Q. Are we going to be different races in heaven? Will we be different shades and colors still?

A: Dear Mia,

The Bible tells us that God’s last message is to be given “to every nation and tribe and language and people” (Revelation 14:6-7) – in other words, to every place and to every race! The Bible also tells us that when we go to heaven, we will all have glorified bodies (Philippians 3:20-21). Now I’m not exactly sure what a glorified body looks like. I’m not sure if glorified human bodies will retain certain race characteristics or not. We may all end up looking like a race we’ve never seen! I personally think (and I don’t have a Bible text for this) that we will still retain some of our race distinctions in heaven; the different races add beauty and diversity to God’s creation, as do the different flowers and trees. What I do know for certain is that there will be no racial prejudice in heaven. Prejudice comes from two words – pre and judge – and means to judge something before (pre-) you know anything about it. Racial prejudice has caused untold pain and suffering for all races at different times throughout history, but will be non-existent in God’s perfect kingdom!

Thanks for writing, and remember, there's never been a better time to share Jesus!

Your friend, Pastor Howard