I have an odd question. I have family members who are not religious in any sense of the word. I am trying (sometimes successfully and some times not) to live as Jesus would want me to. Should I be blessed and go to heaven, how could it be “paradise” for me if my family members are’nt there?
John 3:17Amplified Bible
17 For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.
I come from a heritage of family lines that want a "form of religion" but not the real relationship/sonship that we have through salvation.
I ask Holy Spirit to make Himself REAL to them. I've learned over these years of experiencing an extraordinary Kingdom Life that some folks just will not respond. I have to leave that up to GOD...He has already done His part in making the way for them (and me...).
I join you in the same concern. Also I’ve always wondered about people who have never had the chance to know Christ. Like people over seas or other religions. Muslims don’t ever get a chance to check out other religions. If you are poor and in a non Christian country, you would never even hear about Christ.
A good question that has no answer save for the fact that in heaven there are no tears or sadness. Does your living as Jesus would want you to mean that you are engaging your family members with the Gospel? While God converts, you job it to witness to your hope. Considering the consequences, why are you waiting?
I’ve wondered about that, too. Then I saw an interview with a guy who’d had a near-death experience. (Not saying near-death experiences are necessarily real, but it’s something to think about.)
Anyway, this guy had a wife and kids, he “died” and found himself in Heaven. The first thing he thought was, “This is perfect!” He thought that even though his wife and kids were not there with him.
After he reluctantly had to go back into his body, he told his wife about the experience, and how he hadn’t wanted to come home. She said, “Well, what about me and the kids? Didn’t you want to be with us again?” And he said, “I’d have preferred that you come up there to Heaven, rather than me have to come back here.”
I think that somehow, Heaven will just be perfect, and even though it seems impossible now, it won’t bother us that some of our loved ones aren’t there. The perfection and wonderfulness of Heaven will override that. There’s no other way that it can be, really, because if we’re all sad about our loved ones who aren’t there, then Heaven won’t be perfect and there’ll be tears and crying there.
Just a thought, anyway.
Our tears are dried. Remember this, in hell is nothing good. Those who are there have no love, no joy, no peace. That is the choice. Do you accept His image within yourself? Those who do not, don’t want to be with you, are rejecting you (who has Christ within). Those who do are your family.
Christ showed love by warning of the judgment to come.
The answer is the change He’ll complete in us. In heaven, we won’t be able to sin. Our will will precisely conform to God’s will. We’ll praise Him for His mercy for us and our fellow saved, and praise Him for His perfect justice for those who aren’t with us. Sitting around grieving for those who aren’t there would be sin, implying God’s justice isn’t justice at all. And, as stated above, we’ll be incapable of sin, so we’ll be incapable of such thoughts.
That is a good question. In our heart of hearts we want - need - to be where love is. The family was designed to mirror God's love for us - and hopefully it does. But when family members are living in rebellion against God, there is no true love. Perhaps you have already experienced this in their rejection of you along with your faith. Would we want to spend eternity in a place where there is no love? Let us not forget that Hell is not populated with those who earnestly desire to love and serve God (desperately wishing for another chance to do so), but by those who are eternally confirmed in their rejection of Him. We could never be happy among those who hate God.
You are you..... an individual
Let your family KNOW that it is NOT how YOU live that matters, but that your FAITH in what Jesus has done, that does!
YOU are a really poor example!
Just like me!
Psst... it's not an odd question all all. But I know of no one that has an answer to it.
Leave it in God's hands.
Revelations. “He will dry every tear.”