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* ALL Questions about Heaven, Hell, and Eternity *

Is it possible to be so heavenly minded that you are of no earthly good?​

Answer

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., is attributed with the quote “Some people are so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good.” The same sentiment found its way into a song by Johnny Cash: “You’re shinin’ your light, and shine it you should, / But you’re so heavenly minded you’re no earthly good” (“No Earthly Good,” from The Rambler, 1977). The criticism that some Christians are “so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good” is a catchy turn of phrase, but is it warranted?

The accusation that some Christians are too heavenly focused and therefore not paying enough attention to earthly matters is based on a false premise, namely, that love of God makes one less capable or less concerned with the practical affairs of the world. Being “heavenly minded” does not result in isolating oneself from the world, ignoring contemporary issues, or declining to be involved. Just the opposite: being heavenly minded results in attempting to please God, who has given us work to do in this world.

Committed, heavenly minded Christians have always tackled the social, environmental, and political problems of the day. Some of the most impactful people in history have been Christians whose faith moved them to action. As C. S. Lewis states in Mere Christianity, “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next” (HarperCollins, 2001, p. 134).

Devoted Christians such as John Newton and William Wilberforce worked tirelessly to abolish the slave trade in England. Christians such as missionary Amy Carmichael, philanthropist George Mueller, and journalist Robert Raikes rescued children in peril, founded orphanages, and established schools. History is full of Christians who positively impacted the world. Their motivation was not simply the need for social reform; rather, they were compelled to do what they did by their strong faith in Jesus and their heavenly focus. It is the very fact that Christians are “heavenly minded” that causes them to help others while spreading the life-changing truth of the gospel.

The Bible insists that Christians be focused on heavenly things: “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). When Christians have their eyes set on Christ, they gain an eternal perspective, and they are of great “earthly good” as their faith impacts their lives and the lives of others (Colossians 3:2; Hebrews 12:1–3).

Scripture teaches that good deeds naturally follow when a person places faith in Jesus Christ (James 2:18). Christians serve the Lord and positively impact the world because of their hope of eternity with Him (1 Corinthians 15:58). True religion involves helping orphans and widows in their distress (James 1:27), doing to others as we would have them do to us (Luke 6:31), giving to those in need (Proverbs 19:17; Acts 20:35), dealing honestly in business (Leviticus 19:11), treating animals humanely (Proverbs 14:21), and proclaiming freedom to those who are enslaved by sin (Ephesians 1:7). A truly heavenly minded Christian is one who lives out his or her faith in service to the Savior and who wants to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8).

It is the earthly minded who accomplish nothing of eternal value. People who are earthly minded are of the world and seek after its desires, which are not from God (1 John 2:15). Being earthly minded is short-sighted: “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17). Those who are focused on serving Christ and bringing Him glory will make a lasting impact on earth and for eternity (see Matthew 6:19–21).

For Further Study​

Heaven and the Afterlife: The Truth About Tomorrow and What It Means for Today by Erwin Lutzer

More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!
 

Will we work / have jobs in heaven?​


Answer

Heaven is a place where believers “will rest from their labor” (Revelation 14:13), but many are surprised to learn that heaven, or the eternal state, will also be a place where we will work. We will have tasks to perform. In the New Jerusalem, the Lamb is on the throne, and “his servants will serve him” (Revelation 22:3). The idea of heaven being a place where we lounge on clouds, benignly strumming harp strings, does not come from the Bible.

The thought of working in heaven may be distasteful to some, especially to those who have spent their lives in drudgery. But the “work” in heaven will be quite unlike our accustomed work in this world. Our job in eternity will simply be to serve the Lord. And we will be in a perfect environment.

From the beginning, God intended work to be part of the human experience. Work was His design; even before the fall, Adam had a job, as God placed him in the garden “to work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15). The woman was to assist with the work, as God created Eve to be Adam’s “helper” (Genesis 2:20). Before the fall, the work God gave Adam and Eve was fulfilling, invigorating, and provided a sense of purpose. Only after the introduction of sin into the world did man’s job become difficult (Genesis 3:17–19). So, while work is good, the “painful toil” we experience today is a result of living in a fallen world.

