A while back a good friend (and good Bible student) challenged me with a question. He asked, “Where does the Bible say Christians will live eternally in Heaven?” My immediate response was John 14:1-4. However, it turned out this passage doesn’t say what I thought it said.
For many of us, the idea of “going to Heaven” is deeply embedded in our understanding of the Christian faith. Most Christians consider Heaven our ultimate destination. An eternal place in God’s presence that we “go up to” when life on earth ends. But a closer look at the Bible suggests that this traditional idea might be missing something crucial. The Bible’s vision of eternity appears less about leaving Earth and more about a renewed, united Heaven and Earth. A place where God’s presence will dwell among His people.
Does the Bible say we’re going to Heaven?
As I already mentioned, when asked where the Bible explicitly says Christians will live in Heaven for eternity, I said:
1 Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe in Me as well. 2 In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” (John 14:1-4)1
This passage is usually interpreted to mean that Jesus is preparing a place for us in Heaven where we will join Him when we die. But if we read the passage carefully, Jesus doesn’t say He will take us to Heaven. Rather, He says He will come again and receive us to Himself. Since Jesus will “receive us to Himself”, we must ask the question, “Where will Jesus be?”
We find an important clue in the book of Revelation. It presents a vision of Heaven coming down to Earth. “I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21:2). Rather than us going up to Heaven, it’s Heaven that will descend to Earth. A New Heaven and New Earth where God’s people will live with Him forever.
Restoration of the Garden of Eden?
This vision is strikingly similar to the Garden of Eden, where God and humanity dwelt together on Earth. This invites us to ask: was God’s original intent for humanity to live on a “good” Earth? Does God plan to renew this creation instead of abandoning it?
The inheritance of the Earth
In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, He makes a powerful statement that deserves our attention: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Mt 5:5 ). Jesus’ words here echo the psalms: “The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever” (Psa. 37:29 ). Notice that the promise is an inheritance of the earth, not an escape from it. This theme appears consistently in the Old Testament, as in Psalm 115:16, which says, “The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth He has given to mankind.” Over and over, the Bible suggests that God has intended for humanity to steward and inhabit the earth, not to leave it behind.
Resurrection and renewal, not abandonment
The notion of Heaven coming to Earth fits closely with the theme of resurrection, which is at the core of the Christian hope. The Bible’s vision of resurrection is not one of escape from physical existence but of transformation within it. Romans 8:21 speaks of creation itself being liberated from corruption. 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 describes the resurrection body as imperishable and glorious, fit for an eternal, physical reality.
In the Hebrew mindset, influenced by the Jewish Scriptures, the concept of resurrection was deeply tied to the renewal of creation itself. It envisioned a world restored rather than a realm escaped. This idea seems to contrast with Greek-influenced thinking, which emphasized the soul’s escape from the physical realm. Consider these words from N.T. Wright:
“The New Testament is deeply, deeply Jewish, and the Jews had for some time been intuiting a final, physical resurrection. They believed that the world of space and time and matter is messed up, but remains basically good, and God will eventually sort it out and put it right again. Belief in that goodness is absolutely essential to Christianity, both theologically and morally. But Greek-speaking Christians influenced by Plato saw our cosmos as shabby and misshapen and full of lies, and the idea was not to make it right, but to escape it and leave behind our material bodies. The church at its best has always come back toward the Hebrew view, but there have been times when the Greek view was very influential.”2
I’ve written previously about how our thinking has been unduly influenced by Greek paganism in terms of the soul. Similarly, perhaps our common understanding of “going to Heaven” has been influenced more by Greek thought than by the Bible.
Misconstrued passages?
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
One common argument for the belief in a Heaven-centric eternity is 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. Here, Paul says that believers will be “caught up together… to meet the Lord in the air.” However, this passage can also be understood in the context of a Roman or Jewish triumphal procession. In such a procession, the people would go out to meet the coming king and then escort him back to the city. The Greek word for meet in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 is apantesis and it has interesting historical relevance to this verse.
“When a dignitary paid an official visit to a city in Hellenistic times, the action of the leading citizens in going out to meet him and escort him back on the final stage of his journey was called the apantesis.
