What will be the final fate of the saved?
The Heaven Debate Based on Scripture, Theology, and Tradition

Kwon Yeon-kyung (Professor of Christian Studies at Soongsil University)
Kim Jin-hyeok (Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Torch Trinity Graduate University)
Recommended by Kim Hyung-guk (CEO of the Kingdom of God Gospel DNA Network)!

Scholars from various denominations and traditions begin to debate the final destiny of the saved! What comes to mind when you think of "heaven"? Most likely, you'll imagine people dressed in whiter robes than light, smiling and praising God for eternity.
But our knowledge of heaven is only as much as a fetus knows about the outside world.
The point is this.
No one can claim to know heaven, but even with our limited knowledge, we must constantly hope for heaven and strive to understand it correctly.
Born with such hope, this book presents a balanced synthesis of perspectives from scholars across various denominations and traditions, illuminating the similarities and differences among widely held views on heaven.

Now is a good time to note that the Bible teaches three Rs when it comes to eschatology.
The three are the return of Christ, the resurrection of the body, and the restoration of all things.
Praise God that your loved one died in Christ and is now “with the Lord.”
But it seems that these people have not yet received all that God has promised.
They are still waiting for the resurrected body they will receive when Jesus returns to this earth.
Like a wise parent who doesn't let his children open their stockings until Christmas Eve, our Father doesn't give us all the gifts he promised us the moment we die.
Of course, the moment we die, our Father gives us the best gift we have ever received.
In this life, we pass directly into the arms of our Savior.
But God has saved more gifts for Christmas morning, the second coming of Christ and our resurrection.
Only on that day will our redemption be complete.
Only on that day will we be restored in every way possible.

--- From "Introduction (Michael Whitmer)"

Many Christians create confusion about eschatology by obscuring the various stages of the afterlife.
Theologians usually avoid this confusion by distinguishing between the "intermediate state" and the "final state" of the future promised by God to individual believers.
The Bible doesn't say much about the intermediate state other than that we are with the Lord.
This alone is enough.
Unlike the "heavenly tourism" books that celebrate those who went to heaven and returned without ever making eye contact with Jesus, the Bible points out that it is the presence of Jesus that makes heaven "heavenly."
But the intermediate state is not the focus of the Bible.
The Bible focuses on the end times, when Jesus returns to resurrect all people, judge them, and restore all things.
We will also focus on this point.
This book is not about the intermediate state, that is, what happens when a Christian dies.
This book is about our final state, what happens after a Christian dies.
At the end of that day, when all words and deeds have been fulfilled, where will Christians live forever? What will it be like, and what will we do there?
--- From "Introduction (Michael Whitmer)"

I think we can be a little more unique.
After the transformation, we will still be an integrated combination of body and soul, but each part that makes us human (both material and immaterial) will be glorified.
Our bodies will be glorified and the negative signs of aging will not appear.
The body cannot become sick, weak, or die.
Our souls will also be glorified, and so all the things we did in our natural state before the immaterial part of us was glorified (e.g.
You will be able to think, reason, feel and express emotions, and deliberate and choose without the possibility of sin.
I suppose we can do all that an un-glorified human being can do, whether physical or mental, but we will do it in a way that is wholly pleasing and honoring to God, and not in any way disobeying His commands.

--- From "Chapter 1: A Traditional Evangelical Protestant Perspective (John Feinberg)"

In the new earth, won't there be gardens to tend, lawns to mow, and houses to build? Will there be structures (houses or buildings) that need remodeling? The Bible doesn't answer these questions.
However, if there is anything among these that needs to be 'repaired', it is enough to say that we can repair it.
There is also a good chance that there will be a time when we simply gaze upon the new heaven and new earth in their glorified state and contemplate their beauty.
And there is no reason why we should not think that we can go to other parts of the new earth (and perhaps the new heaven) and enjoy this place that God has made and preserved with his mighty hands.

