Pathway to Victory

David J. Mullins: Hi, podcast listeners. Thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's Word through the most effective media available, like this podcast. To support Pathway to Victory, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes. Now, here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Dr. Robert Jeffress: Hi, this is Robert Jeffress, and I'm glad to study God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program. On today's edition of Pathway to Victory, we get to the question everybody's interested in. Will there be animals in heaven? And specifically, will my pet be in heaven? I can't tell you the number of people who ask me that question about will our pets be with us in heaven. Let's see what the Bible says about the place of animals in heaven.

David J. Mullins: Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress. You know, these days, there's a great deal of interest about the subject of heaven. The Bible does provide some details about our eternal home, but not everything. Still, many folks are eager to fill in the blanks about what heaven is really like. Today, on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress opens scripture to learn what we can and can't know about heaven. But first, let's take a moment to hear some important ministry updates.

Dr. Robert Jeffress: Thanks, David. And welcome again to Pathway to Victory. As we close out our Perfect Ending series today, I want you to think for a moment about the people already in your life: the family member who has been quietly wrestling with questions about the future, the friend rattled by world events who doesn't know where to turn. You may be the one person in their world with access to a trustworthy answer.

My brand-new book, "Ask Dr. Jeffress About the End Times," is the resource I'd want you to have ready. This is the last day I'll mention this exclusive offer. Please reach out and request your copy while it's fresh on your mind. I'll be pleased to send you a copy right away with my thanks. When you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, be sure to ask for my book called "Ask Dr. Jeffress About the End Times," in which I answer twenty of the most common questions about God's plan for the future. David and I will repeat this information later, along with the other resources available to you on this final program in the teaching series. But right now, let's dig into scripture as our series called Perfect Ending concludes. My message today is titled "The Truth About Heaven."

As we conclude our series today on Bible prophecy, we're going to look at what we call the eternal state for believers. We're going to talk about what the Bible reveals to us about heaven. And so, today, what I'm going to attempt to do, and you have on your outline, is I'm going to answer the ten most frequently asked questions about heaven.

The first and the foundational question is: is heaven an actual place, or is it simply a state of mind? Turn over to John 14 and look at verses two and three. Now, this is Jesus teaching. He said, "In my Father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. For I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also." The Bible doesn't stutter on this subject. Heaven is an actual place, not just a state of mind.

Well, that leads to a second question: where do Christians go then when they die? The moment a Christian dies, his spirit goes immediately into the presence of Jesus. And in that sense, he is in heaven. But that is not our final and eternal dwelling place. Ultimately, we will inhabit the new heaven and the new earth that are yet to be constructed.

Well, that leads to a third question: are you saying then, Pastor, that when people die, they go to a kind of purgatory until the end of time? Not at all. When a Christian dies, he goes immediately into the presence of Jesus and experiences blessing while he awaits the new heaven and the new earth that will be his ultimate dwelling place.

Question number four: what is the difference between the Millennial Kingdom and the new heaven and new earth? What is the difference? Remember that Revelation 20 tells us that after Christ comes back to earth at his second coming, remember he binds Satan for a thousand years, and he reigns on the throne of David for a thousand years. It is during this time that the earth experiences a renovation, not a recreation, a renovation.

But then, as 2 Peter 3 says, after the millennium and after the Great White Throne Judgment, God will destroy this present heaven and earth. And look at Revelation 21, verses one to three. John says, after the present heaven and earth were destroyed, he looked up and he saw this heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven to earth. And what I want you to understand is, our ultimate dwelling place is not up there, is not some place in outer space. Our ultimate dwelling place is here on earth.

And that leads to a fifth question: what kind of bodies will we inhabit in the new heaven, and will we know one another in heaven? I was on a radio program Friday, and the host was asking me all kind of questions about the resurrection. Pastor, what are our resurrected bodies going to be like? Are we going to have birthmarks? If we had birthmarks in this life, are those birthmarks going to carry over? What about if you've lost a limb? Are you going to be handicapped in the next life? I mean, are we going to know one another in heaven?

All the answers to those questions come when we look at the resurrected body of Jesus Christ. And you find that his resurrection body in many ways was similar to his earthly body. But his body was also superior to his earthly body. And the same thing is going to be true for us. You say, "Well, that was Jesus. Why do you think that's going to be true of us?" Because Colossians 1:18 says, remember, Jesus is the prototokos. He is the prototype of those who are going to be raised from the dead. He is the firstborn, the prototokos of all creation.

