Overview of Where Do We Go When We Die?
This episode of Ask N.T. Wright Anything (hosts Mike Bird and N.T. Wright) tackles listener questions about death, heaven, the intermediate state, the rapture, what our knowledge will be like in the new creation, and practical Christian budgeting. Wright emphasizes a New Testament-centred vision: Jesus’ resurrection inaugurates the new creation; the Bible gives a sketchy interim picture (we’ll be “with” Christ and “hidden in Christ”) but reserves the full revelation for the final bodily resurrection and new heavens/new earth. The conversation balances theological caution about speculation with concrete pastoral and ethical implications for how Christians live now.
Main questions addressed
- Where is heaven/the throne of God and where do believers’ souls go after death? Has this changed since Jesus’ resurrection?
- Is there an intermediate “waiting room” or multiple heavens we should map out?
- In the eternal state, will our minds/knowledge be perfected (omniscient or just enhanced)?
- How should Christians budget and give in affluent Western contexts? How to balance enjoyment and generosity?
Key theological conclusions
- The New Testament emphasizes a twin reality of heaven and earth and ultimately a new heavens and new earth (see Revelation 21–22). Don’t expect Revelation’s imagery to provide a neat cosmology or a map of “where souls live now.”
- Jesus’ resurrection has already launched God’s new creation. Those who have died “in Christ” are awaiting bodily resurrection (1 Corinthians 15); Paul’s emphasis is on an ultimate, physical renewal when “God will be all in all.”
- The New Testament is not highly interested in giving detailed descriptions of the intermediate state. Where it does speak of the dead, it stresses being “with the Messiah” (Philippians 1) or life “hidden with Christ” (Colossians 3) rather than a developed topology of souls in layers of heaven.
- Beware speculative systems (dispensational rapture chronologies, elaborate layered heavens) that distract from present Christian responsibility and faithful living.
On knowledge, minds, and the new creation
- Scripture says we “know in part” now; in the eschaton knowledge will be fuller (1 Corinthians 13). But Paul frames ultimate reality in terms of love—knowledge is subsumed into relational, joyful knowing of God.
- Wright suggests our minds will be transformed (analogous to transformed bodies). Our faculties will be glorified and relish truth and beauty, possibly with enhanced capacities related to our present gifts and vocations.
- He allows imaginative analogies (e.g., an autism-related image of simultaneously absorbing many stimuli) as speculative but potentially helpful metaphors for a deeper harmony of perception in the new creation.
- The precise contours of cognitive/perceptual transformation are not taught in detail in Scripture; faith and trust in God’s goodness should guide expectations.
Practical and pastoral implications
- Focus less on constructing detailed maps of the afterlife and more on the implications of resurrection theology for present responsibility: creation care, justice, and cultural engagement matter because God intends to renew the world, not abandon it.
- At funerals and pastoral moments, emphasize presence “with Christ” and hope for resurrection rather than trying to pin down exact geographic/ontological locations.
- On budgeting and giving:
- The early church practiced sharing, but that didn’t require destitution or uniform poverty. The question is: who is in need, and how can we responsibly respond?
- Enjoyment of good things (concerts, a drink, holidays) is legitimate; the test is proportion. If indulgence consistently outweighs generosity, that’s a sign to re-evaluate.
- Practical rules of thumb: support your local church financially, give sacrificially to trusted charities/mission agencies, and cultivate generosity as a spiritual discipline (see 2 Corinthians 8–9; Malachi 3).
- Be cautious about judging others—many people carry hidden burdens and responsibilities.
- Balance prayerful discernment, faithful work, and mutual care within the church community.
Notable quotes / memorable lines
- “Nobody knows the day and the hour, not even the Son, only the Father.” — a reminder to distrust simplistic end-times chronologies.
- Don’t try to build a full cosmology from Revelation; its images sketch reality rather than map it.
- “Those who have died in Christ are waiting for their resurrection.” (summary of the Pauline perspective)
- Knowledge will be “swallowed up” by love—ultimate knowing is relational and joyful, not merely informational.
Practical takeaways / action list
- If you’re wrestling with death-related questions: center on resurrection hope (1 Cor 15, Philippians 1) and trust the Spirit’s holding of believers “with Christ.”
- Avoid building doctrines on speculative interpretations of Revelation; prioritize scriptural themes of resurrection and new creation.
- Evaluate your budget: compare spending on leisure/indulgence with regular giving. Consider reallocating toward church and vetted charities if generosity is low.
- Engage in local church mutual care—support people whose needs may be hidden.
- Cultivate generosity as a spiritual discipline (pray about where God wants your resources used; give sacrificially, not performatively).
Further resources suggested implicitly
- Read 1 Corinthians 13 and 15, Philippians 1, Colossians 3, Revelation 21–22, and 2 Corinthians 8–9 for core New Testament teaching on these topics.
- N.T. Wright’s forthcoming book (noted in the episode) on the Spirit and interim state for deeper study.
Hosts: Mike Bird and N.T. (Tom) Wright. Next episode topics teased: “Is Christianity bad for the world?”, “What is the coming of the Son of Man?”, and “Why isn’t Israel saved yet?”