Faith Church just concluded a four-week series called “Heaven and Hell: Life, Death, and the Afterlife.” The messages in the series addressed some key truths from the Bible about what happens when we die and what heaven and hell are like. We recognized that four messages was not enough time to answer all the questions people have about this topic, so we invited people to submit questions they had and tried to answer them at a couple of different events (if you missed the Hot Topic event with some of our pastors answering some of these questions, you can find it here). The posts for the next couple of weeks will work through the questions we received.

I found out that we had some technical issues with many people’s computers freezing when we answered this question so I wanted to start with it:
One of the most common questions we received was about animals — in particular, will  pets and other animals be in heaven?
Something to remember is that while animals are living beings and even seem to have personalities, there is a difference between humans and animals. Animals are not made in the image of God and do not seem to be moral agents to the same degree as humans. Dogs aren’t discussing with each other what happens when they die and if they will be in heaven! The preacher in Ecclesiastes does make a comment that might imply that humans and animals have the same final fate. Ecclesiates 3:19-21: “For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?” However, he ends up recognizing that there is a difference – “and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7). Thus, it would not seem that animals are resurrected like humans. On first glance, Revelation 22:15 may point to there not being any animals in heaven, as it says that dogs are outside the gates alongside of “sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.” However, it is likely this is metaphorical (see Deuteronomy 23:8 and Philippians 3:2) and not literal reference, particularly since dogs in the ancient world were not the cute cuddly ones but the mangy, rabid ones – thus fitting symbols for people who engage in ungodly behaviors. There are other passages that may point to animals in the new earth. For example Isaiah 11:6-7, 65:25 discuss how animals that are currently at odds with each other (because one eats the other!) will be at peace. Furthermore, the imagery of a new Eden points to the potential for animals there. Thus, we might not be able to say for sure that there are animals on the new earth, but it seems plausible and likely to me; however, these animals would not seem to be the particular animals we knew in this earthly life.

There are several references in the Bible where people had died and were raised from the dead (Lazarus, Jairus’ daughter, etc.). Are there any references in the Bible or elsewhere that describe what the individuals experienced while they were in the afterlife?
One thing that I find very interesting in these stories is that these individuals do not describe what happens to them when they die. In fact, there is a possibility that the Apostle Paul might have had such an experience when he was getting pelted with stones, as he talks about going to the third heaven (see 2 Corinthians 12), but he doesn’t go into detail about what he saw. A number of people have claimed to have these visions and experiences, but we should not view those as authoritative guides (as some have proved to be frauds and all would involve interpretations of what people saw). We need to rely only on Scripture for the truths about heaven and hell and use it as a guide on how we should live. w

Is there an option besides heaven and hell? What about purgatory? Why do some churches believe in purgatory, and where is it found in the Bible?
My study of Scripture leads me to only see two places to go after death: paradise (heaven) and punishment (hell). People begin to experience those realities when they die, but also recognize there is a final state after the resurrection, as seen in the Book of Revelation. The Roman Catholic Church describes purgatory as a place or state of suffering inhabited by the souls of sinners who are expiating (make amends for) their sins before going to heaven. In other words, it is not a second chance for people to get to heaven, but a “waiting room” for those going to heaven to make sure they “achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven”. Some try to find a basis for this idea in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, but it should be noted that it is the works, not the persons, who are run through the fire. While some will point to a passage in 2 Maccabees 12 (which talks about praying for the dead) as a basis, this is not a book that Protestants view as inspired and authoritative (discussion of this reasoning can be found in this post from 2016). From my study, the grounding of the doctrine is largely based on tradition (which some Christians find to be authoritative, but the Reformed do not) and a theological need to make amends for venial sins (which do not lead to hell), not mortal sins. I also do not find this distinction in Scripture. I find the doctrine is not logical, especially since there is an idea in the teaching that someone’s works or prayers can help shorten the time in purgatory, as it would seem that the person should serve their whole time, lest their “holiness” is underbaked! 

There were a number of questions submitted regarding relationships with others in heaven.  Will we recognize people? Will we realize if our loved ones are not in heaven, and if so, how can we still have joy? Will we still have our spouse in heaven?
It is always good to remember that our vision of heaven should have God at its center (with texts like 1 Thessalonians 4:18 reminding us that we will be with the Lord forever and Revelation 21:3 emphasizing that God will dwell with us on the new earth). It also seems that part of the vision of heaven is being with God and with people who have walked before us. The Old Testament describes death as being with our fathers, and there is imagery of being with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Luke 13:28-29; 16:19-31). When Jesus takes the disciples up on a mountain and is transfigured in front of them, the disciples recognize Moses and Elijah. Furthermore, the way Paul speaks about how to think about the death of fellow believers (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) points to being reunited with them – in the presence of the Lord.

