Haven’t we all wondered whether our loved ones in Heaven can see us here on earth? For some, it would be comforting to find out this is true. It may help us feel that we’re not alone, that our loved ones are watching over us. It may make us feel that they’re close, in a way, despite the fact that they’re no longer with us physically. And we’ve all wished to be able to update our lost loved ones on the things that have happened in our lives. If only they could see where we are now and what we’re doing!
On the other hand, this may not be such a comforting idea. Is there some sort of censorship for certain locations such as the bathroom? What about the bedroom? Can anyone in Heaven observe us, or only family or close friends? Imagine feeling like our decisions are being judged by millions of eyes in Heaven. Are we the main characters in the Heavenly equivalent of a soap opera? Do they discuss what they think we’ll do in the next “episode”? Would they watch on a screen, through a telescope, or with binoculars like those found at tourist sites?
Clearly, there are pros and cons to the idea of those in Heaven being able to see us. But whether we like the idea has nothing to do with whether it’s true. So, do we have any reason to believe it?
The primary source of this idea is found in a few Bible verses. Hebrews 12 begins with the words “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses…”, referring back to the heroes of faith listed in chapter 11. To some this seems to imply that those heroes are watching and cheering for us. The martyrs crying out to God for justice in Revelation 6 seem at least to have an awareness of some of what is happening on earth. And in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus found in Luke 16, the rich man appears to have some awareness of the spiritual state of his brothers.
One challenge to the idea that people in Heaven can see us is that I think people in Heaven, if given the opportunity to view events on earth, would have much better things to do. I doubt they’ll be flipping on the “Earth Channel” because they’re bored.
Perhaps the primary challenge to the idea that those in Heaven can see us on earth is that we cannot assume there is any passage of time, in the way we experience it, in Heaven. There may be, but even if there is, what reason is there to assume it would be perfectly synchronized with time within our universe? This may seem like a strange idea, especially if we’ve always pictured those who have passed away as existing at THIS moment in Heaven. However, science has revealed that the rate at which we experience time passing is not constant, but is inseparably connected to the matter around us as well as the speed at which we’re moving at any given time. Therefore, it’s not unreasonable to think that even if there IS passage of time in Heaven, it would not be synchronized with the time we experience currently. In that case, it would not be possible for those in Heaven to watch events on earth. Indeed, if God is outside of time, and Heaven is His dwelling place, it would make sense that time either is not experienced there, or at least is very different from here.
This last point brings up something I’ve always wondered. Do we all arrive at Heaven one by one, based on when we died? Or do we all arrive at once? If the latter is true, it wouldn’t mean that those who are dead are conscious somewhere, waiting to be taken to heaven. It may be that when they die, from their perspective, they find themselves immediately in Heaven, as if no time had passed, but that in reality, they had been dead for a long time from our perspective. If that were the case, we would all be resurrected at the same time and enter Heaven simultaneously. It doesn’t mean that those who have died are not yet in heaven; they are, but, from their perspective, so are we.
This may make sense of certain verses that discuss the resurrection of the dead that are not entirely clear, such as 1 Thes. 16-17: “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” Ultimately, however, this is all speculation, and not necessary to understand. As with other things regarding Heaven, we won’t know for sure or in detail until we make it there ourselves. It’s fun to speculate and explore possibilities like this. But it brings with it a caution to not allow our focus to become so consumed with our loved ones who have passed away that our focus is taken off of God. Whether they can see us or not, He certainly can, and that’s what matters.
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