Is Heaven a Place on Earth? (Part 3)

Matthew 5:5

One of the passages often cited to try to demonstrate that heaven will literally be on a refurbished earth is Matthew 5:5: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” The theory is that faithful Christians will one day be rewarded with their own plot of land on earth (perhaps figuratively). This notion seems to make sense—unless one considers three important facts.

First, the faithful’s rewards are said to be in heaven—not on earth. In a contrast that cannot be missed, Jesus taught that people should not lay up for themselves treasures on earth but rather in heaven. He also taught: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matt. 6:19-21). Why are so many people excited about living on earth eternally? Why are folks even more excited about that possibility instead of heaven itself? Where is their treasure?

Second, to what do the beatitudes refer? The poor in spirit (or the humble) have a reward—the kingdom of Heaven. So do those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake (Matt. 5:3, 10). Someone might wonder if that reward refers to being part of the church at the current time, since it is a great privilege to be part of Christ’s body (1 John 3:1). But Matthew 5:11-12 resolves that issue for us because it further adds “great is your reward in heaven.” Actually, all the beatitudes point to a time after the judgment.

When shall they that mourn be comforted (Matt. 5:4)? They might receive some comfort here from members of the church. But what about those who go to their graves mourning? “And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, no sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4). Those who mourn shall be comforted after the judgment.

Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be filled partially in this life—but completely in the next (Matt. 5:6). Living as best we can in this world, we remain confronted by scenes of corruption, but in the new heavens and the new earth only righteousness dwells; all the saved may drink their fill. When shall the merciful obtain mercy (Matt. 5:7)? How about at the judgment? When shall the pure in heart see God (Matt. 5:8)? We do not see Him in this life, but all shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

The peacemakers (Matt. 5:9) are called the children of God in this lifetime, but they shall be permanently so regarded after the judgment—without any danger of losing that designation. All these promises have an eternal fulfillment.

What about Matthew 5:5? One might see a fulfilment in this life. Peter wondered what reward Jesus’ disciples were going to receive since they had left all and followed Him. He replied:

Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life (Mark 10:29-30).

However, these are not permanent lands which a meek individual personally owns but rather they are properties shared by meek brethren. The fulfillment of the meek inheriting the earth occurs after the Judgment. “Exactly!” the proponents of heaven on a physical earth are undoubtedly shouting. “That’s our point. That’s our teaching!”

But a second aspect of the beatitudes needs to be considered—and that is all these rewards are of a spiritual nature. The kingdom is a spiritual kingdom, which is evident from Isaiah 2:1-4 onward. Comfort is an eternal blessing, as is being filled with righteousness. Mercy is a spiritual necessity, and seeing God is an everlasting privilege, as is being one of His children.

So, why would we expect that in the midst of these spiritual riches we should obtain a piece of physical property on a reconstructed earth?

Psalm 37

The theme of Psalm 37 is stated in the first two verses: “Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity, for they shall soon be cut down like grass, and wither as the green herb” (1-2). Even though wicked men appear to prosper while the righteous suffer, ultimately, they lose: “But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the future of the wicked shall be shut off” (37:38).

Meanwhile, the righteous should: “Trust in the Lord, and do good, dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness” (37:3). The land was an important part of the three promises made to Abraham (the land promise, the nation promise, and the spiritual promise) (Gen. 12: 1-3, 7; 22:18). The land promise was fulfilled when God helped Israel to conquer the land He had promised to give Abraham (Joshua 21:43-45).

This portion of the earth’s surface came to be called the Promised Land and was also known as Canaan (Num. 34:2; Deut. 6:3; 19:8; 27:3). It was a land flowing with milk and honey (Deut. 6:3; 27:3). The children of Israel were said to have “inherited the land of Canaan” (Joshua 14:1; cf. Gen. 15:7). One might make the case that the Promised Land, Canaan, is a type of heaven.

The introduction to Psalm 37 brings us to the third point that needs to be considered concerning Matthew 5:5, which is the origin of the beatitude. Five times David refers to inheriting the land:

For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth (9).

But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace (11).

