During one of our mid week Bible studies dealing with the events of Prophecy, one of the participants asked a question about a relative who had passed away while living for Jesus. “Will my Grandmother be waiting for me when I arrive in Heaven?”
I am sure that many of us have thought about that question and whether we would see those who we have known during our life when we first arrive in heaven. There have been many stories of those who have claimed to have died and been revived that described the fact that when they arrived in heaven they saw many of their dear departed family members and friends.
From what I have read and studied from men more learned than myself, eternity and the absence of time, cause events that are familiar to us here on earth to be far different in heaven. Take for example the principle that in eternity there is no marking of linear time. During our lives here on earth we experience events one after another as they happen to us. Those events that have already occurred on earth in the past we call “history”, those which have not happened we describe as being “future”.
In eternity there is no past or future, events do not happen in linear time because such a phenomenon does not exist. Everything has already happened and exists in the present tense. If you had a dear great grandmother who loved Jesus and passed away 50 years ago and you should suddenly become ill and pass away yourself, in theory, you would both arrive in heaven at the same time. All the events of human history have already happened in eternity.
I designed this simple drawing to illustrate what I am speaking of: “Time Verses Eternity”
The reason that God has knowledge of everything in our future is that from His vantage point in eternity, all these events have already taken place. In the book of Isaiah, chapter 46, the Lord declared that He already “knows the end from the beginning”.
Isaiah 46:9 Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done…
The Bible is unique amongst all other human literature in that it contains the phenomenon of predictive and fulfilled prophecy. Of more than 3,000 prophetic predictions found in the 66 books of the Bible, over 2,500 of these prophetic events have already taken place. When one carefully examines every detail of these thousands of predictions, you find that they came to pass exactly as they were spoken, with one hundred percent accuracy. There is no other book, document or piece of human literature that can boast of a record like this other than the Bible.
In heaven, at this present moment on earth, all the events of the thousands of years of human history have already taken place. In reality, you and I are already there in heaven living and dwelling in the presence of the Lord with all of our precious family members and friends who have been saved. This is why Paul wrote to us in the book of Ephesians that we are already sitting in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 2:6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus
When John writes in the 5th chapter of the Book of Revelation, describing what he “has seen”, there is a great company of all the redeemed human beings already in heaven proclaiming the praises of Jesus who has redeemed us out of every tribe, tongue, nation and people. This event had already taken place and John was seeing all of us there in heaven singing this song to Jesus.
Revelation 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.” Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!” Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.
Clearly, these are redeemed human beings, Jesus Church, who are proclaiming His praises. Only a redeemed human being could say that they were redeemed by Jesus Blood, not an angel or any other created being. We as dwellers of earth are the object of His affection and love and although we temporarily live withing the constrains of time, very soon we shall all be set free from time and live in the glorious kingdom of eternity with no restriction of time or space.
This is why it is of no useful purpose to worry and fret about tomorrow. The Lord has already been there and He is going to take care of you and all your needs when you arrive at tomorrow. We can trust Him because He has already seen everything that is going to happen and promises all those who give their lives to Jesus Christ that He shall “make all things turn out together for our good…”
Rob Robinson
