Musings About Heaven 3

Taking Things to Heaven

AI rendering of the things we take to Heaven

It is not true that we take nothing with us when we die. While the bible does not explicitly explain our transition from this life to the afterlife, it does hint at certain properties we will possess after we die. From reading passages such as Luke 16: 19-31 (The rich man and Lazarus), Matt 22: 23-33 (Sadducees questioning Jesus), John 11: 38-44 (Raising of Lazarus), Matt 25: 31-46 (Sheep and Goats), and of course, Revelation, we can make educated guesses about our human nature in the afterlife. Such guesses can be wrong, of course, which is why I call these "musings".

We will look the same

At least initially. More specifically, our face will still be recognizable, seeing as how the rich man was able to recognize Lazarus, even from afar. Over time, it is likely that our facial appearance will change, due to our superior health and nutrition. However, unlike on earth, we will always appear youthful despite living for many years. Chronological age will not manifest in grey hair or wrinkles or eye bags.

We will retain our character

Again, at least for the first few years in our new life. If we are stubborn now, we will be stubborn upon entering heaven. If we have a forgiving nature now, we will continue in it, and hopefully strive to more readily ignore offences in the future. The work of sanctification (attaining holiness) in our lives takes time and we are not made perfect instantly. The bad habits we have accumulated on earth, the poor attitudes we have acquired, all such will persist in inverse proportion to our willingness to change. Fortunately (or perhaps not), such imperfections will make us very conscious of our poor heavenly fit. Imagine being surrounded by people more gracious, more noble, more holy than ourselves. We will be ashamed of our ugly nature and feel out of place. I suspect our embarrassment will be palpable, just like wearing soiled clothes at the King's wedding banquet (Matt 22: 11-12).

This is why we need to start improving our character now, while on earth. We should cry out to Jesus the words of the Christmas carol, "Away in a Manger" -- to "fit us for heaven to live with Thee there". The more we progress now, the less we will stick out in heaven. Christian children have a long runway compared to adults to sanctify themselves and resist worldly attitudes. Blessed are they if they seize every moment given to them to pursue holiness. On the other hand, those who become believers at a late age are at a disadvantage: they have to unlearn decades of secular indoctrination which have become ingrained and therefore difficult to change. Only by God's grace can their sanctification be sped up.

Finally, we will keep our memory

We will remember who we are, what we have been through and what we have done -- the good, the bad, and everything in between. This is a bitter-sweet thing. I wish it were not true; I wish that I will forget the bad things and remember only the good. I'm genuinely disgusted by the sinful thoughts and deeds of my past, and do not want the memory of them to linger a moment more in my mind. How can one truly enjoy eternity in heaven when the memory of a sordid distant past continues to haunt and taunt? And yet erasing them will surely reduce my thankfulness to God, for much of my gratitude is due to His transforming my wretchedness into saintliness. How can I know how good God is when I forget how bad I was?

But perhaps there is a middle ground. Imagine a math textbook with the chapter on calculus torn out, but the table of contents still lists the topic and the page number. This is evidence that the knowledge of calculus used to be in the book even though the actual content is now no longer present. Perhaps I could remember that I was once a sinner, but not the shame of the actual sin itself? That would bring a great relief! This selective memory shall be among my first requests when I meet God. Only by His mercy can I be spared of my shameful past.

Conclusion

So Job's statement is only partially true: "naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart" (Job 1: 21). While we take nothing physical out of this world, we do take the essence of who we are -- our appearance, our character, and our memory -- into the next life. Appearance and memory we can do little to change; but it would seem wise to work on character to ready ourselves for Heaven.