Women in Heaven

Today as the students were in their morning assembly, the Higher Math teacher handed me a book, more to show me than to lend me. It has a plain blue cover with the title "Female Piety" and is subtitled with the words "A Young Woman's Friend and Guide". It's written by a man named John Angell James and was first published in 1860.

As I took the book from her hands, more to laugh at it than to read it, I was sure I knew what was written therein. More instruction from men for women to be submissive, loving, demure, gentle and desire nothing more than to please their husbands. I, living in a post-feminist age, was sure to be offended by this literature.

However, as I opened the pages and turned to the chapter entitled "Life Away From Home" I realized that this book had more to offer me than trite platitudes about "The Quiet Spirit of a Godly Woman", which I often feel too much at odds with. The book is unassuming and honest, though old-fashioned. None of it is wrong, though, and it's not written in a way that makes me feel preached at or scolded.

I flipped through the chapters and found myself in one called "Woman's Mission" which, of course, tells me how my entire lot and purpose in life is to be a companion to Man.

One sentence set me thinking, though.

See, I've been taking a Sunday School class at my new church which focuses on the role of women in the local church. And a major tenet of the class so far has been zooming in on the meaning of the phrase "helper" in reference to women.

According to the Bible, Woman was created to be a Helper to Man. We've discussed this in depth and have generally come to the conclusion that Woman is on Earth and is made in God's image in order to be a Companion. A Support. An Assistant.

But as I glanced through "Female Piety", I came a sentence that caught my eye. It says, "If woman's mission in Paradise was to be man's companion and joy, such must be the case still."

I realized that there's a question I've never considered before, and one I've never even heard mentioned in the church at large. The question is this: what will be the role of women in Heaven?

It seemed so easy before-- in Heaven we will be eternally worshipping God.

But here's the thing: IF the following things are true:
1) Women are created in the image of God and for His glory,
2) Woman is created to be companion to Man
3) A woman's life is most glorifying to God when she fulfills her Creation Design of being Helper to man,

... then wouldn't the most God-glorifying activity a woman could perform in Heaven be Helping men?

All sorts of questions arise from this. How can women be Helpers in Heaven? Will women be cooking and serving the Marriage Supper of the Lamb? After said Feast, will women be washing Heavenly dishes? When we have our new glorified bodies, will women be cleaning up?

It sounds silly, but if a Woman's function is to Help Man, and that's the function for which she was created, the function which glorifies God, then shouldn't her function in Heaven be just that?

And is it Men in general that Women are to Help? Because the Bible tells us that in Heaven there is no marriages so it obviously follows that a woman in Heaven won't be a Help-Mate to her specific husband.

So, there it is. What will be the duty and function of women in Heaven?