Will my Protestant friends go to a different heaven?

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How could anyone believe there is a segregated heaven - God really messed up if that’s how it is. Man oh man.
 
You might be surprised. Here at CAF I often see posts insisting on different levels of heaven according to merit. I think people have difficulty getting past earthly models of merit and reward, calling it justice. Who merits heaven at all? Is God’s love earned?
 
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Well, to be fair there’s a lot of Christian artwork, private revelation and even some public revelation (Jesus mentioning “the least in the Kingdom of Heaven”, the parables of the servants who multiplied the talents being rewarded to the degree they did so) that in our puny human minds could be taken as some sort of tiered caste system based on heavenly merit. Also I’m always amazed by people who take the writings of Dante as being Church teaching rather than fiction.

We can speculate that someone who grows a lot spiritually while on earth might have a richer experience of Heaven than one who puts little effort into spiritual matters on earth or goes down a wrong path, and only gets saved in the end through God’s mercy. But we really have no idea, and it’s all up to the will of God. If he decided to reward a saved atheist as much or more than a holy saint, he has a reason for that. We also have no idea how spiritual growth might progress, if at all, for saved people in the afterlife.
 
I don’t necessarily see it as Dante at all (Haven’t read that in decades nor reference it mentally), in fact more like John 14:2, or even better, here’s a link:


I think it crazy to think all will be equal, but all will be happy. Even the angels and heavenly beings have different levels to them, from our understanding, and different types. Since all will be known, but all made new, no we cannot know for certain, and we won’t until we’re gone.

I couldn’t have possibly hashed out the third heaven comment. I understand what he meant now, it still doesn’t take away from what I see within the Bible and various private revelations (Our Lady of Kibeho, etc)…and I don’t think that different means less, or has anything to do with
TheIttyBitty said:
I think this is related to merit, that those reflect closeness to God, not different gods.
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I also typed magnificently, almost as much so as the amount of pain I’ve been in:
Should read
“I think if this is related to merit…” because even grammatically, it’s not how I write. I’m incredibly sorry for the confusion.
 
I wasn’t referring to your post, just making a general comment about the post I replied to. We have had similar discussions on lots of threads.
 
Beryllos said:
You might be surprised. Here at CAF I often see posts insisting on different levels of heaven according to merit. I think people have difficulty getting paid past earthly models of merit and reward, calling it justice. Who merits heaven at all? Is God’s love earned?
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I don’t know for sure, but Jesus spoke of many rooms. I’m sure that means something. & I believe there are 9 choirs of angels some closer to God than others. & I subscribe to the thought that God’s instructions for His tents & temple were a representation of some sort to Heaven.

I don’t think this means that one level is “better” or more desirable than another. Nor do I think an angel desires to be a Seraphim or Cherubim. God has prepared a place for us & there’s no place we’d rather be.
 
If they do not accept Jesus Christ in his entirety prior to their death we can assume hell.
 
A Protestant or Muslim (or Catholic) in Heaven no longer believes any of the errors they may have held in life. Everybody in Heaven is a family and would gladly suffer immensely for each other, if that were anymore possible.

The joy of Heaven is God himself. St Paul the Apostle may have traveled in spirit to different aspects of Heaven (the 3rd Heaven, etc) but it is all ultimately one Heaven.
 
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I heard the same joke but it was the evangelicals who thought they were the only ones in heaven 😊
 
The reference is to jewish marriage. When a couple were married the wife lived with her family until her husband built an additional room to the fathers house. As soon as the room was finished, day or night, the bride didn’t know when, the husband would come to take his bride home.

There are a great deal of marital references in the New Testament, especially in Matthew.

The church is the bride of Christ, you don’t know when he is coming, as the bride your job is to be ready.
 
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Someone already gave the catechism reference above so no need to repost it, however this is from:

Rom 2:13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.
14 When Gentiles who have not the law do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law.
15 They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or perhaps excuse them
16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus

To put it simply, Catholics have the advantage of the sacraments but since we know more we owe more. Personally I consider the following a reference to purgatory:

Lk 12: 47 And that servant who knew his master’s will, but did not make ready or act according to his will, shall receive a severe beating.
48 But he who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, shall receive a light beating. Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more.
 
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