It’s a common question I get as a pastor: How old are we in heaven? If we die at 88, then are we 88 forever? If we die in infancy, are we a baby forever?
I’ve gotten this question, “How old are we in heaven?” from people who are just theologically curious, but also from those who are emotionally processing death, whether they are facing death themselves or have lost a loved one.
Either way, I seek to provide direction for this question not just as a rote answer like on a multiple-choice questionnaire, but as a pastor who loves God’s truth and loves God’s people.
The notion of our age in heaven is known as “the eternal state.” That is, upon death, we are considering the age, or the condition—that is, the state—that we are in for eternity. The simplest answer is this: The Bible doesn’t directly answer that question. That’s not to say, though, that we don’t see glimmers of an answer; we just don’t have a clear, direct answer.
A few things to consider as we try to discern a biblical answer to our “age in heaven”:
While at death we are separated from our physical bodies for a time (2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23), in the new heaven and new earth, which Christ will usher in at the end of days, we’ll be given new bodies, which will be glorious in the way Christ’s resurrected body is (Philippians 3:21; 1 John 3:2)—bodies that will not be subject to death, decay, pain, or sickness (1 Corinthians 15:42; Revelation 21:4; Isaiah 65:19–20).
So, if Christ’s resurrected body gives us any indication, we know that we’ll eat, can be touched, and will be recognizable—although maybe not at first (Luke 24:30–31; John 20:27; Luke 24:16). When Christ tells the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man, who both die, they are able to recognize each other in death—Lazarus in glory, the rich man in hell (Luke 16:19–31).
What’s important to know about our condition in heaven is that it’s less about age and more about fullness. In heaven, we’ll have completion.
As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:12: “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”
Meaning, not only is the eternal state about having a body unaffected or tainted by sin and brokenness, but it’s also about having a fullness that was lost by living in a fallen world.
This is why many speculate that our bodies in heaven will be at full physical maturity, but not advanced age or infancy. Some would say around the age of 33—as that was roughly the age Jesus was at His death and resurrection—or what Adam might have been at his creation before sin entered the world. But let’s be clear, that’s all speculation.
So, again, the real answer to the question of what age we are in heaven is this: We don’t know. For me, I’m more liable to think that’s probably a question that may not even make sense in eternity.
Not to derail us with other ideas related to heaven, but this conversation sparks questions like this: Don’t children make the world a better place? Will there be no children in heaven? Likewise, if we have perfect bodies in heaven, will we give birth to children in the new heaven and the new earth? We’ll discuss those thoughts in an article coming soon.
But when it comes to the eternal state, what we do know is that at the end of days we’ll have new, glorious, and transformed bodies in which we will live and worship God as we live with Him in the new heavens and the new earth (Revelation 21:1–3).
As we think about this question pastorally, the thing I tell people is this: For whatever the eternal state is, it’ll be better than we can anticipate or imagine (1 Corinthians 2:9). The eternal state, while curious to consider, truly is something we should not fear, but rather see as a source of hope and joy, knowing that the ways of this broken and sinful world will wash away and that even our bodies will be renewed in ways that are perfect and better than we can wish or want (Revelation 21:4; Romans 8:23).
To wrap this up—when we think about what age we are in heaven, I pray that one day you and I will revisit this question as we stand in heaven with our new and resurrected bodies.
And so, as you consider the eternal state and your own mortality, may your faith in the resurrected Christ not just keep you from fear of death, but give you a longing for the beautiful future that God has in store (John 11:25–26; Titus 2:13).
God bless…
