Heaven is the hope of all Christians. But all of God’s image-bearers are born with a deep yearning for something beyond what we experience in this life—an inherent desire for the eternal (Ecclesiastes 3:11). In November 2021, Pew Research published the results of a survey regarding Americans’ beliefs about the afterlife. Seventy-three percent of respondents believed in heaven. And most hope to go there, just not right now.
Republicans and those who lean Republican tend to hold stronger beliefs than those who identify as Democrats or lean that way. People in the Midwest and South have stronger beliefs about the afterlife than those in the East and West. Notably, two-thirds (65%) of U.S. adults believe that deceased individuals are reunited with their loved ones in heaven. However, Jesus declared that most people would not go to heaven (Matthew 7:13-14). That is why Satan works so diligently to push his “all roads lead to heaven,” and only the evil people go to hell” lies.
Our Citizenship
The existence of heaven is not a question of geography or politics; it is a matter of eternal significance. We will focus on the New Testament references, as the Old Testament refers to the sky and even the universe in addition to the eventual, eternal abode of the saved. The word “heaven” appears 255 times in the King James Version of the New Testament and 236 times in the New International Version. Regardless of where they live on earth, those redeemed by the blood of Jesus are citizens of heaven. “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ…” (Philippians 3:20 | NIV)
A New Body
Plato is a classical source of philosophical arguments for the soul’s immortality. He believed the soul is eternal, existing before birth and continuing after death, but it is disembodied. Nothing in the Bible indicates the existence of disembodied spirits in the afterlife. The apostle Paul taught that we will receive an immortal body after death. “For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.” (1 Corinthians 15:53 | ESV) Our bodies will be like that of the risen Jesus, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies to be like his glorious body. (Philippians 3:21 | NIV)
After We Die
Jesus went to paradise after he died but ascended into heaven after the resurrection (Acts 1:11). According to the Apostle Paul, that is where he is now (Philippians 3:20 | NIV). When the thief on the cross asked Jesus to remember him when he came into his kingdom, Jesus replied, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:41-42) Heaven and paradise may be synonymous. At the very least, we can assume that our faith will prepare us for paradise when we die. The receipt of the new body will occur after Jesus returns. The form our bodies will take before then is open to conjecture.
A Real Place
Heaven is a real place—the destination of the redeemed, those who trust Jesus for their eternal security (John 14:1-3). According to Alcorn, when we die, believers in Christ will not go to the heaven, where we will live forever. Instead, we will go to an intermediate heaven to await the final resurrection. God’s children are destined for eternal life as resurrected beings in a joined new heaven and new earth after Jesus returns. Since Jesus had a body after His resurrection, and Moses and Elijah had bodies at Christ’s Transfiguration, it seems possible that we will have some form of body before receiving our new, heaven-ready one.
Soul Sleep
A different theory suggests the body question may be moot. This theory, often called Soul Sleep, posits that when someone dies, their soul enters a suspended animation state until Jesus returns, granting the soul an eternal body. The Bible does refer to the dead as being asleep (Daniel 12:2, 1 Corinthians 15:6, 18 & 20, Acts 7:60, and John 11:11, among others). However, Soul Sleep contradicts Paul’s understanding (see 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 and Philippians 1:23). Yet, one could argue that being with the Lord may include a period of soul sleep. All we can deduce is that we will be somewhere after we die and eventually relocate to a new heaven and earth for eternity. (2 Peter 3:13 and Revelation 21:1).
What We Know
There are some things about heaven that we can know for sure. Memories of life here will be erased (Isaiah 65:17). We will be in the immediate presence of God (Revelation 21:3). There will be no eating or drinking (Romans 14:17) or marriage there (Matthew 22:30). Nor will there be mourning, sadness, or pain (Revelation 21:4). We can expect to see people from every nation, tribe, people, and language standing before the throne of Jesus (Revelation 7:9).
We ought to be longing for heaven. For followers of Jesus, this life is little more than briefly standing on the platform, waiting for the train to take us home.