"Preacher, I've got a lot of questions about heaven."

Yesterday we talked about "What's heaven like?" in worship.  I wanted to take a moment to answer a few of the specific questions about death and heaven.

• When a baby dies, does it stay a baby in heaven or grow up? 
• I thought this was a great question.  Jesus says that we are "like angels" in heaven.  That doesn't mean we become angels, but we are like them.  We are spirit in heaven.  When God thought us up, he didn't have a baby in mind -- he had a spirit in mind.  In heaven, we are the spirit God intended us to be, without age.  We are our purest self.  You see this is babies.  They have a personality that the immature shell of their body is holding back, but it comes out.  You see it in older adults, whose body is failing, but spirit and personality is strong.  There are no physical limitations in heaven.  We are just who we really are in spirit.
• What does the Bible say about burial vs. cremation? 
• I don't think God cares.  It doesn't really say one way or the other.  Revelation talks about the sea giving up it's dead in the resurrection.  So think about that.  There are millions who have died at sea.  Their bodies are probably destroyed.  There are people that have died by being eaten by wild animals or sharks, people that have be incinerated in explosions, and people that have been vaporized by war.  God is able to overcome all that.  Even those that were buried years ago are simply dust now.  In the resurrection, we will have new bodies, not just a renovated version of your old one.  Burial vs. cremation is simply a matter of personal choice, but the power of the resurrection is stronger than any form of death.
• When we die do we go straight to heaven or are we in limbo until Jesus returns to earth?
• I'm going with what Jesus said.  In Luke 23:43, Jesus tells the thief dying alongside him on the cross, "Today, you will be with me in paradise."  Today.  In paradise.  Not tomorrow.  And not today in limbo.  So, I think that means we go straight to heaven.  Now, the interesting thing about all that is that heaven won't last forever.  Revelation says that in the resurrection there will be a new heaven and a new earth and the former heaven and earth will pass away.  So, we go straight to heaven, but we're not staying there forever.  One day, those that follow Christ will be in heaven. 2.0.

Thanks for the questions.  I'll be answering some more about heaven this week along with the question, "How do we know Jesus is the only way to heaven?"