Pearly gates - Wikipedia Pearly gates For other uses, see Pearly Gates ( disambiguation ). The Blessed at the gate to heaven with St. Peter by Hans Memling. Pearly gates is an informal name for the gateway to Heaven according to some Christian denominations. It is inspired by the description of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21 : 21 : `` The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate being made from a single pearl. '' The image of the gates in popular culture is a set of large, white or wrought - iron gates in the clouds, guarded by Saint Peter ( the keeper of the `` keys to the kingdom '' ). Those not fit to enter heaven are denied entrance at the gates, and descend into Hell. In some versions of this imagery, Peter looks up the deceased 's name in a book, before opening the gate. External links The Archetype Form ( Model ) References Jump up ^ Lang, J. Stephen ( 2003 ). `` 59 : Imagine the Size of Those Oysters ''. What the Good Book Did n't Say : Popular Myths and Misconceptions About the Bible. Citadel Press. p. 185. ISBN 9780806524603. Jump up ^ Ferguson, Everett ( 1996 ). The Church of Christ : A Biblical Ecclesiology for Today. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 53. ISBN 9780802841896. The passage moves from a building, to gates, to keys. A popular image has Peter as the doorkeeper of heaven, deciding admission through the pearly gates to each person at death. This understanding of Peter goes back to an early medieval interpretation that identified Peter with a figure in Germanic mythology who was the porter of heaven. Afterlife locations Abrahamic religions Judaism 7 Heavens and 7 Earths Throne of God Garden of Eden Olam Haba Sheol Christianity Heaven Hell Kingdom of God Garden of Eden Paradise Purgatory Limbo New Jerusalem Pearly gates Islam Barzakh Naar Jannah ( and Jabarut ) Sidrat al - Muntaha A'raf As - Sirāt Mormonism Celestial Kingdom Terrestrial Kingdom Telestial Kingdom Spirit world European mythologies Celtic Otherworld Annwn Tír na nÓg Mag Mell Tech Duinn Finnic Tuonela Germanic Asgard Fólkvangr Valhalla Neorxnawang Gimlé Helheimr Greek Hades Elysium Erebus Orcus Asphodel Meadows Myth of Er Empyrean Tartarus Fortunate Isles Slavic Iriy Eastern / Asian religions Buddhism Naraka Sagga Hinduism 14 planetary systems Ādi Śeṣa Svarga Naraka Vaikuntha Kailash Goloka Akshardham Sikhism Sach Khand Taoism Grotto - heavens Chinese Tian Diyu Youdu Japanese Takama - ga - hara Yomi Zoroastrianism Chinvat Bridge Hamistagan Others Mesoamerican Mictlan Tamoanchan Thirteen Heavens Tlalocan Xibalba Plains Indians Happy hunting ground Tupi Land without evil Wicca The Summerland Theosophy Summerland Devachan Nirvana Ancient Egyptian Aaru Duat Millennialism Utopianism Great unity Golden Age Arcadia Avalon The Guf Well of Souls Existential planes Underworld List of mythological places This Christianity - related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pearly_gates&oldid=805104899 '' Categories : Heaven Christian mythology Christian terminology Book of Revelation Christianity stubs Hidden categories : Pages with numeric Bible version references All stub articles Talk About Wikipedia Čeština Italiano 日本 語 Norsk Română Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 13 October 2017, at 02 : 28. About Wikipedia

Question: who do you meet at the pearly gates
Answer: Saint Peter