AMA: Questions About Heaven - Pastor Mike Houck | June 26, 2026

Will we recognized our loved ones in Heaven? Where do babies go when they die? What happens if we die with unconfessed sins? In this message, Pastor Mike examines Scripture to answer these questions & more. 

Transcript

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So let's get started. Questions about heaven. The first one that we'll address is will I recognize my loved ones in heaven? And the answer to that is that Scripture gives us sufficient evidence that we will know each other in heaven. It doesn't specifically say that. And many of these questions that we're going to answer, there isn't a specific defined answer. But we will take passages of scripture that may suggest or insinuate or lead us to believe that a certain thing is true. In Matthew chapter 17, verses 2 to 3, it says, And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with them. And so this passage here illustrates that when Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration, and the disciples who were with him saw that he was transfigured, that he uh became uh like a heavenly being, that Elijah and Moses came and talked to him and conferred with him, and that the disciples knew that it was Elijah and Moses. And so there was this knowledge of who they were. In fact, there will be perfect knowledge in heaven, and so that people that you, I believe, people that you have never seen, uh, you will recognize them for who they are. You won't have to necessarily introduce yourself or have them introduce themselves. You will know them. Um there's also an illustration in Luke chapter 16, verses 22 through 24, where there's Jesus was telling a parable. He was telling a story, actually, and it was a story of a rich man and a poor man, and what happened to them when they died. And we'll pick it up in verse 22. The rich man had also died and was buried. And in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and he saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus, Lazarus was the poor man, at his side. And he called out, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame. And of course, Father Abraham said that he was not able to do that because there was a great chasm that separated uh Lazarus from the rich man in uh Hades. And so they weren't able to, you know, to connect, to, to get to each other. Um the interesting thing is this is often referred to as a parable, but in all of the parables that Jesus shared, he never mentioned names. He would say there was a certain man or there was a woman. He would never mention names. But in this one, he mentions the name of Lazarus. And so it leads some people to believe that this is an actual true story, that it's not just a parable, but that it's an actual illustration of a rich man and Lazarus who went to heaven. But here we see that the rich man knew who Father Abraham was, and he knew who Lazarus was. And then also we have an illustration from the Old Testament in 1 Samuel chapter 28, verses 14 through 15. This is where Saul, King Saul, goes to the witch of Endora or the median at Andorra, and he asks her to bring up the body of the prophet. And so the prophet's uh Samuel, and so um she does that. And this is uh just a section of that story. You can read the whole story if you wish. And he said to her, What is his appearance? She she mentions that there's a figure that is coming. She actually calls him a god, little G. And um he said to her, What is his appearance? And she said, An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe. And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage. Then Samuel said to Saul, Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up? And so there again, another illustration of someone on this side of eternity recognizing someone who has passed on. And then Paul in 1 Corinthians 15, 3 through 8 writes, For I delivered to you as first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scripture, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve, then to appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then he appeared to all the apostles. Last of all, he uh as to one untimely born, he also appeared to me. Paul is writing that Jesus, after his his death, his burial, his resurrection, appeared to many people. And as a matter of fact, in the Gospels, that it says that he appeared to as many as 500 people. It is also interesting to notice uh at the power of the resurrection that not only Jesus was raised from the dead, but there were several other people that came back from the dead. Um, and that uh were alive. Of course, they died again. Jesus Christ never uh died again, and when we are resurrected uh in our final state, we will never uh die again as well. But the point being that Jesus in his resurrected body was recognized by those who saw him. And so will we recognize our loved ones in heaven? Yes. Hopefully that is good news for you. Um if you have relatives that you hope you never see in heaven, I mean, if they're there, you hope they don't recognize you. Um I don't know how that's going to be. Um, but uh if they are in heaven, if they have given their life to Jesus Christ, they are in heaven. We believe on the basis of scripture that you will recognize them and they will recognize you. The second question: will I still be married in heaven? Will I still be married in heaven? Now, when I read this question, I wasn't sure where the person was coming from, whether they were hoping to be released from marriage or whether they were hoping to continue in marital bliss through all of eternity. I wasn't sure. And so I'm just gonna answer this straightforward. No. Uh, marriage is an earthly institution. It was instituted by God and reinforced by Jesus Christ as an earthly institution. And so there is no evidence of marriage or giving in marriage in heaven. As a matter of fact, uh, Jesus spoke to that very specifically. The