Re: The article “Where is Paradise?” You say at the very end:
“Though she no longer experiences any of the effects of her disease, and although she misses her children….” Isn’t it true that once in heaven, we will no longer “miss” anyone? Because missing them would cause us pain and there is no pain in heaven.
I ask this because my brother recently converted to Judaism and my mother and I are convinced he will not go in the Rapture if it happens anytime soon because of his disbelief in Jesus. My mom was crying one day and asking what that meant for us together as a family in heaven…would we “miss” him and I said I thought No, we would not. That we probably wouldn’t even remember him, because if we did, it would cause pain and there would be no pain in heaven. What are your thoughts on this?
Isaiah 65:17 says that the former things will not be remembered, nor even come to mind, but it’s in conjunction with the Lord creating a new Heaven and new Earth. That happens at the beginning of the Millennium. Some scholars believe that until that happens, there’s still great interest among the spirits in Heaven concerning things happening on Earth.
Personally I believe it’s more of an objective interest than an emotional one. I liken it to the curiosity of one who knows how things are going to turn out, but wants to see the process unfold anyway. For example, you may have read a book and so you know how it ends, but you still enjoy watching the movie version.
As for your brother’s condition I recommend that you read my answer in “Once Saved Always Saved, Really.” The person who asked the question was facing a similar situation. Here’s the link.