In "Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church," (HarperOne), Canon N.T. Wright claims that God is redeeming THIS creation. As Paul Marshall puts it in his book by this title, "heaven is not my home." Our bodies and all of nature are good and the resurrection of Jesus is a foretaste of Eternity's physicality. There is more continuity between this world and the next than is commonly assumed. 

 

N.R. Wright claims that the Kingdom of God is that which restores (not destroys) creation. Other writers agree (cf. Al Wolters' "Creation Regained" or Michael Wittmer's "Heaven Is A Place on Earth") that Jesus' apprentices are not destined for an ethereal existence in some place beyond creation and history. We shall be with Jesus - and He is coming back to Earth (read the climax depicted in Revelation 21 and 22). The good but fallen Garden will be transformed into the City of God, where the very leaves of the trees are for the healing of the peoples (ethne). 

 

With the help of these writers, and reflecting further on Scripture, we may rethink our assumptions and attitudes about life, death, and life after death. This will also influence how we think about what matters most in life, and the very Mission of God.