There is one Heaven; the Second Creation that we inhabit by following Jesus Christ through resurrection to eternal life.
But it is not a homogenous Heaven - almost the opposite.
Heaven is "unified" by love - every "inhabitant" lives only by love.
That means that Heaven contains as much variety as there are inhabitants. Every new person who ascends to Heaven adds to its variety.
Some people - including Mormons - conceptualize Heaven as subdivided, or having "many mansions".
That's not it; because it implies restrictions upon the saved, among the resurrected.
And it is wrong insofar as it implies any homogeneity among the inhabitants of Heaven's supposed subdivisions.
But there are many hells - in fact, they can't really be numbered.
Hell is not a place, but wherever there is anyone (or any group) who oppose divine creation.
Only insofar as there is cooperation among those who oppose divine creation could there be said to be "one" hell; however; members of hell are unified only by their hatred of God; what they want is selfish - so there is endemic latent conflict within and between all hells.
Hells are all in "this world"; all in the primary creation that you and I currently inhabit.
Those "in Heaven" can go where they please, including this world, and any of the hells in it.
Heaven is barred against all inhabitants of hell - unless they repent, and follow Jesus to resurrected eternal life. If they can't or won't repent and love, they will not experience Heaven.
Only those who have made an eternal commitment to live only by love, can be "in Heaven".
And that is one Heaven.
We can think of Heaven as like an ideal extended-family - every member is different in abilities and interests, and are at different stages of maturity; and indeed members each have personal preferences among the family.
But just one family.
1 comment:
> He was going to learn about sheep, and the high pasturages, and look at a wider sky, and walk ever further and further towards the Mountains, always uphill. Beyond that I cannot guess what became of him. Even little Niggle in his old home could glimpse the Mountains far away, and they got into the
borders of his picture; but what they are really like, and what lies beyond them, only those can say who have climbed them.
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