Sadducees were trying to trick Jesus, and they asked him a question saying, Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife, but no children, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife and died without children, and the second and the third took her, and likewise all seven left, no children, left no children, and died. Afterward the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as a wife. And Jesus said to them, The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. So, first of all, there's the clue: the sons of this age, the present age, marry and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage. So, what is he saying there? Those who are worthy, those who are worthy to attain eternal life, those who have given their life to Christ and entered into uh the resurrection life in heaven for eternity, do not get married. For they cannot die anymore because they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. And so they are neither uh married nor uh given in marriage. As one, as I was reading through this, um one Catholic priest uh answered the question, and he said, No, marriage is a life sentence, and that's it. So you take that however uh however you want to. Um, but no, there will not be uh marriage and given in marriage once we uh reach heaven. And again, I'm not sure how you feel about that, but um, but I do believe, again, that if you were if you are married, then when you get to heaven, you will recognize your wife and you will understand that you had that earthly relationship. But marriage is given to people uh for a couple of reasons. One, to procreate and to populate the earth. We know that Adam and Eve were given that command uh to populate uh the earth. And so uh we are likewise given that command to marry and to populate the earth, but also marriage was instituted by God to demonstrate the relationship between Jesus Christ and his church, and so um it would be difficult for Jesus to make that comparison or for us to understand that comparison if there was no marriage, right? So God commanded that we be married, that we enter into a relationship. And I will say this that marriage is according to scripture, uh, between a husband and a wife, a man and a woman. And um, it is uh one woman. We know that as a matter of fact, I was talking to Chris earlier, and we were talking about differences in the Old Testament and the New Testament. And in the Old Testament, yes, they were permitted, men were permitted to have more than one wife, and even some of the Old Testament patriarchs would have more than one wife, and God allowed that so that they might procreate and increase the population on the earth. But in the New Testament, it is specific that a man be married to one woman. And we we know from Titus and from Timothy, when Pastor David was covering Titus, uh, that in order to be a pastor, leader, teacher in the church, a man must be married to one woman. And that that if he is married, that it be just one uh woman. And so um marriage was instituted by God to illustrate the relationship between Jesus Christ and the church. Also, it is used to illustrate the relationship between God and the nation of Israel. As a matter of fact, often throughout the Old Testament, you'll see that the uh God spoke through the prophets and said, in essence, that Israel was like a wayward wife, uh, constantly uh leaving and cheating on her husband with um with other gods. And so we have that picture of marriage to illustrate the relationship between God and Israel, between Christ and his church. Okay, let's move on to uh question number three. Is it okay to keep a loved one's ashes? And the answer to that is that the Bible neither condemns or commands the practice. It neither condemns nor commands the practice. I suppose we should answer the question that precedes that, that some of you may wonder about. Is it okay for believers to be cremated? Um there is really no scripture that specifically commands that we not be cremated or that we be cremated. As a matter of fact, the scripture says uh from ashes to ashes, dust to dust. And so when you are buried, uh if you are buried, you will become dust. Um and so there are folks who and there are people who will teach that if you are um cremated, that somehow God will not be able to resurrect you onto new life. Um that that is a false understanding of the power of God. Um, many people have been uh burned, many saints were burned because of their faith, and so uh they will be on that day, they will be resurrected. So it's a matter of preference uh as to whether or not you want to be uh cremated or buried. Um it is interesting that um as far as ashes are concerned, that some people will keep them, some people will scatter them. Uh the Protestant Church, the evangelical church uh really makes no statement with regard to that. Different churches have different opinions. The Catholic Church would like you uh to have them uh either interned at the cemetery or kept in a mausoleum. That's what they encourage. Um and perhaps that is um for means of purchasing a plot or something of that nature. I don't know. I don't want to uh speculate. I do know that in certain cultures um to be burned was considered a curse. Um the scripture does not teach that, uh, but certain cultures to burn a body was considered a curse. But um for us today, I I don't see any evidence of scripture where cremation is forbidden. And there is no evidence to suggest that keeping one's ashes is um wrong. In Genesis chapter 50, verse 3, it says, And then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here. Joseph's request was that his body, when it died, not remain in Egypt, but that it be carried out when God delivered his people. In Exodus 13, 19, it says, Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here. And so we see that Moses fulfilled the wish of Joseph and that his bones were removed and carried out of Egypt. Let me