The Glory and Majesty of the New Jerusalem

Do those in heaven have any knowledge of what is happening on earth right now? The Bible is not clear. Some believe 1 Samuel 28:16-18; Luke 15:7,10; and Hebrews 12:1 teach that persons in heaven have a knowledge of what is taking place on earth. Certainly God and the angels have knowledge of what is taking place on earth. As for believers who are now in heaven, there is no conclusive answer. We simply do not know.

Will we be aware of loved ones who are not in heaven? I do not know. The Bible teaches in Revelation 21:4 that there will be no tears, nor sorrow, nor pain in heaven. It is possible we will see them as God sees them. It is also possible He wipes away our memories of them.

Will there be marriage in heaven? No. Jesus said in Matthew 22:30, “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in heaven.”

Will there be sex in heaven? That is a most interesting question and has received various answers by theologians. The Roman Catholic philosopher and theologian Peter Kreeft argues that there will be sex in heaven because humans are sexual beings and they will maintain their sexual identity throughout eternity. With respect to the issues of sexual intercourse, he says,

I think there will probably be millions of more adequate ways to express love than the clumsy ecstasy of fitting two bodies together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Even the most satisfying earthly intercourse between spouses cannot perfectly express all their love. If the possibility of intercourse in heaven is not actualized, it is only for the same reason earthly lovers do not eat candy during intercourse: there is something much better to do. (“Sex in Heaven”)

He concludes by arguing, “This spiritual intercourse with God is the ecstasy hinted at in all earthly intercourse, physical or spiritual” (ibid.).

Will Jesus be the only person of the Trinity we shall see in heaven? No. The Bible makes clear in Revelation 21–22 that we shall see God in all of His fullness. In other words, we will see that there is only one God, yet this one God exists as three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (see Matt 5:8; 1 John 3:2).

Will Jesus still have the scars in His hands, feet, and side in heaven? Yes. We will see that these are the only man-made things in heaven!

Can you eat all that you want in heaven and not get fat? Yes. In heaven, with a glorified body, everything will be processed perfectly and everything will be enjoyed supremely.

Will angels escort us to heaven? Based on Luke 16:22, there is reason to believe that when a believer dies, an angel will escort him or her into the presence of God.

Will we go to heaven as it eternally exists or to an intermediate state of blessedness when we die? The Bible teaches that we go immediately into the presence of God into an intermediate state, sometimes called “paradise” in the Bible. Therefore, we are with God though we are not in our final resting place.

Do people who commit suicide go to heaven? If a person has trusted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, they will go to heaven. Suicide is a sin, but it is not the unpardonable sin.

Will animals go to heaven? The Bible is not clear as to whether animals go to heaven, though we have every reason to believe there will be animals in the new heaven, the new earth, and the new Jerusalem. Romans 8:19-23 speaks of the whole creation groaning and waiting for its redemption. Certainly animals would fall into this category, and they also are a part of God’s good creation.

Why do even Christians sometimes fear death and going to heaven? Because death is unnatural and was never intended by God for us. If Adam and Eve had never sinned, they would have never died. Therefore, there is a sense in which the fear of death is understandable, even for those who know they are going to be with God. Yet the Bible is also clear that through Christ we can overcome that fear. To be absent from this body is to be immediately present with Him (2 Cor 5:8).

Will we know everything in heaven? Of course not. Often people confuse heaven and deity. We will still be human in heaven and therefore finite (but immortal by God’s sustaining power). As a result, our knowledge will be finite. One of the joys of heaven will be that we will go on forever and ever learning more and more and more about the greatness and the glory of our God.

Will we all be equal in heaven? No. The Bible teaches that there are both degrees of punishment in hell and degrees of reward in heaven. However, there will be no jealousy in heaven. Every vessel will be completely filled concerning its capacity. No one will have more than they are capable of holding and no one will have less than they are capable of holding. Everyone will be satisfied perfectly with who they are and what they have. Thomas Watson said, “Though every vessel of mercy shall be full, yet one vessel may hold more than another” (Body of Practical Divinity, 475).

Will we have emotions in heaven? Yes. Just as we now exist as whole persons with mind, will, and emotion, so in heaven mind, will, and emotion will function perfectly as we enjoy fully all that these various components of the human personality provide.

Will we be free to sin in heaven? No. We will be free not to sin in heaven. Just as God is completely free in His will and sinless, so we in our glorified state will be completely free and sinless. We will be free to be our true selves as God created us to be, and that involves both full freedom and the absence of sin.

What will we possess in heaven? Nothing and everything! There appears to be no private property in heaven, no ownership. Yet we will all possess its fullness, goodness, truth, beauty, love, life, and most of all, God. These things make heaven heaven.

Will we wear clothes in heaven? Probably. However, the Bible seems to indicate the possibility that our clothing will be a natural outgrowth of our glorified humanity. In heaven light is the supreme entity, and it reigns in all of its fullness. Remember, Adam and Eve were naked in the garden before the fall, and they were not ashamed.

How big is heaven? Heaven is big enough so that billions and billions of saved people are never crowded yet small enough so that no one ever gets lost or feels alone.

Is heaven serious or funny? Yes. In heaven there will be joy and happiness, seriousness and solemnity. All of these things will indeed constitute our experiences in heaven.

Will we be bored in heaven? Absolutely not. In heaven we are with God, who is infinite. We will never come to the end of knowing Him, loving Him, exploring Him, and growing in our knowledge of Him. In heaven, even though it is eternity, each day will be a new day as we learn more and more about the magnificence and glory of our great God.

Will we age in heaven? No. But we will be fully complete, mature, perfect, and whole.

Will there be ethnic segregation in heaven? No. In heaven our oneness in Christ and the realization of our family relationship will come to perfect fruition.

Will injuries, deformities, and other physical disabilities disappear in heaven? Yes. Amputees will have their limbs restored; the paralyzed will be healed, the blind will see, and the mentally disabled will be given full intelligence and cognitive ability.

Will we be able to do the supernatural and miraculous in heaven? Probably. We will have a glorified body like Jesus. We will be like Adam and Eve before the fall but better.

Will there be government in heaven? Yes. It will be a theocracy (i.e., God ruled)! Revelation 21:24 says, “The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.” Thus, God’s sovereign rule will be perfectly realized and manifested in heaven among angels and humans.

Will there be music and singing in heaven? Yes, and with great variety I am sure.

What language will we speak in heaven? We will speak every language with perfect clarity and complete understanding.

What will heaven look like? Beautiful and glorious! It transcends human description.

Will we work in heaven? Yes, and it will be the most satisfying and fulfilling labor we have ever known. We will never get tired or tire of the work.

Will we play sports in heaven? Why not? Zechariah 8:5 says, “The streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in them.”

Will we be—or be like—angels in heaven? No and yes. No, because we are humans and the object of God’s redeeming love. Further, we will judge angels, according to 1 Corinthians 6:3, having authority over them. But yes, we are like the angels in that in heaven we will not marry and procreate.

What will we look like in heaven? Perfect! We will have a transformed, glorified body in heaven that is incorruptible, glorious, powerful, and spiritual (1 Cor 15:42-44)! In fact, it will be a body like the body of the resurrected and glorified Jesus (Phil 3:20-21; 1 John 3:2-3).

Of course, the most important question one could ever ask about heaven is this: How does one go to heaven? And the answer is simple and yet incredibly difficult. It is simple for us, but it was incredibly difficult and costly to God. By repenting of sin and placing one’s faith and trust completely and only in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, one can be saved and go to heaven. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Trust in Christ and only Christ, and your eternal home will be heaven.