Article What Is the Christian’s Destiny?

[Ray Faircloth]

What Is the Christian’s Destiny?

Taken from the book Delusions and Truths Concerning the Future Life.



Do Christians Literally Go to Heaven? ​

It may seem strange for Christians to ask this question and it may also seem as though one is questioning whether the Christian will ever be a recipient of rewards from God for their faithfulness. The usual thought of Christians is that they will go to heaven when they die and that all non-Christians will go to a hell-fire place of torment. However, the Bible certainly does speak of rewards for the faithful Christian, but the location described in the Bible does not concern heaven, but a paradise earth.

Heaven as Man’s Destination Originated with Pagans

Rather Than the Bible

​

In actual fact the theory of going to heaven at death resulted from the development of Greek philosophy. In this pagan philosophy, all matter was viewed as evil and so this meant that one’s goal was to escape physical life. According to this theory when the body dies the immaterial soul separates and goes off to a heaven. However, as we have seen so far, the Bible presents a holistic view of man; so that the terms body, soul and spirit are metaphorical terms describing aspects of human character and are inseparable at death. It seems that the Church Fathers, Clement of Alexandria (c.150-215) and Origen (c.185-254) were the first ones who studied the theoretical roots of this pagan Greek Stoic asceticism which renounced earthly things. By the third century, Christian asceticism was entrenched and led to the idea that the everlasting home of the believer was heaven, a spiritual place devoid of earth-like influences.



IT IS AN ASSUMPTION THAT TCHRISTIANS GO TO HEAVEN

a search of an exhaustive concordance reveals that the word heaven is never shown to be the destination of Christians. So, it is really only by assumption that heaven is supposed to be the destination of Christians. The texts of John 14:2; 2 Corinthians 5:1-9; Philippians 1:21-23; 3:14 and Hebrews 6:19-20 are only assumed by tradition to refer to going to heaven. We will examine these passages in later chapters. In fact, the word heaven is not even mentioned in these texts. Furthermore, it has been assumed that because Jesus offered his disciples “the kingdom of heaven” he was offering heaven as a destination. However, this was not the case as we shall see, along with noting that the Apostle Paul did not expect to go to heaven.



IS “THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN” LOCATED IN HEAVEN?

As will be demonstrated later the phrase “the kingdom of heaven” means exactly the same as the phrase “the kingdom of God,” which was linked with things that to a Jew and to Jewish Christians would be on earth—paradise, Israel and Jerusalem. This is because God never intended for humans to live in heaven, just as he stated that: “The righteous is repaid on earth” (Prov. 11:31) and “the heavens are Yahweh’s heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of humankind” (Ps. 115:16).

So, for the entire future mankind is to inhabit the earth as will be shown in the following chapters. Individual humans have no separate soul or spirit that departs for heaven at death; neither is there a separate class of Christians who will be recreated as spirit persons in heaven. The following texts also make it very plain that the renewed earth is to be the home of everyone faithful to God: (Proverbs 2:21, 22; Psalm 37:9-11; Matthew 5:5; 6:9, 10; and Romans 4:13).

§​

Christ Never Promised Heaven for His Disciples ​

As will be shown a little later the promised reward for Christians is entry into God’s Kingdom which is to be on earth. This is the same promise that was made to the patriarchs i.e., the Jewish ancestors, as Paul said:

“Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers...” (Rom. 15:8).



So Jesus’ service to the Jews—“the circumcision”—was to lead them to become Christians. In fact, these promises, confirmed by Jesus, that were “made to the fathers,” exactly constituted the good news that Christians preached to others according to Paul’s statement in Acts 13:32. Yet, did any of these promises ever include a promise of going to heaven?

What Were the Promises Verified to Christians?​

For Abraham, there is, “the promise that he would be the heir of the world...” (Rom. 4:13), so when we refer to God’s promises in Genesis (12:2, 3; 13:14-17; 17:7, 8; 26:2-4; 28:13-14), as given to the forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we find that these promises are about inheriting the land, producing progeny and being a blessing to all nations. As God said to Jacob:



“Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed...” (Gen. 26:3-4).



So, there is no mention of any going to heaven just as the Psalmist also says that:



“The covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac, and confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, To Israel as an everlasting covenant, Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as the allotment of your inheritance...” Ps. 105:8-11 NASB).



