In Scripture, the number 7 is often associated with completeness or perfection — for example, God creating the world in 7 days (Genesis 1–2), the 7 seals, trumpets, and bowls in Revelation, and other symbolic uses throughout the Bible. Other examples include: **The seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth (Revelation 5:6)** **The seven eyes of the Lamb (Revelation 5:6)** **The seven golden candlesticks (Revelation 1:12)** **The seven churches (Revelation 1:20)** I have also heard references (both biblical and extra-biblical) to “the third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:2) and to the concept of multiple heavens in ancient Jewish thought. My question is: If the number 7 symbolizes completeness in biblical numerology, is it reasonable or safe to conclude that there are seven heavens in total? Or would this be an overreach beyond what the Bible actually teaches? References: *Genesis 1–2 (creation week)* *2 Corinthians 12:2 (third heaven)* *Revelation 1, 5, 8, 16 (symbolism of seven)* *Revelation 1:12, 1:20, 5:6 (seven spirits, eyes, candlesticks, churches)*

Acts 1:9–11 records Jesus’ ascension into heaven. Hebrews 1:3 and other passages state that He "sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." Yet other verses, such as Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 7:25, describe Him as interceding for believers. Revelation 3:21 also speaks of Him sharing His Father’s throne. According to Christian theology, since His ascension, has Jesus been permanently seated on His throne, or is this meant to describe His authority while He remains actively engaged in roles such as interceding, reigning, and preparing for His return? I’m seeking an explanation based on Scripture and Christian doctrine about what Jesus has been doing since He ascended to the Father.

I figured in heaven it’s a totally different reality than the life we have here on earth. So, I believe in heaven race, color, creed, nationality, and ethnicity will not exist in heaven. Plus, it’s heaven—-paradise—-a place of bliss for believers of Christ. Plus, we get new heavenly, immortal bodies. I don’t want them to be subject to race and color or nationality again in heaven. God forbid. So I am hoping that in heaven I will not be black ever again. Don’t ask why I just want this. I know marriage isn’t in heaven, but if romantic love or divine love for people in heaven which includes romantic love is in heaven then I am all for it. I want to see my crush in heaven with me even if he did marry in this earth. I know in heaven he will love me too. I just hope heaven won’t be disappointing lol. Other than that I hope I won’t be black in heaven, because it just doesn’t define me as a soul or person.

Will we be subject to being part of a particular race in heaven like we were here in this earth or will it be different than here? Personally, I don't want to be part of a particular race. I don't want there to be ethnicities, nationality or creeds there. Heaven is a place of bliss and everything good and holy. Our heavenly bodies should not be subjected to these things.

According to the Bible 'sin' by definition is anything that is against God! Which is why God cannot commit sin [Hebrews 6:18; Titus 1:2], not that He doesn't choose to commit sin. This is because God cannot do anything against Himself [2Tim.2:13]. In other words, it is impossible for God to sin. However, when we think of the creation we sin because we have the freedom to choose between good and bad. Adam and Eve committed sin because of that freedom. If we assume that they sinned because of the tempter then this is not the case when Satan sinned while being in the very presence of God! Therefore, a free being/entity can commit sin even when that being/entity has no sinful nature internally or a sinful tempter externally. All those who enter into Heaven or the presence of God and enjoy eternal life will have free-will. But the question is what makes them not to sin again like Satan or other angels that were sent out from God's presence because of their sin?

I read somewhere a couple of years ago that Eastern Orthodox believe marriages contracted on earth, remain in place in heaven (however it is impossible to get married once you arrive in heaven). Whereas Catholics believe that marriages are dissolved at death and everyone in heaven is single. I also heard that Eastern Orthodox allow divorce, but I don't understand how that fits with the "eternal marriage that persists even after death" theology I described above. Is my understanding of Catholic and Orthodox marriages correct? More generally, what is the difference between the Catholic and Orthodox understanding of marriage?

Before Jesus died on the cross, his body functioned like any other human being — he was breathing to stay alive, and then, after taking his last breath, he died. Then, he rose from the dead, and his body could appear anywhere (at any given time). Assuming Jesus rose with the same body as was crucified, was it subject to natural laws of requiring oxygen to survive? Notably, some evidence leading to the conclusion of a body with some physical limitations like requiring oxygen include eating fish with his disciples, and the fact that holes punched in his feet and hands by the Roman leaders were still visible. Given that Jesus is seated at the right hand of The Most High, does his body require oxygen to stay alive, or does the power of God sustain it?

