Welcome to the Further Gospel Podcast, where we provide sound doctrine for everyday people. I'm your host, Kosti Hinn, and today I'm wrapping up our series on heaven and the afterlife by answering your questions. And if you're just picking up with us, I'd encourage you to go back and listen to the episodes leading up to this one. I've been teaching on heaven, on death, uh separation of the body and the spirit, relationships. Are we going to recognize each other in heaven? What are we going to do in heaven? And then also I touched on hell because what good is a series on heaven in the afterlife if I don't explain what is hell like? And so that was this last episode, as well as the sensitive question: do babies who die go to heaven? And what about special needs people who can't make a profession of faith because of their mental faculties? All of these things have been answered and discussed in the series up to this point. So if you're just picking up and you go, oh man, I'd love to know about this, this, that, and the other, I'd go back, listen, and then let the QA be kind of the icing on the cake. So without further delay, here we go. Number one, you asked, is there time in heaven? And I would say this. In heaven, we would say time exists, but not as we know it. And what I mean by that is time exists, meaning there is existence, but not as we know it. Scripture shows us that eternity is not endless clock time. There's no timer running. It is simply perfected sequence without delay. It's just constant, and I would say delay and decay, just to be kind of clever about it. It's just constant sequence. And there aren't delays and there isn't a stop, there's no intermission, there's no pause. There's also no decay and decline. You're just, you're not like getting worse with time. And Revelation chapter 22, verse 5 describes eternity with no day and no night. We talked about that a little bit in the series. And so it's not timelessness in this, you know, abstract way, but it's unbroken joy and unbroken time with God in His presence. We're not going to be trapped in an eternal moment. It's not like this never-ending purgatory and there's something coming. We're going to experience ongoing worship, ongoing fellowship, service to the king, exploration of the new heavens and the new earth. And time no longer brings anxiety, loss, or limitations. You're never going to be running late. There's not going to be age. You're never going to run out of time. God created time in Genesis chapter 1, and when he begins to unfold the sun and the moon and the stars, verses 14 to 19 in Genesis 1. So he's not bound by it. He's the originator of it. So he can change how it operates. And he will graciously allow us to experience redeemed time forever. And he's not going to be bringing in some grandfather clock, if you will, in heaven. I think people kind of wonder that. So I want you to think of eternity as life in perfect rhythm. It's purpose without pressure, its sequence without sorrow. There's nothing bad coming. And Peter reminds us with the Lord, one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day. It's in 2 Peter 3, verse 8. So we're never going to say, you know, where did the time go? Instead, we will simply live in the fullness of joy forever. Next question: Do people in heaven know what's happening on earth? That is a really good question and an important one. And I believe that scripture suggests the redeemed in heaven do have an awareness of earthly events, though through a heavenly perspective. It's not like they're floating around and visiting our homes and checking up on us and what we're watching and what we're doing and how dinner is and what we cooked. Hebrews 12, verse 1 calls the saints a great cloud of witnesses, which implies observance, just an overall observance of humanity. In Revelation chapter 6, verses 9 to 11, you see the martyrs crying out for God to bring justice on the earth. We talked about that in the series, which I would then apply to this question and say, well, if the martyrs are crying out for God to bring justice regarding what's been happening on the earth, then they know evil still exists and they're anticipating and even pleading for God's final victory. That awareness, however, can't bring sorrow and anxiety to these people, our precious loved ones who are in heaven, or the martyrs of old or the saints of old, because we know there is no sorrow, no sickness, no death, no sadness, no tears. And you're not going into the presence of God when you die, even now, like that first episode when I talked about what happens when you die. And then suddenly it's just sort of this hybrid extension of earth, and you're gonna cry still and go, oh, I wish I hoped they find Jesus, and oh, maybe I want to go back sometimes, and I wish I could just go back for vacation. No, the dead in Christ, they see through the lens of God's perfect justice and his plan, not human emotion. So we can't ascribe to them the feelings that we have right now. Their knowledge fuels worship and anticipation, not worry. And they rejoice because they know Christ reigns. If you've ever wondered, like, am I gonna be sad when I go to heaven or will I want to go back? Oh, well, what I am gonna worry a little bit about my kids, right? And no, you and I, we don't know what that's like because we're not dead yet. To be in the place of God's perfect peace, perfect presence, perfect power, and know the plan, we're going, oh, finally, I am so at ease. It's like when you watch a movie with your kids and you already know it's gonna happen and they don't, you're you're pretty calm. You're not on the edge of your seat, and even though