Heaven’s Memories and Rewards
Will We Remember Things in Heaven?
Our response to this idea may be something like, “Why would I want to remember this life? There’s so much sin and pain and affliction and brokenness. I thought heaven was where we get to finally escape all that? And doesn’t the Bible say that God ‘will wipe away every tear…(and) there will be no mourning or crying or pain anymore, for the former things have passed away’ (Rev. 21:4)?”
But what if there’s a way in which God can make us remember our lives on earth with no pain attached? What if our memories in heaven will be so perfected that all we see in them is God’s glory and grace? I believe this is possible and will indeed be what we experience in heaven.
Heaven is Dynamic, Not Static
Many of us pick up a defective view of heaven that says that heaven is essentially static, that we’re made perfect at death and then spend eternity standing in one place singing songs to God. But is this the biblical view of heaven? Does this view of heaven make you yearn for heaven?
Heaven is a dynamic place of growth and discovery and reveling in the glory of God for all eternity, and part of how that will happen will be through heavenly memories and rewards. We’ll take these one at a time, starting with memories.
Biblical Evidence for Memories in Heaven
We will remember earth’s events in heaven. This is a bold claim. Does Scripture back it up? Let me give you some Scriptures to consider.
Ephesians 2:6-7, “(God) raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
This text says that “in the coming ages” (i.e. “in heaven”), God will show us the infinite dimensions of his grace and kindness toward us in Christ. For this to come true, we would still have to remember that we were sinners saved by grace. A complete memory loss would mean that we wouldn’t be able to praise God for his grace.
Luke 14:13-14, “When you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”
We’ll talk more about rewards in a moment, but Scripture is clear that God will reward his servants, and that heavenly rewards are connected to earthly deeds. Every reward will be connected to a specific story that reveals the glory of God. Without memory of that story, how could we see the glory?
Psalm 111:2-4, “Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful.”
Are the great works of the Lord only worthy to be studied now and not in heaven? God will be the best history teacher ever in heaven. “His work” and “his righteousness” in verse 3 are parallel expressions saying that his righteous works will be “endure forever.” This is strong evidence that God’s amazing works will be remembered in heaven.
In heaven, God will say, “Have you seen my glory in the six days of creation, the crossing of the Red Sea, the battle of Jericho, in Gideon’s defeat of the Midianites, in Elijah’s contest with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, in the raising of the Shunamite’s son with Elisha, in the manger in Bethlehem, on the stormy seas of Galilee, on a Roman cross outside of Jerusalem, in the empty tomb, on Pentecost when the disciples were praying, in every triumph of the gospel since, and in your life?”
We’ll see the power, justice, mercy, compassion, wisdom, and glory of God in all his great works for all eternity. If we don’t, then all this glory of God would be hidden and forgotten, but God’s glory is meant to displayed and enjoyed. This is a primary reason why I think we’ll remember things in heaven.
In Revelation 5, Jesus appears as “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” who “has conquered,” and as “a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain” (vv. 5-6). This passage confirms that Jesus’ death and resurrection will be remembered for all eternity. His resurrected body retains his wounds from the cross, meaning that his redemptive work will be remembered for all eternity.
In Revelation 7, John is given a picture of a great multitude worshiping Christ. The angels and elders fall on their faces and worship, and one of them asks, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” This question in and of itself means that heaven isn’t a place where we lose all earthly memories. God wants the earthly lives of the vast multitude of people who’re his to be remembered, or this question wouldn’t make sense.
Heavenly Visions”
But how will we experience these memories in heaven? Ephesians 2 says that God will “show” us his immeasurable grace in the coming ages. The Greek word for “show” was commonly used to refer to a visual demonstration. So how will God show us visually in the future what he did in the past?
There’s no Scripture that tells us exactly how this will work, so I’m only suggesting what may happen. There are a few places in the Bible where God shows someone something in a “participatory vision,” or a vision in which the subject is active.[1]
For example, Paul says, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven – whether in the body of out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise – whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows” (2 Cor. 12:2-3). Paul’s vision was so realistic that he couldn’t tell whether he was physically in paradise or not.
The prophet Ezekiel had a similar experience when God took him in a vision to the temple area back in Jerusalem (he was in Babylon). He says, “The Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem…And he brought me to the entrance of the court…Then he said to me, ‘Son of man, dig in the wall.’ So I dug in the wall, and behold there was an entrance. And he said to me, ‘Go in and see…’ So I went in and saw” (8:3, 7-10). Ezekiel wasn’t physically transported to the temple, but he was there and he was even active in the vision.
John was transported by the Spirit to see the coming New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:9-11). It says that an angel “carried me away in the Spirit.” If John could be transported by the Spirit ahead in time to see the earth in its future glory, why couldn’t God take his people back in time to see his glory throughout history in participatory visions?
These participatory visions could be how we view thousands of years of earth’s history in heaven. God will show us his past glory in heaven, and if he chooses, he may do it through vivid visions that make virtual reality feel like black and white silent movies.
Rewards in Heaven
We’ll remember earth’s events in heaven, and we’ll be rewarded for our work on earth in heaven. Let’s look at what the Bible says about rewards and what the rewards are like.
The Bible talks about rewards in heaven in several places:
Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up (or “store up”) for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
This “storing up” of treasures in heaven doesn’t mean we can earn our salvation through good works. It refers to what believers do after they’re saved.
Just before these verses, Jesus says that we should give money to the needy, pray, and fast “in secret” so that God “who sees in secret will reward you” (Matt. 6:4, 6, 18). God will reward our secret acts of love and devotion to him and to others.
