Resources by Topic: Heaven

The Heaven that now exists, called the present Heaven, is where God dwells with His people and angels and the living creatures. It is where His throne is located, and hence, it is the location from which He governs the universe. The present Heaven is a place free from the curse, without sin, death, and suffering.

In this clip from a Q&A with students in the Torrey Honors College at Biola University in 2012, Randy references Matthew 22 and addresses the topic of marriage in Heaven. He says there will be one marriage: Christ married to His Church.

In this clip from a Q&A with students in the Torrey Honors College at Biola University in 2012, Randy explains that you can be wrong without sinning. We will continue to learn in Heaven—testing, improving, and learning like scientists using the scientific method, which involves being wrong at times, but does not require sin to be present.

In this clip from a Q&A with students in the Torrey Honors College at Biola University in 2012, Randy explains that the New Earth will be recognizable as Earth, but without the flaws of the current earth. He presents our resurrection bodies as a model to think about the New Earth.

In this clip from a Q&A with students in the Torrey Honors College at Biola University in 2012, Randy talks about how our earthly lives will not just restart in Heaven. This brings value to our present life, and reminds us that this life is not our one chance to fulfill our deepest dreams.

In this clip from a Q&A with students in the Torrey Honors College at Biola University in 2012, Randy explains that in Heaven, we will not be deficient in the way we usually think of it. We are finite beings with a lack of complete knowledge, and we will learn forever in Heaven.

In this clip from a Q&A with students in the Torrey Honors College at Biola University in 2012, Randy says that although we will have the ability to make choices in Heaven, we will be fully righteous, and use our free will to love and worship our Creator. We will be with God, the source of all goodness, so there will be no temptation to sin.

In this clip from a talk with students in the Torrey Honors College at Biola University in 2012, Randy uses the illustration of a believer named Billy to explain the present Heaven and the New Heaven. He goes on to describe aspects of the Future Heaven, including the Tree of Life, what we will do, how we will grow, and the reality of different tribes and nations.

In this clip from a talk with students in the Torrey Honors College at Biola University in 2012, Randy says that the nature of the the New Earth is physical. He explains that some theologians say the present Heaven is completely immaterial, but he points to examples in Scripture that support the physicality of the present Heaven.

In this clip from a talk with students in the Torrey Honors College at Biola University in 2012, Randy explains that Heaven is the central dwelling place of God, where His throne is. But one day, God will bring Heaven down to the New Earth to dwell with His people.

In this clip from a talk with students in the Torrey Honors College at Biola University in 2012, Randy shares how the deaths of friends and family members compelled him to ask questions about both the present and the future Heaven. The tangibility of the last two chapters of Revelation and the lack of teaching, even in seminaries, led him to explore the New Earth further.

Randy spoke to students at Sattler College in Boston. Drawing from Scripture, he paints a picture of the New Heavens and New Earth. Randy explains that the present Heaven is temporary, pointing to the ultimate reality of resurrected life on a renewed earth. He challenges common assumptions about Heaven and shows how the future Heaven is far more physical, joyful, and culture-rich than many believers imagine.

“Therefore [in light of our eventual resurrection], my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). How do we know that our labor in the Lord is not in vain? Because of our bodily resurrection.

The vast majority of fascinating scientific discoveries that will ever be made have not yet been made, and have hardly begun to be. And I believe a very large share of those discoveries will be centered in God’s animal kingdom.