So Cicero, describing Julius Caesar’s progress through Italy in 49 BC, says, “Just imagine what apantesis he is receiving from the towns, what honors are paid to him!” (AdAtt 8.16.2), and five years later he says much the same about Caesar’s adopted son Octavian: “The municipalities are showing the boy remarkable favor. … Wonderful apantesis and encouragement!” (AdAtt 16.11.6). cf Matt 25:6, where the bridal party is summoned to go out and meet the bridegroom, so as to escort him with a torchlight procession to the banqueting hall, and Acts 28:15, where Christians from Rome walk south along the Appian Way to meet Paul and his company and escort them on the remainder of their journey to Rome.
These analogies suggest the possibility that the Lord is pictured here as escorted on the remainder of his journey to earth by his people—both those newly raised from the dead and those who have remained alive.”3
Rather than implying an eternal stay in Heaven, this suggests that believers will meet Jesus as He descends to rule in a renewed creation.
2 Peter 3:10
Then there’s 2 Peter 3:10, which says that the earth will be “burned up.” Some have taken this to mean the annihilation of the earth. Other’s intepret this as a purifying fire, similar to Malachi 3:2, where fire refines rather than destroys. In this view, the “burning” is a purification that prepares the Earth for God’s renewed creation—a place of righteousness where God’s people will dwell with Him (2 Peter 3:13).
What about Elijah and Enoch?
Two figures, Elijah and Enoch, are sometimes cited as exceptions, people who “went to Heaven.”
Elijah
Some interpreters argue that Elijah’s ascent in the chariot of fire in 2 Kings 2:11 involved relocation within the earthly realm rather than a journey to the heaven where God dwells. They point out that the Hebrew word translated as “heaven” (shamayim) often refers to the sky or atmosphere, as it does in other Old Testament passages describing where birds fly or rain forms. According to this view, God lifted Elijah into the sky to transport him to another place. Not take him to His heavenly throne.
These interpreters find additional support in 2 Chronicles 21:12-15, where Elijah unexpectedly reappears. He delivers a letter of judgment to King Jehoram after his supposed departure. This reappearance suggests he may have stayed active on Earth, adding credibility to the idea that God relocated him instead of taking him to heaven. Some also see a parallel in Acts 8:39-40, where the Spirit transports Philip to another location. Clearly, the Spirit transported him without taking him out of the earthly realm. Traditional Christian belief holds that Elijah ascended to God’s heaven. However, these alternative perspectives draw on linguistic and narrative details to offer a different view of Elijah’s mysterious departure.
Enoch
Similarly, while Enoch “walked with God, and he was not, for God took him” (Gen 5:24), the Bible doesn’t specify that he went to Heaven. Some scholars note that Hebrews 11:5 does not require that Enoch ascended to heaven. Instead, they highlight the ambiguity in both the Genesis and Hebrews texts, noting that neither explicitly states Enoch’s destination.4 Genesis 5:24 simply says, “God took him,” and Hebrews 11:5 confirms only that Enoch did not experience death.
In this view, the focus in Hebrews remains on Enoch’s faithful life and his unique departure from earthly existence. His final destination is unstated. Additionally, Jesus says in John 3:13, “No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.” This reinforces the interpretation that neither Elijah nor Enoch ascended to Heaven.
Heaven and Earth united
Ultimately, the Bible’s vision of eternity is one of union—Heaven and Earth, God and humanity together. The closing chapters of Revelation bring us back to God’s original intention: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man” (Rev 21:3). This hope aligns with Paul’s statement that creation “waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God” (Rom 8:19). This looks forward to liberation rather than abandonment. This final vision of a restored creation fulfills God’s purpose from Genesis to Revelation, redeeming what was once lost.
Conclusion
The Bible indicates that our eternal destination is not “up in Heaven.” Rather, God plans to dwell with us in a renewed Heaven and Earth. From Jesus’ promise of the meek inheriting the earth to the portrayal of a purified creation in Peter’s writings, a picture emerges that emphasizes continuity, restoration, and God’s commitment to His creation. The culmination of the biblical story is not us leaving Earth but God making His home with us here.
References
- Unless otherwise specified, all Bible references are to the Berean Standard Bible.
- https://time.com/archive/6942509/christians-wrong-about-heaven-says-bishop/.
- F. F. Bruce, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, vol. 45 of Word Biblical Commentary. Accordance electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1982), 102-103.
- Walton, John H., ed. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 2009. 43.