The purpose of heaven
I begin with a quote from Deem[1]:
"The purpose of heaven is to reward those who love God and want to live with Him forever. Contrary to popular opinion, entry into heaven is not based upon one's good works (e.g., good works exceed the evil deeds), but upon acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of one's life. Those who cannot agree to God's terms are not allowed into heaven, since there will be no evil or rebellion tolerated there. By accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, we give Him permission to change us into perfect beings in the heaven".
I do agree; that entry into heaven is not based upon one’s good works and would be attributed to the acceptance of Jesus Christ as resurrected Lord, and Savior through his atonement. I believe there is more to heaven than just rewards; heaven is how God intended us to live, without sin, without death pain and sorrow. We need to be careful and not become too trivial—viewing or attributing heaven as a membership to Capital One Rewards™ or Speedy Rewards™ card program. I am not saying Deem is making the issue trivial but someone could think so.
Assuming we take Deem literally, so how do we reconcile babies that pass away, or those with mental handicaps that would not be able to come to God based upon works or acceptance of Jesus Christ? In Deem’s view, how can he reconcile this dilemma based upon scripture or his view? If we were to use his rhetoric about one verse in Revelation, then the outcome would be horrifying. One holding Deem’s view perhaps could not reconcile, but does that mean babies and those with mental handicaps will not be in heaven? I would think they would be in heaven (fully restored), but I cannot prove that with scripture, emphatically. Is it wrong to believe so? No, I do believe God is just, reasonable, and fair to allow them into heaven just the same as he would pets. Despite there being no scriptural evidence for such believe on my part, it is reasonable to believe God would allow for such instances. So in essence, those of us capable to choose would be held responsible for our actions and whether we live according to the Bible.
Source:
[1] http://www.godandscience.org/doctrine/pets_in_heaven.html#n05#n05
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