What name and body will transgenders have in the afterlife? In all the woke talk of the current transgender culture, I’d be surprised if even a few have entertained that question. It is a valid question that could reveal some critical perspectives on transgender ideology, and I will attempt to give a viable answer from a Biblical
point of view.
When Jesus sent His letter to the church at Sardis, He admonished them with this promise – “He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments, and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father.” (Revelation 3:5). Various interpretations have been offered on the meaning of this text. Still, the one that makes the best sense to me is that our names are written in the Book of Life when we are born. After we have reached the age of accountability, heard the saving message of the Gospel, and committed our life to Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, our name in the Book of Life becomes a permanent fixture. On the other hand, when we hear the Gospel and choose to reject Christ and His offer of forgiveness and salvation, our name is erased from the book. Consequently, if we never come to a place of repentance and commitment to Christ during the remainder of our life and stand one day before the Great White Throne Judgment, our demise will be – if anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:15), referring to eternal separation from God in the everlasting torments of hell.
What name was entered in the Book of Life at your birth? It makes no sense that some arbitrary name would be made up in the heavens. Instead, God honors the name your parents gave you. Throughout God-breathed Scripture, we read about numerous people by name, the name given to them by their parents. Parents commonly name their children according to gender: masculine names for baby boys and feminine names for baby girls. These names are recorded in the Book of Life in Heaven and remain fundamentally the same. Jane Jones may have married Tom Smith, but she is still identified in Heaven according to her birth entry.
When Jesus took Peter, James, and John with Him to the mountain where the Transfiguration occurred, those disciples saw two men from Heaven appearing before Jesus, whom they recognized as Moses and Elijah (Luke 9:28-36). They had the same name and body in Heaven that they had on Earth, only now gloried and immortal. The rich man in Hades peered across the great chasm separating Heaven and Hell and saw Abraham and Lazarus in Heaven (Luke 17:19-31). All three had the same body and name in Hades and Heaven as they did on Earth, even though the rich man’s name is not identified in the text. They all three recognized each other by name and gender.
This raises the unsettling question of what happens in the divine order of things when someone on earth decides they no longer want to be a boy or a girl and changes their gender identity and name accordingly. One might think the same changes are made in the Book of Life, but is that true or just wishful thinking? The choice and lifestyle behaviors of being transgender are certainly recorded in the other books in Heaven – things which are written in the books according to one’s deeds (Revelation 20:12). Still, no Biblical evidence supports any change made in the Book of Life. Your birth name is either there or not, and that is determined based solely on your genuine profession of faith in Christ and not your assumed gender identity. Since “Jane” decided to become “Fred,” Fred was never born; he was simply fabricated in Jane’s transgendered mind. Fred’s name, therefore, was never recorded in the Book of Life. When this person stands one day before God in judgment, who will the person be? Jane or Fred? The transgender person hopefully assumes she will be him, Fred. Let’s weigh that assumption against the measure of Scripture.
We begin with created life. The science of human reproduction affirms how babies are made through the sex act when sperm from the male impregnates an egg within the female. However, science has never been able to explain how the sperm and egg know what to do with themselves in the whole procreation process. Science can explain WHAT they do, but it cannot explain the innate force that gives them that knowledge and ability.
Scripture can, and we recognize its teaching on the question as the miracle of life. From the very start, in fact – the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being (Genesis 2:7). Science cannot explain that miracle even though it concedes that as our bodies decay in a grave, they eventually become dirt once again, just as God declared – from (the ground) you were taken, for you are dust, and to dust you shall return (Genesis 3:19). God performed another miraculous creation of life – the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of the ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man and brought her to the man (Genesis 2:21). Let science attempt to explain that divine feat!
So, God created…male and female (Genesis 1:27). He didn’t create a “non-binary.” He created strictly and exclusively a man and a woman (as well as male and female animal species). He created them to uniquely fit together physically so that the miracle of created life could be a role they now participate in with God – Be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:28). Make love and make babies! They do their part. They bring the sperm and egg together. God does His part. He empowers the sperm and the egg to know what to do with themselves, and out comes Junior. The miracle of life!
Through the ages, moms and dads continue to do their part, and God continues to do His miraculous part - For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. (Psalms 139:13-16). These Biblical truths firmly establish God as the miracle giver of life. He is the Creator who sovereignly created each person with the exact gender that would uniquely serve His plan and purpose for each human life.
As we have just recounted – Since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes, His eternal power, and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made (Romans 1:20). All that was made, God made. He is the Creator. By His eternal power, divine nature, and attributes, He sovereignly decides who will be a boy child and a girl child. It’s God’s call!
