| Can those in Heaven see Us? |
Create Date: 21-Feb-2020 |
| Can those in Heaven know about what we are doing? |
Last updated: 2-Mar-2023 |
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There is no absolute scriptural verse to state that our deceased loved ones are watching and are aware of those on earth, but it is this author's opinion that there are inferences from at least five scriptural passages that gives us the hope and answer that is most likely true for those who are in Heaven, but NOT necessarily those who are awaiting the Great White Thrown of Judgment in Hell.
Note that the Scriptures absolutely do point out that:
| Unfortunately, there are
some who believe it is righteous and allowed to direct prayers to someone in heaven
other than God. When speaking to an Angel or a human-being, that is
deceased, then that is absolutely prohibited based on many scriptures.
There are some religions, such as Roman Catholics, who pray to Angels, deceased people that are presumed to be in heaven, and Jesus Christ's earthly mother Mary. Mary can be thought of as honored person by God. Mary was the vessel to bring Jesus Christ forth into Jesus Christ's creation, and Mary did not exist before her birth where Jesus Christ has always existed as Jesus Christ is God. Praying to anyone, other than God, is a Blasphemy against God
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Biblical Scholars have pointed out that Heaven is not located somewhere in the Universe. The Kingdom of Heaven is in a different Dimension and Time Domain, where our Universe which the Earth is part of, is a subset of a larger reality. The question for us to consider is if God allows those in Heaven to see singularly a room, a finite location or watch someone walk down a sidewalk along with other mundane activities that we all do?
Notice in Revelation 11:12 that after 3.5 days* the Two Witnesses were dead and then are made alive. When they come back to life, a voice is heard from Heaven saying "Come up here!" where their enemies watch the Two Witnesses ascend. Rhetorically, did the inhabitants of Heaven notice the enemies of the Two Witnesses watching? The point to notice is the enemies were able to see the ascension into Heaven which means Heaven is geographically always present and around us albeit we intentionally cannot see Heaven because of its dimensional location without God allowing it.
As we know, the Earth spins on an axis and Heaven is not spinning with the Earth to keep a window or door between the location of the death of the Two Witnesses in Jerusalem and the proximity of Heaven. In other words, Heaven is very close but obviously not reachable for us but Earth is very reachable for those in Heaven.
Recall in Job 1:6-7, that God had all the Angels present themselves to God and when God was speaking to Lucifer, Lucifer was saying that he was roaming the Earth. Rhetorically, in order for Lucifer to go to speak with God did this mean a great long journey to get to God's presence? The scripture infers it is not a long journey albeit some Biblical Scholars, and this author, believe that Angels are capable of traveling by thought to appear in one place and then another.
| Revelation 11:7-12 Two Witnesses |
7 And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, 8 and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. 9 For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, 10 and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. 11 But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. |
| Job 1:6-7 | 6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. 7 The LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it." |
* It is the belief of this author that the 3.5 Days of death by the Two Witnesses is the amount of time Jesus Christ was dead after the crucifixion. There was three days in the tomb and the time after death before being place in the tomb. This is based on God always uses patterns in the scriptures.
From the scriptural references, everyone who has Salvation when entering Heaven, will become aware of the great price that Jesus Christ paid on the Cross along with many amazing things. Most Biblical Scholars state that we will spend eternity learning, loving and growing in the realizations of what God has done through the whole earth history through Jesus Christ, and enjoying an infinite number of universes with God.
The plan of God, often called God's Purpose of All History on the Earth, was to show His infinite Love and Grace.
All of us, when entering into Heaven, will know we did not have self-righteousness to deserve Heaven. Our knowledge of sinful inadequacies, where a payment to offset was required to enter Heaven. This will bring on a new perspective when viewing events on Earth and also when participating in the Great White Throne of Judgment, concerning the judgments against the Fallen Angels and Demons, along with so much more.
Rewards in Heaven, at the Judgment Seat of Christ, are based on everything done through faith that:
during our life-time.
Many Biblical Scholars believe that we all will be saddened by the lost opportunities in our earthly lives. The tears wiped away by God in Revelation 21:4 are for our lost rewards, lost opportunities and those we loved that will permanently gone to the Lake of Fire.
| Revelation 21:4 | He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” |
As discussed at the start of this topic, we should always try to remember that God exists outside of the Earthly Time Domain. God is not restricted to seeing all events in the past, present and future. There appears to be the ability, that those in Heaven, are allowed to view events on Earth for God's purposes as discussed below.
There are many scriptures, where God took individuals like John in the Book of Revelation, forward in time to see events that would happen on Earth and in Heaven. Moses wrote about the time of the beginning of the Earth, with Adam and Eve, up until the period of time of his death. Was Moses allowed to see events in the past, before his own birth, by God? We are not given the answer, but in order for Moses to write about it, then he must have been given visions along with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Before discussing the five key scriptures, we need to always know that God absolutely has the ability to know what we are thinking. There are three cases in the scriptures, of many, where an occurrence on Earth demonstrates that God knows the thoughts of humankind.
| Genesis 18:11-15 | 10 He said, "I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son." And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing. 12 Sarah laughed to herself, saying, "After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?" 13 And the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?' 14 "Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son." 15 Sarah denied it however, saying, "I did not laugh"; for she was afraid. And He said, "No, but you did laugh." |
| 2 Kings 6:12 | And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” |
| John 13:27 | Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” |
In Revelation 6:10, we learn about the Tribulation Period's Christians who lose their lives at the hands of the Antichrist and the evil people during that time period. These Martyred Christians, in Heaven, will be asking God how long before they are avenged.
| Revelation 6:10 | They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” |
In order for these Christians, who were martyred to be able to ask this question, then they had to know that the murderers have not had their lives taken along with God not completing all of His Plans such as the Judgments in the time of Tribulation Period.