just caution you, though, that some people I think develop an unhealthy relationship with the dead, and that they keep the ashes and they treat them as though that person is still alive and that they can communicate with them, and that there's some kind of uh relationship uh with them. Uh, and I would caution you um with regard to that because that borders on idolatry. It uh some people will almost uh think of their loved one who has passed on as though they are like a god or like a spirit that will watch over them, that will guard them, that they can talk to and get advice from. And when you go down that uh path, um it is leading you to a dangerous place. The ashes are ashes, bones are bones, nothing more. Um is it okay to keep them? Sure. Is it okay to scatter them? Absolutely. Um, but just make sure that you don't enter into a kind of an idolatrous relationship with those who have died. Number four, where do children and babies go when they die? And so the answer to that is while the Bible doesn't specifically state that a young child goes to heaven when they die, there is sufficient evidence to conclude that they go to heaven. Most evangelicals believe that there is an age of accountability where an individual can either accept or reject God and his salvation. So let me give you a couple of passages of scripture to support that. There are others, but for the sake of time, I have chosen these two. 2 Samuel chapter 12. But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. So let me give you a little bit of background. David, you remember, fell into sin, committed adultery with Bathsheba, had her husband uh killed. Um that adulterous relationship produced a child, a son. That child became sick and sick unto death, and David mourned or was grieved by that. He wouldn't eat, um, he was in great distress. And then when the child died, the people who attended to the court of the king didn't want to tell him that the child had died because they saw how distressed he was during the child's illness. And so here we uh here we are. But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead, and David said to his servants, Is the The child dead, and they said, He is dead. Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes, and he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. He then went to his own house, and when he asked, they set food before him and he ate. Then his servants said to him, What is this thing you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you arose and ate food. He said, While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me that the child may live? But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me. There King David speaks and says that I'm going to go to the child. When I die, I will see the child again, but I cannot bring the child back to me. And so that is quite often used to suggest that when a child passes on, unfortunately, that that child will go to heaven to be with God. And Jesus said in John chapter 9, verses 39 through 41, For judgment I came into this world that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind. Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things and said to him, Are we also blind? And Jesus said to them, If you were blind, you would have no guilt. But now that you say we see, your guilt remains. So this is a rather interesting passage. And it's used to uh promote the doctrine or the belief of the age of accountability. What happens here is Jesus heals a blind man, and of course the Pharisees want to know about his healing. They question him about his healing. Of course, they believed that he was blind because someone had sinned. So who sinned? Either his parents or um or did he? Um that was often the thought that because someone was born crippled or someone was born blind, that somebody sinned. And that's that was the judgment of God. And so Jesus says to them, he says, if you if you can't see, and he's really talking spiritually, he's not talking about physical blindness, he's talking about spiritual blindness. And he says, if you can't see, then really it's not your fault. But once you see and you reject Christ, then you become blind, you become spiritually blind. So what does that tell us? That those who do not understand the nature of sin and have the ability to choose are blind and are not responsible for their spiritual blindness. But once their eyes are opened and they see, then they are responsible for their spiritual blindness. And so then once they have been made aware of their sinful condition and their need for a savior, if they choose to not accept it, to reject it, then they are spiritually blind and therefore they are guilty. So scholars have taken this passage to suggest that if a person is unable to see, in other words, is unable to comprehend the gospel, their sinful nature. The Bible is very clear that we are born sinners. As much as I adore uh Benjamin and I adore James and Joshua and Jojo, they are born into sin. They will sin. At a very young age, they will sin. However, because they are unaware and are not able to choose their not able to choose necessarily their behavior, God does not hold them responsible for that. Once they become aware, then they are held responsible for their choice. But because Adam sinned, we are all born into sin. There is really no age of innocence. Um we are all guilty of sin, whether we are aware of it or not. And so for those who are young, uh too young to fully understand, for those who do not have the intellectual uh capability, those who are um intellectually disadvantaged or disabled, um God will not hold them responsible for their sinful nature, and therefore it is believed that they will be uh entered into heaven. The fifth question is very similar to that. What happens to a teenager when they die and their parents never told them about God? So while we do believe that there is a doctrine or a belief that there is an age