Corruptible man, however, gets his ideas, as the transgender phenomenon today indicates. Even though they know this about God, they do not honor Him as God (Romans 1:21). The fundamental ideology of the transgendered mind is that God is no longer to be honored as the Creator. They now assume the role of “creator” as they decide for themselves what gender they will identify as. In essence, they have exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for corruptible man (Romans 1:23)…and now worship and serve the creature (their body and gender) rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25). They have made a reversal in roles, and that is an act they have absolutely no authority or power to assume.
They have done something even far more severe than that. They have declared the incorruptible God as corruptible! He is no longer perfect, holy, and righteous in their perspective. He is flawed and imperfect. He makes mistakes. The transgendered person surmises that the miracle of life God rendered in them was an error. “He made me a boy, but I was supposed to be a girl. So now I will correct that error. I will change my gender identity. I will give myself a new name. I will begin living life as the gender I want to be. I will even chemically and surgically alter my body, if necessary, to sculpt it into what God should have made it to start with. I will have my way regardless of what God did. He was wrong; I know how I truly feel. I know what is right and best for me. God has proven He does not!”
This mindset is the strongest evidence that transgendered persons have become futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart has become darkened. Professing to be wise, they have become fools (Romans 1:21-22). They have exchanged the truth of God for a lie (Romans 1:25) and suppressed the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18). Unfortunately, the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against this ungodliness and unrighteousness in persons (Romans 1:18). How? In the worst way possible – God gives them over (Romans 1:24,26,28). God never overrides one’s free will. He always respects individual choice even when it violates His holiness and sovereignty. It is a grave day in any person's life when God says, “So be it. Have it your way. That’s what you want; you are free to be whatever you choose.”
The lifestyle choice God releases a transgendered person to is one which He states is impure, dishonorable, degrading, unnatural, indecent, depraved, and not in any way proper (Romans 1:24-28). He makes it evident to them (Romans 1:19) in Scripture so that they are without excuse (Romans 1:20). They can never stand one day in judgment before God and declare, “I didn’t know this was wrong.” Biblical truth has been clearly defined on this matter, and those who choose to ignore it and indulge their lusts (Romans 1:24) and passions, regardless, will pay the price.
That brings us back to the scene of God’s throne in future judgment. Who is standing there? Jane or Fred? Since God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), and His righteous truth does not change but endures forever (I Peter 1:25), that which God has decreed is settled in heaven (Psalm 119:89). Therefore, the gender God gave you as Creator at your miraculous conception & birth is the same that will stand before Him in judgment. The entries of your lifestyle choices and behaviors in the books that will be opened and disclosed in that sobering scene will be attached to the gender of your birth and the name your parents gave you on earth. Transgenderism will have no place or presence before the judgment seat of God except with regard to sinful choices recorded in the books of deeds that will serve to justify eternal separation from God in the Lake of Fire.
One may ask, “Is it possible for a believer in Christ to be transgender?” If we answer that question from what we understand about the power of our fleshly nature, which remains a constant nag even in our redeemed life, we would have to say our fleshly nature has the potential to manifest itself as transgendered as much as it could a liar, thief, fornicator, adulterer, homosexual, murderer, abuser, or any other sinful condition we might name. On the other hand, if we answer the question from what we understand about our new nature in Christ, very different conclusions emerge.
Scripture declares that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come (II Corinthians 5:17). We no longer have to give in to the lusts and passions of our fleshly nature because we have a new godly nature in which to live and flourish. That nature is imparted to us through the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit of truth (John 14:17). One of the workings of the Holy Spirit within us is to convict us concerning sin and righteousness and judgment (John 16:8). If we don’t study enough of God’s Word to understand what God considers sinful living, the Holy Spirit is undoubtedly present to bring conviction, shame, and guilt into our emotional & cognizant awareness, revealing to us that we are doing something wrong. If a person never senses that convicting presence, it would be best to give serious introspection to the relationship they profess to have with God and Christ.
Two qualities mark genuine faith in Christ: desire and determination. Peter admonishes the believer – like the Holy One who (saved) you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior (I Peter 1:15). God determines holy behavior in His Word. It is not determined by the woke culture, the courts, the ruling political party, or the administration in the White House, no matter how much they claim you have the right to be what you want (and they will make sure to legalize that right). True believers in Christ live by a different standard, the standard of Biblical truth. It is a choice of obedience we make out of a deep spiritual sense to demonstrate our great love for God and desire to bring Him glory through our lives.