they are, you're stable. You can think about that right now. Like the people in heaven, they're aware of God's perfect justice and his perfect rule. So justice is certain, it is an impending judgment that's to come, and the plan of redemption is unfolding perfectly. I love what John MacArthur says, and if you're watching this on YouTube, you'll see it on the screen. The saints in heaven are aware enough to glorify God for his righteous judgments, but not pained by sin or suffering anymore. They're informed, we would say, but not uh burdened. So they're rejoicing as history moves toward Christ's final triumph. Third question: Will we remember our past in heaven? This is a really good one, and I will say yes, we will, but with redeemed memory. Scripture never implies amnesia in eternity. We're not gonna forget and not know anything. In Revelation 6, verse 10, the martyrs remember the injustice they suffered. I just brought that passage up in the last question. Yet they worship rather than weep. Isaiah 65 is a great passage for this. I want to read it to you. And in particular, verse 17 of Isaiah 65. It's about the new heavens and the new earth. We talked about this in our eschatology series before. But the word of the Lord says, For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth. And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind, which does not mean erased, but that our pain will no longer dominate our memory. The former things will not be remembered or come to mind. And he's talking about the sadness. And then look, but be glad and rejoice forever in what I create. For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing and her people for gladness. They're not going to remember the times of sadness and sorrow and end up crying over them, but they'll be focused on the future. It again doesn't mean that nothing will ever come to mind as far as, oh, what it is that God has redeemed us. Oh, I remember how this world was before. Oh, glory to God. That's not going to be sinful remembrance. But nothing in the Bible says that our memories are going to be erased. The memories, though, that once hurt will now actually highlight or point to redemption. So when you think of something now in our unredeemed state, keep in mind we're not in our glorified body yet, even though we're redeemed and it's a now but not yet salvation, we're not yet in our glorified body. When we have the mind of Christ fully and we will fully know and be as he is, the Bible says when Christ, who is our life, is revealed, we also will be revealed with him in glory. When we're in that eternal state, we will be able to somehow, by divine ordination and really supernatural result, we will be able to know or think upon or remember the things of old. And instead of them leading to sorrow, it'll lead to worship. And we will magnify the mercy of God, not the failure of the past. Every sorrow becomes then a backdrop to his glory. I want you to think of it like viewing a scar that no longer aches. The pain is gone, but the story of healing remains. Heaven isn't built on forgetfulness, it's on fulfillment. And so what we remember will fuel gratitude, it'll fuel worship, and our past is going to finally make sense. Here's another wonderful reality is you just be able to look back and go, it all makes sense now. So you won't be sorrowful, you'll have clarity. And all of it through the eyes of perfect wisdom, perfect grace, and perfect understanding. You say, Costi, I just, uh, I don't know, man. That doesn't seem like that because you and I, you're you're saying that or you're arguing that point or you're you're wrestling with it. I don't know, because you have a carnal or earthly, fleshly, finite mind still. So do I. I don't fully get it. Someone will look back on some of those painful experiences in my life and and not be sad, but somehow it will all, yes, because it's gonna make sense. And so that's the beauty of faith in heaven and the future is no, we can't fully comprehend it. Just like God. You can comprehend him to a degree, but if you could fully understand him, predict him, and turn him into a formula, he wouldn't be God. He is above us and outside of us. So a humbling thing, an encouraging thing, also, oh, just a wires stop firing kind of thing, going, man, God, you are amazing. Wow. Um, and when I say man, God, I'm not referring to God that way. I'm saying, man, God, you are amazing. All right, next question. How will we handle seeing people who hurt us, even abusers and those we had unresolved drama with? So this could be very uncomfortable, but also I think the hope. There will be people who hurt you, abused you, betrayed you, did bad things that end up repenting of their sin and coming to Christ, right? We know that. It may not be everyone. I may be talking about a group of people that uh some of you say, ah, I don't have any experience with that. That's never happened with my abusers or my betrayers or my Judas or people who have hurt me, but it will happen. And so the question is important. What about what about family? Family drama and and all of that. Revelation chapter 21, 4 says that God will wipe away every tear. That is not emotional suppression, that's divine healing in its total form. And so in heaven, there are some things that are gonna be a reality because of that promise. The first is perfect justice. Every sin will either have been paid for at the cross, which is yes, an amen, or in eternal judgment. You will have sin that was either paid for at the cross or it will be paid for in hell when the wicked are judged. There's no loose ends, there's no injustice left unresolved. So you would be able then, based