Just thinking about leaving behind loved ones can bring dreadful feelings of loss. How could anyone possibly be happy in heaven without a dear child, parent, or spouse? Loved ones can come to mean so much to us that we can’t imagine any kind of happiness without them. Heaven must have some sense of loss if we have to leave loved ones behind and even more profound loss thinking that loved ones will never join us in heaven. Some argue that even Jesus mourned for the lost children of Jerusalem in Luke 19:14 when he looked out over the vast city knowing that they would not be with Him in heaven.

First, Jesus’ mourning for them was part of the expression of God’s great love and mercy to them through which Jesus was to carry out the act of redemption for all mankind on the cross. We don’t see a resurrected Jesus weeping for those who have rejected God’s love. In this life, we should mourn for those our loved ones who are not lost and deeply desire their salvation and as Jesus acted to save those he wept for, we too might be moved by our compassion to share the way to eternal life with our loved ones. Second, the assumption behind the question is that we are more loving and merciful than God. Yet we know that He is infinitely more loving and merciful than we are! John 15:13 tells us clearly and we recognize the truth of it; “there is no greater love, than to lay down one’s life for a friend.” Yet, God & Jesus are happy in heaven even though they know not everyone will be there.

Hell does not have the power to veto heavenly bliss for believers. I don’t believe that the fact that some reject the way of salvation will in any way diminish the joy the saved will experience. The wicked will have no power to hold hostage the joys of the redeemed. A totally loving and merciful God made provision, yet they rejected it. He is a perfectly just God. Geisler observes “We would not be happy in heaven if we knew that others had been unjustly kept out. However, we can be happy in heaven the same way we can be happy eating while knowing that others are starving—namely, if we have offered them food but they have refused to eat it.” Further, I think we will change the way we think in Heaven. We will see things from a totally different perspective. The way we see things today will be no more!

Chuck
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4