What and Where is Heaven (And Why Do We Care)?
Our eschatology (what we believe about the end of all things) informs our worldview, which impacts our ethics (what we do with what we believe).
In the past hundred years or so, the dominant Christian eschatological interpretation has been of a heaven “in the clouds” with streets of gold and no more suffering or pain, and Christians eagerly await a “rapture” up to this heaven in order to escape the pain and suffering of our world.
This interpretation of Scripture results in a worldview where Christians impatiently wait for Christ’s return so that we can leave this world to burn in the fires of God’s judgment. Practically, this looks like not caring for issues of social injustice, immigration, or environmentalism. After all, why should we care, if the world is going to burn anyway?
Much has been said on the topic of heaven, and my disagreement with the above version of heaven and the afterlife may be considered scandalous by some. But stick with me and consider: What do you believe about heaven and how does this belief influence your life?
Old Testament Perspectives on Heaven
In the Old Testament, particularly in the Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) cultures in which it was written, “heaven” was considered the realm of the gods. It was literally positioned above the earth (and their concept of the underworld, otherwise known as Sheol, death, or the pit, was located underneath the earth’s crust). There was no modern-scientific understanding of a global Earth - no satellite images or flights to space. Instead, their understanding of the world was influenced by what they could see with their naked eye and how far they could travel on foot. This is called the three-tier universe by scholars.
Denis Lamoureux, “Evolutionary Creation: Moving Beyond the Evolution Versus Creation Debate,” CHE 9 (2010): 28-48, esp. 36
It makes sense, then, that the ancient Scriptures would describe how “the Lord looks down from heaven; he observes everyone.” (Ps. 33:13) Despite what we often like to think today, the Scriptures were initially written to an ancient Near-Eastern people group and not to Western Christians. Therefore, we must understand the ANE worldview and perspectives on theology, cosmology (the origins of the universe), and eschatology before extrapolating Scripture to our current contexts.
The Jews were set apart from their ancient neighbours in that they believed in only one God, but this God still lived in “the heavens above.” The location in which the deity (or deities) lived was undisputed; the question of ancient times was not “Where does God (or the gods) live?” but “Which God lives there?”
Today, we know that there isn’t water located above the Sun and that the Sun itself does not circle the Earth, but that the Earth orbits the Sun. Modern astronomy has not found the throne-room of God located in outer space somewhere. That hasn’t stopped us from talking about heaven “up there” or “going to heaven” when we die.
As an aside, the ancient Jewish people didn’t believe that people “went to heaven” when they died; instead, they descended to Sheol, the holding place of the dead. But that’s a topic I’ll get into more deeply when I discuss hell.
New Testament Perspectives on Heaven
Most Christians today don’t consider the Old Testament as a final authority on heaven (except perhaps in quoting Isaiah 11:6, where it is said that the predators and prey lie together peacefully in the reign of the Davidic King, usually understood as Jesus’ second coming by modern Christians). But understanding ANE eschatology is essential in understanding New Testament eschatology because the New Testament is heavily Jewish in its motifs and structure. Therefore, the three-tier universe was still the going cosmology of Judeo-Roman civilization.
Secondly, one must consider the importance of Hellenistic (Greek) influence on the language, religion, and culture of Jesus’ day. The three-tier universe was the popular worldview here too, only this time the Greek and Roman pantheons controlled the “heavens” and the “underworld.” Zeus, the Father of all gods and god of the sky, ruled from the top of Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece, and Hades ruled the underworld to which the dead were ferried by Charon.
It is worth noting that the themes of “heaven above” and “hell below” remain consistent across thousands of years and various locations. Again, there was no dispute that there was a heaven “up there,” but the predominant question was “Which god lives there?”
Additionally, the beliefs of the Gnostics and Stoics at the time of Jesus began to supplant the ancient beliefs in the Greek pantheon. Both philosophies emphasized the elevation of the spirit/soul to the spiritual realm upon death while the body decayed in the earth. Oh, doesn’t that sound familiar? An escapist view of death, including being able to avoid ending up in the underworld due to the elevation of one’s mind and spirit, gained popularity among the ancients, particularly among those who were fed up with the fickleness of the Greek and Roman deities.
A Christian Perspective on Heaven
What made Jesus and his followers so different from any of these ancient worldviews were 1) Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, and 2) his ascension into heaven.
The apostle Paul argued that the resurrection of Christ is the lynchpin for Christianity (see 1 Cor. 15). The very nature of resurrection was shocking; this had been a hot topic of debate between various Jewish sects for centuries. However, the writers of the New Testament asserted repeatedly that Jesus did in fact rise from the dead. Each gospel account records the resurrection of Jesus and each epistle makes some reference to the resurrection. There would be no Jesus-followers if not for the resurrection of Jesus.
But the resurrection alone is not what directs us to a Christian understanding of heaven. Instead, it is the belief that Jesus ascended into heaven that is critical to the Christian understanding of heaven, and thereby the Christian worldview (NT Wright, Surprised by Hope). Jesus’ ascension to heaven before the eyes of his apostles signified a continuity of heaven and earth in a way that was unknown before that moment.