on what I'm telling you from scripture, to remember the pain of the past and say, wow, that, and then feel total resolution, and it'll all make sense as either the perpetrator is in hell at that moment receiving their just penalty for their sin, and Christ did not die or pay for that sin and they're forgiven. They never repented. No, they're gonna receive the full justice that God has for them, and you say, Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord. That's what you meant all along. Yes, or that person repented and their faith became sight, and they're in heaven with you, and their sin was forgiven and nailed to the cross. And in that you will have perfect resolution and forgiveness. So there will be perfect justice, either paid for by the cross, which is theirs, their forgiveness of sin, because they have faith. We gotta hope for that, or full justice and restitution in hell upon the wicked, and in that they've deserved that right and just punishment. Number two, perfect restoration. Christ's presence is going to eclipse every wound. So if you've been abused, mistreated, you've been cut off by family, you've endured horrendous drama, you're gonna find eternal safety and vindication in Christ. You are in his perfect presence. And finally, perfect perspective. I've mentioned this a couple times now in the other questions. Our glorified minds are gonna see sin, judgment, and grace rightly. You're gonna have perfect perspective. You are not gonna see these things with human emotion, but now divine understanding. The woman wronged, the child mistreated, the man betrayed, all will find rest in the total justice and mercy of God. No bitterness will remain, no trauma is gonna haunt you. You're gonna see how completely Christ has conquered evil and what Romans 12, 19 assures us, vengeance is mine, I will repay. Will it become reality? You're gonna have perfect perspective, redeemed, glorified perspective. So heaven will be the first moment when every soul and finally breathe the sigh of relief with no fear. That's what awaits you who have been abused, betrayed, mistreated. All of us, if there's unresolved issues, all of that will be put to rest because of God's glory and eternity with him. Next question: Should Christians be organ donors? That's a really good question. And it's a question of conscience and of compassion. But biblically, I I think that organ donors can reflect Christ-like love when Jesus says greater love has no man than this, than to lay his life down for his friends in John 15, 13. If you were to say, okay, could I apply that principally, the great sacrifice and the great evidence of love by laying one's down life, laying one's life down rather for someone else? Yeah, I think that as a Christian, if you desired to be an organ donor and imagined that someone needed a heart transplant or a child needed uh a kidney transplant, and you were the right fit. And by in your death, being an organ donor, your organs were used for that, and you helped to save a life. There's beautiful stories of this, and you can look up testimonies and evidence of it, then that echoes Christ's selfless heart and the heart of a Christian. That person, what if they were an unbeliever when they got the heart transplant, and then the Lord ordained and through providence caused your life to give them life in your death, and your organ helped them, and they lived, and then they hear the gospel and they are saved. And one day the storyline in heaven is so perfect and clear that God used the end of your life, so your death, to bring life to this person because his plan was to save them a year, two, three, five, eight, ten years later, and he brought his children home. I think in that regard, it's pretty beautiful. Our bodies are not our own, they belong to the Lord. And after death, we're gonna have glorified bodies. And so you don't have to worry, like, what if my organs aren't in there? And what if people cremate? I mean, God can supernaturally bring all that organic matter back together, make it into a glorified body. And so being an organ donor doesn't hinder resurrection. It honors a principle of stewardship. However, it needs to be voluntary. I'm not here to tell you to be an organ donor. My answer to that question is not a case for you to be an organ donor. I'm just saying that you can look at it as a Christian liberty. And certainly uh when done ethically and not at the expense of life. Because in today's world, people with, you know, whether it's Canada or some of these European countries doing this, this, you know, youth in Asia, this, that they're they're literally getting assisted suicides and it's medical now. Oh, I want to just give my life. And no, no, that is not what Jesus was talking about. And you can't even take what he was originally talking about and then apply it to that. That is crazy talk, it's heresy, it's blasphemy, it is anti-Christ completely. Christians should avoid all practices that commodify or or exploit the body. So when done in love and for family or a friend or someone in the right situation, that donation of an organ becomes an act of gospel witness. My body served God in life, and it's a blessing to this person in my death, but we want to be very careful. Now, I do want to just offer a word for my friends who will say, Costi, what you're saying could be helpful, but you gotta watch out, man. Some of the medical providers, and just like with the abortion industry, they'll use body parts and blood and DNA and all this stuff for unethical purposes. Hey, I actually agree with a lot of that assessment, and I would be highly and hotly careful. And so maybe for you, it's gonna be