Butchart Gardens, BC
Today, a pastor who had completed a problem of evil questionnaire mentioned to me through email, the theological issue of whether citizens of the Kingdom of God/heaven would be able to rebel against God. Here is my reply to the pastor with references added and slight changes for this blog article.
In my view, since the lake of fire (Revelation, Chapter 20) appears to exist everlastingly, rebellion against God will continue from fallen angels and those outside of Christ. I speculate that the lake of fire, like Hades (Revelation, Chapter 20) and Paradise (2 Corinthians, 12: 4) are outside of our present material reality and are not part of God's material creation that he will restore for humanity, and perhaps animals and other living creatures. The lake of fire is likely physical but is intended for punishment. Robert H. Mounce explains that it is the place for all that is sinful and wicked in the world. Mounce (1990: 350). God merely will restore the fallen material creation within our reality and eliminate the problem of evil within it.
In my view the elect in the restored creation shall not fall since God will determine with the use of compatibilism/soft determinism that they shall not. This means he will determine, influence and guide thoughts and actions, but not force or coerce them. Louis P. Pojman writes that compatibilism or soft determinism states that an act can be entirely determined and yet be free in the sense that it was committed voluntarily and without external force or coercion. Pojman (1996: 596). Compatibilism shall occur through God's will and by perfecting the nature of followers, but it can be deduced that Satan had a perfect nature prior to his fall, as a sinful being would not exist in heaven (Luke 10: 18). Satan and the fallen angels are Biblically not provided any type of atonement. Adam and Eve prior to the fall in Genesis 3 had a perfect nature, but in my opinion had a spiritual immaturity that persons will not possess in heaven as resurrected followers that have experienced the problem of evil, sin, death, the atoning work and resurrection of Christ and their own resurrection will not disobey God in the immature fashion that Adam and Eve did. A problem with holding too strong of a view on free will, and perhaps free will theodicy, as opposed to sovereignty theodicy, is that it denies compatibilism and soft determinism and therefore rebellion against God by perfect beings would always be a reasonable possibility. I agree that it would be possible in the culminated Kingdom to rebel if citizens were merely left with perfect natures, although less likely than originally because of maturity, but rebellion becomes impossible as God indwells and guides persons to freely with a limited compatibilistic but significant free will, to follow him forever. I suppose one could state that persons cannot sin in heaven because God determines that persons cannot, but he does not use force or coercion since this would eliminate significant freedom. I do not believe that God uses hard determinism in saving persons or damning others. Pojman defines hard determinism as the theory that every event is caused and no one is responsible for his or her actions. Pojman (1996: 596). This is in contrast with soft determinism that would state that God would be the primary cause of all actions, while significantly free beings would be the secondary cause of their own actions. One could also state that persons could hypothetically rebel because beings with finite perfect natures could always fall, as did Satan, but persons will not sin because God determines that they shall not. So I think, hypothetically, rebellion could always happen but will not because of God's constant influence upon saved human persons that have experienced the problem of evil and do not want to go back to it. If God took his influence from citizens they could sin once again, even in heaven. So, those in Christ shall not sin in heaven due to a purified nature and God's use of soft determinism and not force or coercion.
MOUNCE, ROBERT H. (1990) The Book of Revelation, Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
POJMAN, LOUIS P. (1996) Philosophy: The Quest for Truth, New York, Wadsworth Publishing Company.
