Episode 140– Derek Thomas- Heaven on Earth What the Bible Teaches about Life to Come

⏱️ Estimated Reading Time: 2 min read

Welcome to the 140th episode of Equipping You in Grace. On today’s episode, Dave Jenkins talks with Derek Thomas about his book Heaven on Earth What the Bible Teaches about Life to Come (Christian Focus, 2018).

What you’ll hear in this episode

Why it’s so important that Christians believe they go to heaven immediately after they die.
How growing in our understanding of heaven helps God’s people appreciate the already/not yet of the Christian life in the present and the future.
How knowing the journey ahead by faith in Christ enables God’s people with certainty to face it with courage.
Why as Christians look ahead to their life in heaven they have a million reasons to be encouraged.
Why it’s important for pastors, ministry leaders, and Bible study leaders to preach, teach, and write on heaven and hell.
The heart of the worship of God’s people and how it is to be reflected in Jesus Christ.
What heaven will be like.
How to help people who struggle fear of death and find it hard to sleep stop being afraid of death.
How understanding heaven helps Christians to grow in a biblical worldview.

About the Guest

Derek Thomas, originally from Wales, is the Senior Minister of First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, South Carolina and Chancellor’s Professor at the Atlanta campus of Reformed Theological Seminary. He is also a Teaching Fellow with Ligonier Ministries.

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Thanks for listening to this episode of Equipping You in Grace!

Dave Jenkins( Executive Director )

Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah, and lives in beautiful Southern Oregon. He is a writer, editor, and speaker who loves Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology.

Dave serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries and the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine. He is the Host and Producer of the Equipping You in Grace Podcast and a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word.

He is the author of The War of Worldviews: Truth, Lies, and the Battle for the Christian Mind (Theology for Life, 2026), Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021).

You can connect with Dave on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, or subscribe to his newsletter.

When he is not engaged in ministry work, Dave enjoys spending time with his wife, going to movies, sharing a meal at a favorite restaurant, or playing a round of golf with friends. He is also a voracious reader, particularly of Reformed theology and the Puritans, and is often found working through a stack of new books from a wide range of Christian publishers.

Dave earned his M.A.R. and M.Div. from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.

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