I believe this is a subject of immense importance to our understanding of Scripture. Our Platonic/Gnostic assumptions have skewed our views, shifting them closer to Buddhism and Hinduism than to biblical Christianity, which is centered an actual physical resurrection of not only Christ and people but the earth itself, an earth God called “very good” and has never given up on.

Eternal rewards is a hot topic in the evangelical community, partly because some people think it is anti-grace and leads to works-righteousness to earn salvation. Nothing could be further from the truth, but that’s the perception.  

Jesus said, “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). This never-ending life is promised to those who believe in Jesus. “But how can this be?” you might ask. “After all, everyone will die at some point.” True. But death isn’t the end of the story. Jesus promised that someday we’ll live forever with him. That means we’ll live again after we die.

Suicide is the unjustified killing of a human being, and is therefore forbidden in the commandments not to murder. Scripture says very little directly about suicide. However, it says much about God’s character and we can certainly trust in His love, fairness and judgment.

There is no indication that animals have eternal souls. However, God is perfectly capable of recreating (not the same as resurrecting) an animal who has died. 

If the New Earth is all the best of the old earth and more, then we should expect it to contain animals.

The existence of our own individual dwelling places implies privacy. We are also told Christ will give new names to the righteous, known only between him and them (Rev. 2:17).

So what is “ours” is ultimately God’s, including whatever he gives to us. But that is every bit as true here on earth as it is in Heaven. And the fact that God owns whatever is “mine” does not mean there is no distinction between what I own and what others own.  

The point isn’t that God had not created the seas. The point is that the seas (or oceans) as we now know them may be radically different than the original seas