Question number six: what age will we be in heaven? Have you ever wondered that? What age will we be in heaven? If you're ten on earth, will you be ten in heaven forever and ever? If you're a senior adult when you die and go to heaven, are you going to be looking for the ranch office of the AARP at the pearly gates? The real question is, what age are we going to be in heaven? Some people have postulated that, well, perhaps we're going to be the same age Jesus was when he started his ministry. We're all going to be thirty years old. That's complete conjecture. The fact is, we don't know what age we will be in heaven.

But now, we get to the question everybody's interested in. Number seven: will there be animals in heaven, and specifically, will my pet be in heaven? I can't tell you the number of people who ask me that question about will our pets be with us in heaven. Let's see what the Bible says about the place of animals in heaven. First of all, Isaiah chapter 11 is a description of the millennium, the renovated earth when Christ reigns for a thousand years. And yes, the Bible teaches that there will be animals present during the millennium.

But after Revelation 21 and 22, when you get to the destruction of the present heaven and earth and the creation of the new heaven and earth, you find no mention of animals in the New Jerusalem, no mention of them anywhere. Does that mean they're not here? Not necessarily. However, if there are animals in the new heaven and the new earth, most probably they are not our pets today that have been resurrected to new life.

If you turn over to Ecclesiastes chapter three, Solomon makes that point very clear: "For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies, so dies the other. Indeed, they all have the same breath, and there is no advantage of man over beast, for all is vanity. They all go to the same place. They all came from dust, and they shall all return to dust." But then he goes on to say in verse 21: "Who knows that the breath of a man ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth?" Here's the difference: the breath, the spirit of a man ascends to heaven. There is an eternality of man that is not true of animals. If there are animals in the new heaven, they're going to be new animals that God has created, probably not our resurrected pets.

Number eight: will there be marriage in heaven? Will there be marriage in heaven? If I've been married for sixty years here on earth, am I going to be stuck with—I mean, am I going to be married to the same person in heaven? What does the Bible say about that? Turn over to Luke 20. Now, that's a question the Bible answers very, very clearly.

Remember, a group of the Sadducees, who didn't even believe in an afterlife, decided to play their own version of "Ask the Rabbi" to try to stump Jesus with a question in order to trick him. And the question was this: they said, "Jesus, suppose a woman is married seven different times, seven different men, and she dies. In the next life, whose wife will she be?" They thought they had really stumped the Lord. Not at all.

Look at verse 34 of Luke 20: "And Jesus said to them, 'The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. For neither can they die anymore, for they are like angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.'" Jesus is simply saying in our resurrected bodies, we are like angels in this aspect: we're not going to marry, and therefore we're not going to procreate. We will not be married to other people in heaven. Now, if the thought that you're not going to be married or the thought that Fido isn't going to be with you in heaven causes you a lot of angst, remember this: heaven is going to be a place of complete joy. God knows exactly what you need to be happy, and there's not going to be anything lacking in heaven, the Bible tells us.

Well, that begs the question then, question number nine: what are we going to do in heaven? What are we going to spend eternity doing? Now, we know the picture of, you know, floating on a cloud, plucking the harp. That's a mischaracterization of heaven. But you know what I've found is, even some Christians, many Christians don't understand exactly what we're going to be doing in heaven.

We had a guest preacher one time, and he started kind of getting on the congregation a little bit. And he said, "You know, those of you who can't even sit through a two-hour worship service, how in the world do you think you're going to enjoy heaven when all we're going to do is worship God?" There were a few scattered amens, but not real enthusiastic, because frankly, if we're all just being honest here, the thought of doing nothing for all eternity except worshiping God is kind of boring. Now, you're not going to admit to that, but you're thinking it. That's kind of boring. We're going to do nothing but worship God?

Listen to this. While worship is certainly going to be a primary activity in heaven, it's not going to be our only activity in heaven. The Bible says not only are we going to be worshiping, we're going to be working in heaven. The fact is, God created us to do more than worship. God created us to work. And the reason God created us to work is we are made in his image. God is a worker. He created us to work.

And listen to me, worship and work are not mutually exclusive. You can be worshiping while you work. You know, a perfect illustration of that is in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve, think about this, before the fall, they had a perfect relationship with God that was untainted by sin. They were enjoying perfect fellowship with God. But did they just sit around the garden singing hymns and praying 24/7? No. Genesis 2:15 says God gave them a job: you are to cultivate the garden and to keep it. They worked and they worshiped at the same time.

