Is it true that people who have died and gone to heaven can observe what we are doing on earth? Some people believe the first line of the following passage supports this idea:<\/p>\n
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2,<\/a> NKJV).<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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As usual, we should read the passages before and after in order to gain a context for what is written. Are the passages before and after it talking about or mentioning the deceased looking at us from heaven?<\/p>\n
An overview is in order. This epistle seems to be addressing the church\u2019s need to keep on in faith instead of returning to their Judaic roots. Over and over, we see how much better Jesus is over the Old Testament revered figures like angels (chapter 1)<\/a>, Moses (chapter 3),<\/a> the high priest (chapters 4<\/a>–5<\/a>, 7<\/a>), law and covenant (chapter 7),<\/a> and animal sacrifices (chapters 9<\/a>–10<\/a>). Hebrews encourages the readers to endure in faith, even through suffering. That’s because they have many more blessings through faith in Jesus than anything the Old Testament could give them. As far as I can see, the focus is on the superiority of Jesus, and not on deceased people in heaven.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when chapter 11<\/a> comes in (the chapter just before the verse at top), which talks about the many examples of people who had a faith that endured to the end. How did they endure? They diligently sought Him (11:6);<\/a> they endured, seeing Him who is invisible (11:27);<\/a> they all died in faith (11:13).<\/a> There is no mention from chapters 1-11 of people looking down on them from heaven. There is no encouragement to even consider the dead as witnesses down at us from heaven.<\/p>\n
So who are these witnesses mentioned in the Hebrews 12:1 verse? According to Vine\u2019s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words,<\/em> a witness \u201cdenotes one who can or does aver what he has seen or heard or knows.\u201d They are witnesses of enduring faith: “And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise” (11:39).<\/a><\/p>\n
So Hebrews 12 is about drawing encouragement from the witnesses in chapter 11, those who obtained a good testimony before God because they endured in faith, believing and obeying God. In other words, Hebrews is telling them to draw on the good example of these famous people from the Old Testament:<\/p>\n
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1, NKJV).<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Also, \u201cTherefore\u201d is summing up or drawing a conclusion based on what came before. There was no indication of people in heaven looking at us in the previous chapters, so it doesn\u2019t make sense to use that idea as a summary. Why keep telling them about the superiority of Jesus, only to point them to dead people looking down from heaven? The witnesses are those in Hebrews 11 who endured in faith.<\/p>\n
Where is heaven located? When Jesus rose into heaven in Acts 1:9,<\/a> the disciples saw Him go up until a cloud covered Him. So heaven is beyond the clouds. At that altitude, it would be impossible to see people or vehicles. A bit after airplane takeoff and just before landing, we can see vehicles the size of Matchbox cars, and can barely make out people\u2019s faces. In the sky, we can\u2019t really make out people at all. So unless heaven were less than several stories above us, the people there couldn\u2019t make out who we are and what we\u2019re doing. But heaven is beyond the clouds! If they could look out at all (and Scripture doesn’t say they can), all they would see is a universe of stars, and our planet a speck.<\/p>\n
If we are convinced that people in heaven are observing us, then how are they doing so? Do wide-screen TVs show someone\u2019s home town through a heavenly satellite reception? Do they have Superman\u2019s super-vision eyesight? Once we start speculating of things the Bible is silent on, then we start getting strange ideas; then there will be people blurring the line between fact and speculation who confidently assert, \u201cThere are TVs in heaven!\u201d \u201cDead people see like Superman!\u201d Silly, I know, but that\u2019s how fact and fiction merge and make religion look ridiculous. And we don\u2019t want that, do we?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Is it true that people who have died and gone to heaven can observe what we are doing on earth? Some people believe the first line of the following passage supports this idea: Therefore we also, since we are surrounded … Continue reading