Question from a reader:

Do you believe that there will be a military or armed forces in Heaven? I realize that we will not need them other than the Battle of Armageddon, or the final rebellion after Satan is released from the bottomless pit. Do you think that there will be a military, mainly to teach believers self-discipline instead of preparing for war?

Answer from Julia (Stager) Mayo, former EPM research assistant:

Due to the universal peace that will exist on the New Earth, it seems unlikely that there will be a military that is the same as the militaries on this world, but there may be organized troops that gather regularly to practice self-disciplined activities and/or go on missions of exploration or participate in building projects. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some sort of equivalent to the military on the New Earth (without any of the downsides) when I think of how the military is a service-oriented organization built on sacrifice and love of a greater cause (i.e. in Heaven it’ll be about glorifying God), those seem like traits that will abound in Heaven!