So, these are exactly the same promises that Jesus confirmed as stated in Romans 15:8 and Paul and others preached as the good news. But you may say didn’t Abraham and his offspring already received those promises given in Genesis when Abraham dwelt in Canaan and later when Israel entered “the land of milk and honey.” Evidently not!

Abraham and Others Have Yet to Receive the Promises​

At the time the faithful disciple Stephen was about to be stoned for his proclamation of the truth, he recounted much of biblical history. In doing so he made this interesting statement about Abraham, saying that:

“[God] moved him to this land in which you now dwell. And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him” (Acts 7:4b-5).



Later, after giving a definition of faith, the writer to the Hebrews gave a synopsis in chapter 11 of those of the past who demonstrated such faith in God’s promises, but interestingly he shows that the fulfilment of those promises for them was still future when he said:



“These all died in faith [including Abraham – verses 8, 9], not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them … And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us” (Heb. 11:13, 39-40).



And yet these are the very same promises confirmed by Jesus and preached by the first Christians (Rom. 15:8; Acts 13:2), and so must be still future for Christians and must concern the inheriting of the land, producing progeny, and being a blessing to all nations. Now although not named, Daniel is also mentioned in Hebrews 11 as one “who stopped the mouths of lions.” So, he, too, “did not receive the promise” but will receive it at the same time as other Christians receive it just as the angel told him: “But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again in your allotted portion at the end of the age” (Dan 12:13 NASB). The “allotted portion” for Daniel is: “of land assigned by lot...a share in the Messianic consummation” according to the Hebrew English Lexicon by Brown, Driver and Briggs, p.174. So, these ancient patriarchs get the fulfilment of the same promises at the same time as Christians who also are “really Abraham’s seed.” Furthermore, this blessing of Abraham will also be conferred upon Gentiles:



“that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith ... Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made ... 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:14, 16, 29).

Only Christ Jesus Went to Heaven

​

If heaven is not ever to be the residence for humans, then we must ask, why did Christ go to heaven? Of course, he could not have gone to heaven as a mortal human! However, Romans 1:4 and 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 53 show that Jesus, now as an immortal human, had a body which was incorruptible and “in power” and so could withstand being transported to heaven and being in God’s presence. Nevertheless, this was for certain purposes and was not to be a permanent situation.



A TEMPORARY RESIDENCE FOR JESUS

The apostle Peter stated: “...that he [God] may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago” (Acts 3:20, 21). So, Jesus is to be in heaven only “until the time for restoring all the things.” Furthermore, the purpose of Jesus’ temporary residence in heaven is so that he may act as our advocate and high priest while awaiting the time when his Father makes his enemies “a footstool for his feet” (Ps.110:1).

The Means to Fulfil the Promises​

To fulfil those promises of land, progeny, and blessing of the nations, God promised a Messianic prophet (Deut. 18: 15-19) ruling as king over a concrete kingdom (2 Sam. 7: 12-19, 2 Chron. 17:13-14) to bless the nations and to renew the earth as a paradise. All of this describes fully what was being offered to Christians and is what Christ verified. At no time did Jesus offer any other destiny such as heaven. In fact, Bible Scholar William Strawson notes in his book, Jesus and the Future life p. 38: “The gospel records do not speak of ‘going to heaven’...there is no suggestion that Jesus is offering to his disciples the certainty of ‘heaven’ after this life.” And theologian J.A.T. Robinson states in his book In the End God, p. 104 that: “Heaven in the Bible is nowhere the destination of the dying.”

But isn’t it true that the Apostle Paul expected to go to heaven when he died and also taught that other Christians would go to heaven?

§



Didn’t the Apostle Paul Expect to

Go to Heaven? ​

The brief answer to this question is “no, Paul did not expect to go to heaven!” The reason is that, as with Jesus, he too promoted the hope of receiving the promises that were made to the Hebrew forefathers i.e., to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That is why he stated that: “…we declare to you glad tidings—that promise which was made to the fathers” (Acts 13:32). Then after Paul had been taken prisoner, he said to King Agrippa:



“…now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers. To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. For this hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews” (Acts 26:6-7).