1 Corinthians 3:12-15, “Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw – each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”
The ways we build up the church are either worthy of reward or not worthy of reward. The “fire” will reveal the genuineness of our work and whether it’s worthy of reward or not. Our work doesn’t determine our destiny, but it does determine our reward.
The author of Hebrews says that knowing God is about believing in him and looking forward to rewards from him. “Without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (11:6). Then it says that by faith Moses “considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward” (v. 26). Looking forward to heavenly rewards isn’t wrong; it’s what living a life of faith is all about.
Back in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven” (Matt. 5:11-12). Enduring attacks because of Jesus will gain us rewards in heaven.
In Ephesians 6:8, Paul says, “Whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord.” No good thing goes unnoticed by God. Everyone’s work will be perfectly compensated for. Therefore, “let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9). Jesus specifically says in Luke 14 that our work to serve the poor, or anyone who can’t repay us, will be “repaid at the resurrection of the just” (v. 14).
Repayment on Judgment Day
Alongside rewards will also be judgment. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:10, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” When Jesus returns, we’ll be judged for what we did in our lives, whether good or bad.
How can a believer experience this judgment without pain or loss? Because there’s a difference between giving an account to Christ and being condemned by Christ. God put all the judgement we deserve for our sins on Christ on the cross, so we won’t receive judgment on Judgment Day. But we will have to talk to the Lord about what we’ve done.
If we aren’t reminded of our sins on Judgment Day, how could we praise God for his grace? God will remind us of our sins, not to shame us, but to magnify his grace. He’ll cover us with the glorious white robes of his purity. Jesus’ blood will forever wash off the filth from our souls. As the hymn says, “For nothing good have I whereby Thy grace to claim; I’ll wash my garments white in the blood of Calvary’s Lamb.”
More of God is the Reward
If there are rewards in heaven, what are they? Is it just piles of stuff? More of all the things we loved on earth?
The Bible doesn’t give us lots of specifics here, but it’s unlikely that our rewards will be material in nature. That’s the way the economy of earth works, not the economy of heaven. In heaven, the most lavish and expensive and beautiful currency is the glory of God. So in heaven, the essence of our rewards is the glory of God.
Heaven is about seeing and enjoying God. This is the central reward of heaven. God has always been the primary reward for his people. To Aaron and the Levites, the Lord said, “I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites” (Num. 18:20). As Psalm 73:25-26 says, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Paul traded everything of worth in this world for the “surpassing worth” of knowing Christ (Phil. 3:8-10). Hebrews says that God rewards those who seek him (11:6).
What more could God give to people who spent their lives seeking him other than himself? Because of this, and because we aren’t given any particulars about the nature of the rewards in Scripture, it seems that the rewards we’ll receive will be more of God himself. Our rewards will be deeper revelations of God, unique shares of God fit for each person who loves him.
Andrew Davis summarizes this well and draws out some astounding implications. He writes:
“This will differentiate one redeemed person from another in heaven – an individualized portion of God given to him or her in a way directly tied to that person’s life on earth. The heavenly reward is ‘more of God’ than others receive. Therefore, we should think of rewards as varying degrees of capacity for heavenly glory. Perhaps we may think of it as access, proximity, or closeness to God. Although all of the redeemed will see God’s face, some will enjoy deeper intimacy with God. I believe all the redeemed in heaven will be perfectly happy, but not all will be equally happy. Rewards are an increased capacity for absorbing and comprehending the glory of God.”[2]
This “more of God” is directly linked to things we did on earth. Just as we have a unique pleasure when our children or our friends do specific things that delight us, God will give us a unique pleasure for our good works on earth.
He’ll even give us special words of praise. Of course, we’ll be praising God, but did you know that he’ll praise us too? Listen to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:5, “Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God” (NIV). And John says that some “loved human praise more than praise from God” (CSB).
God praises his people who earnestly seek him and serve him. In Jesus’ parable of the talents, those who diligently and skillfully served their master heard these words upon his return: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matt. 25:21).
After a lifetime of serving God faithfully, we’ll see his face and feel the pleasure of his embrace and he’ll say, “I am so pleased with you!” He’ll open the door of his heart to us so that we can see his joy over his kids: “Enter into the joy of your master.”
And this will be a recurring experience, not a one-time moment. As God shows us specific actions in eternity, specific ways we served him, trusted him, or blessed others in his name, we’ll relive his pleasure again and again. Our good deeds will in this sense never die but be rehearsed and delighted in forever. We should therefore “store up” as much treasure in heaven, or praise from God, as possible.
The Lord Left Praise So We Could Be Praised
All of this will be to fulfill Zephaniah’s vision of the restoration of God’s people (3:14-20). God will rejoice and sing over his people. His love will calm our hearts forever. And he’ll make us a people of renown and praise, a people who live safely and joyfully in his acceptance and delight forever.
And all of this is only possible because the Lord himself left the praise of heaven and came to the pit of the earth. He left his glory and embraced our shame. He lost everything so we could gain everything. He perfectly obeyed and served and loved the Father because we haven’t. His bloody garments were stripped off so our white garments could be put on. Jesus was the suffering servant so we could be the praised children.
We’ll never forget these things in heaven, and all those who believe these things now will receive rewards later, most importantly the reward of the Lord himself.
[1]This section is based on Andrew M. Davis, The Glory Now Revealed: What We’ll Discover About God in Heaven (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2021), 57-9.
[2]Ibid., 71.