of accountability, there's an age of responsibility, Isaiah talks about that. There's some other scriptures that refer to that. We don't know what that age is. Many people will say that it's about the age of 13, uh, because that is when um in the Jewish tradition that a man became or a child became a man was at the age of uh 13. And so perhaps um that is that is the age. But the answer is that the Bible does not give a specific age of accountability. Romans 1, 18 through 20 says, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who live by their unrighteousness, suppress the truth, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them, for his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made, so they are without excuse. So, what does this say? This says that even people who haven't specifically heard the gospel, they have a they have an awareness of God. They may deny it, they may say, I don't believe that God exists, but I don't really know how you can look at creation and come to that conclusion. Um there's so many wonders in this world and so much beauty, and even in science, there is order. And so it points to the fact that there was an intelligent being who created this. And whether people will accept it or not, deep down inside, God says they have been shown that there is a God. So they are without excuse. That's why for our children in the public school system, um, it is important that we are outraged that they teach against creationism. They teach against there being an intelligent creator, um, the Big Bang theory and all of those things. We we should be disturbed by the fact that that is being taught in schools, and is being it's a theory, but it's being taught as fact. It has been disproven so many times, and yet uh people um continue to ignore it and to deny it. So Romans chapter one tells us that everyone is without an excuse. Anyone who isn't aware of uh God and his um his creation knows that there is a God. There's something inside of them that says there is a God, there is a supreme being. And so everyone, regardless of age, um, as long as they are at the age of accountability or of knowledge, knows that there is a God. However, with regard to this specific question, I can't answer it. I can't tell you um whether a teenager is in heaven or not. I I don't understand the bounds of God's grace. And so I cannot say, well, this person made it and this person didn't. Oftentimes when someone grieves and uh someone passes and the family is in grief, they will ask the pastor, well, do you think they made it? It's a really unfortunate position that a pastor has to be in because we don't know. We don't know. Um there probably will be people who go to church, who sing the hymns, who know the Bible, um, who won't get into heaven because they've never fully surrendered their life to Jesus Christ. Now I can look and say, well, yeah, of course they're gonna be in heaven because they did all the right things. But yet God knows the heart. I can't know the heart. It's impossible for me to know someone's heart. And Pastor David and I have both said that our biggest fear is that we will find out that someone who was sat in this church and heard our preaching will not be in heaven. That will be a great sorrow for us. But we can't, I can't proclaim that any of you are going to be there. I mean, I have some ideas, but I don't know. I don't understand the bounds of God's grace. I don't, I don't know where the limit is. I don't know what's going on in a person's heart. However, we can take some comfort in Psalm 103, verses 8 through 12. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love towards those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. God is merciful, and he is gracious. I do not know the limits of that. So I cannot say whether a teenager was in full, complete knowledge, uh, where we're at the age of accountability or or not. I I can't say that. So if you're searching for comfort um from me, I cannot provide that for you. Um that's something that you'll have to seek God about. However, it does point to the urgency of sharing the gospel because I remember a number of years ago we had a woman here who's teaching youth ministry, and they asked me if I would speak. And so I shared with them the gospel. I shared with these young teenagers and preteens the gospel. I talked about us being born sinners and needing to be forgiven for our sin, and that Jesus Christ came and he was the atonement, the propitiation. He took our place and died so that we might be redeemed and have forgiveness of sin. And afterwards, she came up to me and she said, I think that was very inappropriate. And I said, Why do you say that? And she said, Because they're just babies, they're just kids. There'll be plenty of time for them to hear that. Um, they need to hear it. They need to hear it at a very young age. My grandchildren, uh, the two older ones, they can tell you the gospel. They can tell you that Jesus died for them. It's never too early. You need to, so we have a responsibility that when God lays it on our heart to share the gospel. Now, let me answer this question and then we will close. What happens if we die with unconfessed sins? And so, for the answer to that, if we accept God's gift of salvation, his grace covers all of our sin. 1 John 2, 1 through 2. