Board index ‹ Heaven and Hell

[Penny Lane]

Is there a separate heaven/hell for intelligent beings on other planets? Assuming the likelihood that there are intelligent beings elsewhere in the universe and that God/Jesus has visited them, will they go to a separate heaven, or will all be mingled in the same place? If so, will English be spoken or will there be a new interstellar language?

[jimwalton]

First of all, it's a little presumptuous to think that the probability of intelligent beings elsewhere in the universe is "likely." Evidence is less than scant, and from everything we have seen in the universe, Earth is radically unique.

But to answer your question, no. There is no need for a separate heaven, any more than there is need for a separate heaven for people from different cultures in the world. Heaven is a place for all those who love God, no matter where they're from.

There's also no reason to presume English will be the lingua franca in heaven. Everyone will speak their own language. If you are familiar with the story of Pentecost in Acts 2, there was a miracle that day: no matter what language anyone spoke, all were able to understand it (Acts 2.4, 7-8). It's a reversal of the Tower of Babel where people were separated because of language. In heaven the barrier of language will be undone, and all will be able to understand.

[Tree Hugger]

With an estimated 100 billion galaxies I think the probability for other intelligent beings existing in our vast universe is a lot higher than the probability of there being a god, and by extension, a heaven and hell. It's not presumptuous at all. Scientists have discovered multiple planets with the same living conditions as Earth, Earth is not completely unique. And even so other forms of life could exist in different conditions.
We know our universe exists, our galaxy, our planet. We are able to study it. We don't know the same about god, heaven or hell, it is just a belief.

[jimwalton]

The speculations about life on other planets is endless, but the fact is still solid that evidence of life on other planets is completely lacking.

The question, however, was really about is there a separate heaven/hell for people on other planets, and the answer is just as solid a "no." The Bible is clear that God is sovereign of the whole universe, and much of the language in the Bible about God's presence and his plan of salvation are equally universal, so I can answer the question categorically as "no."

And if you're expecting God to be subject to the same kind of scientific inquiry as the galaxy and our planet, you're barking up the wrong tree. God is no more subject to scientific inquiry than the claim that my friend and I feel a strong connection of a personal bond with each other. There are so many things outside of the purview of science that we could rightfully say that scientific evidence comprises less than half of all of what we know. My mind isn't so small as to think that all things, or even all important things, exist only if science can prove them.