Even in our sinful world, work is honorable and still has the capacity to provide purpose and fulfillment. The problem is that many things can get in the way of enjoying a job: interpersonal problems, mismanagement, unrealistic demands, physical or mental fatigue, etc. In contrast, work in heaven will be pleasant and satisfying. There will be no interpersonal conflicts, impractical expectations, or fatigue, and we’ll have the perfect Manager. As Randy Alcorn states in his book Heaven, “We’ll also have work to do, satisfying and enriching work that we can’t wait to get back to, work that’ll never be drudgery” (Tyndale/Eternal Perspective Ministries, 2004, p. 331).

Another reason we believe that we will work in heaven is that God describes Himself as a worker. When asked by the Pharisees why He was, in their opinion, violating the Sabbath, Jesus replied, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working” (John 5:17). The idea of God’s children working in heaven should come as no surprise, since the Lord Himself works, and “we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).

Believers will have jobs in heaven, just as the angels have special jobs that they carry out in worship and adoration. Angels are “servants” who do God’s bidding (Hebrews 1:7). The angel who spoke to John called himself “a fellow servant with you” (Revelation 22:9). There are no unemployed angels in heaven, and there will be no unemployed saints.

In our current world, we have this command: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord” (Colossians 3:23). The work that Christians perform in heaven will have the same goal: to be an act of worship glorifying the Lord. The difference will be that, in eternity, the work that God has prepared for us will be instantly rewarding, constantly refreshing, and perfectly suited for who we were created to be.

For Further Study​

Heaven and the Afterlife: The Truth About Tomorrow and What It Means for Today by Erwin Lutzer
More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!

 

Is “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” in the Bible?​


Answer

The officiant of a funeral service saying, “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust” is a common practice in many branches of Christianity. It is most often spoken after the casket is lowered into the grave at the same time that dirt is symbolically thrown on top of the casket. It is interesting to note, however, that the exact phrase ashes to ashes, dust to dust does not occur in the Bible. Rather, it comes from the funeral section of the Book of Common Prayer.

The most well-known version of this funeral rite comes the Anglican Book of Common Prayer and reads as follows:

“In sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, we commend to Almighty God our brother [NAME]; and we commit his body to the ground; earth to earth; ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The Lord bless him and keep him, the Lord make his face to shine upon him and be gracious unto him and give him peace. Amen.”

While ashes to ashes, dust to dust is not explicitly biblical, it is solidly based on Scripture. Genesis 3:19 reads, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” Genesis 18:27 records this statement from Abraham: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes.” Similarly, Job lamented, “He throws me into the m&d, and I am reduced to dust and ashes” (Job 30:19). In Ecclesiastes 3:20, Solomon declared, “All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.”

The saying ashes to ashes, dust to dust is a powerful reminder that God created us from dust (see Genesis 2:7), and that due to sin, our physical bodies will all eventually return to dust. We need to take our eyes off the things of this world and instead focus on eternity (Matthew 6:19–21). Our physical bodies will return to dust, but our spiritual being will return to God, to stand before Him in judgment (Hebrews 9:27). Through faith in Jesus Christ, that day can be a glorious one, rather than something to be feared.

For Further Study​

Heaven and the Afterlife: The Truth About Tomorrow and What It Means for Today by Erwin Lutzer

More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!
 

Will Jesus still have the scars of crucifixion in heaven?​


Answer

The Bible does not specifically tell us that Jesus, now in heaven, has retained the scars of His crucifixion. We can’t be absolutely sure, but we believe He does still have the scars—the only scars anywhere in heaven—based on a few clues in Scripture.

When Jesus rose from the dead, His resurrected, glorified body still had the scars. He invited Thomas, who had doubted the resurrection, to see and feel the scars of crucifixion: “Put your finger here,” Jesus said; “see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe” (John 20:27). Jesus’ scars were visible and touchable, post-resurrection.

John’s description of Jesus in the first part of the book of Revelation does not mention any scars or wounds (Revelation 1:12–16). Of course, the description is quite symbolic, emphasizing Jesus’ glory, power, and majesty. Later in the same book, Jesus is pictured as “a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain” (Revelation 5:6). This picture suggests scars, but, again, it is highly symbolic, and we are careful not to draw details of physical appearance from such a passage.

If Jesus still has the scars of crucifixion in heaven, why might He have chosen to retain them? The scars borne by our Savior represent several profoundly important things:

First, the scars are an eternal witness to the Incarnation of the Son of God. A spirit can have no scars, but “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). Jesus received the scars while He walked this earth as one of us. Since His Incarnation Christ remains in the flesh forever. Just as the Son lost none of His divinity when He came to earth, so He lost none of His humanity when He returned to heaven. He is forever God in the flesh, the perfect (and only) Mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5).

