If the gates of heaven rarely open, where do believers who have died go? Does the new Earth already exist?

“When believers die, their souls are made perfectly holy and immediately pass into glory. Their bodies, which are still united to Christ [through faith], rest in the grave until the resurrection of the dead. At the resurrection, believers, raised in glory, will be publicly recognized and declared not guilty on the day of judgment and will be made completely happy in the full enjoyment of God forever.”-Shorter Catechism Questions 37 and 38.

There is an important distinction here. Heaven rarely opens to the living. There are less than two dozen recorded times when Jesus walked on Earth before His birth (for example Genesis 3:8 or Joshua 5:13-15) or when angels came to Earth. And, from heaven to Earth, there are only about a half dozen recorded examples of people seeing into heaven while still alive on Earth (Elijah, Jesus, Stephen, and Paul being clear examples.) So, although the evidence indicates that Heaven is physically at hand, we cannot truly perceive it or cross into it of our own volition.

However, anyone who believes in Christ and dies before Jesus returns is taken immediately into the presence of God, into what scripture calls “paradise.”(Luke 23:43; 2Cor 12:4). The physical resurrection of the dead will not occur until Jesus returns. So those who have already died are “in the presence of God.” So, “paradise” is a real place. But it’s not the full heaven. The best is yet to come. Even those in heaven now, are looking forward to the New Heavens and the New Earth. This will take place after the final judgment.

When Jesus returns, “the dead in Christ shall be raised up first” (I Thess. 4:16, 17). Then those who are still alive will be “caught up with them into the air” and given an incorruptible body. After that, the New Earth will be created (or restored), the New Jerusalem will come down, and all believers will live in their eternal and glorified bodies. This will be the fullest heaven. This is also known as the consummation. Far from the notion that we will sit around on clouds strumming harps and playing the same 5,000 hymns over and over again (would that really be heavenly?) we will have physical bodies on a physical Earth doing things that we were created to love doing, in an environment completely free of frustration and failure.

Thanks for your questions,
Bruce Young and Derrick Harris

What do we do if we feel lonely and don’t feel like God is listening/responding?

It is when God seemed most silent, that He was doing the greatest work of all time…redeeming mankind through the death of Christ. Remember Jesus’ words, “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34) At this moment in history, God seemed to be distant and turning His back on His only Son who was hanging on the cross, but it was also at this moment that through the death of His only Son, God was saving His people. So, feeling lonely/distant doesn’t mean that God isn’t there.

If I am hearing you correctly, you don’t feel “connected” to God currently. I think at different times in our walks with God, most, if not all, Christians have times where we feel God is distant. First, I would tell you to look at what God is trying to teach you during this time of loneliness…do you need to find someone to serve, does He want you to rely on Him and His word more than your feelings, does He just want you to wait on His timing to respond to your prayers? God does have a purpose, even for times we feel He is distant. Next, don’t let your feelings discourage you from continuing to read your Bible, pray, and spend time with other Christians. These are the ways God builds relationship with you and can offset loneliness.

Finally, it may take time for this “loneliness” to go away…you may have to wait on God and His perfect timing. But don’t give up, continue to follow the Lord and remember your commitment to Him.

Thanks for your question,
Bruce Young and Derrick Harris

Why did God create the tree if he didn’t want Adam and Eve to eat from it?

Our God desires a relationship with us. God did not create us to be robots following him in an obligatory manner. For this reason, before the Fall, He created us with a free will, with the ability to choose to obey Him. This ability to choose helps us grow in trust and faith as we see the kindness and goodness of God.

God placed the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil in the garden with specific instructions. Adam and Eve could eat from any other tree, and after listening to Satan, they had to choose whether they believed the Lord really had their best interest in mind with the restriction on this one tree. Obviously, when they ate from the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil, they chose to listen to Satan’s lies rather than trust God’s love and goodness in making this restriction.

Ultimately, why did He create the tree? We cannot answer this question with 100% accuracy. But we do know, that Adam and Eve had a choice, they chose to disobey God’s command, therefore, God punished this sin. But if it weren’t for our sin, how would we understand our need of Jesus redemption.

Rom. 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned—

Rom. 5:15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!

Rom. 5:16 Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.

Rom. 5:17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

Thanks for your question,
Bruce Young and Derrick Harris