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Heaven in Christianity

In Christianity, heaven is traditionally the location of the throne of God and the angels of God,[2][3] and in most forms of Christianity it is the abode of the righteous dead in the afterlife. In some Christian denominations it is understood as a temporary stage before the resurrection of the dead and the saints' return to the New Earth.

In the Book of Acts, the resurrected Jesus ascends to heaven where, as the Nicene Creed states, he now sits at the right hand of God and will return to earth in the Second Coming. According to Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox teaching, Mary, mother of Jesus, is said to have been assumed into heaven without the corruption of her earthly body; she is venerated as Queen of Heaven.


In the Christian Bible, concepts about Christian eschatology, the future "kingdom of heaven", and the resurrection of the dead are found, particularly in the book of Revelation and in 1 Corinthians 15.

That heaven is a place where God resides. Described in Revelation 11:12 "they went to Heaven, wrapped in a cloud.."

That God sent his son, Jesus Christ to earth to live as a human being (Matthew 2:10 birth of Jesus) who "perfectly exemplified the righteousness and love of God shown by His miracles He manifested God's power and was attested as God's promised Messiah. He suffered and died voluntarily on the cross for our sins and in our place, was raised from the dead, and ascended to minister in the heavenly sanctuary in our behalf."

[23]

That Christ promises to return as saviour at which time he will resurrect the righteous dead and gather them along with the righteous living to heaven. The unrighteous will die at Christ's second coming.

[24]

That after Christ's second coming there will exist a period of time known as the Millennium during which Christ and his righteous saints will reign and the unrighteous will be judged. At the close of the Millennium, Christ and his angels return to earth to resurrect the dead that remain, to issue the judgments and to forever rid the universe of sin and sinners.

[25]

"On the new earth, in which righteousness dwells, God will provide an eternal home for the redeemed and a perfect environment for everlasting life, love, joy, and learning in His presence. For here God Himself will dwell with His people, and suffering and death will have passed away. The great controversy will be ended, and sin will be no more. All things, animate and inanimate, will declare that God is love; and He shall reign forever." It is at this point that heaven is established on the new earth.

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Other denominations[edit]

Christadelphians[edit]

Christadelphians do not believe that anyone will go to heaven upon death. Instead, they believe that only Jesus went to Heaven and resides there alongside Jehovah. Christadelphians instead believe that following death, the soul enters a state of unconsciousness, and will stay that way until the Last Judgment, where those saved will be resurrected and the damned will be annihilated. The Kingdom of God will be established on Earth, starting in the land of Israel, and Jesus will rule over the kingdom for a millennium.[27][28][29]

Jehovah's Witnesses[edit]

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that heaven is the dwelling place of Jehovah and his spirit creatures. They believe that only 144,000 chosen faithful followers ("The Anointed") will be resurrected to heaven to rule with Christ over the majority of mankind who will live on Earth.[30]

Gary Scott Smith, Heaven in the American Imagination. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.

Colleen McDannell and Bernhard Lang, Heaven: A History. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988; 2nd ed. 2001.

Bernhard Lang, Meeting in Heaven: Modernising the Christian Afterlife, 1600-2000. Frankfurt: Peter Lang Publishing, 2011.

(1868). "Chapter XXIX. Of Heaven" . Preparation For Death. Rivingtons.

Liguori, Alphonus

(1882). "Sermon XVI: On Heaven." . Sermons for all the Sundays in the year. Dublin.

Liguori, Alphonus

Randy C. Alcorn, Heaven, Wheaton, Tyndale House, 2004.

Jerry L. Walls, Heaven: The Logic of Eternal Joy, Oxford, Oxford University, 2002.

Talbott, Thomas. . In Zalta, Edward N. (ed.). Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

"Heaven and Hell in Christian Thought"

Article arguing against the Jehovah's Witnesses' doctrine of two classes of Christians after death

Christian's Heavenly Hope

Hontheim, Joseph (1910). . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

"Heaven"