And the same thing is true for us. We're going to be doing more than singing hymns and praying all day. I would say all day and all night, but there's not going to be any night; it's just going to be all day. God has responsibilities for us. You say, "Where do you get that?" 2 Timothy 2:12: "If we endure with him, we shall reign with him." Or Revelation 22, verse five: "We shall reign with him forever and ever and ever." In Matthew chapter 25, Jesus talked about the parable of the talents. And he was teaching us that dependent upon our faithfulness in this life, we will receive responsibilities in the next life. Some will rule over planets, some will rule over stars, some will rule over galaxies. Paul said one day we will judge angels. God will give us responsibilities to carry out throughout all eternity, and we will find fulfillment in doing that.

And remember, all of the impediments that keep us from enjoying work in this life—tired bodies, strained relationships, government regulations—all those things will be removed in the next life so that we can enjoy work as God intended us to enjoy it. We will be working in heaven.

Question number ten, and I get this all the time: are Christians in heaven right now aware of what's going on on earth? Are Christians in heaven aware of what's happening on earth? And I think the Bible answers that question with an affirming yes. At least to some extent, people in heaven know what's happening on earth. Where do I find this idea that people in heaven know what's going on on earth? Well, think about Abraham in Luke chapter 16. He was with the Lord, but he was aware of the rich man's suffering.

Or in Revelation chapter six, verse ten, jot down that passage. The picture here is during the Great Tribulation. The tribulation saints, that is, those Christians who have died because of their faith, their spirits are in heaven, are looking down at what is happening on earth during the Great Tribulation. And notice what they cry out. They say, "Oh Lord, how long will you refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell upon the earth?" In other words, during the tribulation, people in heaven are going to be able to look down, they will see the calamity on the earth, and they're going to say, "Lord, how long are you going to allow this to happen before you bring judgment?" So, the Bible is clear, at least to some extent, that people in heaven are aware of what is happening on earth.

Now, of course, that brings up a related question: well, does that mean then that Christians in heaven are going to experience grief in heaven when we see our loved ones being consigned to hell? Have you ever wondered that? I mean, how is it going to be possible if I have a friend or a loved one who is suffering and being tormented in hell forever, how could I ever possibly enjoy heaven?

Revelation chapter 21, verse four: John says, "And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes." And this takes place after the Great White Throne Judgment, after unbelievers are cast into the lake of fire. After that time, John says, God wipes away every tear from our eyes. How could that be possible if we know loved ones are suffering in hell?

In 2 Thessalonians chapter one, we find an interesting description of what happens when the Lord returns. You know, when the Lord was here the first time on earth, Bible says he wept over the lost. He cried over Jerusalem. He was grieved over the prospect of people going to hell. But 2 Thessalonians one says when the Lord comes the second time, he will come dealing out retribution against unbelievers. And there'll be no tears, there'll be no grieving on his part as he renders judgment to unbelievers. And in 2 Thessalonians 1:10, it says, and after he does that, Christ will be marveled at among those who have believed. That is, when we witness Christ punishing evildoers, we won't be second-guessing him, we won't be arguing with him that he's being unjust; instead, we will marvel at what he has done.

I think what the scripture is saying is this: when we see life from God's perspective, when we are with him and understand the true righteousness of God and the true awfulness of sin, and we realize that every person who is consigned to hell deserves to be there because they have rejected Christ, that will cause every tear, every bit of remorse to be wiped away. I don't understand that completely, but I like what J.I. Packer wrote one time when he said, "Other people's hell will not veto our heaven." The Bible says on that day, God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. There shall no longer be any death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old things will have passed away. Just think: no more broken relationships, no more all-night vigils at the hospital, no more standing over the grave of a loved one. All of that will be gone forever.

I don't know about you, but that's enough to make me want to push away the spinach and carrots and go for the Bluebell right now. Aren't you ready for heaven right now when you think about that? But the fact is, God still has some very real responsibilities he wants us to carry out here on earth before we go to heaven. But the fact that this life is so unpleasant right now only's going to make heaven taste that much better.

But listen to this. The reverse is also true. Knowing what awaits us makes this life more bearable. Paul said it this way: he said, "For what we go through in this life, it is a light, momentary affliction compared to the eternal glory that awaits us." You know, one of the greatest criticisms against the teaching of Bible prophecy—very few churches today even talk about the subject of prophecy anymore—but one of the frequent criticisms is, well, Bible prophecy has nothing to do with everyday life. Haven't you heard people say, "Oh, they're so heavenly minded, they're no earthly good"? Well, look, the Bible never divorces the truth of the next life from our responsibility in this life.

