What about sadness in heaven? If you are anything like me, you feel like “there is no sadness in heaven” was pretty much drilled into your head throughout the years. Of course, we want to encourage ourselves and others, so we grab onto one verse in particular that promises this:
“And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be death; there will no longer be sorrow and anguish, or crying, or pain; for the former order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4 NIV)
So I was a bit confused as to why God seemed sad when He sent me back here to do more work. I concluded that He wants all of His children with Him (as a Mama and Nana, I get this). BUT…what about that verse?! LOL.
We know that despite what the Scriptures say, God can do whatever He wants. (which is why we sometimes read accounts of pets in Heaven and things that supposedly do not have souls - more on that later). So that was the second conclusion I came to - there is no sadness in heaven, but God chooses to feel and express what He wants to.
But I think I was wrong about the sadness part.
The fact is, Revelation 21 occurs after the 1000 years. “No sadness” appears to be reserved for the final Heaven-on-earth that we will experience later on. (Read Revelation chapters 20 and 21) The verse also speaks of “former order."
Will we sometimes be sad in the first heaven? Let’s look at a few times when God expresses His emotions from Heaven.
In Acts 9, God calls out to Saul on the road to Damascus. “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Does this not sound a bit like a grieving God? It does to me. I can completely see Him shaking His head sadly, much like a hurting parent would.
What about in the Garden of Eden? “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’” (Genesis 2:18 NIV) God felt compassion for Adam.
And a few chapters later. “The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.” (Genesis 6:5-6 NIV)
One would wonder what He feels these days.
God obviously feels sadness, even from heaven. “Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!” (Ezekial 18:31-32 NIV)
God is an emotional God. He feels passion, sadness, anger, joy, and all the emotions that He also gave to us. (Genesis 1:26-27) There is also much indication in the scriptures that those in heaven pray and intercede for us.
On the flip side, the Word is also very clear that there is rejoicing in heaven. For instance, when a sinner repents (Luke 15:7; Luke 15:10). And did you know that Jesus delights over you? “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love, he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17 NIV) And “For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory. Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds.” (Psalm 149:4-5 NIV)
Of course, knowing we can feel sadness in Heaven is also a downer. It was much easier to think that I wouldn’t be sad, in particular, if some of my loved ones didn’t end up living in Heaven with me. Randy Alcorn, in his big book on Heaven, says that happiness in heaven is not based on ignorance but perspective. Although we certainly don’t have all the answers (even those of us who have been there), we know and choose to trust the One who does.
