God - how can there be sadness in the very presence of God (cf. Psalms 30:5, 126:5; Isaiah 25:8; Revelation 7:17, 21:4)?

            Therefore, this question is indeed very relevant to a curious theological mind or a serious student of the Bible.

            A popular belief among many Christians is that the people in heaven would not know what is happening on earth. They thus justify their belief:

Pastor John Macarthur’s teaching website, Grace to You, says, “Some teach that our deceased Christian loved ones can see us from heaven. They frequently cite from Hebrews 12:1, which says: "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us . . . run with endurance the race that is set before us."

They interpret that to mean our departed loved ones watch us like spectators do in a stadium, seeing our every move and cheering us on. While that may seem comforting, we don't believe the Bible is really teaching that.

The witnesses in that verse are not modern-day loved ones, but the faithful saints in Hebrews 11 who lived victorious lives by trusting God. Those saints are witnesses to us because their lives testify about the value of trusting God no matter what hardships we face. They are active witnesses who speak to us by their example; not passive witnesses who watch us with their eyes.

Consequently, when we understand Hebrews 12:1 in its context, we realize that it doesn't really support the idea that our loved ones are watching us from heaven. Our comfort comes not from knowing they can see us, but that they can see Jesus and one day we will see Him with them as well-never to be separated again.”¹

Another popular Christian ministry, Gotquestions.org says, “The Bible doesn’t specifically say that people in heaven cannot look down on us, so we can’t be dogmatic. However, it is unlikely that they can. People in heaven are likely preoccupied with other things such as worshipping God and enjoying the glories of heaven.”²

            Even if people in heaven would not know the happenings of earth, there seems to be a possibility of sadness remaining in their minds, just by virtue of their memory of their loved ones on earth, especially if their loved ones are in pain or in the state of being unsaved.

            How does the Bible resolve this predicament?

            Let us consider the memory of the loved one who’s in horrendous pain.

            Perfect knowledge is a hallmark of the people in heaven (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:9-12).  If the person on earth who suffers horrendous pain is saved (believes in Christ) or will be saved, then his loved one in heaven would be aware of this fact. Ergo, the person in heaven need not necessarily be sad for he knows that his loved one will soon be in heaven with God unto all eternity. The fact that his loved one is secure unto eternity is of invaluable worth, especially when it’s equated with the temporary pain on earth. This knowledge is adequate to replace the possibility of sadness with joy.  

            The other possibility is more complicated. What if the person in heaven knows that his unsaved loved one is destined to hell because he will never believe in Christ? Would this knowledge not usher an immeasurable sadness in the person in heaven?

            When people in heaven possess perfect knowledge, they would also know, for sure, what God has done to save their loved one. Thus they would know that God has done everything possible to bring everyone to HIMSELF – even their loved one. The knowledge that their loved one consciously rejected God in spite of God’s every effort to draw this person to HIMSELF, would ensure an absence of sadness.   

Endnotes:

¹https://www.gty.org/library/questions/QA108/do-those-in-heaven-know-what-is-happening-on-earth

²https://www.gotquestions.org/heaven-look-down.html

Websites last accessed on 6^th November 2018. 

Sex In Heaven?

            The question whether or not there would be sex in heaven is pertinent because the Bible narrates a more complex question in Matthew 22. But if we consider the same question from an informal perspective, we would term the question as cheesy or coarse. 

            Interestingly, the Lord Jesus Christ answered HIS questioners, irrespective of the question being cheesy or sophisticated. If Christ answered HIS questioners, then we may as well answer any question.

            The Bible provides our context, “On that day some Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to Jesus and questioned Him, asking, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother as next of kin shall marry his wife, and raise up children for his brother.’ Now there were seven brothers with us; and the first married and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother; so also the second, and the third, down to the seventh. Last of all, the woman died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her.” But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” (Matthew 22: 23-30, NASB).

            Some Christian theologians argue that there will be no sex in heaven.¹ Other theologians argue that there will be sex in heaven.²

            I personally believe that there will be no sex in heaven. The Bible indicates that there will be no sex in heaven (Matthew 22: 23-30). Furthermore, existence of sex in heaven would entail insane possibilities that would contradict the core attribute of heaven, which is perfection (heaven is a state and place of perfection).

            If there is sex in heaven, consider the extent of insane possibilities:

            1. No Procreation: The goal of sexual intercourse on earth is procreation. However, if there is sex in heaven, procreation cannot be the goal, for there cannot be procreation in heaven. (The Bible does state from the narrative in consideration that there would be no procreation in heaven.)

