Question from a reader:

I listened with great interest to your interview with Sean McDowell. You answered some of the questions I’ve had about Heaven. I still have some persistent questions though. In the new heaven and the New Earth, our bodies will be like Jesus’s resurrection body. At least that means that our bodies will be in perfect running order, and will continue so throughout eternity. That leads me to a question or two.

First, presumably we still might get physically injured on the New Earth. Does that imply that we will heal perfectly from all injury? After all, as I understand it, Jesus still bears the scars of His crucifixion on His body and will throughout eternity. If on the one hand we will heal but retain scars from injuries, then as eternity rolls on, we may become a mass of scar tissue. On the other hand, if we heal perfectly, then would you say that Jesus has chosen to retain the marks of His injuries as an eternal reminder of His sacrifice? What about serious injuries such as the loss of a limb or even the loss of your head and other fatal accidents?

My second question is also about the perfect functioning of our bodies throughout eternity. A vital part of our bodies now is sexual function. During your interview with Sean, he claimed that that function was for procreation, although we all know that it's much more than that, binding husband and wife together in one flesh union. What I'm struggling to understand is this: do you think that the sexual function will be removed from our bodies even though in all other aspects they will function perfectly?

Another question I've often considered is, what happens to babies and children and the young people who are in Heaven and receive resurrection bodies or are caught up alive and transformed at Christ's return? Will they continue to grow? Will they reach adulthood? Is there some age at which we would appear to stop growing? Are we certain that children will no longer be born on the New Earth and that those who are saved at Christ's coming whether in Heaven or on Earth, will be the only humans that live throughout eternity? If so, that seems sad.

Answer from Doreen Button, EPM staff:

Thanks for writing. Many answers you are looking for can be found in Randy’s book Heaven. We also have great resources available on our website, epm.org. Following are some answers along with appropriate links for you to explore more on your own.

I think you will find this article on taking risks in Heaven helpful in answering your questions about New Earth injuries. In it, Randy writes “Adam and Eve couldn’t die, but couldn’t they skin their knees? God didn’t originally create bodies without nerve endings, did he? Perhaps they could fall, do minor damage, and then heal quickly. We’re told that on the New Earth there’ll be no more death, crying, or pain [distress] (Revelation 21:4). But we’re also told, ‘The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations’ (Revelation 22:2). No one will suffer or die on the New Earth, but this passage suggests that there might be enough minor damage to require healing.” (Randy also shares some thoughts on Jesus’s eternal scars here.)

Regarding how our bodies will function on the New Earth, check out this article about sex in Heaven. Many people are disturbed at the thought that sexual relationships won’t be part of Heaven. I love what Randy writes, “I do think C. S. Lewis’s insight was great, where he talked about the boy who had heard about sex and people having sex and said: ‘Well, do they eat chocolate while they are having it?’ Because he was told it is this wonderful experience. And to him, nothing could be better than eating chocolate. And then Lewis makes the argument that perhaps our sense of loss about the idea of not being able to have sexual relationships is like that boy thinking that chocolate is the greatest joy and that there are greater joys that await us.”

The one-flesh union of a husband and wife point to a much greater marriage, joining us with the One we were made for, the mystery of which Paul writes in Ephesians 5:31-32.

Everything our bodies need will function perfectly, but there are likely to be several parts of our bodies which will no longer serve a purpose…tonsils, perhaps some other glands as well, may become irrelevant. And it follows logically that if sexual union isn’t part of the New Earth, there won’t be “new” children. That may seem sad here and now, though I doubt it will be an issue there and then.

Here’s a sampling of what Randy said in an interview with Tony Reinke about the topic of ages and aging: “We do have those passages in Isaiah 11 and Isaiah 65 that seem to clearly have some children on the New Earth. I think one possibility is they could be resurrected at the age they were when they died. If that is the case, then God would not fast forward. He would not skip any stage… they as children could literally grow up on the New Earth. That is speculation, but to me it would fit beautifully with Luke 6 and other passages where God brings comfort to the mourners and in the sense that, ‘You’ve been through this, but I will compensate in the world to come in the resurrection. You’ve experienced mourning. I will give you laughter. You were deprived of raising a child who died at a young age.’ Maybe you will be able to be there with your child as he or she grows up on the New Earth without threat of death, harm, abuse or anything else. I believe it would be just like our God to do that.”

It is just like God to provide “everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” He promised it in 2 Peter 1:3 and throughout Scripture. Keep seeking Him with your whole heart…you will never regret it.

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