While we will be with loved ones who believe, Jesus tells us in Luke 12:34-37 that there is no marriage in heaven. There is no need for procreation and the picture of Christ and the church that marriage models is now fully realized as we are with Christ. This does not mean that you won’t know or recognize your spouse,  just that there will be different (maybe even deeper) relationships. It is unclear what happens to family units. Jesus does not say that brothers are no longer brothers in that text but does point out elsewhere that we actually gain brothers and sisters in the kingdom, so it would appear that we gain (not lose) relationships in heaven. (Luke 18:29-30). 

Finally, if we can recognize people, it would seem that we could note who is NOT there. While we may think this brings sadness, we know there are no tears in heaven (Revelation 21:4). What that likely means is that we will know they are not in heaven, but will recognize that their fate is the just judgment for their actions and choices; that they have rejected and pushed away the wonderful God that we love and worship. Often we think, “How could God do that to them?” Instead, we should say, “How could they do that to God?”

People also asked about our knowledge of things in heaven. Will we remember all things from earth? If so, how can we remember the bad things that happened to us and be happy? Will there be a “heavenly light bulb” that lights up so that all the questions we have about the universe will be answered?
It would seem that we will have a greater ability to understand and know things when we are in heaven, as the effects of sin on our minds and hearts has been removed. There are some things we can’t comprehend because we are not firing on all the cylinders God created our brains with, and there are also things that we might choose not to know or understand because our hearts, wrecked by sin, will not embrace them. However, we will not know everything because we will not be omniscient — only God knows all things. The angelic beings may know more than we will, but they still do not have a complete understanding of all things and are amazed at God’s working plan. This greater understanding might help us in the remembrance of things in this world, the evils we saw, and the evils done to us. While it says in Isaiah 65:17 that the “former” things will not be remembered, I don’t think this means our memories are erased like in a person in the movie Men in Black! God is said not to remember our sins – this does not mean He lacks knowledge of them, but He views them through a different lens. Just as happy memories can also be marked with sadness in this life, those sad memories would seem to have other feelings attached to them because of our greater knowledge of things and experience in the presence of God. 

A number of questions we received are about the judgment of believers. Why are we judged when we reach heaven? I know the Bible says we will be judged, but why? Aren’t we now made perfect through Jesus’s saving death? What are the rewards we get in heaven – will everyone receive one? Since our sins, past, present and future are all covered by the blood of Jesus when we are forgiven and accept Jesus as our Savior, will our sins be brought up again when we get to Heaven?
The Bible speaks about all people being judged in a number of places – for example Ecclesiates 12:13; Matthew 12:36; Acts 17:31; Romans 2:5; 14:10, 12; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Hebrews 9:27; 1 John 4:17, and Revelation 20. This judgment would seem to include believers. There are passages that say believers will not be judged (John 5:24), but these verses are describing judgment in terms of condemnation; we will be judged but not condemned. This judgment happens to all since it will show justice (punishing evil and rewarding good) and also God’s mercy, grace, and glory. For believers, this is not something that we should fear, as we will not be condemned and can be assured of our salvation through faith in Christ. If our sins are brought to light at this time, the purpose is not to shame us, but rather to allow us to marvel at God’s wonderful grace. Passages that speak about rewards include Jesus’s parables in Matthew 25:14-30 and Luke 19:12-26; it seems there are different degrees of reward based on our service. There is also a focus to make sure that our works are done with the right motive and means so that the rewards we could receive are not lost (1 Corinthians 3:8-15 speaks about loss of reward, not of salvation). We aren’t given much detail about the nature of the rewards (perhaps because the joy we get is more than we can even imagine). The imagery in the parables that Jesus talks about rewards may point to these rewards being connected to responsibilities we have on the new earth, with the greater reward being the greater responsibility. It should be noted, however, that this idea of different rewards does not mean some are jealous of others. perhaps there is a sense in which all have the same things, but there are some who can enjoy them more fully because the reward is a greater ability to comprehend and enjoy God’s blessings.

We’ll continue to look at questions that were submitted about heaven and hell next week.

Questions about the Bible or theology? Email them to Pastor Brian at Theology@WeAreFaith.org. You can also request to receive weekly emails with our blog posts by filling out the information on the right side.