Resources by Topic: Heaven

I understand your position and I suppose it could have some merit, as long as it’s clear this is not like a progressive resurrection. The resurrection will happen all at once at a time yet in the future.

Universalism originated in the Garden of Eden when Satan said ‘you will not surely die’ (Gen. 3:4). The appeal by Universalists to God’s desire to save all is unconvincing because the same God who reveals that He desires for everyone to be saved also reveals that not everyone is saved. Additionally, we must distinguish between God’s sovereign will (which God infallibly brings to pass in the world), and His permissive will (what He does not want in and of itself, but wills to occur in light of all of history considered together).

Jesus said, “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). This never-ending life is promised to those who believe in Jesus. “But how can this be?” you might ask. “After all, everyone will die at some point.” True. But death isn’t the end of the story. Jesus promised that someday we’ll live forever with him. That means we’ll live again after we die.

Suicide is the unjustified killing of a human being, and is therefore forbidden in the commandments not to murder. Scripture says very little directly about suicide. However, it says much about God’s character and we can certainly trust in His love, fairness and judgment.

Eternal rewards is a hot topic in the evangelical community, partly because some people think it is anti-grace and leads to works-righteousness to earn salvation. Nothing could be further from the truth, but that’s the perception.  

The Old Testament uses no single word for universe or cosmos. When Genesis 1:1 speaks of God’s creating “the heavens and the earth,” the words are synonymous with what we mean by universe.

This was just my imagination. I actually said “If God wishes, He may create new beings for us to rule.” 

There is no indication that animals have eternal souls. However, God is perfectly capable of recreating (not the same as resurrecting) an animal who has died. 

So what is “ours” is ultimately God’s, including whatever he gives to us. But that is every bit as true here on earth as it is in Heaven. And the fact that God owns whatever is “mine” does not mean there is no distinction between what I own and what others own.  

Notice that the New Jerusalem, which was in Heaven, will come down out of Heaven from God. Where does it go? To the New Earth. From that time on, “the dwelling of God” will be with redeemed mankind on Earth.

How do we stop the madness of pride and the insanity of sin? We stop it by raising our eyes toward heaven and by realizing that we are nothing and He is everything, and that the universe is not about what pleases me, but what pleases God. (This is an argument for starting each day in Scripture to recalibrate and make sure the compass is pointing true north, to the person of God.)

If the New Earth is all the best of the old earth and more, then we should expect it to contain animals.

Since Christ is the judge and king, very likely he is the member of the Godhead that OT saints would stand before.

Returning to the prefall-Adamic state is not our destiny. The glorification we'll experience in the resurrected state will entail the righteousness of Christ which is far beyond the innocence known by Adam and Eve. But the Curse placed on the Earth because of the fall will be removed and the natural world will have an Eden-like quality, as we see from Revelation where the Tree of Life that was in Eden will be on the New Earth.