Board index ‹ Heaven and Hell

[Newbie]

So I was reading a post about hell and eternal damnation and now I am confused. According to Mark 9:43-48, people should cut off body parts that sin because it is better to go to heaven as a cripple then to go to hell whole.

"If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched." (Mark 9:43-48; see also Matt. 5:29-30; 18:8-9)

Will people who suffer bodily harm on earth and die in that condition continue to have that problem in the Kingdom of God? Because what about the people who were burned alive or blown apart by bombs? What part of their body will be taken up to heaven?

I am by no means an expert on the Bible so if anyone has any passages that counter this statement or offer hope of a new body, that would be greatly appreciated.

Also do afflictions of the mind such as autism or schizophrenia be healed with this imperishable body?

[jimwalton]

Great questions.

First let's talk about the Mark passage (and its parallels). What Jesus is saying has nothing to do with what a person's eternal state will be like. What he is saying is, "Do whatever it takes to enter heaven. Make any sacrifice, pay any price [because it will be worth it]." But that doesn't imply anything about what that person will be like in heaven.

Heaven is portrayed by the Bible as the ideal state. For instance, Revelation 7.16 illustrates it by saying they will never hunger or thirst; the sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat. Hunger and thirst are typical and common sources of suffering, and the image being portrayed is that there will not be any kind of suffering. I could say with confidence that people will not be crippled or blind (or autistic or schizophrenic) in heaven. When Jesus was on earth he was showing us what the kingdom of heaven would be like, and he healed cripples so they could walk, made the blind see, and the deaf to hear. The message behind those healings is that God is a God of wholeness and life, leading me to extrapolate with confidence that in heaven there will be no unwholeness.

Lastly, when Jesus rose from the dead, he had been beaten so severely that his body was virtually if not literally destroyed. But in his resurrection body he was whole, not limping (or anything else). The bodies we have here on earth will be changed (1 Cor. 15.35-58, esp. 51). One thing in specific we are told is that they may be buried in weakness (a word that also means sickness or illness as well as weakness), but they will be raised in power (a word that also means capability). 1 Cor. 15.49 says that we will no longer be like we were on earth, but we will be more like the resurrection body of Jesus.

I think it's quite safe to say that cripples will receive a new body in heaven.

[Low Piasa]

So what is the cap of abilities? Does everyone get to be as smart and strong as the strongest/smartest person ever? Does everyone get superhuman strength and dash of omniscience?

[jimwalton]

No. Wholeness doesn't require either intelligence, superhuman strength, or omniscience. The elimination of suffering doesn't imply the advancement of all capabilities.

[I Shine]

Great response and good point about Jesus' body after his resurrection. Thank you for taking the time to respond. Your response answers a lot of my questions but another person brought up the point that what if someone with autism doesn't want to be fixed? Why would god say they had fault in the first place? Did he not make us perfect as we are for our purpose on earth? This may be a personal opinion question but I'm just curious for another's opinion!

[jimwalton]

When Jesus visited a town, he didn't just waved his hand over the village and heal all the people. Why not? Because what Jesus was interested in most was the relationship. People lined up, and he talked to them one-to-one, and dealt with them as individuals. I'm sure that when an autistic person stands face-to-face with Jesus in heaven, there will be a conversation, and not just a power play. When Jesus healed people, they came to him, acknowledging a desire to be healed. That was the pattern: when a person wanted to be healed, they asked.

Interestingly enough, when Jesus approached a man about healing (who had not come to him), he asks, "Do you want to get well?" (Jn. 5.6). The same sort of thing happens in Mt. 20.32. Does that answer your question?

[I Shine]

It definitely answers the part about autism, but I am slightly confused about one part. This isn't a rebuttal, but can you clarify if you mean that no ailments are going to be healed automatically, or do we just ask when we go to heaven to be healed and that's all? Thank you for the response. Sorry about not being so bright.

[jimwalton]

These are great questions. Never be embarrassed to ask good questions. You're asking details about which we aren't told. My point was that heaven is going to be a place of wholeness. Maybe the definition and state of wholeness is not going to be same for everyone, and that's OK. As we all know, some people with Down's Syndrome are wonderful people just the way they are. Will they be changed? Who's to say, but they'll be whole, and "perfect". The point is that an omniscient God who treats people as individuals will know exactly what the best course of action is for each individual.

[Low Piasa]

So how functional of bodies will the cripples receive? How much more of a functional brain will a person with autism receive?

[jimwalton]

Great questions, but you're pushing beyond the information we're given. As much as I'd love to tell you these details, heaven is held out to us as an ideal state of completeness and wholeness, and this kind of detail is not told to us. People who claim to have had out of body experiences and to have entered heaven probably have a few answers, but I'm not convinced enough to trust those answers, intriguing as they are.