Some of the more significant conclusions about Paul's eschatology arising from the exegesis have been summarized at the end of each chapter. This final chapter now aims to relate these and other findings to broader issues in Paul's thought and its interpretation. The further question of the contemporary relevance of Paul's views expressed in concepts so closely associated with first century A.D. cosmologies lies beyond the scope of our study but has been raised in the Introduction.

Heaven, realized eschatology and apocalyptic

Apocalyptic parallels to Paul's references to heaven

In the course of this study correspondences in apocalyptic writings to Paul's references to heaven have often been noted. This is hardly surprising since Paul was a diaspora Pharisee and apocalyptic ideas had a particularly strong influence on diaspora Judaism. In several passages we have seen links between heaven and the general apocalyptic concept of the two ages. More specifically we found apocalyptic references for the heavenly Jerusalem (Gal. 4: 26), Paradise and the third heaven (2 Cor. 12), the age to come present in heaven and entered at death (2 Cor. 5; Phil. 1: 23), the hope laid up in heaven (Col. 1: 5), the ‘hidden-revealed’ motif and the theme of glory (Col. 3: 1–4), the mystery of God's cosmic plan (Eph. 1: 10), the session in heaven (Eph. 2: 6), the heavenly temple (Eph. 2: 20ff) and the cosmic battle (Eph. 6: 10ff).