I understand that we know each other once we get to heaven.  But do we get to be together?  When my mother dies, and then when I die and am saved and join her up there, will we be around each other?  There are no relationships there, but I'll still remember she was my mother on Earth and want to be around her, right?

Sincerely,
Sweet Child Of Hers

Dear Sweet Child Of Hers,

We don’t know for sure how much interaction we will have with others in heaven, but the Bible seems to point toward us being able to spend quite a bit of time together.  1 Thess 4:17 talks about us being caught up together and forever being with the Lord after the Judgment Day.  Also, Rev 21 compares heaven to a giant, perfect, eternal city where people come in and out and move freely amongst each other and the Lord… this also points toward the idea of us spending time with each other constantly.

The fact is that we don’t know much about heaven; God hasn’t given us many details, but the Scriptures seem to paint a picture of heaven being somewhere that we all freely enjoy company with the Lord and one another.

Does God stop loving people in hell?  Someone told me that His love turns to hate for those people in hell.  If you could give me some verses, that would be helpful.

Sincerely,
Not A Hater

Dear Not A Hater,

God doesn’t find joy in the death of anyone, including the wicked (Ezek 18:23).  God sent His only Son to pay the price for our sins (Jhn 3:16) and to make a way for all to be with Him in heaven.  There is no indication in the Scriptures that God’s attitude changes after people die.  When people live lives that rebel against God, He recognizes that they don’t want to spend eternity with Him, but He finds no joy in it.

Yes, I am a christian and have given my life to Christ.  I try to live a good christian life, but when I was very young, I had an abortion.  I was pushed into it by everyone that I knew, including my parents and my boyfriend.  My question is this... is one sin worse than others?  I have asked the Lord to forgive me, and I was and still am very sincere.  I believe that my sins have been forgiven, but lately I am reading things about abortion that are upsetting to me.   Please help.

Sincerely,
Regretful

Dear Regretful,

All sins are equal, but some sins have worse consequences than others.  In this life a “little white lie” may not cause you much trouble, but committing adultery will devastate your life.  However, in the eyes of God, all sin is deserving of death (Rom 6:23).  That “little white lie” will send you to hell just as much as the adultery would.  Abortion is such a heinous sin because of how deeply it affects the life and emotional state of the mother, the family, and ultimately, because it destroys a child’s life… but abortion can be forgiven through the blood of Christ.  The apostle Paul murdered christians (Acts 26:10), but Christ saved him (1 Tim 1:15).  The person that had an abortion is the old you… in Christ, you are a new person, and the old deeds have passed away (2 Cor 5:17).  Move forward in life with peace of mind knowing you will be reunited with your child in heaven.

Why do churches/denominations teach that Earth will be destroyed and that all good people go to heaven when the Bible is clear that the earth will be here forever and will be inhabited by people forever, this being His purpose for the earth?  Eccl 1:4, Ps 104:5, Ps 119:90, Ps 93:1, Isa 45:18, Ps 37:29, Matt 5:5, Ps 115:16 all seem to point to the idea of a permanent heaven and earth.  Many teach that the earth will be burned with fire or somehow destroyed, but in Rev. 11:18, it says that He will "bring to ruin those ruining the earth."  Why would He bring to ruin those ruining the earth and then destroy it Himself?  I do ask this with sincerity.  I hope that is related in this.

Sincerely,
Paradise On Earth

Dear Paradise On Earth,

You gave a great list of verses that tell us that God establishes and protects the earth, but those verses don’t teach that He will always protect the earth.  They only teach that God establishes the earth as long as He sees fit.  1 Pet 3:10-12 tells us that eventually God will destroy the earth by fire.  After that, He will establish a spiritual universe (heaven) where those who love Him will exist forever.  Here is a list of verses that teach on that subject:

1) 1 Cor. 15:42-50
-    vs. 47 says our bodies will not consist of earthly components
-       vs 50 says flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom
2) Lk 20:34-38
-       vs 36 says we will have bodies like angels
3) Jhn 14:2-4
-       vs 2 says we will dwell where God dwells (heaven)
-       vs 3 says Jesus is preparing a place for us now
4) 2 Pet 3:10-13
-       vs 10 says that when God uses fire to destroy the earth, He will both destroy the works of the earth and the earth itself.
5) Heb 1:10-12
-       vs 11 says the earth and heavens will perish like an old garment
-       vs 12 says that the earth and heavens will be changed like one would change and put on new clothes – the new heaven and earth will not be a redo of this earth, but an entirely new garment.
6) Matt 24:35
-       Heaven and earth are temporary, unlike God’s Word
7) Heb 11:13
-       faithful people are considered strangers and wanderers on this earth
8) Php 3:20
-       our citizenship is in heaven, not on earth
9) Jhn 18:36
-       Jesus refers to His kingdom as not being “of this world”.

God is very clear about how He wants us to live our lives, so I don’t understand how some people are constantly sinning and think they will go to heaven just because they are good people.  It is hard when I try to show people different verses in the Bible, and they just blow it off and say God wouldn’t send them to hell because of this or that.  What are some good verses to show my friends and family that God is serious?

Sincerely,
Frustrated

Dear Frustrated,

Two very basic verses that emphasize the importance of living faithful lives are Jhn 14:6 and Jhn 15:14.  In Jhn 14:6, Jesus says that He is “the way and the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him”.  That verse removes all other religions.  Buddhism, Islam, Agnosticism, Judaism, Atheism, etc. – none of those religions will get you to heaven – only Jesus will.  Since the only way to heaven is through Jesus, Jhn 15:14 goes one step farther and makes it clear that we can only be Jesus’ friends if we do what He commands us.

Not everyone can accept this.  It is only when people love the truth (2 Thess 2:10) that they accept the details of the Bible.  It is an unfortunate reality that most people are simply not interested in the Bible’s truths because it requires too much of them.  God wants us to live faithful and committed lives, lives that require us to deny ourselves (Matt 16:24).  Only when we study His Word and apply it can we call ourselves faithful (Rom 10:17).