an application of this question to you being able to donate an organ or something to a family member or a friend. Maybe it's you being on a donor list for someone, or for you, you're just gonna say, I'm gonna trust God with all of the details and he'll work all that out. But that does deserve pause and thoughtful discernment. Do I want my body being used for medical things that are gonna be used unethically in a world that is quite pagan? Or, well, do I want to use my body and my death to provide an organ for somebody that could save their life and lead to salvation? It's kind of a both and both could happen. And so Christians need to be discerning and then be at peace with their own decision. Another one, will there be pets in heaven? You guys ask just the best questions. The most, I don't know, but let's try to answer it biblically, kind of questions too. Well, scripture doesn't promise your exact pet will be there. The Bible does teach that animals are a part of God's good creation. So when we talk about the new heavens and the new earth and the child playing by the viper's den, and the lion and the lamb together, all of these things from the kingdom onward into the new heavens and the new earth, uh, I think you could make an argument there there are going to be animals. When you say are pets going to be in heaven, I just want to be careful that I don't promise you or me, uh, you know, I had a dog that in throughout college and kind of my later high school years, his name was Muscle. He was uh, it was funny, we called him Mr. Muscle. He was a dog de Bordeaux, a French bull mastiff. You know, if you remember the murder movie uh Turner and Hooch, I had Hooch, the dog. He just a monster and so cuddly and sweet, just a big boy. I love dogs and I love big dogs, like working dogs. And so sweet. And, you know, Mr. Muscle died while I was in college. I was a wreck. Um got to see him, took him on a walk, and then, you know, I was actually home during one Christmas break while I was at TBU and he died, and I was just a wreck. And I think, like, man, I would love for Mr. Muscle to be in heaven. Like, that would be awesome if God would be willing to put, you know, make sure that my dog was there. Uh, the question, though, then becomes if you had a family pet and multiple people were Christians in the family and multiple people weren't, um, which one of the multiple Christians get him? So is the dog gonna visit each person's heavenly mansion? Is it my dog, their dog, my parents' dog, my friend's dog, your sister's dog? You get into minutiae and we start looking at things very, very individually and saying, well, my dog will be there. Well, your dog, what if your dog is the same dog that the family had and your family's a believer? You have all these questions. And so what I want to say to you biblically is that Romans 8.21 says, creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption. Isaiah 11 shows us this picture of peace among animals, together, and with people. And that means in the new heavens and the new earth there will be animals. There will be a redeemed, harmonious, flourishing population of both redeemed humans, now glorified, and animals, and the world and vegetation. It's gonna be uh Eden 2.0, all under the rule of Christ. And God delights in his creation. There's no reason to believe the beauty and companionship of animals won't continue, but I can't say that your dog or your cat will be there. I can't say that for certain. Given God's generosity and his character, it wouldn't contradict his nature for you to say, well, I believe that, Costi. My dog will be there, and your Mr. Muscle will be in heaven. I'm gonna hold out for hope, and I believe that for you. That's fine if it magnifies God's kindness and is consistent with his character. But you and I, we have to form these views biblically. You can't be, you know, like all dogs go to heaven, and all my cat, like, no. Um, and then is it just the the people who are saved, like the elect? Now we got elect dogs and elect cats and elect pigs, and is it your chickens too? And what about your cows? And well, those were for livestock, and it just gets dicey. So be careful with your kids and family and friends. These little one-liner fortune cookie, kind of like my friends call it, you know, K-Love theology, like positive, encouraging, K Love. Yeah, everyone's pets will be in heaven. It's like, well, what about the pagan people's cats? C.S. Lewis said this if the God who loves us gave us to them here, it's not unimaginable, unimaginable that he may restore them to us there. And key word he may. So you want to believe that your pet will be in heaven? It's no problem. I'll tell you this biblically, animals will be in heaven and it'll be glorious. So good question, fun one, and we'll see when we get there what the scope of it is. All right, what kind of food will be in heaven? Uh, heaven will have food. It'll be real, it'll be satisfying, it'll be celebratory food. I get that from Revelation 19 and the marriage supper of the Lamb. I also get that from Isaiah 25, 6, and the the banquet of this aged wine, the Bible says, and choice pieces full of marrow. So, like bone marrow and your best tomahawk steak and and wine. And don't hear what I'm not saying, I understand you're like tomahawk steak? Does that mean we're killing cows? I'm just giving you a picture of what we have now. The best of the best. I don't know what kind of meat it will be or what kind of food it will be in the sense that specific ingredients, but I know there'll be food in heaven because the Bible says so. And Jesus, in his resurrected body in Luke chapter 24, verses 42 and 43, he