As shown in the previous chapter, these promises to the forefathers did not concern any idea of going to heaven. So, to the Jewish religious leaders in Rome he said that it was: “...for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain” (Acts 28:20). This is “the one hope” (Eph. 4:4) which Christians have, and as previously noted God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and David were about inheriting the land, producing progeny and being a blessing to all nations by means of the Messianic king ruling this kingdom on earth—this was the hope of Israel for which Paul was imprisoned—not because of any concept of going to heaven. Indeed, no later Jewish forefather changed the meaning of that promise. As with Jesus, at no time does Paul hint at any other destiny such as heaven even though his desire to be with Christ is often misconstrued as a desire to be in heaven. Rather Paul seeks for the promised inheritance: “...knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance” (Col. 3:24). We are told by Paul that for Abraham, there is, “the promise that he would be the heir of the world...” (Rom. 4:13). So too, the writer to the Hebrews confirmed this promise to inherit the land by encouraging Christians to, “...imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Heb. 6:12). So just as Abraham and all the faithful people of ancient times have not yet inherited these promises, so, too, Christians, as “Abraham’s seed” have, up to now, not inherited such promises of land i.e., the world (Rom 4:13). It all concerns the “inhabited earth to come”: “For He has not put the world (Lit: inhabited earth) to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels” (Heb. 2:5). If heaven were the destination for inheriting the promises for the readers of Hebrews one wonders why the subject here is “the inhabited earth to come” rather than going to heaven.

So now we will begin to examine some of the terms and so-called proof texts which are often used to promote the idea that any Christian will go to heaven at the time of their death. Also, please note that a passage is only a proof text if there is absolutely only one logical way to interpret it.

§​

What about

“Great Is Your Reward in Heaven”?

​

Some have interpreted Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:12 concerning the Christian’s reward “in heaven” as meaning that “heaven” itself is the reward and they must go there to enjoy it. However, Jesus said that the reward is in heaven and not that the reward ‘is heaven.’ In fact, the reward is reserved in heaven as the Apostle Paul informs us concerning the Christian’s, “hope reserved for you in heaven” (Col. 1:5 NAB). The Apostle Peter, further showed our hope as being: “...an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet. 1:4, 5). So, the hoped for ‘inheritance’ is what was promised to the forefathers just as Christ verified and Paul expected (Rom. 15:8; Gal. 3:16; Acts 13:32 and 26:6-7). So, in Jesus’ Resurrection and Christian Origins Theologian N.T. Wright explains:



What then do the New Testament writers mean when they speak of an inheritance waiting for us in heaven? This has been much misunderstood...The point of such passages, as in 1 Peter 1:4; 2 Corinthians 5.1; Philippians 3.20; and so forth, is not that one must ‘go to heaven’, as in much popular imagination, in order to enjoy the inheritance. There it is rather that ‘heaven’ is the place where God stores up his plans and purposes for the future. If I tell a friend that there is beer in the fridge, that doesn’t mean that he has to get into the fridge in order to enjoy the beer. When the early Christians speak of a new body in heaven, or an inheritance in heaven, they mean what St John the Divine means in Revelation 21: the new identity which at present is kept safe in heaven will be brought from heaven to earth at the great moment of renewal. Yes: the great majority of Christian expressions of hope through the Middle Ages, the reformation, and the counter-reformation periods have been misleading. ‘Heaven’ is not the Christians ultimate destination.

Published in Gregorianum 2002, 83/84, 615-635​

So clearly, if the reward of inheriting the kingdom is “reserved for you in heaven” it is not necessary to live in heaven to receive it. This is because Jesus as God’s representative is “coming quickly, and my reward is with me” (Rev. 22:12) i.e., when he comes back to earth.

Christians Get Their Reward When Jesus

Returns to Earth​

All relevant Bible texts show that Christians will only be rewarded when Jesus appears at his return to earth i.e.: “When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (Col. 3:4) “...and when the Chief Shepherd [Jesus] appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away” (1 Pet. 5:4). At this time Jesus will have returned so that he can take his rightful place as King of the world as he promised his disciples: “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works” (Matt. 16:27). Indeed, all such rewards given to faithful ones will be because they followed the instruction to, “...rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:13). So, the reward, crown of glory, and recompense will all be brought by Jesus from heaven when He returns to earth in his future glory.