Second, the scars reveal why Jesus came to earth: to be a sacrifice for us. As Jesus said, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). He came to suffer for us, to save us from sin. He came to reconcile us to the Father in heaven. That reconciliation required His suffering:
“He was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).
Jesus’ scars of crucifixion attest to His sacrifice.

Third, the scars reveal that God loved us while we were still sinners. The sin of mankind put Jesus on the cross. As He was being arrested, Jesus told His enemies, “This is your hour—when darkness reigns” (Luke 22:53). And the world itself grew dark when He was on the cross (Luke 23:44). But thus it had to be. If God had waited until we somehow made ourselves righteous, we would never have known salvation. We weren’t interested in righteousness, and we could not attain to it eben if we desired it (Romans 3:10–12). Evil scarred Jesus, and those scars are proof that “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Fourth, the scars Jesus still bears in heaven reveal that He suffered as we do in this world. He knows our pain. He wept with those who wept (John 11:35). He resisted against sin unto the point of bloodshed (Hebrews 12:4). He is our High Priest who empathizes with our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15).

Fifth, the scars signify that death has been defeated. The wounds Jesus received were lethal, but He triumphed over the grave. What’s more, He allows us to share in His triumph. The scars show that our final victory is in Him. “‘Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?’ . . . But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55, 57).

The scars of crucifixion Jesus will likely possess for eternity speak of the greatest love ever (John 15:13). Presumably, Jesus will have the only scars in heaven, in which case we will see a visible reminder of His praiseworthiness. Without the event that occasioned those scars, no one else would be there.

For Further Study​

God the Son Incarnate: The Doctrine of Christ by Stephen Wellum

More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!
 

What was Jesus’ teaching on hell?​

Answer

Regarding hell, C. S. Lewis once wrote, “There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than this, if it lay in my power. But it has the full support of Scripture and, specially, of Our Lord’s own words; it has always been held by Christendom; and it has the support of reason. If a game is played, it must be possible to lose it” (The Problem of Pain, HarperCollins, 1940, pp. 119–120). Jesus taught frequently about hell—in fact, we learn far more about hell from Jesus’ words than from any other part of Scripture.

Jesus used the Valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem as an illustration of hell (Mark 9:47–48). This valley, also called Gehenna, had been desecrated by human sacrifice (2 Kings 23:10), and Jeremiah linked it to God’s judgment, prophesying that one day it would be called the Valley of Slaughter (Jeremiah 7:31–32). Isaiah associated the same valley with divine fire: “Its fire pit has been made deep and wide, with an abundance of fire and wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze” (Isaiah 30:33). Jesus mentioned fire in relation to hell at least twenty times (e.g., Matthew 5:22; 18:9). He also spoke of hell as “outer darkness” (Matthew 8:12).

Jesus consistently contrasted hell with the kingdom of God. Hell is the only alternative to an eternity spent in God’s kingdom. It is the opposite of perfect fellowship with God forever. We will summarize Jesus’ teaching related to hell with five words: reality, rebellion, regret, relentlessness, and reconciliation:

Reality: Jesus taught that hell is a real place where some beings will spend eternity (Matthew 23:33, 25:41; Mark 9:43). In Jesus’ teaching, hell is not figurative or symbolic; it is a real place in which real experiences take place. Jesus portrayed hell with vivid imagery concerning fire and darkness (Matthew 5:22; 8:8–12).

Rebellion: According to Jesus, hell is a place for those who reject God, who rebel against His kingship and refuse His grace. Jesus’ parables consistently portray people rejecting God’s invitation to fellowship, and the only alternative to fellowship with God is an eternity in hell (Matthew 22:1–14; Luke 14:15–24). All sin is some form of rebellion against God, and hell is the just punishment for sin (Matthew 5:22). The devil and his minions are the original rebels against God, and they will suffer eternally in hell, a place specially prepared for them (Matthew 25:41).

Regret: Jesus does not portray hell as a pleasant place or even a neutral state. To the contrary, it is a place of torment (Mark 9:48). As the dark place outside of God’s kingdom of light, hell is full of pain and regret “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:42; see also Matthew 22:13; 24:51; Luke 13:28).

Relentlessness: Based on Jesus’ teaching, hell is not temporary, but eternal. Those who suffer in hell will suffer forever. “The fire never goes out,” Jesus said (Mark 9:48, NLT; cf. Matthew 25:46). There is no exit from hell, and no respite from it or comfort in it (see Luke 16:19–31).

