@Eddy Epstein Good. Add to that He's the only One in history who predicted He would and then did as strong evidence He was actually was who He claimed to be: God in the flesh.

@Eddy Epstein I agree. I used to have a purely spiritual idea of heaven and it seemed the same to me. When I really started digging, I realized the Bible actually teaches that it'll be much more like how God probably originally intended before Adam and Eve sinned- a sinless earth where He will dwell with us. In Hebrews 11:16, it speaks of God preparing "a city" for us: "But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city." For God to use the language of "city", that seems to indicate to me that it will be similar to what we experience today in a city- culture, business, work, fun, community, stuff to do- only without evil or sin. Revelation 21:1-5 speaks of God bringing heaven down to unite with the earth where God will reign and live among us on earth: "Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” So the story is actually more about God coming down to earth at the end of this age to live among us than us going up to heaven. Yes, until Christ returns, when Christians die, we will be in heaven with God until His return. But once He returns, it seems to me we'll be living on a renewed earth that is united with heaven.

@Eddy Epstein yeah I think that is a really good question. My personal belief is that those who are married in this life will likely still be married in eternity in the sense of "being one", but that the legal way we think of marriage will not be needed. The language Jesus uses in that passage is also specific. He says "they neither marry nor are given in marriage". The Greek words used are active. He does not say "those who are married (in past tense) will no longer be married". As far as whether people will still "get married" in heaven, to me it could either mean new marriages won't be a thing in heaven, or just not in the sense it was understood when Jesus said it. What I do know is that before sin entered the world, God said about Adam "It is not good for man to be alone" and created a woman for him. I have to wonder if that was true in the garden before sin, if it won't be true in the eternity post sin, even if it's not quite how we understand marriage today.

@Christina Shelton this ✅

@Isaiah Hines amen