            Procreation cannot exist in heaven because children are in an innately imperfect state (they need to grow to actualize their purpose for creation). Since heaven is a place of perfection, imperfection cannot be actualized or children cannot be born.

            However, if procreation were to be possible in heaven, every child born in heaven should be hardwired to believe in God. In other words, every new birth in heaven would be a birth of a heavenly human robot, without freewill, and programmed to believe in God.

            You could argue that heaven is a place of perfection, hence freewill need not be a theme of concern. This response would lead to a myriad of questions disputing God’s wisdom and justice, and the answer to each question would die a death of thousand qualifications.

            Here is a model question, “If children born in heaven are perfect, why are children born on earth imperfect (they can sin)?” If you were to invoke the entailment of evil / Satan on earth as a precursor for mankind’s imperfection on earth, then a follow-up question could be, “Is it not unjust of God to create metaphysically different children, wherein some children born in heaven cannot sin (due to perfection in heaven), and other children (born on earth) have the potency to sin (an adult could reject God) so to merit hell?

            So procreation is impossible in heaven. If the goal of sexual intercourse in heaven is not procreation, then it should be something other than procreation.  

            2. Sex in heaven could be for pleasure, if procreation were to be non-existent in heaven. If sex in heaven is for pleasure, there ought to be gradational variations to pleasure, which in turn will betray the attribute of perfection. The conservative Christian consideration is that man will derive pleasure in heaven because of his coexistence with God (cf. Psalm 16:11 et al.). So if the beatific vision or coexistence or face-to-face worship of God is to bring about ultimate pleasure to man in heaven, then what kind of a pleasure would sex offer him?

            Sex cannot offer man a greater pleasure than worshiping God. So sex ought to offer man the pleasure that is inferior to worshiping God. But the state of “inferiority” is an attribute of imperfection. So if sex were to exist in heaven, then it should be predicated on imperfection. So sex cannot exist in heaven for the purpose of pleasure.  

            But certain theologians contend that we can eat in heaven, and that eating is not for the purpose of necessity but for the sake of pleasure. If eating for the purpose of pleasure is existent in heaven, then why can sex not exist in heaven for the sake of pleasure?  

            The notion that we can consume food in heaven for the sake of pleasure is based on conjecture. Pleasure need not be the only other option to necessity i.e. if food is not needed for sustenance / necessity, then it does not infer that pleasure is the only other reason for consuming food. In fact, we do not know what type of food will be available in heaven. Some reckon it would be the food that was made available to Adam & Eve. However, food in heaven can be for purposes that do not involve pleasure.  

            So in the same way, could sex be existent in heaven for reasons other than pleasure? No! There are better reasons that invalidate the existence of sex in heaven.

            3. Singles would be deprived of sex in heaven: Not all who die and go to heaven are married. Christian singles die and go to heaven and all children who die go to heaven.

            If sex were to exist in heaven, the aspect of partnership (how would one choose another for sex) is a key thorn in the face of perfection. Who would the single individual in heaven choose to engage in sexual intercourse with and what would be the mechanism (suitability / eligibility) of this selection or participation?

            Furthermore, since the Bible categorically rejects the notion of marriage in heaven, sex, in the context of being outside of marriage in heaven, would open an “ethical” Pandora’s Box.

            4. Polygamy in heaven? If sex were to occur in heaven, then polygamy is a direct entailment, within the context described in the Scripture. If a man had married multiple women during the course of his earthly life, then he should obviously have sex with all of them in heaven.

            But deprivation is innate to polygamy (husband can only be with one wife at a time, which results in sexual deprivation for the other wife). Deprivation is a state of imperfection. Hence polygamy (or sex in heaven) cannot exist within the state of perfection, for heaven is a state of perfection. If polygamy cannot exist in heaven, then we could presuppose an absence of sex in heaven.

            Conclusion: This is a trivial theme for our consideration, because it is non-salvific and does virtually nothing to aid our growth in Christ while we live on earth. We do not know for certain as to the availability and the purpose of many relevant aspects in heaven (Cf. 1 Corinthians 13:9). Hence, it is not a good use of our time to delve deeply into these trivial aspects of Historic Christianity.

            However, every question ought to be answered meaningfully. Hence, this is an honest endeavor to respond to the question, “Will there be sex in heaven?” The overall evidence points to the notion that there will be no sex in heaven, which is in no way a loss to those who would inhabit heaven in the glorious presence of our living God.

Endnotes:

¹https://www.gotquestions.org/sex-heaven.html, last accessed on 6^th April 2017.

