Podcast Summary: "What Is Heaven?" – Doctrine Matters with Kevin DeYoung

Podcast: Doctrine Matters with Kevin DeYoung
Host: Kevin DeYoung (Crossway)
Episode Title: What Is Heaven?
Date: December 16, 2025

Episode Overview

In this theologically rich episode, Kevin DeYoung explores the Christian doctrine of heaven, particularly focusing on what happens to believers after death. He discusses common misconceptions, biblical evidence, and longstanding theological terminology like the "intermediate state." DeYoung aims to correct caricatures and misunderstandings, providing both pastoral comfort and doctrinal clarity for listeners wrestling with ultimate questions of life, death, and eternal hope.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Heaven Beyond Caricature

• Misconceptions of Puritanism and Christianity:

  • Many people associate Christianity, and Puritans in particular, with sermons like Jonathan Edwards’s "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," characterized by "fire and brimstone" (01:20).
  • DeYoung rebuts this as incomplete, noting Edwards also wrote extensively about the joys and excellencies of heaven.

• Is "Going to Heaven" Biblical?

  • Some recent Christian voices criticize focusing on "going to heaven when you die" as missing the broader biblical narrative of cosmic renewal (03:12).
  • DeYoung acknowledges the need for balance but insists:

    “As a pastor … you are very quickly going to have to decide whether you think people, quote, go to heaven when they die.” (04:25)

  • He affirms that the New Testament, especially Paul’s writings, teaches that saints are immediately with Christ after death (05:10).

The Intermediate State

• Definition:

  • The "intermediate state" refers to the condition between physical death and bodily resurrection.

  • He cites the Westminster Larger Catechism to clarify this doctrine (06:08):

    “The communion in glory with Christ, which members of the invisible church enjoy immediately after death, is in that their souls are then made perfect in holiness, received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies…”

• Theological Clarifications:

  • No Purgatory:
    • The Catechism (and DeYoung) reject purgatory as unbiblical (08:00).
  • No Soul Sleep:
    • He disputes the idea, historically known as "soul sleep," that the soul is unconscious before resurrection, referencing Luke 16 and other Scriptures (08:55).

• Nature of Existence After Death:

  • There is immediate blessedness for believers’ souls.

  • While embodied existence is the final hope, the presence with Christ prior to resurrection is also to be joyfully anticipated (10:00).

    “There is some immaterial part of us that goes to be with Christ and other believers in heaven. It’s hard to know exactly what this means...but we see in Scripture that we’re waiting for our bodies.” (12:00)

• Practical Pastoral Note:

  • DeYoung gently corrects common funeral phrases (“dancing with her new legs”) as premature, but affirms the comfort of real, immediate fellowship with Christ after death (13:20).

The Renewal of All Things: Heaven and Earth

• Continuity and Discontinuity:

  • Heaven and the renewed creation will include both continuity with current existence and radical transformation (14:06).
  • Uses the analogy from Peter: like the flood, the world is destroyed but not annihilated—there’s real renewal (15:18).

• Biblical Imagery of Heaven:

  • Isaiah 65, Revelation 21–22: peace, prosperity, permanence, and perfection.
  • The New Jerusalem is a picture of God’s people in glory: safe, pure, holy (17:35).

    “She [the church] will be safe. She has walls of strength and gates that never shut… she will be holy.” (18:10)

• Reigning with Christ:

  • Saints’ future includes reigning with Christ—what this means is mysterious but is tied to restored dominion as image-bearers (19:35).
  • DeYoung speculates it could involve affirming Christ's judgments, being part of a heavenly council, or simply vindication and restoration (20:00).

• Work and Joy in the New Creation:

  • In the new heavens and earth, there will be meaningful, joyful work—without sin, threat, or sorrow (20:45).

    “There’ll be work, good, glorious work to do in the new heavens and the new earth for all time with all joy, no sinning, no threats, all safety and Christ.” (20:52)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Heart of Heaven’s Promise:

  “God's promises are fulfilled not only in the distant future, but the near future. And for dying saints, in their very next breath.” (05:00)

• On Conveying Gospel Comfort:

  “If the pastor says, grandma’s up there and praising Jesus around the throne and reunited with loved ones, and she’s having the best day of her life, all of that is wonderfully true and we ought to preach it.” (13:40)

• On Hope Beyond Death:

  “Heaven is going to be at the time of death. And finally in the new heavens and the new Earth, more than we can possibly fathom.” (14:00)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:03 — Introduction & Framing the Theme
• 01:20 — Misconceptions About Puritan Focus
• 03:12 — Modern Pushback Against “Going to Heaven”
• 05:00 — Immediate Fulfillment of God’s Promises
• 06:08 — Definition of the "Intermediate State"
• 08:00 — Rejection of Purgatory
• 08:55 — Rejection of Soul Sleep
• 10:00 — Present/Joyful State for Departed Believers
• 12:00 — The Mystery of Disembodied Existence
• 13:20 — How to Speak Comfort at Funerals
• 14:06 — New Heavens and New Earth: Continuity
• 15:18 — Analogy: The Flood and the Coming Renewal
• 17:35 — Imagery of the New Jerusalem
• 18:10 — Security and Holiness in Heaven
• 19:35 — The Promise of Reigning with Christ
• 20:45 — Joyful Work in the Age to Come
• 20:52 — Summary Statement on Eternity

Conclusion

This episode offers a theologically robust, pastorally sensitive, and biblically grounded look at the doctrine of heaven. Kevin DeYoung provides clarity on traditional categories (the intermediate state), corrects popular but incomplete pictures, and inspires hope in the resurrection and the renewal of all things—all while maintaining a warm, instructive tone fitting for Christians seeking understanding and assurance about life after death.