Heaven and hell: Compelling (and surprising!) answers to your questions

Miscellaneous

Apr 15

Have you ever wondered about the afterlife? What will heaven be like? What will we do there? Do we go straight there when we die or somewhere else first? And, a burning question for many, will our pets be there? (I admit I skipped ahead to find out the answer to that last one!)These questions and more are answered in the book 40 Questions About Heaven and Hell by Alan W. Gomes. Gomes is a professor of theology at Talbot School of Theology in Southern California. He's viewed as a first-rate theologian and was also one of my favorite professors when I was a student at Biola.Simply put, his book is outstanding. I can't recommend it highly enough. Neither can its reviewers, including respected Christian scholars such as Wayne Grudem, Michael Horton, and J.P. Moreland. They've called it "an outstanding analysis," "a superb resource," and "a masterpiece." No doubt it will become the go-to resource for pastors, church leaders, and anyone else who's interested in learning what the Bible has to say about the afterlife.Below I list three things I learned while reading this book. Let me warn you that some of the things I share may, at first, seem shocking. But I assure you that Gomes' chief concern is to be faithful to Scripture, and it shows. He grounds all his answers in God's Word. As Grudem observed, the book is "relentlessly faithful to Scripture."

My Personal 'Aha' Moments

Heaven is not Christians' true eternal home. It's common for Christians to speak of spending eternity in "heaven." Pastors use this language during funerals. And so do many of our favorite hymns, including "Away in a Manger," which implores God to "fit us for heaven to live with thee there." But, in answer to Question 10, "What Fate Awaits Those Who Die, Immediately upon Death?", Gomes explains that heaven, according to Scripture, is not our eternal home. It is the intermediate, temporary state where believers go when they die and experience a disembodied existence. In heaven, Christians enjoy direct and glorious communion with Christ. It's a truly blessed state. But it's not the best state -- the eternal state that will occur after the Lord returns; gives us our glorious, resurrected bodies; and establishes the new heavens and new earth.Prior to reading this book, I was aware that there is an intermediate state between death and our eternal life. But I mistakenly referred to our eternal home as "heaven." Yet it's more accurately called "the New Earth."

Our eternal life will have more continuity with our present life than I had considered. When many Christians think of eternal life, they have in mind some unbiblical notions. As a result, it's difficult for them to get too excited about it. While I didn't imagine eternity to consist of clouds, harps, and baby cherubs, I also hadn't considered it in the way Gomes describes in answer to Question 21, "What Are the New Heavens and the New Earth?":

The traditional picture of the eternal state as an ethereal, floaty, intangible, interminable church service is frankly a bit weird and unappealing.... Contrast this, on the other hand, with the true biblical picture. Who would not want to live someday on a magnificently beautiful and lush earth, free of all pollution, floods, earthquakes, harsh climate extremes, decay, and everything else about this world that brings us dissatisfaction and pain? What if we could pursue activities that are similar in many ways to what we do now, only vastly better and purged of all defect and disappointment, including physical undertakings that allow us to work with our hands as well as with our minds? And, best of all, who would not want to have unbroken, perfect, and direct fellowship with God, and ideal relationships of consummate joy and love for one another, in this idyllic setting!

In other words, imagine all the best things about this present world -- minus the bad stuff. Actually, that doesn't go far enough. It's way better than even the best we have now, quite apart from the bad stuff. For many, that is a different way of looking at eternity. And it makes me even more excited about it. Later, in answer to Question 25, "What Will We Do in the Eternal State?", Gomes states it's possible there will even be sports (if the physics of the new earth allow them)! I imagine the same would be true of many other things you and I currently enjoy doing, including cooking, painting, and (my own favorite pastime) reading. It's fun to think about the possibilities.

All babies most likely will go to heaven when they die. Parents who have experienced the loss of a precious child will be eager to read Gomes' answer to Question 11, "What Happens to Infants Who Die?" The answer he offers is not certain because the Bible does not answer this question directly. But he argues that it's probable that all infants dying in infancy (as well as those born with a severely diminished mental capacity) go to heaven.Even though infants are born guilty and corrupt because of Adam and Eve's sin, they cannot yet commit acts of personal, conscious sin. Since God bases his condemnation of people only on their actual sins (Matt. 16:24-27; Rom. 2:6-11; 2 Cor. 5:10), then infants will not be punished because they are incapable of committing acts of sin (Rom. 9:11). However they, like all other people born both guilty and corrupt, do require salvation through Christ's atoning work. This leaves an important question unanswered, according to Gomes: "How would an infant, who is incapable of faith, partake in Christ's atoning work, given that faith is what joins us to Christ?" Scripture doesn't say. What we do know, beyond any doubt, is that our God is just and merciful, and we can trust Him.I had often heard that all babies who die go to heaven. But I never knew the biblical support for this teaching, other than David's seeming conviction that he would be reunited with his deceased son when he died (2 Samuel 12:22-23). However, the use of this single passage did not seem conclusive to me. Gomes agrees. He builds his argument not on a disputable interpretation of one passage, but on the whole teaching of Scripture, including teachings about salvation and original sin.

Other 'Burning' Questions

Other questions address hell, such as "Are the Fires of Hell Literal?" "How Long Does Hell Last?" and "How Can We Be Happy If There Are People Suffering in Hell?"One of my favorite chapters is "Question 9: What Should We Conclude About Those Who Claim to Have seen Heaven or Hell?" The principles he gives for evaluating these claims are worth more than the price of the book. They can be used to test any claims of alleged supernatural experiences, not just trips to heaven and hell. This includes the alleged experiences of the "apostles" and "prophets" in the New Apostolic Reformation (including encounters with Jesus or angels).I encourage you to buy this book today. You can read it through from beginning to end, or pull it out every time a new question comes to mind. I've been discussing it with my children, who are fascinated by the topics.Sorry, I won't spill the beans on whether you can expect to see Fido or Fluffy in heaven. You'll have to read the book to find out!Note: I did not receive any compensation for writing this review.