I COMPLETELY MISREAD THE QUESTION.
I’m not sure I would have picked it if I hadn’t misread it. And I can’t believe I misread it so utterly completely.
What in the world is happening with the brain when the question on the screen in front of you reads like this:
When we are all in Heaven, will we remember loved ones who are not in Heaven with us?
But you read it like this:
When we are all in Heaven, will we recognize loved ones?
If I have the onset of a disease, gently let me know. Otherwise, I’ll assume I’m working too hard and shouldn’t be doing this stuff on the weekends.
The thing is, I went so far as to actually write the blog article for the question I saw on the page instead of the question that was sitting on the page. Maybe I’ll post that one on Wednesday if I recognize Wednesday when I see it.
But for now, I actually have to think about this tough question that I probably would not have picked. It’s that tough.
The Bible Question of the Week comes from Syndi Bowlan. She gets a free book for sending me a question that made the cut, accidentally though it was. She chose 100 Tough Questions About God and the Bible. The book’s in the mail, Syndi.
I’m sad to say her tough question is not in that book. If it were, I’d use it here. This is Syndi’s full set of questions:
When we are all in Heaven, will we remember loved ones who are not in Heaven with us? What happens when a wife is a Christian and her husband is not? Will she have a husband in Heaven, will she have any memory of him?
That’s at least three questions. Way to go Syndi. You could join the Washington DC press corps.
How about we jump to the second question and clump questions one and three together?
What happens when a wife is a Christian and her husband is not?
Many Christians I know say the wife would go to heaven, the husband would not, and for this grieving wife and others like her, God “will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever” (Revelation 21:4).
Christians sitting on the other end of the theological teeter totter would argue that all dawgs go to heaven—all souls get straightened out.
They point to this verse: “God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross” (Colossians 1:20).
There are a bunch of other theories in between, most of which put the wife in one place (with or without a memory of her husband) and the husband in another place somewhere away from God and his kingdom.
When we are all in Heaven, will we remember loved ones who are not in Heaven with us? Will she [a Christian wife] have a husband in Heaven, will she have any memory of him?
Jesus seemed to answer the last part of that question: “When God raises people to life, they won’t marry. They will be like the angels in heaven” (Matthew 22:30).
Some would say that’s why it’s heaven.
That’s a marriage joke. But trust me, it’s no joke to many married couples.
Now to the toughest question: whether or not we’ll remember a spouse or any other loved ones who didn’t make it into heaven.
The Bible doesn’t answer that question, as far as I can tell.
If we do remember and grieve over them, the Bible does say God is going to wipe away the tears and that heaven will not be a place for grieving.
I don’t know what to make of that.
To my simple way of thinking, that sounds like either a lobotomy or perhaps acceptance based on the reality that wherever our loved ones are they are okay.
If any of you can come up with other theories, have at it.
Syndi, these are all serious and worrisome questions you’re asking.
I know. I grew up in a home with a Christian mother and a non-Christian father. Dad did not become a man of faith until I was a teenager. I know that Mom worried about this. Young as I was, I did too.
The question is probably even more worrisome when the non-Christian spouse has died.
Would this be heretical? What if people wondering about the eternal state of a dead loved one
- decide not to put their faith in someone’s interpretation of what the Bible says about who survives Judgment Day?
- put their faith in the Judge – and maybe even think of him as a Judge who, if on earth, would need to recuse himself because he loves us and he loves the souls we love?
In other words, why think ill of the dead?
Many Christians choose not to presume what God is going to do with our “lost” loved ones, though some of us were raised in churches that taught us to presume.
Some wonder if a better approach might be to just count on God to do the right thing. And then hope we’ll see it as the right thing, by and by.
There’s a reason we’re called People of Faith. When we hit the “I don’t know,” we count on Who we know.
If my interpretation of scripture is correct, only people who have totally rejected God will not be in His presence in Heaven. If this is true, those people would not wish to be there anyway. A darkened soul would not be able to tolerate the light of Heaven and God. My question is, does something such as purgatory really exist, and is there a way for a soul to be redeemed in the afterlife?
Tom, that’s a question I’ve been hearing more and more these days. I suspect it’s because the traditional view is too hard to swallow, given what Jesus and Paul teach about God. I should add that question to the list I consider trying to tackle for the Monday Q&A feature.
