The Website home of Karl Bullock

Questions from Quora.com:
"When people go to Heaven, what will they do when they get there?"
and
"Will We Work In Heaven?"

January 6, 2026

First, let's define some paramaters.

"Heaven" is a spiritual place - the abode of God¹, and the place where the souls of departed believers go upon death. Indeed, we are told that "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord", Who is now seated on His throne beside the Father.

After the 7 years tribulation, the departed believers, united with their new physical bodies, return to earth with Christ, Who then sets up His kingdom here that will last a thousand years². Following that, the "old" earth is destroyed and a new, physical earth is created where we, bodily, live for eternity with Christ³.

Non-believers, at death, are in torment until their judgment sentences them to everlasting darkness and banishment into the "lake of fire".

So then what?

While here on earth, many, if not most of us, see work as a necessary task, and usually something we would not do unless it was necessary. It has often been said "Do something you like and you'll never work a day in your life". That's just not an option for most of us. Oh, there may be times when something you did out of necessity was also pleasant for a season, but those times are generally few and far between. But, what if there was something you were especially designed for, and something you actually loved to do, and your desire to do this task day in and day out was what you actually wanted to do with your time? Would you see that as work, or priviledge? Many have viewed the hereafter as sitting around on a cloud playing a harp, or some version of that. I'm not sure I want to be a harp player, but there may be some who see that as fun. But, just sitting around for eternity? I don't think so! Besides, we won't be 'sitting on clouds'.

When Adam was created, God gave him something to do. One of his tasks was to give a name to every creature He had created, but he was to also look after the Garden of Eden and "dress it and keep it". I'm guessing Adam didn't see this as drudgery, but as an honor, and let's be honest, coming up with names for all the creatures might have been fun! God had created Adam, so He knew what Adam would enjoy doing, and He eventually created a human companion for Adam, and called her Eve (you know the story). However, it's important to see that only after they had sinned (Genesis 3:13, "What have you done???") did work become, well, work⁴. As a result, work became a negative more than a positive.

However, God wishes to return us to the perfect environment He originally created for us before we corrupted it - and this time, it will remain perfect! So, imagine this: What if you lived in an environment with no pain, no aches, no "work", but in a place where every day was the best day of your life, and you were given tasks that not only were you perfectly suited and gifted for, but something you absolutely loved to do?

I was always fascinated by Mike Rowe's TV series "Dirty Jobs". Each episode would show some of the most bizarre and seemingly foul occupations that someone had to do. What fascinated me was that there was always someone who just loved their job. I remember an episode that chronicled the job of cleaning out the sewer systems in a large city. One particular individual just loved what he did. I still can't imagine that! But, he took pride in disposing the worst refuse that those living in the world above him had created, and he smiled the whole time he was doing it.

Now, I'm not saying we'll all be garbage disposals - on the contrary. I'm saying that God has created each of us⁵ with unique talents, inherent abilities, and personal proclivities that fit precisely into some task that we would do just for fun, even if there was no pay involved⁶. The concept is that, when we arrive on the new - physical, by the way - earth, He has something waiting for each of us that will light up our eyes and excite our senses, and all these different tasks will work in perfect harmony with others in the perfect existent life, with Christ at the center of it all.

Personally, I can't wait to see what He has chosen for me!

Oh, and that cloud and the harps - my daughter might actually find that one exciting!

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