actually ate fish with his disciples, and so we know that the glorified body, the after death raised body, does eat, but we're not gonna eat because we have to. We'll eat because we delight to. Meals will become acts of worship and fellowship. There'll be no gluttony, there'll be no seed oils, glory to God. Every bite will be a reminder of God's goodness, and it will be like the new heavens and the new earth, in that we don't know how amazing it's gonna be, but we know it's gonna be amazing and just to what extent and what will it look like and what will it be? We don't know. God has saved that for his great surprise. So it is with the food. But I can't imagine the kind of food that God will orchestrate, and Jesus as the great master and ruler and Lord Chef over the new heavens and the new earth would provide for us. Wow. So we can expect variety, maybe fruit from the tree of life in Revelation 22, verse 2, whatever they would have eaten and eaten all over again, flavors you never imagined. But the table of Christ will again be more than nourishment. It's communion with God and it's being with Him with unbroken joy. So we're not even so much excited about the type of food. That's just a byproduct. We're excited about the table guest, the guest of honor himself, our bridegroom, Christ the Lord, and he is the one that we're most excited to dine with. All right, another question. Will we recognize our loved ones in heaven? I believe, biblically speaking, absolutely. Christians can say this: Scripture consistently shows the continuity of identity. Jesus was recognized after his resurrection in John 20. Moses and Elijah were recognized by Peter at the transfiguration they saw. And Matthew 17, verses 3 to 4 unpacks that story. Paul comforts believers in 1 Thessalonians 4, 17 and 18 and says, We'll be together with them forever. When he's talking about grieving, but not without hope. We're gonna recognize each other. And yet we're gonna have no sin, no comparison, no envy. I'm not gonna look at your glorified body and you're not gonna look at mine and think, man, I wish I had one like that. Or why don't I have that? Or why don't I have that? Because there will be no sin. We will love purely and without partiality or without pride, and the relationships that were godly on earth are gonna continue glorified and centered on Christ. We will absolutely recognize one another. Jonathan Edwards said, the love of the saints in heaven will be such that it shall make heaven to be a world of love. In heaven we'll finally love one another perfectly. There will be joyful reunions, there'll be great celebration, great relief, great peace, and worship that unites families of faith forever. So that's all the questions that you asked for now. I'm sure there's some other ones coming in, but these are the ones that our team compiled on the timeline we had. And I just want to say thank you because this has been such a wonderful series to study for and to deliver to you. And so thank you for the feedback. Thank you for the questions. Thank you for your support of this ministry and that I get to do this. I pinch myself sometimes that I get to do this for a job. I get to pastor a church, I get to provide sound doctrine, I get to study the Bible, I get to minister God's word. And it's what I've always wanted to do. I used to just say, I don't, I don't know how every detail will look, but I just want to open up God's word with God's people. And I want to teach them and guide them and equip them and then die and meet my Savior. And series like this allow us to do that. And so I feel like I'm living the dream. Ministry's not always easy. I'm sure your life's not always easy, but what a joy, isn't it, that we can strengthen our biblical theology and we can grow in sound doctrine, and that the word of God gives us such clear truth. Coming up next, I'm gonna be spending a few weeks on angels and demons because the end time study and then the heaven and hell study, it's kind of stirred up more questions from you about angels and demons, and it pairs nicely with the spiritual warfare series I'm preaching right now at Shepherd's House here in Arizona, where I pastor. And I'm currently also putting the finishing touches on a book. And so I would just love to ask for your prayers. It's a book on spiritual warfare. It's due November 1st. My manuscript is due. It'll come out sometime next year and be my sixth book for, I guess you'd say for adults, tenth, including children's books. And I really want it to be my best book. And so if you'd pray for that, and by best, I mean I believe this generation is facing spiritual warfare and it's it's kind of manifesting itself in ways beyond the past. The devil's always been a liar and a lion looking for people to devour, but it seems like he's getting pretty brazen these days. And spiritual warfare is something we need to be ready for, and it's it's heightened now in its exposed reality. And so I want us to be ready. So be praying for that and look for episodes in the next few weeks on angels and demons. And then if the Lord's put it on your heart to support for the gospel financially, we'd love for you to join our gospel patron community. It includes special gifts that we actually send your way to thank you for being our partner, along with behind the scenes financial reports and impact reports and special events. And so to sign up for monthly giving, you can go to forthegospel.org, click give, and become a gospel patron partner with us. I'd love to partner with you to support the sound doctrine flow that comes out of this ministry. I'll be back next Monday with another episode. Keep on living for the gospel.