--- From "Chapter 1: A Traditional Evangelical Protestant Perspective (John Feinberg)"

The image of the New Jerusalem is complex.
This is a place for people to live, a city.
The New Jerusalem is also the people, the bride of the Lamb.
The image of the people as a city suggests that God does not redeem isolated individuals.
God saves people within communities, even within socio-cultural and urban environments.
This means that the new land has an important role to play for human culture.
The statement that “the glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it” (Rev. 21:26) refers to the highest human abilities that have developed throughout history.
Human contributions to the New Jerusalem should not be underestimated.

--- From "Chapter 2: A New Earth Perspective (Richard Middleton)"

Things will certainly be different in the new creation.
But no matter how different that world may be from the one we have now, I can't help but think that we will be engaging in ordinary cultural activities (changed to fit a sinless world).
Not only does the logic of the biblical narrative suggest this, but John's vision of the glory and honor of all nations entering the New Jerusalem also takes the existence of culture for granted.
We must also take seriously Paul's idea that while some of our works will be burned, others will be purified and passed through God's judgment into the coming age.
Not only will the greatest achievements of humanity's past be perpetuated, but entirely new worlds will open up for us to explore with creativity finally unhindered by sin.

--- From "Chapter 2: A New Earth Perspective (Richard Middleton)"

Ultimately, God completes heaven on earth.
The beginning finds the end that fits it perfectly.
No, the last one fits the term "beginning" perfectly.
One striking feature of modern theology is its focus on eschatology, sometimes even eschatological currents, as the mother of all Christian theology.
Lest we think of eschatology as an afterthought, modern theologians of various schools have tried to caution Christians that eschatology occupies a crucial systemic place in the formation of the entire sphere of Christian faith and practice.
Karl Barth rebukes us like this:
“Any Christianity that is not eschatological in its entirety and in its totality has nothing to do with Christ.”
--- From "Chapter 3: Heaven on Earth (Michael Allen)"

In many ways, we don't know what we're all going to do.
This does not mean that we will only do certain limited things, but it simply means that the Bible does not say much about what we will do.
It is certainly true that we must be careful not to oversimplify and reach absurd conclusions (unfortunately, this is a common occurrence in sermons these days).
In other words, we must avoid making excuses for, or even ridiculing, the notion that we will always be there praising God alone.
In fact, the only concrete reality we can realistically assert about our future life in heaven is that we will be with God and therefore we will praise Him.

--- From "Chapter 3: Heaven on Earth (Michael Allen)"

The Catholic doctrine of purgatory does not insist on a literal reading of expressions referring to time.
Expressions like '300 days in purgatory' or '10 years in purgatory' cannot refer to the time measured by the clocks we use on this earth.
Because purgatory does not belong to this universe.
Here, the time such as 300 days or 10 years should not be 'kronos' but 'kairos', that is, spiritual time rather than physical time.
The number actually comes from the penitential period imposed in the early Church for serious and public sins, and when applied to purgatory, this period was used in a relative and metaphorical sense of comparison.
The more and more serious the sin, the more necessary purgatory is.
It's like the dirtier your body is, the more you need to wash it.
How much spiritual time is spent in purgatory (if such time exists) is a different question altogether, and the answer is uncertain.

--- From "Chapter 4: A Catholic Perspective (Peter Krieft)"

We will remember the tragic events that happened in our lives while we were on this earth (heaven is not a state of happy dementia!).
But even in this matter, action triumphs over passion.
We will not remember those events passively, as if we were looking at a photograph, with our minds simply adapting to them and adding nothing to them.
Rather, we will remember it actively and creatively, like an artist drawing a picture from a photograph, or a writer writing a relatively good commentary on his or her relatively poor work.
Even a worthless book can have a great commentary.
We will see this tragic event not as we saw it at the time, but as God sees it.
Through this process of correction and reinterpretation, the deeper meaning of the event will be revealed.
You will come to know how even this evil was brought about for good by God's perfect providence (Romans 8:28).
We can believe this here and now (it is a free choice, so it is an action, not a passion), but in heaven we will see it with our own eyes and rejoice, just as God does.
Because we come to see our imperfect stories as part of God's perfect story.
We will see history as His story.

--- From "Chapter 4: A Catholic Perspective (Peter Krieft)"