Question:
Question: 1.)I know that it says that their will be no tears in Heaven, but does that rule out tears of joy also?
2.)Will we sit around all day just saying glory to the Lord or will we be able to go fishing or read a book or anything?
3.)Referring to my first question. If I was to make it to Heaven and someone in my family didn’t would I just forget that person ever existed so I wouldn’t cry?
Answer:
Revelation 21:1-5 says, “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. AND GOD SHALL WIPE AWAY ALL TEARS FROM THEIR EYES; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: FOR THE FORMER THINGS ARE PASSED AWAY. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”
You will notice that it is God wiping the tears away, not the people their own tears. What care and compassion is seen by that action on God’s part. Psalm 56:8 says, “Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?”
You will also notice that the tears are not wiped away until the new heaven and new earth is made. Consider what just took place in the previous chapter. Revelation 20:11-15 says, “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” It is no wonder that the next chapter begins with God wiping the tears away from His people, as they have just witnessed the Great White Throne Judgment, and people being cast into the lake of fire. Yes, Christians will be witnesses at the Great White Throne Judgment. 1 Corinthians 6:2, 3 says, “Do ye not know that THE SAINTS SHALL JUDGE THE WORLD? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? KNOW YE NOT THAT WE SHALL JUDGE ANGELS? how much more things that pertain to this life?”
What this means is that people who go to heaven WILL EXPERIENCE TEARS, UNTIL AFTER THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT, at which time God will wipe those tears away, with all of the memories. Isaiah 65:17 says, “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.”
The Bible says that God will wipe away all tears, so joy will not be expressed that way in heaven.
As to all that we will do in heaven, the Bible does not say. It does tell us that heaven is a place of ETERNAL PLEASURE, compared with the very short-lived pleasures upon earth. Psalm 16:11 says, “Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; AT THY RIGHT HAND THERE ARE PLEASURES FOR EVERMORE.” We find that people in heaven are actively worshipping the Lord. Revelation 4:9-11 says, “And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
God has always had SOMETHING for His people to do, so we will NOT be IDLE in heaven. In the Garden of Eden, God had something for Adam and Eve to do. Genesis 2:15 says, “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden TO DRESS IT AND TO KEEP IT.” So it was Adam and Eve’s job to keep the garden pruned and looking nice.
Even when the Lord was feeding the children of Israel in the wilderness for 40 years, He did not drop loaves of bread upon them. He gave them very small manna, which they had to gather every day, except the sabbath, and they had to do it before the sun got hot, or the manna melted. In that way, He kept His people active for those 40 years. Exodus 16:14-23 says, “And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness THERE LAY A SMALL ROUND THING, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, GATHER OF IT EVERY MAN according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. And THEY GATHERED IT EVERY MORNING, every man according to his eating: and WHEN THE SUN WAXED HOT, IT MELTED. And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.”
Idleness is never seen in a good light in Scripture. Ezekiel 16:49 says, “Behold, this was the INIQUITY of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and ABUNDANCE OF IDLENESS was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.” 2 Thessalonians 3:10 says, “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that IF ANY WOULD NOT WORK, NEITHER SHOULD HE EAT.” So the Lord will definitely have something for everyone to do in heaven. It will be things that are enjoyable, and will bring glory to our Savior.