Points regarding the question asked by the Martyred:
| Isaiah 49:24-25 | 24 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captives be delivered? 25 But thus saith Jehovah, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered; for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children. |
| Proverbs 14:26 | In the fear of Jehovah is strong confidence; And His children shall have a place of refuge. |
| Isaiah 57:17 | For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him; I hid my face and was wroth; and he went on backsliding in the way of his heart. |
| Acts 16:31-34 | 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house. 32 And they spake the word of the Lord unto him, with all that were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, immediately. 34 And he brought them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all his house, having believed in God. |
At the Mount of Transfiguration event of Luke 9:28-36, the deceased Moses and Elijah visit Jesus Christ, to discuss the future departure/death at Jerusalem that is mentioned in the scripture. There also may have been other included topics about a future assignment during the Tribulation Period encouragement for Jesus' mission. Note that Moses and Elijah had to be residing in Good compartment of Sheol at that time.
Thoughts on the Transfiguration Event:
| Luke 9:31 | They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. |
| Luke 9:35 | 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my Son, my chosen: hear ye him. 36 And when the voice came, Jesus was found alone. And they held their peace, and told no man in those days any of the things which they had seen. |
There is the theory by a few Biblical Scholars, along with this author, concerning Jesus Christ's Second Coming that will involve the entire world being able to see the event. According to Revelation 1:17 (shown below) and other scriptures:
| Revelation 1:17 | Look, He is coming with the clouds," and "every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him"; and all peoples on earth "will mourn because of Him." So shall it be! Amen. |
(The Second Coming of Jesus Christ is both a Triumphant Event but also an excruciating event for those who do not have Salvation. At the Second Coming, it is this author's opinion that the pain Jesus Christ felt in the scourging, illegal trials, walk to Golgotha and the actual crucifixion will be felt by those who participated in His death, whom do not have Salvation. While this is just a theory, it is being based on how would the peoples of the earth "will mourn because of Him", which indicates pain besides remorse.)
The Revelation 1:17 verse demonstrates that God does allow and even requires viewing of earthly events from other locations. Those "who pierced Him" have already died and those people either received Salvation or condemned to Sheol. There were those at the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, who took part in the Crucifixion, recognized Him as God to most likely their Salvation, such as the Centurion of Mark 15:39. Judas Iscariot, even realized his damnation mistake.
| Mark 15:39 | And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (This most likely lead to the Centurion's Salvation.) |
| Matthew 27:3-4 | 3 Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." But they said, "What is that to us? See to that yourself!" |
* During the Tribulation Period, Christians will be Martyred for their Faith.
After King David's death, David's son Solomon took over the kingdom, where Solomon gradually lead and also let Israel fall into Idolatry after he broke the rules in the Torah by marrying foreign women who influenced worship of Ammonite gods. But God said for King David's sake, the kingdom would not be split during Solomon's life in 1 Kings 11:11.
There is another case when King Jeroboam reigned for three years and continued with the sins of his fathers, but God raised up a son from Jeroboam for King David's sake to have a lamp in Jerusalem.
| 1 Kings 11:11-13 | 11 Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. 12 Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 However I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.” |
| 1 Kings 15:4-5 | 4 But for David's sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, to raise up his son after him and to establish Jerusalem; 5 because David did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the case of Uriah the Hittite. |
The point to notice is God is doing this for David's sake where the question is does David know about these two works that God was doing for David's sake? There is of course multiple reasons why God was working in the blood line of the future Messiah along with the possibility that David does not know.
We know from numerous scriptures that only God is omniscient and the Angels are not. We learn that Angels are sent on missions and watch over the events of humankind. Form 1 Peter 1:10-12, we learn that the Angels desire to know God's plans and watch with keen interest.
There are two questions to consider are:
The possibilities to these two questions are presumed to be yes by many Biblical Scholars with an additional thought they may be confirming to humankind in Heaven what they are either able to see or know. This will be because from the Angelic perspective, they will see how God is conducting His Plans which are always the best for those who love Him.
| 1 Peter 1:10-12 | 10 Concerning which salvation the prophets sought and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 11 searching what time or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did point unto, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that should follow them. 12 To whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto you, did they minister these things, which now have been announced unto you through them that preached the gospel unto you by the Holy Spirit sent forth from heaven; which things angels desire to look into. |
What to read next?
What is Salvation? Is it is possible to lose Salvation? We have eternal life. Evolution is not real. When a Christian suffers is there benefits from it. Rewards in heaven. Do we Tithe? What does the 3rd Commandment tell us? What is Grace and Mercy? Is there an Age of Accountability? Is there a place of unending punishment and exile form God?