Will disability exist in heaven? Part 2: What do we know about heaven?

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In case you missed yesterday's post, it might work best to start there, and if you find today's and yesterday's posts thought-provoking, then you won't want to miss the wrap-up post tomorrow. Here's the list of posts:
First, let me acknowledge that I'm not a theologian, and I'm sure this is not a perfect answer. I am aiming to answer the question of what we know about heaven directly from God's word, but I may overlook key passages. Feel free to point those out or add to the conversation in any other way by leaving a comment!

Second, I'm not planning to address every aspect of what we know about heaven, just the aspects that relate to the question of disability in heaven. If you're looking for info about the streets of gold and about the absence of the sun (because of the presence of the Son!), then I'm sure Google can be your friend to find that sort of post.

Finally, today's post isn't going to answer the question of disability in heaven. That will come tomorrow. Today I just want to identify the verses that help us get to that post. Please be aware, though, that I will bold sections of each verse to highlight some key phrases leading to our answer.

And now, what do we know?

There will be no more tears or death or mourning or crying or pain or thirst or hunger or sorrow or sighing in heaven.
  • He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. {Revelation 21:4}

  • And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment."{Revelation 21:6}

  • They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." {Revelation 7:16-17}

  • The last enemy to be destroyed is death. {1 Corinthians 15:26} [nope, that's not just the inscription on the gravestone of Harry Potter's parents; they were God's words first!]

  • And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. {Isaiah 35:10}
A longer passage along the lines of those shared above is Isaiah 65:17-25:
"For behold, I create new heavens
and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered
or come into mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever
in that which I create;
for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy,
and her people to be a gladness.
I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and be glad in my people;
no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping
and the cry of distress.
No more shall there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not fill out his days,
for the young man shall die a hundred years old,
and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.
They shall build houses and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
They shall not labor in vain
or bear children for calamity,
for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the LORD,
and their descendants with them.
Before they call I will answer;
while they are yet speaking I will hear.
The wolf and the lamb shall graze together;
the lion shall eat straw like the ox,
and dust shall be the serpent’s food.
They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain,"
says the LORD.

As we look forward to heaven, it is wise to remember that earthly suffering may be great, but the glory of God is greater.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. {Romans 8:18}

And that faith requires hope in what we cannot see yet.
  • for we walk by faith, not by sight. {2 Corinthians 5:7}

  • For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. {Romans 8:24-25}
And, as we consider all this, we need to be mindful that we can only have this conversation because of the grace demonstrated in the gospel of Christ. Heaven is only an option because Christ's birth, life, death, and resurrection achieved for us what we could not do on our own. Praise be to God for providing his son as the substitutionary atonement for our sins!
  • But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. {Isaiah 53:5}

  • For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God... {1 Peter 3:18}
Tomorrow I'll give you my answer to the question, Will disability exist in heaven? After having read yesterday's and today's posts, though, I'd love to know the answer to this question: What do you think?


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