The Bible is very clear that Heaven is
wonderful. Scripture says that once people are in Heaven, the Lord “will wipe
ever tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning,
wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away” (Rev. 21:4).
The Bible also is very clear that not
everyone will make it to Heaven. Jesus Himself said, “Enter through the narrow
gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and
those who enter through it are many” (Matt. 7:13).
This got me wondering: How can I truly
be happy in Heaven if some of my loved ones are in Hell? OK, that is a bit
optimistic on my part. Let me rephrase it to a more likely scenario: How can my
loved ones be happy in Heaven if I’m in Hell?
There are some folks who playfully
say, “Well, Hell sounds like a lot more fun than Heaven, anyway. And besides,
that’s where all my friends will be!”
I’m usually the first one to make
smart-aleck comments about serious topics, but in this case even I know that is
simply not funny. There is nothing playful or fun about being in a situation
where your very soul is aching with torment and loneliness and regret—for all
eternity.
So, I ask the question again: If a
person makes it to Heaven, can he or she really be happy and joyful if precious
loved ones reject the Lord during their earthly lives and as a result spend all
of eternity separated from the joy of God?
This is really not an academic
exercise, since we all know that young adults are leaving the Church in droves
nowadays. God is certainly a God of mercy and forgiveness, and regular church
attendance is not absolutely mandatory for entrance into Heaven (although it
truly helps a lot!), but you have to figure a sizeable percentage of those people
who no longer attend church also have lost their faith in the Lord. They have
either stopped believing altogether, or aren’t sure what to believe, and don’t
really care anymore. And that is a scary thought, because the bottom line,
according to Christ Himself, is faith and trust in the Lord.
I did a little research online. If you
type this question in a Google search: “How can I be happy in Heaven if my
family is in Hell?” you will get more than 5.4 million results. I’d say that
indicates I’m not the only person concerned about this.
All the essays I read boil down to a
few basic theories.
1. When we’re in Heaven, we will not
have any memory of our loved ones, which will allow us to be perfectly happy
and joyful. Hmm, I suspect Heaven’s joy will not be dependent on ignorance.
That just doesn’t sound like God’s way of doing things.
2. In Heaven, we will be so keenly
aware of God’s sense of Justice, that we will fully agree that our fallen-away
loved ones deserve their fate, and we will be completely at peace with it.
Whoa, I don’t think the guy who thought up this theory quite understands the
love a parent has for a child. It doesn’t add up.
3. It’s a mystery that will not make
sense to us until we’re in Heaven. It’s kind of like when Job demanded answers
from God, and God finally spoke: “Who is this who obscures divine plans with
words of ignorance?...I will question you, and you tell me the answers!” (Job
38:2-3). Basically, God said to Job: You’re on a need-to-know basis, pal, and
right now you do not need to know!
Apparently, the faith that gets us
into Heaven in the first place is the same faith we need to have regarding this
question. God is in charge, and we must trust that His plans are perfect.
But I have to tell you, this question still
bothers me.
A lot.
You hit the nail on the head. I, too, think about it, especially when it comes to fallen-away family. A wise priest once told me that God loves them all and that, just like He called me again and again to come back until I finally responded, He is doing the same with them. But ultimately, because we all have free will, they have to choose. All we can do is hope and pray and be as Christlike as we can be.
ReplyDeleteTrust me, your family will be happier with you in Hell.
ReplyDeleteIn all seriousness, as I've stated before, it'll be like Buddhist or Greek concepts, where as a soul, you won't remember anything about your past life. This will be used to torment the ones in Hell, "Look, your family is happier without you!" and such. However, their blissful ignorance will not last, as they will reincarnate eventually, in which it will no longer be a blissful ignorance.