This is not a topic I’m entirely comfortable with. Providing it’s an invitation and as such being invited always seems conditional. In this case I understand the conditions; it’s written in the Book and my hope is I keep my end of the bargain and the invitation is not withdrawn due to me being an idiot.

How old in heaven?

So, my earthly body goes into the dirt and my spirit travels up to heaven. Good so far, but do I stay an old geezer for eternity? Do I have a vote in that matter?  A tragic accident and a toddler dies or a youngster in their prime befalls tragedy, do they spend eternity as a toddler or a youngster frozen as if a clock breaks and time is frozen at that second?

It is said, “we will spend a glorious eternity together up in heaven.” My mom and dad and my sister have been long gone for over twenty years; will they recognize me?

My fabulous grandfather left earth over fifty years ago; what about him? If it’s all the same God, I’d like to go in as a twenty-three-year-old. I did really well at 23.

So my search begins with theologians like Michael Martin, at Truth Quest, that seem to grasp this curiosity of mine and others….

Some have argued that we will enter heaven at the age we reached when we died here on earth. Some will be children, some will be middle-aged, and some will be elderly. There is no Scripture to either support or discount this idea.

Others believe that we will all be about 33 years old, because that’s how old Jesus’ body on earth was when He was crucified. Here’s the Bible passage where that idea comes from: 1 John 3:2 

Since, Jesus’s body was 33 years old when He went back into heaven, they say, our bodies will also be 33 years old, because we will be like Jesus. Thirty-three years old is also thought to be the optimal age for our bodies here on earth, and so, some people believe that we will all be about 33 years old in heaven.

It is important to point out that the Biblical argument for this is very thin at best. 

Here’s what we do know. In heaven, our bodies will all be made new! Take a look at some exciting Scripture passages that tell us this wonderful truth:

Philippians 3:20-21, “Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”

And also:

2 Corinthians 5:1-10, “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. For we live by faith, not by sight.”

The way in which the Bible describes our new bodies is as a transformation of our current bodies. That is, our new bodies will be a resurrected, renewed, perfected version of our current bodies. (I like that.)

The same God who originally created Adam from the dust of the earth will effortlessly resurrect our earthly bodies.

Not only will our bodies be transformed, but they will also be immortal. Our current perishable bodies will be transformed, in glory, to immortal bodies, as these passages remind us:

1 Corinthians 15:35-56, “…But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. Not all flesh is the same: There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body…”

So, our bodies will be made new, and since we know that we will have eternal life in heaven, we know that our bodies in heaven will not die.

No more decay.

No aging.

Ultimately, it will not matter what age our minds or our bodies appear to be when we are in heaven. Our bodies will never weaken, decay, break down, or die. Our minds will be full of wonder, continuously learning and discovering new things with childlike wonder. Age will be irrelevant. 

 

Special Thanks 

We are very thankful for key people at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale for helping us with the cover photo shoot. Special shout out to Rod Pearcy, director of service production, and the expert work of Casey Schock, worship leader and audio and lighting engineer. Special thanks to Gigi Graham for allowing us a glimpse into her life and family in South Florida to continue our annual series on families that leave a legacy.

Read this month’s cover story at: https://www.goodnewsfl.org/gigi-graham-tchividjian-on-gods-faithfulness-to-their-legacy-family/