Heaven and the renewed creation are the eternal home of the redeemed
Vineyard affirms that believers will spend eternity in the presence of God in the renewed creation — the New Heaven and New Earth of Revelation 21–22. This future reality is the 'not yet' dimension of the Kingdom of God that Vineyard's already/not yet theology anticipates. The Spirit's present work in healing, restoration, and community is a foretaste of this coming fullness.
Vineyard's vision of the eternal future is robustly physical and relational, not merely 'spiritual.' The resurrection of the body and the renewal of creation reflect Vineyard's conviction that God's redemption encompasses the whole person and the whole created order, not just souls escaping a doomed material world.
Key Distinctions
- Heaven nature:
- eternal conscious presence with God; beatific vision; transformed creation
- Access timing:
- at final resurrection and judgment (Last Day)
- Bodily resurrection:
- full bodily resurrection; glorified body reunited with soul
Scripture References
Sources
- Vineyard USA Statement of Faith