&

http://www.equip.org/bible_answers/will-there-be-sex-in-heaven/, last accessed on 6^th April 2017.

²http://www.peterkreeft.com/topics/sex-in-heaven.htm, last accessed on 6^th April 2017.

What Is Heaven Like?

            We care much about any new purchase. If we are to buy a house, we will spend days, if not months, to learn more about the house. We will not ignore any known aspect of the house. We endeavor to learn almost everything about the house before we commence our life in it.

            We leave no stone unturned while studying about our new home on earth. Similarly let us leave no stone unturned before we commence our life in heaven.

Heaven Dwellers

            Heaven is God’s abode; apart from the triune God, good angels and the redeemed humans from all ages live in heaven (Matthew 6:9, 18: 10; Luke 2: 15; John 14:2-3, 6: 51; Romans 8: 34; Revelation 1: 4, 4: 4-6, 7: 9).

            Although the heaven is God’s abode, God is not localized to heaven but indeed omnipresent (1 Kings 8: 27; Psalms 139: 7 - 9).

Nature of Heaven

            There is no death, sorrow or sickness in heaven (Revelation 21: 4; 2 Corinthians 1: 4-5).

            There is no curse (Revelation 22: 3).

            Heaven is a place of abundant life and joy (John 10:10; Revelation 22: 1-2 cf. Psalm 16: 11; Luke 15: 10).

            There is perpetual worship and service in heaven (Revelation 4:8, 5:13-14, 22:3).

            We will be perfect in heaven – in body, in morality, in knowledge (Philippians 3: 21; 1 Corinthians 13: 9-12, 15: 51-53; Revelation 21: 27).

            There will be heavenly homes, mansions and palaces (John 14: 1-3).

            We will be reunited with our loved ones in heaven (1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18).

            Heaven is a place of eternal rest and eternal reward (Revelation 14:13, 22:12; Hebrews 4: 9)

            Heaven will be exceptionally beautiful and indescribably glorious (1 Corinthians 2: 9; Revelation 21: 18-21; Romans 8:18; Ezekiel 1:13).

            Heaven is an eternal or everlasting or an endless abode. Heaven will not cease to exist (Titus 1: 2; Matthew 25: 46).  

Greatest Reward in Heaven

            No one can see God in this time and age (John 1:18). So seeing God face-to-face is the greatest reward in heaven. When we are in heaven, we can see God face-to-face (1 Corinthians 13: 12; Revelation 22: 4). What more do we need than to see God and be in HIS holy and glorious presence through all eternity!

            Theologians term this face-to-face experience with God as the “Beatific Vision.” Seeing God face-to-face offers the believers:

            1. Perfect knowledge of God (1 John 3:2; 1 Corinthians 13: 9-10).

            2. Permanent state of perfection. Just as God is a permanent or a changeless state of perfection, salvation from sin would rescue the believers from any damage caused by sin, thereby rendering a permanent state of perfection.

            3. An impossibility to sin; sight of an infinitely good God will render sin as an impossibility while in a state of perfection.  

New Heaven and New Earth

            Revelation 21: 1-4 teaches that after believers’ resurrection and attaining glorious bodies, heaven will descend on earth in the form of the New Jerusalem, “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, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell 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.”” This new heaven, our eternal abode, will have foundations, gates and dimensions.

Will Infants Who Die Go to Heaven?

            Yes. 2 Samuel 12: 23 offers a crucial insight to answer this question, for David says that his deceased infant son would go to heaven, “But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” Since infants do not possess the ability to either accept or reject Christ, we believe that deceased infants would go to heaven.

Will There Be Babies & Old People in Heaven?

            No. Heaven is a place of perfection, whereas babies, who are stunted in growth and of less maturity, do not possess perfect body or mind. Old people similarly are not in a perfect state of health in body and mind. Moreover, since all believers would have a perfect glorious body in heaven, this perfect and glorious body would neither be too young or too old but an appropriate age as God has determined.

Will Everyone Be Equally Blessed in Heaven?

            No. Not everyone would be equally blessed. Believers would be rewarded differently in heaven based on their love for God and their obedience to HIM while on earth (Matthew 16: 27; Luke 19: 17-19; 1 Corinthians 3: 11-15). Those with greater love and obedience for the Lord would receive greater reward in heaven.

Will We Recognize Loved Ones in Heaven?

            Yes. Peter acknowledged Moses and Elijah by name on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17: 1-4). Paul implied this in his encouragement of Thessalonians (4: 13-18).

Will We Eat in Heaven?

            Yes. Perfect and glorious bodies need not be nourished. However, we will eat for pleasure and not for necessity (cf. Matthew 26: 29).  