A genuine follower of Christ will have a strong desire and determination to do that. We are not perfect, and we will often fail to do so, but when we do, we confess our sins. God is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:19). Confession means agreeing with God and His Word. When His Word of Truth declares any behavior or lifestyle to be an abomination of sin, we don’t argue with it or try to justify its presence in our life somehow; we agree with God that it is sin, period! We determine then to abandon that behavior and replace it with obedience to God’s Word, will, and ways. If that desire and determination are not a part of a person’s life, he should examine his “profession” because it certainly may not be genuine. A true believer cannot persist in sinful living without remorse, regret, or any convictional regard for living differently.
When the woman discovered in adultery was thrown to the feet of Jesus, He forgave her and issued a directive for her life going forward – sin no more (John 8:11). We can make the wrong choices and engage in sinful behaviors, but once convicted and confessed those sins must be abandoned. We stop living in those rebellious ways. We give up our sinful behavior. With God’s help, we change! That distinguishes the true believer from the one still enslaved to his sin. A person who persists in willful and deliberate sin, having no remorse, guilt, or conviction to cease and change, is not manifesting the life of a genuine believer. Jesus maintains – he who abides in Me and I in him bears much fruit…and so proves to be My disciples (John 15:5,8)…so then, you will know them by their fruits (Matthew 7:20). The lifestyle of a true believer exemplifies the standard of God’s Word and repels in his life all that God condemns and prohibits.
As I have written throughout the two volumes of my books, the “Dismantling Doctrines of Demons” series, I’ve cited strong Biblical evidence to support the premise that the whole LGBTQ+ culture is demonically induced. The “Doctrine of Deviation” (Volume Two) has permeated our culture, government, medical and psychological communities, and judiciary in a way we have never seen in American history. The stamp of approval these aspects of our society give the LGBTQ+ lifestyle only instills greater freedom and acceptance. The corporate, academic, and civil worlds have been forced into various degrees of compliance and accommodation for this lifestyle, whether they agree with it or not. Those who don’t are branded “homophobic” and sometimes criminally cited for “hate language” or sued for violation of a person’s “Constitutional rights.”
Sadly, many churches are among them. We are accused of being unloving, judgmental, and hypocritical when we proclaim what Scripture teaches about these social issues. That has pressured more progressive churches to compromise the clear teaching of Scripture and open their arms to LGBTQ+ persons with acceptance and accommodation in the spirit of diversity and inclusion. Some churches even ordain LGBTQ+ persons as deacons, elders, and pastors. It is a strong point to consider that such churches fall into the category of persons Paul identified as having known the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of (spiritual) death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them (Romans 1:32). Like the churches at ancient Pergamum and Thyatira who tolerated in their midst acts of immorality (Revelation 2:14,20), God will bring judgment against them.
To those who have an ear and will genuinely listen to what the Spirit of God is saying through the Word, to those who will overcome these sinful entanglements and walk in obedience to God’s Word, will, and ways, God will assure their place in His presence throughout eternity. He will even give them a new name written on stone, which no one knows but he who receives it (Revelation 2:17). This will not be a contrived name assumed in some binary gender transition, but one privately given by God Himself to His faithful ones who lived in obedience to Him. Along with their birth name in the Book of Life, this will be a special name of endearment only the person and God will affectionately know.
Poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning penned the famous line, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” (Sonnet 43). How do I love those who engage in the LGBTQ+ lifestyle? I love them enough to tell them the truth. I love them enough to warn them of the spiritual and eternal consequences of their lifestyle choice. I love them enough to beg them to Christ through confession, repentance, and commitment. I love them enough to take the verbal assaults of hostility, denigration, and being ostracized for having the courage to speak forth Biblical truth. Anyone who would do anything less is not loving at all, no matter how religious and “churchy” they appear.
No matter how long or to what degree you have indulged in this lifestyle, the power of Christ and the cross can deliver you from it and set you free. With genuine desire and sincere determination, ask Christ for His forgiveness and deliverance, abandon your sinful lifestyle, and commit your life to live as best you can (with the help of His Holy Spirit) in God’s Word, will, and ways. Be the real person God created you to be when He gave you the gift of life, the real person who will one day stand before Him and account for every word, thought, and decision. Do it before it is eternally too late.
But the Spirit explicitly says that in the later days, some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons (I Timothy 4:1).
Blessings,
Rick M. Smith
Pastor, Author & Speaker
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