Are There Degrees of Glory in Heaven?
By Dr. John Parlow
People will sometimes ask if there are degrees of glory in heaven. In other words, are there different “levels” in heaven?
And you might be surprised to find out: Yes and no, depending what you mean by the question.
There aren’t various degrees of bliss in heaven because when you go to heaven, you are in the presence of God – which is pure joy, and happiness, and contentment. There are none of the effects of sin because you’re with God, and there can be no sin with God. You have all of the blessings that you get to experience in God’s presence, so everyone’s going to have the same bliss.
But it might surprise you to find out that the Bible does teach that corresponding to people’s fidelity of their work on this earth – when it comes to the kingdom work, striving to live your faith and share your faith – the Bible does say that somehow, God’s going to differentiate those that were really faithful on this earth with the time, and the talents, he had given them for the kingdom sake, and those that maybe weren’t so faithful.
Take a look at passages such as Matthew 6:20, where Jesus says: “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” – where you’ll get your reward, in that certain sense.
It’s not how you get to heaven – it’s just that when you get to heaven, somehow God’s going to differentiate between those that were more faithful in living their faith and sharing it.
You see that again in Daniel 12:3, where it says, “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever” – those who’ve shared God’s Word will get incredible distinction in heaven. But we’re not really sure exactly what that’s going to look like.
Some people may ask, “Won’t there be jealousy? Won’t you get jealous if someone’s getting more recognition than you are?”
And the answer is no. There is no jealousy in heaven because there’s no sin in heaven. And even on this earth, we certainly are very happy for the people we love when they get honored, and I’m thinking it’ll be like that in heaven as well.
What a great blessing it will be to understand what God has all done for us!