Are the People in Heaven Watching Us?

Do our loved ones who go to heaven watch from the grandstands, as it were, as we go about our lives? Do they see all or part of our success and failures?

Some people would say, “Yes, at least to some extent.” Those who think this way typically reference the martyrs in heaven who cry out to God, asking how long until those who persecuted them are judged (Revelation 6). If those martyrs were aware that their tormentors were still prospering—the thinking goes—then people in heaven must be aware of what’s happening on earth.

In my opinion, though, there is some trouble with that line of thinking. After all, Revelation 6 takes place during the Tribulation period, after the rapture of the Church, and it simply tells us the martyrs who were killed in the Tribulation are eager for God’s judgment to dispense with evil and evildoers on the earth. There is not a definitive indication that the martyrs (or any other person in heaven) have specific knowledge of what happens on earth.

In my opinion, though, there is some trouble with that line of thinking.

To be honest, I cannot find any passage in the Bible that clearly teaches that those in heaven are watching us or keeping track of what’s unfolding in our daily lives.

And beware! There is not a single passage of Scripture that tells us we can or should try to contact someone who has passed away. Even if they can see us (which I doubt), we cannot see them or interact with them. Attempting to do so takes us into the dark world of the occult, somewhere we don’t want to be.

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For more on this topic, see chapter 22 from Dr. Jeremiah’s book, The Promise of Heaven: 31 Reasons to Get Excited About Your Eternal Home