For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, but those cursed by Him shall be cut off (22).

The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell in it forever (29).

Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you shall see it (34).

Notice that all these verses use the future tense, which proves to be quite interesting since Israel had already possessed the land for 400 years. The cutting off of the ungodly and the reward of inheriting the land certainly seem to be future events—and permanent. They occur at the judgment. So, how should inheriting the earth be viewed?

The explanation provided by Tom Wacaster in his second volume on Psalms, published more than twenty years ago—before the new heavens and the new earth became a hot topic—makes a great deal of sense. On verse 9, he writes:

“The land” under consideration is not some physical real estate promised to those who are faithful to their God. “The land” is a metaphorical expression of ultimate blessing and inheritance (176).

In other words, the land represents heaven itself, the spiritual reward for God’s faithful. The Promised Land (or Canaan) stands for the reward of heaven. A “new heaven and new earth” advocate might say, “We don’t have any problem with saying that the earth is inherited after the judgment.” But the point is that all the other promises of eternal life are spiritual! Even in these five verses (cited above) we see mentioned the abundance of peace, the blessings of God, and exaltation. Add the promises made in the New Testament, and one cannot help wondering, “Why would anyone insist that, in the midst of spiritual benefits, there would be one that demands a strictly literal interpretation?”

Just in Revelation alone we find promises that include being able to: eat from the tree of life (2:7), wear the crown of life (2:10), have hidden manna and a white stone with a new name (2:17), have power over the nations and the morning star (2:26-27), wear white garments (3:5), sit with Jesus on His throne (3:21). He will also be a pillar in the temple with a new name (3:12). How many of these descriptions do we understand literally?

The Kingdom

Someone might have a problem with the idea of making the land a spiritual reward instead of carving out our own niche in a reconstructed earth. But this option should not be that much of a surprise. In the first place, that land is given as a reward after the judgment. Second, insisting that it is physical makes it vary against all the other rewards of a spiritual nature. Third, we have something else described in physical terms of a similar nature that we know is spiritual, and that is the kingdom itself.

Although Christians today know that the kingdom of Christ was always intended to be spiritual, God’s people did not necessarily see it that way even while listening to Jesus teach. How many times have brethren affirmed that the Jews would have had no trouble seeing Jesus as the Messiah and supporting Him completely if He had taken up arms against the Roman army? They wanted passages such as Isaiah 2:1-4 and Daniel 2:44-45 to be literal. They would gladly have fought for freedom just as many did during the Maccabean period. In fact, their philosophy of the kingdom is what made them so hypocritical when they claimed (falsely), “We have no king but Caesar” (John 19:15).

How many times have brethren pointed out that even the disciples did not fully understand the nature of the kingdom, citing the question asked in Acts 1:6: “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” Of course, by the Day of Pentecost, after the Holy Spirit sat on each one of them, they spoke by inspiration and understood the true nature of the kingdom.

Today, Christians are part of the kingdom of Heaven that John began to announce in his preparing the way for Jesus (Mark 1:1-5). We know this is a spiritual kingdom; people become part of it when they are “delivered from the power of darkness and conveyed” into it (Col. 1:13). It is through the blood of Jesus that we obtain redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Col. 1:14; cf. Rev. 1:5). As when Peter preached, so today people repent of their sins and are baptized for their forgiveness. Then they are added to the church, the kingdom, the body of Christ (Acts 2:37-38, 41, 47).

We do not expect a plot of ground when we become part of the kingdom; we understand that the nature of the kingdom is spiritual. Therefore, if we can understand that the nature of the kingdom is spiritual (though many under the old covenant thought it would be physical), then why do we have a problem understanding that inheriting the earth is another way of referring to a heavenly reward?

Preaching brethren have often said, “If your treasures are on earth, then you will leave them behind when you die. If you have laid up treasures in heaven, you will be going to them when you die.” Many of us still believe this truth. What will a “reconstructed earth” advocate say? Can their good works survive the purge? Or do they first need to go to heaven so they can escape injury and return to earth at a later time? Does anyone recall a passage where Jesus returns with His saints—and their treasures?