Is Heaven a Temporary State in Christian Eschatology

The concept of heaven in Christian eschatology is complex and has been debated among various traditions. The question of whether heaven is a temporary state is tied to the understanding of the afterlife and the ultimate destiny of believers.

Biblical Foundations

The biblical concept of heaven is multifaceted, with the term "heaven" referring to different realms, including the atmospheric heaven, the celestial heaven, and the divine realm ^[1]. The New Testament writers often use "heaven" to refer to the divine realm, the abode of God, and the destination of believers.

In Philippians 3:20, Paul writes that the "citizenship" of believers is in heaven, indicating that their true home is not on earth but in the heavenly realm ^[6]. Similarly, in 1 Peter 1:17, believers are described as "temporary residents" on earth, longing for their true home in heaven ^[3].

Patristic Perspectives

Early Christian writers, such as Tertullian and Augustine, grappled with the nature of heaven and the afterlife. Tertullian suggested that the ultimate destiny of believers is not immediately realized after death but is achieved through a process of purification and advancement ^[4]. Augustine, on the other hand, emphasized the importance of the resurrection and the final judgment in shaping the understanding of heaven ^[5].

Reformed and Protestant Views

Reformed theologians, such as Charles Hodge, have argued that the biblical teaching on heaven suggests that it is not a temporary state but rather the ultimate destiny of believers. According to Hodge, the change to be effected at the second coming of Christ is not in the nature of heaven itself but rather in the dwelling-place of believers, which will be transformed to accommodate their glorified bodies ^[7].

In the Reformed tradition, heaven is seen as the final state of believers, where they will enjoy the presence of God and the company of the redeemed. John Gill, a Baptist/Reformed commentator, notes that heaven is the "city" where believers have their citizenship, and they behave themselves on earth as citizens of that heavenly city ^[6].

Temporary vs. Eternal Heaven

The question of whether heaven is a temporary state hinges on the understanding of the intermediate state between death and the resurrection. Some traditions have posited that there is an intermediate state where believers are less glorious and exalted than they will be after the second advent of Christ ^[8].

However, the Reformed tradition, as represented by Hodge, argues that believers are immediately with Christ after death and that their souls pass into glory. This view suggests that heaven is not a temporary state but rather the eternal destiny of believers ^[8].

Conclusion

The Christian concept of heaven is complex and multifaceted. While there are different perspectives on the nature of heaven and the afterlife, the Reformed and Protestant traditions generally understand heaven as the ultimate and eternal destiny of believers. The biblical teaching on heaven, combined with the patristic and Reformed perspectives, suggests that heaven is not a temporary state but rather the final state of believers, where they will enjoy the presence of God and the company of the redeemed ^{[2, 6, 7]}.

Sources

Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Heaven — (1.) Definitions. The phrase "heaven and earth" is used to indicate the whole universe (Gen. 1:1; Jer. 23:24; Acts 17:24). According to the Jewish notion there were three heavens, (a) The firmament, as "fowls of the heaven" (Gen. 2:19; 7:3, 23; Ps. 8:8, etc.), "the eagles of heaven" (Lam. 4:19), etc. (b) The starry heavens (Deut. 17:3; Jer. 8:2; Matt. 24:29). (c) "The heaven of heavens," or "the third heaven" (Deut. 10:14; 1 Kings 8:27; Ps. 115:16; 148:4; 2 Cor. 12:2). (2.) Meaning of words in the original, (a) The usual Hebrew word for "heavens" is shamayim”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 78: from the Gospel, and substituting Judaism, somewhat spiritualized, but still essentially Judaic. It is notorious that the Jewish doctrines of the merit of works; of the necessity and saving efficacy of external rites; of a visible kingdom of Christ of splendour and worldly grandeur; of an external church out of whose pale there is no salvation; of the priestly character of the ministry; and of a church hierarchy, soon began to spread among Christians, and at last became ascendant. This being the case it would be strange if the Jewish doct”
1 Peter (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 1 Peter 1:17: 1:17 Christians’ citizenship is in heaven (1:1; see Phil 3:20); they live in this world as “temporary residents” who are uncomfortable with its values and who long for their true home.”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 4: Tertullian IV, Minucius Felix, Commodian, Origen — CHAP. VI.--ON THE END OR CONSUMMATION. (part 5): them in the first, others in the second, some even in the last times, after having undergone heavier and severer punishments, endured for a lengthened period, and for many ages, so to speak, improved by this stern method of training, and restored at first by the instruction of the angels, and subsequently by the powers of a higher grade, and thus advancing through each stage to a better condition, reach even to that which is invisible and eternal, having travelled through, by a kind o”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 5: Augustine — Anti-Pelagian — CHAP. 19 [XIII.]--HIS ELEVENTH ERROR. (SEEABOVE IN BOOK I. 15 [XII.] AND BOOK II. 16.) (part 2): stands in the way of the opinion, 'Except a man be born again of water and the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven,' he may still hold my ungrudging assent on this point; only let him do full honour to both the effect and the aim[1] of the divine mercy and foreknowledge." These are your own words, and in them you express your agreement with the man who says that paradise is conferred on certain unbaptized for a time, in such a sense that”
Philippians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Philippians 3:19: For our conversation is in heaven,.... The Ethiopic version renders it, "we have our city in heaven"; and the words may be truly rendered, "our citizenship is in heaven"; that is, the city whereof we are freemen is heaven, and we behave ourselves here below, as citizens of that city above: heaven is the saints' city; here they have no continuing city, but they seek one to come, which is permanent and durable; a city that has foundations, whose builder and maker is God, Heb 11:10, as yet they are not in it, though fellow citizens of the saints, and of the househol”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 93: the bondage of corruption. The change to be effected is in the dwelling-place of man. ( d .) According to the Apostle Peter, it is the world which once was destroyed by water, that is to be consumed by fire. But although the predictions of Scripture concern only our earth, it does not follow that the material universe is to last forever. As it is not from eternity, it probably will not last forever. It may be only one of the grand exhibitions of the wonderful working of God in the field of infinite space, and in the course of unending age”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 78: whether 739 there is a state intermediate between death and the resurrection in which believers are less glorious and exalted than they are to be after the second advent of Christ, but what is the nature of that state. Are believers after death with Christ? Do their souls immediately pass into glory? or, are they in a dreamy, semi-conscious state, neither happy nor miserable, awaiting the resurrection of the body. That this latter view was for a long time prevalent in the Church may be inferred, (1.) From the fact that this was the view o”

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