Will There Be Sex in Heaven?

            No. There would be no marriage, sexual intercourse or procreation in heaven (Matthew 22: 30). State of perfection eliminates sexual desires. 

Will We Continue to Learn and Morally Improve in Heaven?

            No. Heaven is not a place for progress, but perfection (1 Corinthians 13: 2). Heaven is not a place for striving, but an abode of rest (John 9: 4; Revelation 14: 13).

            When we are in the presence of God and when we see HIM face-to-face, we would no longer be learning but we would be perpetually worshipping.  

Will We Experience Time in Heaven?

            Time is a measurement of change i.e. before and after or past, present and future. In heaven there would be no change because heaven is a place of perfection. There need be no change in perfection.

            If perfection changes, it ought to be a change for the better or worse. But we cannot be better than perfect and perfection cannot lose its state in the absence of an agent that could destroy perfection, namely Satan.

            Therefore, our state in heaven will be like that of the angels, who are not in time by nature but can be related to it by activity.

Will There Be Animals in Heaven?

            The metaphors of peace employed in the Bible about the peaceful coexistence of lion and the lamb under the rule of God and the metaphor of eternal life in the description of the tree of life could imply the existence of plants and animals in heaven.

            But would our very own pets be in heaven with us? I have no idea! But then it cannot be negated with certainty, for recreating our pets is not impossible with God.

Conclusion:

            We live in an evil world. Corruption is in every sphere of our life. Pain and suffering is evident in our lives and in the lives of those around us. Innocent people are massacred and maimed, both physically and emotionally.

            Our great desire is for the world to be a better place. But there is no restoration in sight until the Lord Jesus Christ returns to eliminate evil once and for all.

            Given the undesirable nature of our present life and the most desirable life in heaven, everyone would love to be in heaven. But the Bible unequivocally teaches that only those who believe and remain in Christ would be in heaven.

            So if you do not believe the Lord Jesus Christ, it is my prayer that you would love and believe the God who unconditionally loves you even when you do not believe in HIM. May your life be surrendered to Christ and may we cohabit in heaven with God forever and ever. Amen.

Endnote:

            Much of the information presented in this essay is sourced from Dr. Norman Geisler’s work: “Systematic Theology, Volume Four: Church, Last Things.”        

Why The Hell

            It’s no surprise that many people hate hell. Nobody loves punishment!   

            Hell is synonymous with evil, because hell is the abode of those who reject the one true and living God. Those who reject God are, by nature and in essence, evil. They are evil since they have not repented of their sins, so their sins are unforgiven.

            Heaven and hell are consequences for man’s life on earth.  If there’s no hell, people can do what they want and how they want. Those who do not want consequences for their actions hate hell.

            It doesn’t matter whether we like or hate hell. If it is there, it is there.

            Why the hell? Instead of asking “why should there be a hell?” we could ask “what would happen if there is no hell?”

            So if there is no hell, there would be…

No Punishment & No Justice

            Hell is the perfect punishment for evil. Since evil exists, punishment should prevail. If there is no hell, there will be no perfect punishment for evil.

            Human justice system is not omniscient. So some offenders will always escape the clutches of the human justice system. Moreover, corruption is rampant everywhere, and that includes the human justice system. Corruption entails that innocent could be punished and the guilty go scot-free.

            Whatever the case may be, lack of punishment is effectively the lack of justice. How can there be justice when evil people go unpunished and innocent people suffer?

            Therefore, if there is no hell, evil would remain unpunished. Hence there would be no justice.

Sovereignty of Evil

            Evil people prosper in this time and age (cf. Psalm 73: 3). If evil people prosper, the weak and innocent would suffer deeply.

            The movie “Purge” depicts a synopsis of a world where evil rules the good for a brief period of time. One day in a year is earmarked to “purge.” There would be no consequence for crimes (evil) that day. People could go berserk and unleash evil for 12 hours on that day where all crime is legal. Purge was a vent to unleash one’s concealed evil into the world and a means to an artificial population control.

            During “purge,” evil is sovereign. This would be the perpetual state of the world if there is no hell.

            When evil rules, evil would be the superior moral. If there is no consequence for evil deeds i.e. if there is no hell, good cannot be the superior moral (good need not be stronger than evil). If evil rules over good, evil would be the sole standard for life. Hence evil will pulverize the good.    

Amoral World

            Evil rules when there is no punishment. If evil is sovereign, this world would be amoral (evil would be the only superlative moral). Wouldn’t morality cease when the right-wrong moral distinction is erased?   