Listen to Peter's words in 2 Peter 3:11-12: "Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming day of the Lord?" I mean, think about this, folks. Shouldn't the truth of the rapture, the fact that we're going to be caught up one day to meet the Lord in the air and we're going to leave everything behind, shouldn't that affect our attitude toward our material possessions right now? Knowing we'll have to let go of it one day, shouldn't it loosen our grip on those material possessions right now? Shouldn't the fact that you and I are going to stand one day before the judgment seat of Christ and give an account for every word, every action, every attitude, shouldn't that have some impact on how we live right now?

C.S. Lewis talked about the value of being heavenly minded, of focusing on the future. I close with this. He said, "Hope is one of the theological virtues. This means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not, as some modern people think, a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but it's one of those things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history, you'll find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next world. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think about the other world that they have become so ineffective in this one. Aim at heaven, and you'll get earth thrown in. Aim at earth, and you'll get neither." Living in anticipation of that perfect ending that awaits every believer in Christ is the strongest motivation I know of for living a God-centered life beginning today.

Well, this concludes our in-depth teaching series on future events and the end times. And let me urge you to take a few moments right now to request the materials we've prepared on your behalf to help you understand God's plan for your future. I'm especially eager to place my brand-new book, "Ask Dr. Jeffress About the End Times," into your hands. I'm sure you'd agree, we are living through days that are shaking people to their core. Uncertainty is everywhere. And yet, for the Christian who understands God's prophetic plan, these days need not produce anxiety.

In my book, I answer twenty of the most pressing questions about God's plan for the future with the same biblical clarity and pastoral warmth you've come to expect from Pathway to Victory over thirty years. But our Perfect Ending series concludes today, and this exclusive offer expires with it. So be sure to get in touch today. When you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, I'll send a copy to your home right away. Your financial support truly makes a difference. You see, your gift empowers Pathway to Victory to proclaim the truth of scripture with boldness and to touch lives for God's glory.

Recently, I heard from Susan, who listens in Florida. And she said, "Pastor Jeffress, 'Perfect Ending' has been so insightful. It has deepened my faith, inspired me to recommit my life to pray more, and to be a better witness as I await the return of our Lord." Susan, your words encourage me. And you inspire all of us to invest generously into Pathway to Victory. Thanks so much. Here's David to tell you more.

David J. Mullins: You're invited to request a copy of Dr. Jeffress's brand-new, just-released book, "Ask Dr. Jeffress About the End Times," when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. Now, this book provides clear biblical answers to the top twenty questions people ask about the end times. Simply call 866-999-2965 or visit online at ptv.org.

And when your gift is $125 or more, we'll also send you Dr. Jeffress's best-selling prophecy book, "Perfect Ending." You'll get the complete Perfect Ending teaching series on audio and video disc and the stunning full-color resource, "The End Times Illustrated: A Panorama of Bible Prophecy from Genesis to Revelation." Now, this is the last day that we'll mention this very special offer, so please get in touch right away. Call 866-999-2965 or visit ptv.org. If you'd prefer to write, here's that mailing address: PO Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. Again, that's PO Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222.

I'm David J. Mullins, wishing you a great weekend. Then join us again next week for a series called "Courageous: 10 Strategies for Thriving in a Hostile World." That's right here on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas.

Dr. Robert Jeffress: What if your next vacation changed the way you read your Bible forever? Join me for nine nights sailing the Mediterranean with every detail taken care of. When you stand where Paul stood, your Bible comes alive in ways it never has before. Sail with us on the Pathway to Victory Journeys of Paul cruise, May 2027, and ask about our optional Athens pre-extension. Call 888-280-6747 or visit ptv.org.

David J. Mullins: You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. And we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway Partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in His Word. To become a Pathway Partner, go to ptv.org/donate or you can follow the link in our show notes.

We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. Oh, and one last thing before we go. Don't forget to reserve your spot on the 2027 Journeys of Paul Mediterranean Cruise. You've heard me and Dr. Jeffress talk about it, and cabins are going quickly. Just picture yourself aboard the beautiful Celebrity Infinity, sailing round trip from Athens, standing where the Apostle Paul stood in Ephesus, and taking in the breathtaking Greek islands. Nine unforgettable nights with stops in Mykonos, Rhodes, Santorini, and more. Every meal prepared, every detail taken care of, plus fellowship with like-minded believers. There's also an optional pre-cruise extension to Athens. To book your spot, go to ptv.org.