Are people in heaven watching us?

Many believers are wondering if their loved ones in heaven are watching them and other events taking place on the earth. While the Bible does not directly give an answer to this consideration, there seems to be some Biblical evidence that gives us insight into what believers in glory know about events on earth.

 

First, we need to understand that the ability to look down from heaven and see all of the events taking place on earth is something only God can do. Because of His infinite character, only God has the power and ability to do this. Please consider the following verses.

 

Psalm 14:2- "The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God."

 

Psalm 33:13- "The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. From the place of his habitation he looks upon all the inhabitants of the earth."

 

Psalm 53:2- "God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God."

 

We must understand that when the believer receives His eternal heavenly resurrected body, he will be like his Lord. (Philippians 3:21) However, the Lord will always be infinite, while the resurrected believer in heaven will always be finite. There is no hint in all of God's revelation that the saints of God are able to look down upon earth and watch what is taking place.

 

In general, people in heaven will be made aware of some events on earth as the angels in heaven react to significant events from God's perspective. For example, when a person gets saved, the angels in heaven rejoice. Luke 15:10 states: "... there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." One can only image that this angelic celebration of a person coming to salvation on earth will be shared with the saints already in heave.

 

A study of the book of Revelation demonstrates that believers in heaven will be aware of some events transpiring on earth. All of this is due to the believer's awareness of God's plan being implemented by Jesus, and His angels being sent from heaven to carry out God's wrathful judgments. Believers will watch all of it unfold from the control center of the throne of God in heaven. All of this will be aided by the fact that people in heaven are made aware of events on earth due to the recent saints who have died and entered into heaven

 

Revelation 8:1 states that when Jesus opens the seventh seal in heaven during the Tribulation Period, the heavenly response will be silence in heaven. It is apparent that people in heaven have been made aware of events on earth because of the testimony of the great number of martyrs in heaven during the period of the first six seals opened in heaven by Jesus in Revelation 6-7. In Revelation 6:9-11, when Jesus opens the fifth seal, the martyrs in heaven are heard crying out to God for vengeance upon those who killed them. In Revelation 7:9-17, after the sixth seal is opened in heaven, a great number of martyrs from all nations are comforted by their Lord as they tell their story and shed their tears in heaven. Therefore, as Jesus opens the seventh and final seal, it creates a sense of horrific anticipation concerning what will transpire on earth, expressed by the interruption of praise in heaven, replaced by silence.

 

Revelation 11:15-19- As the angel in heaven sounds the seventh trumpet and judgment falls on the earth, all of heaven will erupt into praise. The saints of God will watch the action from heaven as God's angels sound out the previous six trumpets. Because of the testimonies of the saints who are entering heaven out of the Tribulation on earth, they must be aware of the severe judgments that are inflicted upon the earth and all of creation. Therefore, when the seventh trumpet is sounded, they rejoice that their righteous Lord is about to take control of the earth as "the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever."(Revelation 11:15) They rejoice that the Lord is about to "destroy them which destroy the earth." (Revelation 11:18) This clearly indicates that they are aware of the devastation on the earth

 

Revelation 19:1-3- In these verses, the saints in heaven verbalized their praise to their Lord because of the destruction of the great false religious system on earth that had opposed Christ and were responsible for "the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon earth."(Revelation 18:24) This reveals that the saints in heaven are made aware of the events transpiring on earth that relate to the glory and honor of their God

 

In conclusion, it seems that the previously mentioned texts give us an insight into the heavenly common knowledge of events on earth shared by the saints in heaven. When the saints of God enter into the presence of God at the time of their death or the Rapture, they are made aware of and begin to experience the reality of what really matters on earth -- those things which honor and glorify their Lord! Consequently, contrary to what some may think, the saints in glory are not interested in and will not know about the many mundane developments in the lives of their family and friends. They are in the presence of Jesus, and their heavenly life is all wrapped up in worship, praise, and service to Him. They are not watching us, they are watching Him.

 

Oh that we could begin now to live our lives with a view of what matters in heaven! "If you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, not on things on earth. For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then you shall also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3:1-4) The saints in glory are doing this now

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