I have wondered that if it is faith alone that gets a Christian into Heaven, then why was it important to Jesus that his followers do certain things such as obeying His commandments and caring for their fellow man? Case in point, consider these two Biblical passages: _"Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”_ -- John 14:21 _“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’_ _“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’_ _“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."_ -- Matthew 25:34-40

Every now and then, I say to myself, "I'll have to ask God about this when I get to Heaven." My Question: According to the Catholic Church, will it be possible to ask such questions once we're in Heaven? Specifically, - Did Jesus (or anyone in the Bible) ever talk about the nature of our interactions with God in Heaven? - Can humans have a private conversation with God in Heaven whenever they want? - Or do they need to schedule an appointment and wait? - Or do we talk to God through prayer, much like we do on Earth? I'm especially interested in Biblical support for any answer.

So, this might be because of a misunderstanding of the theology, but from what I've been told, most Christians believe in some form of eternal salvation. And in this eternally saved state, the soul of a person will be free from all worry, regret, sadness, etc. Let's take two people, Alice and Bob. Alice loves Bob, and worries that Bob is not saved. Bob dies without salvation. This makes Alice sad. Alice dies and goes on to her eternal reward. Does she still care about the fact that Bob never reached salvation? Will she carry that sadness for eternity, or does she cease to care about Bob? If she doesn't carry that sadness for eternity, but she still cares about Bob's eternal soul, in what sense does she care if the fact that he never achieved salvation causes her no worry or pain? If she knows that during the vast majority of her eternal existence, she won't care about Bob's eternal soul, why does she bother to care about it during her life?

In the book *Sapiens* by Yuval Noah Harari, the author claims that Heaven and Hell are concepts not mentioned in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. From *Sapiens*: > Belief in heaven (the realm of the good god) and hell (the realm of the evil god) was also dualist in origin. There is no trace of this belief in the Old Testament, which also never claims that the souls of people continue to live after the death of the body. ## References Harari, Y.N. (2014). *Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind*. (p. 248)

If being a non-Christian is a sin, and if Jesus died for all of our sins, why should non-Christians go to hell?

I know very little of the Christian Faith or of any other faith for that matter, but this question struck me as relevant maybe not just to Christianity but also to all faiths as a whole. Penal systems on the Earth are there to create order in society and breaking the laws under a particular system have "degrees of penalty" such as a bank robber would be given 10 years in prison whereas an adolescent who stole from a gumball machine outside the local store would only be given a slap on the wrist and told not to do it again. In both these cases the crime was theft but they are not judged equally. So why is God's judgment of man so extreme: either man gets eternal bliss or eternal pain? Why does even the *slightest* transgression of God's law is punished the same as a *greater* transgression?

A popular (Eastern Orthodox) view of afterlife proclaims that God's presence is akin to torture for an unbeliever (Hell) and akin to bliss for a believer (Heaven). It claims that Heaven and Hell are different responses to presence of God, rather than 2 different places. This brings me to my question. From the Eastern Orthodox perspective can unbelievers change their attitude towards God in the afterlife, and thus turn their Hell into Heaven?

I'm referring to Carlo Alvaro's paper [The “Heaven Ab Initio” Argument from Evil](https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/2/200) : > HAIAFE (“Heaven Ab Initio” Argument from Evil): > > 1. As a perfect being, God’s goal is to create free-willed creatures that choose to love God and forever exist with him in a state of > eternal bliss. > 2. An omnibenevolent God would want to create free-willed beings in a state of eternal bliss devoid of evil if he could and if evil and > suffering were unnecessary. > 3. An omnipotent God can create free-willed beings directly in a spiritual state of eternal bliss devoid of evil. > 4. However, God created physical creatures in a physical world that is full of unnecessary evil and suffering. > 5. Therefore, God is either not omnipotent, not omniscient, or not perfectly good. > > (A possible extended conclusion: 6. Therefore, there exists a deistic > god that created the universe, but this god is not a person who > willfully created the world or that has a relationship with humans. > Hence, god cannot prevent or eliminate evil and suffering). In short, Alvaro argues that there is a way for God to create free-willed beings that can grow morally without ever experiencing evil. The option is for God to create free-willed beings directly in a spiritual form in a non-physical state of eternal bliss. In such a state, there are no objects of temptation, and by directly creating spiritual beings, God can eliminate carnal pleasure, which is the root of lust and evil and suffering. This, therefore, precisely demonstrates that “There is no morally sufficient reason for God to allow instances of evil” and, a fortiori, it shows that the God of classical theism does not exist. How do Christians rebut Carlo Alvaro's position? Alvaro anticipated and responded to a few responses to his argument: 1. The Freedom Objective: > A strong objection to God’s creating free creatures directly in heaven concerns freedom of choice. Namely, one might concede that God can create free-willed creatures directly in heaven and even that many of them might live happy lives in heaven. However, if God created his children directly in heaven, essentially, he would force them to accept such an eternal life without giving them a choice. 2. The “Morally Good Reason”: > First, the theist can reply that even if the HAIAFE is valid, in the end, it is not possible to know God’s mind. Additionally, for all we know, it might turn out that God has morally good reasons for creating humans the way he did. Perhaps, when time comes and we meet him, God will explain to us why he did not create us directly in heaven. 3. The “Resurrection of the Body”: > Concerning our resurrecting in heaven with a physical body, not all theists believe that this is true. Even if it is assumed that it is, it does not undermine the HAIAFE. So I am particularly interested in other responses to Alvaro's argument.