            For the sake of this discussion let us categorize evils as lesser and greater. The lesser evils could be gossips, jealousy, bad temper leading to minor offenses, rivalry, factions, party-spirit, and envy.

            The greater evils could be the horrendous evils. Christian philosopher and priest, Marilyn McCord Adams lists horrendous evils, “…the rape of a woman and axing off of her arms, psychophysical torture…betrayal of one’s deepest loyalties, cannibalizing one’s own offspring, child abuse…child pornography, parental incest, slow death by starvation, participation in the Nazi death camps, the explosion of nuclear bombs over populated areas, having to choose which of one’s children shall live and which will be executed by terrorists…I regard these as paradigmatic, because I believe most people would find in the doing or suffering of them prima-facie reason to doubt the positive meaning of their lives. …” ¹

            Predicated on the fact that life is more valuable than materials, it might be of less significance to the victim and the society if a thief who robbed a pen was not convicted of his crime. But it is of a great significance if a murderer of a child remains unpunished for his crime. 

            The thief who habitually steals pens could progressively deteriorate into robbing millions. During this progressive deterioration, the thief could also become a killer. Thus the possibilities for the lesser evil to transform into greater evil are endless.

            What prevents a man from committing petty crimes when evil rules? Man, on an average, may not commit horrendous evils always. But man is totally susceptible to committing the lesser evils such as, sexual immorality, gossips, quarrelling, jealousy, rivalry, factions, party-spirit, and envy, which in turn could lead to horrendous evils.

            The lesser evils would also increase in intensity and magnitude. When lesser evils increase, the society would be exceedingly volatile. Living under these conditions would be unbearable. In other words, we would be living in an amoral world under constant suffering.

            If evil rules, violence would be rampant and peace would cease, for the world we live in would be amoral.

God’s Non-Existence

            A world without hell could only be postulated under the condition that God does not exist i.e. an atheistic paradigm. It is very reasonable for evil to prosper and justice and peace to be non-existent in the atheistic worldview.

            The atheistic paradigm would not (or cannot) offer any reasonable or logical answers to the problem of evil. Such is the moral bankruptcy of atheism.

            Ask an atheist to explain the presence of evil. More often than not, they would quote Richard Dawkins in his work “River Out of Eden” and say “there is no such thing as evil.”

            Mind you, it is Dawkins and his followers who brand the God of the Bible as evil. On one hand they say that there is no evil, but on the other hand they contradict their statement that there is no evil to assert that the God of the Bible is evil.

            God forbid, if a calamity befalls these atheists, who claim that there is no evil, would they enjoy their calamity or suffer through it in pain and tears? Evidently, no sane human would enjoy evil but only suffer through it in pain and tears, for pain is inherent in evil.

            So an atheist who denies God’s existence will deny evil and will deny hell. He has no other option. So if there is no hell, there is no god.

Conclusion

            If there is no hell, then:

            1. Evil would be unpunished.

            2. Evil would be sovereign (rule over good).

            3. World would be amoral.

            4. There should be no God (for hell is only plausible if God exists).

            But this is the existential reality. Sovereignty is singular. There cannot be two sovereign beings i.e. two maximally great beings. When a being is sovereign, all other beings are subjugated.

            We are not living in a world where evil is sovereign. We are living in a world where God is sovereign. Although Satan is the temporary ruler of this world, the sovereign God is in total control.

            We know that God is in total control since our world is not amoral. There are punishments for evils. Evil does not rule over good.  

            Good still rules over evil. This is precisely why a good number of people enjoy a rather peaceful existence. The presence of God entails peace.

            God has temporarily allowed evil to reign. But HE has assured us that not a hair from our head will perish.

            God is good. God does not tolerate evil.

            If we repent of our sins, believe and remain in the Lord and Savior Christ, we will be saved. Those who do not believe in Christ remain evil, since their sins remain unforgiven because of their conscious rejection of Christ.

            Such an evil person sins against an infinite God. Sins against an infinite God mandate an infinite punishment in the form of hell. Hell then is the eternal abode of all those who reject Christ.

            In case you have not received Christ yet, please pray and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your God and savior. I pray that you repent of your sins and ask Christ to forgive you. The merciful and loving Lord will forgive you and you will be with God forever and ever. I pray this in Christ’s name. Amen.

Endnotes:

¹Marilyn McCord Adams, “Horrendous Evils and the Goodness of God,” The Problem of Evil (ed. Marilyn McCord Adams and Robert Merrihew Adams, New York: Oxford University Press, 1990), p. 211-12.