Reconciliation: Thankfully, there is one way to escape hell before entering. God offers us reconciliation with Him, so that we never have to experience hell. That reconciliation was made possible through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus, the One who warned us about hell so often, is the One who saves us from hell. Through faith in Christ, anyone can be reconciled to God, apart from personal merit or virtue. Jesus gives the promise, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24).

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:16–18).

If you have not trusted Him yet, don’t delay any longer. Turn to Him today, because someday it will be too late.

For Further Study​

Four Views on Hell, Second Edition by Burk & Stackhouse

More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!
 

Do unbelievers immediately go to hell when they die?​


Answer

Of all the topics found in the pages of Scriptures, none is so loathsome and dreadful as the subject of hell, yet we dare not be blinded by ignorance, repulsion, or unbelief, for hell is a frightening reality that ought not be dismissed on the grounds of fear or unpleasantness. Despite the objections of some, the flames of hell will not be extinguished by clever Scripture twisting or wishful thinking. The Bible has much to say about hell, and neither ignorance nor denial will cause this grim reality to go away.

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We should understand the distinctions Scripture makes between Sheol and the eternal lake of fire. For purposes of this article, we will speak of “hell” as commonly understood: a place of torment after death. The Bible says that the unrepentant who die are immediately ushered into a dreadful holding place called Hades. In the following passage, Jesus details the horrid fate of an unregenerate sinner:

There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.” But Abraham said, “Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.” And he said, “Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house—for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.” But Abraham said, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.” And he said, “No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” He said to him, “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead” (Luke 16:19–31, ESV).

Hades (called “hell” in the KJV) is described as a place of “torment” and “anguish” (Luke 16:23–24). The rich man went there immediately upon his death. Scripture’s teaching is that all who die in their sins will immediately go to hell/Hades, where they will remain, conscious of their misery and despair, until summoned before God for judgment at the great white throne. These, who rejected God’s mercy, must face His wrath, and they are eventually cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11–15).

The lake of fire, the place of eternal punishment, was never intended for man; God ordained the lake of fire as the final stop for Satan and his army of fallen angels (Matthew 25:41; 2 Peter 2:4; Revelation 20:10). Regrettably, legions of unrepentant people will, by their own volition, spend eternity with Satan and the demons who joined his unholy rebellion (Matthew 10:28; 25:46). The poet Milton described the damned as those who prefer ruling in hell over serving in heaven. Indeed, those who choose hell are rebels to the very end.

God does not delight in the suffering of unredeemed man. He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked and would rather see them turn from their evil ways and live (Ezekiel 33:11). Hell is a necessary reality. Imagine a man who spent his entire life avoiding God. Regarding the Scriptures as fanciful myths, he had no use for Bible reading. He considered prayer a one-sided conversation with a nonexistent being. He maligned sincere Christian believers with unsavory labels and mocked their adherence to biblical morality. From reaching the age of accountability until his dying breath, he distanced himself from his Creator. How, then, could such a man be happy in heaven? How could he tolerate the presence of Jesus Christ and His followers throughout the endless ages to come? For such a man, heaven would be a hell. It is God’s will that none perish, but for those insistent rebels who reject His mercy, there is only justice. No third option exists.

Upon death, the lost are immediately sent to the place of their choosing, Hades (hell), where they will remain until the judgment convened at the close of our Lord’s millennial kingdom. At that time, they will be consigned to the lake of fire along with Satan and his demonic forces. Forever, they will remain fixed in this diabolical state of being.

To think anyone would choose never-ending misery over God’s everlasting joy is unfathomable, yet it is true.

For Further Study​

Four Views on Hell, Second Edition by Burk & Stackhouse

More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!
 

Do believers immediately go to heaven when they die?​


Answer

Yes, believers in Jesus Christ go immediately to heaven when they die. By “heaven,” we mean a real place of comfort and blessedness where God dwells. Of course, the bodies of believers remain on earth, awaiting the resurrection, but their souls/spirits go to be with the Lord (see 2 Corinthians 5:8).