I'm old atheist and I'm going to die soon. I never enjoyed life, not then, not now, and I'm happy to die and disappear. A missionary told me that if I accept Jesus, I will have eternal life, but was unable to explain me what that exactly entails. I read the New Testament and found it lacking in details. Will I reborn in this same old planet? What about climate change? Must I work? What activities/hobbies will I pursue? Please, only Bible quotations. **Answers** I didn't accept any answer; all lacks any level of detail. It all comes down to this: *It will be fantastic; trust me. I don't how, I don't where, but trust me, I will be amazing anyway.*

For reference, here's Luke 13:28, ESV: > In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. All remaining references to the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth leads to the idea that "that place" is hell. References are as follows: >Matthew 8:12 > >But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” >Matthew 13:42 > >They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. >Matthew 13:50 > >and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. >Matthew 22:13 > >“Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ >Matthew 24:51 > >He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. >Matthew 25:30 > >And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Just about every branch of Christianity teaches the human soul becomes implanted in the embryo somewhere before birth. Many branches also believe the human soul is immortal. At the same time, I've read reports that as many as 60% of pregnancies end in miscarriage . This is in the context of our very developed medical system, historically speaking, so stands to reason the miscarriage rate was even higher in the past. Altogether, does this imply that most of the immortal souls in the afterlife are the souls of embryos, at least according to the views of most Christians?

I've been reading about Eastern Orthodox theology and one thing that caught my attention is the unusual view of time that some Eastern Orthodox theologians have, in particular Fr. Alexander Schmemann. Can someone please explain to me what he means by what happens after the ressurection when time is "perfected" and turned into an "eternal temporality" or the "temps Immobile?" Does he literally mean that time will freeze and that our experience in our resurrected bodies will be entirely immutable? Or is something else meant by that, as I've read an article saying that in eternity the distinction of past, present, and future will not be erased but "clarified" and "perfected." (I read this in an article about the EO theology of time called the [Chalice of Eternity](https://bogoslov.ru/article/2668945) that left me with more questions that answers) I genuinely can't make heads or tails of any of this.

Christianity has always opposed any religion that considered the soul purer or holier by nature than the body, as some eastern religions or Gnosticism did. At the same time Christianity through new birth introduced two natures in a man, at war with each other calling, one the flesh and the other the Spirit. (Gal 5:17) Most biblical commentators I have read make sure it is understood that the term ‘flesh’ in scripture is not just referring to the physical body but by the word ‘flesh’ it means the whole evil nature, soul and body, to make sure the idea of a false Gnostic conflict between soul and body is avoided. To muddy the waters slightly, there is a general admission through the Lords prayer that Christians still need to pray daily: give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. There may be some that think they might not sin a whole day but most Christians, at least the ones I have met, would agree with the concept that they are still very much guilty of daily sins against God’s perfect law after conversion. Only that by the blood of Christ are they cleansed and forgiven by their confession. But even those that believe in some kind of Christian perfectionism and imagine to be sinless for several days or longer would still understand that they frequently sin, just as James says in James 3:2. I personally feel I perpetually fall short of obeying the Law fully as I doubt I have ever loved God more than half as much as I ought to. But that is just my own persuasion along with several famous Protestants mind you. On the other hand, there is a general belief that after we die physically, that we will never sin again. In summary, common Christian beliefs. While in the body: 1 John 1:8-9 (ESV) > If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is > not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to > forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. After we die, in heaven 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.” So the question is: if the word ‘flesh’ is not highly linked to the physical body, why is this the case (without promoting any kind eastern religious or gnostic ideas) that, while we live in the physical body, we can’t avoid sin and after our soul leaves the body into heaven (or rather with a new body) we are sinless forever? Why does this shift in imperfect-to-perfect, occur, exactly when the physical body dies?