The God who became flesh through Jesus of Nazareth bridged the gap between humanity on earth and God in heaven. In a Christian understanding, heaven and earth are no longer separate but one. The resurrection meant victory over death as the final resting place; the ascension assimilated the presence of heaven to earth.
But to truly understand why the ascension was so critical, one must recall Jesus’ teachings on the kingdom of heaven, particularly in the Gospel of Matthew. Repeatedly, Jesus described what the kingdom of heaven looks like: it is a place where all are welcome, where the sick, blind, outcast, mentally ill, paralyzed, and marginalized belong, where the concepts of power and wealth are tossed upside-down, and where kindness, love, and gentleness rule.
It is not a political kingdom in the way that the Jews expected - they had awaited a Messiah who would overthrow Roman oppression - but it is political in the sense that this kingdom overthrows all sense of hierarchy and power. It is a kingdom that arrived in the presence of Jesus and was poured out on all believers by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus’ ascension paved the way for his Spirit to come upon all believers so that these believers might make the kingdom of God a reality in their present lives.
Theologians talk about “already-but-not-yet” eschatology. What they mean is that Jesus brought the kingdom of God by his physical ministry on earth and his death, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. This has been done, as in the past (well, the perfect) tense. The effects of Jesus’ person and work continue on into the lives of every believer through the power of the Holy Spirit. This kingdom is already here.
But it is also not yet here. Christians today eagerly await Jesus’ return in presence and glory to make all things truly right. We know that our world is still broken. So this is where I deviate from an escapist dispensationalist eschatology (that is, being raptured to heaven and letting God burn the world). The kingdom of God means that God’s kingdom is a present reality in the here and now. That means that we Christians have work to do: in bringing hope to all people, in being a place where the sick, blind, outcast, mentally ill, paralyzed, and marginalized belong, where concepts of power and wealth are tossed upside-down, and where kindness, love, and gentleness rule.
We are to imitate Christ (see Ephesians 5:1-2, 1 John 2:6). This is what imitating him looks like.
Unfortunately, salvation has been reduced to the “saving of souls” by many evangelicals. We forget that Jesus lived presently with the people of his age and helped them with physical, tangible ailments and deep personal struggles. We misunderstand that “saving souls” is somehow different than emotional, spiritual, relational, and even physical healing.
As a quick Greek lesson, the Greek word which is often translated as “save” can be equally translated as “heal.” Jesus came to heal the nations; he came to save the nations. Both messages are true, regardless of the baggage which we have attached to either word.
My point is this: Jesus’ message still saves and heals today. He brought heaven to earth; that’s what was so radical about Jesus! The ancient concepts of heaven and earth collided through Christ. When Jesus prayed, “Your kingdom come, your will be done,” he wasn’t praying that all believers would be raptured away from the earth forever. Instead, he was praying for heaven to come to earth. No longer are heaven and earth separated in some three-tier universe.
We know that heaven isn’t truly “up there.” Astronomy says differently. Instead, you might think of it as an overlapping dimension to our reality. It is there, just behind the curtain of our earthly reality. We can’t see it physically, but sometimes we catch glimpses of it through the kindness of another person or the beauty of nature. Therefore, heaven is part of our physical universe, right here and now. It is not far away. It is here, on earth.
Why Does “Heaven on Earth” Matter?
This is the Christian message: God lives with humanity. This was embodied in Christ and it is currently embodied through the believers, called the global Church, which bears the Spirit of Jesus wherever it is. As a result, we don’t live fatalistically, waiting for doomsday to come. We live hopefully! We live joyfully, knowing that God’s presence on earth makes a difference. It might not look like it makes a lot of a difference much of the time, but this is the Christian hope that we bear. In each interaction or conversation that we have, we bring the hope and life of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.
We are Jesus’ hands and feet. We are Christ incarnated, as he was once incarnated on earth. We are empowered by the Spirit. The Bible Project describes believers as “pockets of goodness” in our world. We bring heaven to earth, as Jesus did. Wherever there are believers, there are pockets of heaven on earth.
This is amazing, brilliant, and altogether worldview-shattering. This makes our lives matter right now. We don’t wait impatiently to escape. We live hopefully now, knowing that God lives here with us now, even as we wait for the fullness of God to “descend” on earth.
Some examples of pockets of heaven on earth:
We treat people kindly, with love and gentleness (that includes the driver who cut you off or the server who dropped your order).
We care for the environment because it too is God’s creation. Can you make efforts to recycle, reduce your carbon footprint, and be mindful of what you consume?
We involve ourselves in local politics and economics because that’s where the difference happens in making our communities a place of hope and joy.
We bring meals to new first-time parents, a grieving family, or to immigrant families who moved into our neighbourhood.
We take the time to listen to our spouse, friends, and family simply because we see them human beings created in the image of God and we love them.
The opportunities to bring pockets of heaven to earth are endless! What joy and hope! What purpose there is in living on this earth right now.
Now think about it: How is your view of heaven impacting how you live right now?
For further exploration:
The Bible Project. “Heaven and Earth,” YouTube, 2017.
Migliore, Daniel L. Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology, 3rd ed, “Christian Hope.” Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2014.
Rauser, Randal. What on Earth Do We Know about Heaven? Baker Publishing Group, 2013.
Wright, NT. Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church. Harper Collins Publishers, 2014.