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an out advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours only, but also for the sins of the entire world. He is the propitiation for our sins. He is the substitute, he is the payment for our sins, but not only our sins, but the sins of the entire world. This is important for us to understand. Jesus didn't just pay for the sins of those who have accepted him. He paid the penalty for all sin. It's already done. Think about that for a moment. It's already done. Not just the sin of the past, but the sin of the past, the sin of the present, and the sin of the future. When Jesus died, it wasn't just the people, his contemporaries, that he was dying for. He was dying for all of creation. He was dying for people who were not even yet born. He was dying for people who would be born some 2,000 years later. So he died for everyone's sins. So the question is, if he has died for everyone's sins, are you going to accept that? Are you going to accept his replacement for you? Are you going to accept that he paid your penalty? Because if you say no, then yes. The penalty for your sins has been paid, but it doesn't apply to you because you haven't accepted it. You haven't accepted. I could go in to a bank and put money down on your mortgage. Actually, you probably couldn't because they make make that difficult, but but you understand the concept. But if you don't accept it, if you say, no, no, no, no, I don't want it, return it. Give it back to send it back to him. I don't want it. Then it doesn't apply. Even though it was done. It doesn't apply to you because you haven't accepted it. The same is true with Christ. He paid the penalty for your sin. But if you don't accept it, it doesn't apply. What are you saying? You're saying, you know what? I want to be, I want to take responsibility for my own sin, and I'll take my chances. And well, of course, you're going to spend eternity apart from God. So people ask the question, well, how can a loving God send people to hell? He didn't. He's not. The question you should be asking is, if there is a loving God who paid for your sin, then why won't you accept it? You see, you're already condemned. You are already condemned to die a death and to spend eternity apart from God. Jesus didn't come to condemn you. That was already done. You were born into sin. You had no choice. You had no choice but to sin. But you do have a choice to allow God to erase that sin by accepting Jesus' payment for your sin. Jesus died for your sins, past, present, and future. Romans 5, 1 says, Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Since we have been justified, since we have accepted that free gift of salvation, that we have accepted Christ's propitiation for our sins, his payment for our sins, we are no longer considered guilty for those. We don't owe the debt for those. We have peace with God. So if you sin today, which most of us will to some degree or another, Christ paid for that. If you sin tomorrow, most of us probably will. Christ Jesus is the one who died, more than that who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. And so when the accuser, when the devil says they're a sinner, Mike Halk is a sinner. Jesus Christ says, Yeah, I took care of that. I took care of that. Now let me explain something to you. There's a difference between relationship and fellowship. Okay? This is important for you to understand. Many people have a relationship with their parents or their siblings. They don't get along. They don't communicate. They don't spend any time together. But no matter what they do, they can't separate that relationship. The reality is the DNA says, that's my dad. That's my mom. That's my sibling. That's the relationship. Fellowship is how well you get along with them. Fellowship is the getting together, the agreement, the living in cooperation and living in a loving environment. That is fellowship. When we give our life to Christ, God says that we become his children. That's a relationship. We now have God and Christ's DNA, spiritual DNA in us. However, we can choose to live as though we're not related. That's fellowship. So why do we confess our sins? So that we might, not because we need to be saved again, we need to enter into that relationship again, but so that we can maintain a proper fellowship with God. Does that make sense? Do you understand that? Some of you have been saved, but you're not in proper fellowship with God. You don't communicate with him. You don't read his word. He's written his word as kind of a love letter to you. You ignore it. You ignore everything he has to say. You ignore things that the Spirit of God says to you in your heart. You don't live in such a way where people could say, oh, there's a child of God. I can tell by the way they live. You need to confess that and get back into proper fellowship with God. But if you sin, if you sin this morning and God forbid you should die on your way home, if you've accepted Christ as your Savior, that sin is taken care of. We don't have to go to a priest or to an individual to confess our sins and to receive absolution. God has already taken care of it. Which begs the question, and then I'll close. Are you in a right relationship with God? Is he your Savior? Your Lord. He's already paid the penalty for your sin through his son Jesus Christ. Have you accepted it? If you have, God says you're good to go. If you haven't, well, that's on you. Because it's already been taken care of. I pray that you will accept the gift that God is offering you today. A lot of things we don't know about heaven. And to be honest with you, a lot of the questions that we ask about heaven when we get there won't really matter. We can't even begin to understand what God has in store for us. A lot of things that we think are important here on earth won't be when we get to heaven. But unless you have accepted God's grace through his son Jesus Christ, you're not going there. It's just as simple as that. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your teaching. We thank you for the word of God that speaks to us. We have a hope. Those of us who have accepted you, we have a hope. And our hope is in you. That we will spend eternity with you, that we will um we will enjoy the fruits of your grace and your mercy and your great gift. For those who haven't accepted it, we pray that they might do so today, that they would not put it off any longer, but that they would receive you as their Lord and Savior. For it's in Christ's name we pray. Amen.