Promised Rewards for the Faithful

Are Shown to Be on Earth​

The Abrahamic Covenant promises the land as an inheritance for believers (Gen. 12:2, 3; 13:14-17; 17:7-8; 26:2-4; 28:13-14). Christians, as “the seed of Abraham” are party to the Abrahamic covenant and so benefit from what was promised to Abraham. However, because “the righteous will be recompensed on the earth...” (Prov. 11:31) they must “...imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Heb. 6:12) and, “the promise to Abraham and his offspring [is] that he would be heir of the world...” (Rom. 4:13), and as Jesus said: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5 quoted from Ps. 37:1). In fact, Psalm 37 is entirely about the inheritors living on the earth and so, too, for Matthew 5:5. It will, indeed, be on earth that God’s will shall be done through the kingdom as Jesus said: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). So, it is God’s decision, not ours, concerning what the Christian destiny is. As He says:



“‘I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given (proleptic – ‘I will give’ NASB) it to whom it seemed proper to Me”

(Jer. 27:5).​

So, God chooses to give the earth to Abraham and his seed, which is primarily Christ Jesus. There is never any mention in the Scriptures of a giving of heaven to Christians. By inheriting the Kingdom, those of the faith of Abraham will be granted the land of Israel and then the whole world. There is no scriptural reason for them ever to go to heaven, although entering the kingdom does involve struggle, just as Paul said that: “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).

There are those Christians who do believe that the earth in its future renewed and paradise condition is the final destination for all Christians. However, they also believe, quite wrongly, that they go to heaven temporarily and that they will re-join their physical body at the time of the resurrection, so that heaven becomes a kind of heavenly waiting room for them. For them this ascent to heaven occurs either, at the point in time when they die, or when they are caught up to heaven at Christ’s so-called invisible return. However, the Bible paints no such picture of the resurrection or of Christ’s return. All of these ideas are based on the faulty assumption that humans have an immortal soul.

For our further understanding of these issues, we must gain a correct appreciation of just how the New Testament uses the words ‘heaven’ and ‘heavenly.’

§​

Biblical Usage of the Words ‘Heaven’

and ‘Heavenly



Biblically ‘In or from Heaven’ Generally Means

‘with or from God’​

Apart from the normal usage of the word heaven to refer to God’s location or the earth’s atmosphere as “sky” the word “heaven” (Gk. ouranos) is used as an indirect reference to God himself. This is because “heaven” itself is called God’s throne. So, the term “heaven” is often used as a substitute for God Himself as in Daniel and Matthew. Especially by the first century was this substitute linked with the Jewish practices of not using the divine name and being rather cautious regarding the use of the word “God.” Examples are:



“The baptism of John—where was it from? From heaven [i.e., from God] or from men?” (Matt. 21:25).

The prodigal son says: “Father I have sinned against heaven [God] and against you” (Luke 15:21).

“...provide (present tense) yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens...” (Luke 12:33) i.e., with God.

The Biblical Usage of the Word “Heavenly”​

The Greek word epouranios translated “heavenly” means: “of heavenly origin or nature” according to Thayer’s Greek/English Lexicon. This means that it is used as an adjective to describe the transcendent nature of things that originate with God. The word is also used of God himself as “the heavenly Father” to describe His transcendent nature. Only in the phrase “heavenly places” is a location referred to and then the term “heavenly” simply describes those locations. However, Paul simply seeks to be in God’s kingdom when he states that:



“...the Lord will preserve me for His heavenly kingdom” (2 Tim. 4:18). This is, of course “the kingdom of God” which originates with God i.e., comes from God and will be superior to all other kingdoms. Similarly, Paul speaks of Christians as those:



“...who share in a heavenly calling” (Heb. 3:1). Please note that some paraphrased versions mislead here. This is a calling that comes from heaven—it is God’s calling of individuals to become Christians. It is not a calling of Christians to go to heaven but is a gift which can be partially experienced now when one receives the spirit. Yet some turn away from their calling:



“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift...” (Heb. 6:4). Commentators variously state that the superior free gift that originates from heaven [God] is any of the following: Christ the living bread, the whole plan of salvation in Christ, the new life in Christ, the remission of sins because of Christ’s sacrifice or eternal life. Yet none of these has the thought of going to heaven as being that free gift.

“Heavenly Jerusalem”​

The writer to the Hebrews describes a magnificent scene which many have taken to refer to the Christians as literally being in heaven. The passage reads:



“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant...” (Heb. 12:22-24).



