Q n A about Heaven #8

Pastor Christopher Choo

Lesson 3249

Q n A about Heaven #8

Will our Joy in Heaven be diminished by what is happening on Earth and in Hell? ( Part 3 )

 3. UNDERSTANDING GOD'S PLAN AND JUSTICE

Thorton Wilder compared our lives to a tapestry. The backside of the tapestry is a jumble of cross-stitches. But the front is an intricate work of art. Both threads ( on the back and front ) are equally important but their ugliness or beauty depends on one's perspective.

Only from the perspective of Heaven will we be able to see the right side of God's plan for our lives and understand how He is working all things " together for good " ( Rom.8:28 ).

The tangled mess of broken relationships, terrible accidents, and sudden deaths make no sense to those trapped in time and space on earth. But they will be viewed very differently from Heaven's perspective.

What about those we love who are condemned to eternal torment in Hell? 

It is important to note that God does not send people to Hell; they freely choose to go to Hell by rejecting God's gift of salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

However, it is difficult to accept that people, even our loved ones, are there in Hell because they deserve it. But Paul states that no one will accuse Jesus of injustice "dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. " ( 2 Thess.1:8 ).

Instead, Jesus Christ, our Just Judge will " be marveled at among all who have believed" ( v.10). 

Abba Father, just as J.I.Packer reminds us:  "Remember, in heaven our minds, hearts, motives, and feelings will be sanctified, so that we are fully conformed to the character and outlook of Jesus our Lord." Our awareness of anything on the earth or in the hell is incapable of diminishing the fullness of our joy in Heaven.