What Age Will I Appear in Heaven?
00:00:00.000 | [Intro Music]
00:00:05.000 | Randy Alcorn joins us one last time for Heaven Week, filling in for John Piper.
00:00:10.000 | Randy, I have one last question for you, for now at least.
00:00:13.000 | We know that the human body changes radically from conception to age 90.
00:00:17.000 | So, at what stage in bodily progression will our resurrected bodies appear?
00:00:21.000 | We are told that there will be children in Heaven.
00:00:24.000 | Will there be elderly folks in Heaven?
00:00:26.000 | And will there be a range of appearances in Heaven?
00:00:29.000 | Or will we appear the age in which we died, like Jesus apparently?
00:00:34.000 | Or will we be younger or older?
00:00:36.000 | Or will everyone appear to be 25 years old in the prime of their life?
00:00:40.000 | Help us sort this out, Randy.
00:00:42.000 | This is another one of those areas where we have to speculate.
00:00:46.000 | We don't have the direct biblical teaching on this.
00:00:49.000 | But we do have the direct biblical teaching of having real, actual human bodies
00:00:57.000 | as created by God, not subject to sin and death and suffering.
00:01:02.000 | We have the continuity of the appearance that we would assume that as Jesus looked like the Jesus that he was,
00:01:12.000 | we will look like the people that we were.
00:01:14.000 | You will look like Tony. I will look like Randy.
00:01:18.000 | We will be able to recognize each other, all that.
00:01:23.000 | But I think in terms of the challenge of when an elderly person dies, will that person look elderly?
00:01:31.000 | We would assume not because there is a peak of physical vitality in this life.
00:01:40.000 | And whatever that age is, I know I'm past it.
00:01:42.000 | But maybe it was the 20s. I don't know.
00:01:46.000 | So we still have the benefits of having many good things about us that we develop more with age.
00:01:53.000 | But physically, there's the passing of a peak.
00:01:55.000 | And this is why historically many theologians speculated, it was all speculation, I guess you'd have to say,
00:02:04.000 | that it was perhaps the age of Jesus when he died, you know, our perfect Savior,
00:02:11.000 | and often believing that he died either at age 30 or age 33, depending on different perspectives.
00:02:19.000 | Peter Lombard argued that, medieval theologian.
00:02:23.000 | Thomas Aquinas made the same argument that Christ, when he died, he said, was 33,
00:02:30.000 | and therefore we will all be 33 in the resurrection.
00:02:33.000 | Well, I'm not sure you can totally follow that logic, but it's a great thought.
00:02:37.000 | It's a great idea. And it's certainly possible.
00:02:40.000 | And I think that one of the interesting dynamics of what age we will be in heaven
00:02:45.000 | comes from an understanding of all the research that's been done on DNA.
00:02:49.000 | Because DNA, if our resurrected bodies have DNA, and DNA could actually be a means that God uses,
00:02:59.000 | of course he doesn't need to use a means,
00:03:01.000 | but when they found the DNA of these, you know, Egyptian pharaohs that are thousands of years old,
00:03:11.000 | it's actual DNA, and if we had the ability to do so, could reconstruct a person, a clone,
00:03:20.000 | you know, and that itself I think suggests that there could be a continuity between us at our peaks,
00:03:31.000 | now then the question in the resurrection, and so that the older person becomes a younger person again,
00:03:37.000 | but in a body without suffering.
00:03:41.000 | However, what about those who have never reached that peak?
00:03:46.000 | What about children who die?
00:03:48.000 | Well, we do have those passages in Isaiah 11 and Isaiah 65 that seem to clearly have some children on the new earth.
00:04:00.000 | And so I think one possibility with that is they could be resurrected at the age they were when they died.
00:04:09.000 | If that is the case, then God would not fast forward, he would not skip any stage,
00:04:15.000 | and I think in some ways that would almost make sense, that there would not be a skipping of stages,
00:04:20.000 | but that they as children could literally grow up on the new earth.
00:04:25.000 | Now if that's the case, and that is speculation, but to me it would fit beautifully with Luke 6 and other passages
00:04:31.000 | where God brings comfort to the mourners, and in the sense of, "You've been through this,
00:04:40.000 | and I will compensate in the world to come in the resurrection.
00:04:45.000 | You have experienced mourning, I will give you laughter.
00:04:49.000 | You were deprived of raising a child who died at a young age, maybe, maybe,
00:04:56.000 | you will be able to be there with your child as he or she grows up on the new earth
00:05:05.000 | without threat of death, harm, abuse, or anything else."
00:05:12.000 | And to me, somehow, I just believe it would be just like our God to perhaps do that.
00:05:18.000 | And then the rejoicing there will be in contrast to the loss and the misery and the suffering on earth
00:05:27.000 | will be celebrated for all eternity because everybody will know,
00:05:32.000 | "You know what? I loved raising my kids on the old earth, but wow, to have grown up here."
00:05:39.000 | Wow. And with that profound thought, Heaven Week must come to an end.
00:05:44.000 | Such a rich week. Thank you, Randy, for your thoughts and your time.
00:05:48.000 | There's so much more to learn and discuss about Heaven, and for more, see Randy's best-selling book,
00:05:52.000 | which is simply titled Heaven, and be sure to check out his ministry,
00:05:55.000 | Eternal Perspective Ministries, online at epm.org.
00:05:59.000 | We appreciated hearing from our first podcast guest, Randy Alcorn,
00:06:03.000 | and perhaps we'll do this again in the near future.
00:06:05.000 | But next week, we return with all new episodes from Jon Piper,
00:06:08.000 | and on Monday, I'll ask Pastor Jon if wedding and engagement rings are a waste of money.
00:06:15.000 | Until then, I'm your host, Tony Reinke. Thanks for listening to the Ask Pastor Jon podcast.
00:06:18.000 | Have a great weekend.
00:06:21.000 | [ End ]
00:06:23.000 | [ Silence ]