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The biblical teaching that believers immediately go to heaven when they die differs from what some groups teach. According to the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, faithful Jehovah’s Witnesses who die remain in an unconscious state of “soul sleep” until the resurrection. At the resurrection, Jehovah “remembers” them, and they are brought back to life. The doctrine of soul sleep is also taught by Seventh-day Adventists. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that all believers, Catholic and non-Catholic, who die enter a place of punishment, purgatory, to atone for the sins not covered by Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross. Once these sins have been sufficiently punished, the faithful, now purified, may enter paradise. Proponents of both views make seemingly good arguments in favor of their beliefs, but neither the doctrine of soul sleep nor the teaching of purgatory is biblical.

As our Lord Jesus suffered on the cross, another condemned prisoner sought forgiveness. Our Lord’s response to the repentant thief’s request refutes both the doctrine of soul sleep and the belief in purgatory:

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:39–43, ESV).

Jesus did not say, “After a determined time of misery and suffering, you will be with me in paradise”; neither did He say, “After an extended period of unconscious stupor, you will regain sentience and be with me in paradise.” According to the promise of Jesus, the repentant thief would join his Savior in paradise that very day.

So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6–8, ESV).

Here, the apostle Paul did not say that to be away from the body is to cease consciousness until the resurrection. And he did not say that to be out of the body was to be at home in purgatory.

In Jesus’ story of the rich man and Lazarus, the beggar died, and “the angels carried him to Abraham’s side” (Luke 16:22). This seems to have been an immediate event, with no lapse of time between Lazarus’ death and his being picked up by the angels. In John’s vision of heaven, he sees “under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained” (Revelation 6:9). As these believers in heaven await vengeance and the resurrection of their bodies, they converse with the Lord. It seems that, as soon as they were martyred, they were in heaven.

At the death of a believer, his or her disembodied spirit immediately enters the joyful presence of our Lord Jesus. At the rapture, the saint’s spirit joins his or her resurrected body—a glorified body impervious to the ravages of aging, illness, disease, suffering, and death (1 Corinthians 15:42–53). At the close of Jesus’ millennial reign, heaven as it is passes away, and God unveils the New Jerusalem, our eternal home (Revelation 21:1–4). Our present mortal bodies are not fit for eternity, but our new bodies will never become ill, grow old, or die. We shall live gloriously with Him in perfect bodies throughout the endless ages of eternity.

With this end in mind, the apostle Paul broke out in joyous apostrophe: “‘O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55–57, ESV).

For Further Study​

Heaven and the Afterlife: The Truth About Tomorrow and What It Means for Today by Erwin Lutzer

More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!
 

What is the beatific vision?​

Answer

The beatific vision is a theological concept that describes the future reality in which believers will get to see God face to face. The word beatific is derived from the Latin word beatifica, which means “to make happy or bless.” The word vision is derived from the Latin word visio, which means “the act of seeing.” Literally, then, beatific vision refers to a sight that makes one happy.

As it relates to theology, the beatific vision is the unhindered and unfiltered view of God that believers will have in the new heaven and new earth. This coming reality will make us happier and more joyful than anything else we have experienced. We will dwell in the holy presence of God and see His glory.

The concept of the beatific vision is derived from Revelation 22:4, which says, “They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” At this point in the book of Revelation, Christ has returned to the earth and vanquished all the powers of darkness and evil. He has cast all those who rejected Him into eternal judgment and punishment (Revelation 21:8). But all those who have received Christ by faith are brought into the new heaven and new earth to dwell with Him for all eternity (Revelation 21:1–6). It is there that believers will get to look upon the face of God.

Believers were given a glimpse of the beatific vision during the incarnation of Jesus. John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (emphasis added). Jesus is God and came from the Father in all of His holiness. In the person and work of Jesus, then, we were given a glimpse of the beatific vision.

And yet that vision is not fully realized on this side of heaven. Sin still exists, and the world is subject to decay (Romans 8:18–21). But the Bible promises that Jesus will come back and reconcile all of creation to Himself (Acts 1:11; Colossians 1:19–20). He has promised to judge evil once and for all (Revelation 20:11–15) and to establish a new creation (Revelation 21:1–8). Once this happens, the beatific vision will be ours, just as we are promised in Revelation 22:4. Those who are in Christ will see God face to face in all of His beauty, grace, and perfection. “We know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).

Until that day comes, believers hold on to the promise of the beatific vision as a source of hope and comfort through the challenges of life. When tragedies arise and difficulties come, believers can remember that there is a day coming when they will get to see the very face of God—a day in which there will be no more brokenness, shame, or darkness. Only joy, love, and grace.

For Further Study​

Heaven and the Afterlife: The Truth About Tomorrow and What It Means for Today by Erwin Lutzer

More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!
 
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