So, it is imagined that “heavenly Jerusalem” is a city literally in heaven. However, this is a present condition of Christians just as in Ephesians 1:3 and 2:6 where Christians on earth are seen as being in heaven representatively through their union with or incorporation into Christ. The adjective “heavenly” is qualitative and is not referring to a location, but rather it has reference to things which originate with God. Hence the “heavenly Jerusalem,” to be situated on a literal Mount Zion on earth, is the glorious city of the future which Christians have figuratively approached now because, “they desire a better, that is, a heavenly (country). Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them” (Heb. 11:16). This heavenly (country) was called “the land of the promise” in Hebrews 11:9 and so speaks of the land of Canaan restored. So, the city prepared for them in God’s mind is a Jerusalem on earth, but yet future as the writer says, “For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come” (Heb. 13:14).

Similar to this description of “heavenly Jerusalem” by the writer to the Hebrews is the Apostle Paul’s description of “the Jerusalem above.” Paul writes: “The Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother” (Gal. 4:26). This is quoted from the LXX Psalm 86:5 which says: “A man shall say, Sion is my mother; and such a man was born in her.” “And of Zion it shall be said: ‘This one and that one were born in her’” (Hebrew Psalm 87:5). Certainly, men are not born in heaven. But this is a Messianic text and focuses on the future capital city of the Kingdom. It is “above” because it is vastly superior to other cities as well as the fact that it originates with God.



THIS SAME CITY COMES DOWN FROM GOD

“I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21:2).



In fact, there is no scriptural reason to understand this city as referring to anything other than the “heavenly Jerusalem” which originates from “above.” Professor Richard Longenecker explains that:

The idea of a “heavenly Jerusalem” (“the Jerusalem that is above”) has a rich Jewish background. The concept has to do with the culmination of God’s redemptive purposes in human history, the realization of God’s reign in its totality. As such, it is an eschatological concept that describes Jerusalem as it will be at the end of time, often in contrast to what the city is at present. References to a “heavenly Jerusalem” are to be found in embryonic form in the Jewish scriptures (e.g., Ps. 87:3; Isa. 54 the opening verse of which Paul quotes in 4:27; Ezek. 40-48).

Word Biblical Commentary on Galatians.​

So, in these passages from Galatians, Hebrews, and Revelation there really is no thought of going beyond the clouds from the time of one’s death as some kind of spirit being. This is certain from the fact that Jesus never promised such a thing and Paul never expected such a thing. Indeed, the promises for Christians concern the land i.e., the earth; but how are we to understand the term “the Kingdom of heaven”?

§



“Kingdom of Heaven” = “Kingdom of God”

​

Christians sometimes use the term “kingdom of heaven” as if it meant a kingdom in heaven. However, of the gospel writers, the term “kingdom of heaven” is used generally only by Matthew who wrote for a Jewish audience. The other gospel writers used the term “kingdom of God.” In fact, one can see that the two phrases mean exactly the same thing, i.e., they are synonymous, if the parallel accounts of Matthew 19:14 and Mark 10:14 are compared:



“But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Mark 10:14 NET).



“But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matt. 19:14 NET).



These parallel accounts show that “the kingdom of heaven” means “the kingdom of God.” However, for some unknown reason, Matthew did use the two terms of “kingdom of heaven” and “kingdom of God” together in Matthew 19:23, 24 and by a further comparison of the parallel accounts it is evident that the two terms are exact equivalents i.e., they refer to the one kingdom as Jesus showed when he said:



“Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Matt. 19:23-24).



Furthermore, a comparison of the account of Matthew 8:11 with Luke 13:28-29 shows the same equivalency of meaning for the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God. But why does Matthew use of the word heaven instead of God in his phrase “kingdom of heaven”? Evidently there was a common Jewish practice of using the word ‘heaven’ as an indirect reference to God himself, rather than saying the word ‘God.’ This is called a ‘periphrastic.’ In contrast the other gospel writers wrote for predominantly Gentile readers and so were not restricted to such a periphrastic.



“KINGDOM OF HEAVEN” MEANS THAT IT ORIGINATES WITH GOD

In the phrases “the kingdom of heaven”/”the kingdom of God” the preposition ‘of’ is the possessive and means that it belongs to God because He is its originator and it is superior to all other kingdoms. It does not say the kingdom in the heavens and therefore does not refer to a location in heaven as can be further seen from all of its descriptions in the Bible as being on earth.

§























​