While there are no scriptures pertaining to will we remember those who didn’t believe and we loved them and didn’t make it into heaven. For the scripture of no more sorrow in Heaven. I think and it’s only a opinion not concerned however I think that missing and grieving someone who didn’t make would be most sorrowful. I think that they would most likely be forgotten as if they didn’t exsist. That all things would be reconciled by God. Open to any other ideals or opinions. When we are transformed I think it may have to do with not remembering what was because of everything being made new.
My question is, I’ve heard that somewhere in the Bible and I haven’t been able to find it but I’ve heard Pastors talk about it that there will be a time of morning for those of us that are in heaven over the loved ones that didn’t make it to heaven, but then, of course, he will wipe that out of our minds, and wipe every tear Away forever because of course we can’t mourn in heaven heaven is a place of happiness, so where in the Bible does it say that there will be a time of morning for our loved ones and then God will wipe it out of our minds?
Revelation 21:5, The Casual English Bible: “4God will wipe away every teardrop from every eyeball. Death will be dead and gone. It’ll take with it all the pain, tears, and grief. It’ll all be gone, along with the first heaven, earth, and sea.”
I’ve written books about the Bible for 40 years and I’ve never come across anything about people in heaven seeing loved ones who didn’t make the cut. The Bible tells us almost nothing about life after death. What it does say is often in the form of poetry, song lyrics, or highly symbolic apocalyptic literature which we should not read like a news article.
Some Christians say everyone will make it because the Bible says,
“This was God’s peace plan.
He would reconcile with everyone in heaven and on earth.
He would do it through the blood of Christ on the cross.” Colossians 1:20
Others say they believe some will spend eternity in hell.
Google some of my blogs about this. There is a wide range of opinions among Christians about the afterlife.
Steve
I am a very strong reader if the Holy Bible and Theology. No where in true Christian Theology or the Holy Bible is a mention of any place other than many levels of eternal punishment if he’ll.
But through the Grace if God a virgin who was only a virgin until she gave birth and probably went through the purification ritual of the Jews following the birth of a male child, gave Beloved Joseph at least 6 other children for Jesus to grow up with.
This only Son of God who is also God with the The Holy Spirit gave us Grace through His sacrifice and death and glorious Resurrection. He took all my sins, your sons and every sin with flogging and punishment and crucifixion. We can’t do anything to save ourselves from hell. Grace of God saved us. He loves us and purgatory is man made indulgences first to build St. Peter and robes for the Pope. Gold plates. Indulgences can’t save you at all. You go to the Judgement seat either with your faith in Jesus or hoping people on earth can get more papers to save you from a fake false place. There’s no purgatory at all.
Thanks for taking that on Steve….even if you orignially misread my questions ;). It seems lately every question I ask someone I get the same answer – Trust God. I do believe He is trying to tell me something!!
Thanks for the book. I started reading it last night!
The most important questions have some pretty solid answers, though. Jesus lived. He died. He rose again. He said we would, too. Given that, I’m okay with a lot of “I don’t know” for the other stuff.
I think of the scripture where he said, Depart from me, I never knew you. So if He never knew a person then how would we remember them?
My friend and I were having a discussion today about when spouses remarry after another dies. When they get to heaven, how does that work? My friend says that they go back to their long time spouses before they remarried. But it’s not always a long time spouse. But maybe all of this isn’t an issue if we go by the verse in Matthew you quoted above. All of this thinking is hurting my head!
I once read in an old Teaching Bible,like for Pastors,it was really old maybe 20’s or 30’s something about after the rapture that if you have a loved one that didn’t make it that God would give you a choice to stay where you are with Him,or be sent back to try and turn your loved one to Jesus,but that you would be in the middle of bad stuff going here….is there any truth to this.
No, not that I have ever seen discussed in the Bible.
In the field of near death studies, many have decided to return to help those still on earth and have been able to tell the living about what they learned in heaven or hell. Much is covered in that field that is not explained in the Bible, but we have thousands of first hand accounts by now. This usually involves a younger person who was able to be resuscitated.
In the field of near death studies, many have decided to return to help those still on earth and have been able to tell the living about what they learned in heaven or hell. Much is covered in that field that is not explained in the Bible, but we have thousands of first hand accounts by now. This usually involves a younger person who was able to be resuscitated.