Heaven is a Real Place
Heaven is most certainly a real place. The Bible very definitely speaks of heaven’s existence and access to heaven through faith in Jesus Christ. There are no verses that give us a geographical location. The short answer to this question is, “heaven is where God is.” The place referred to in this question is called the “third heaven” and “paradise” in 2 Corinthians 12:1-4, where the apostle Paul tells of a living man who was “caught up” to heaven and was unable to describe it. The Greek word translated “caught up” is also used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 in describing the rapture, wherein believers will be caught up to be with the Lord.
Other verses indicating heaven to be “above” the earth” are numerous. At the Tower of Babel, God says, “Come, let us go down” (Genesis 11:7) Heaven is described as “high above the earth” in Psalm 103:11, and the place from which the Lord “looks down” in Psalm 14:2. Jesus is described as having “ascended into heaven” and “descended from heaven” in John 3:13 (ESV). In Acts 1:9–11 Jesus is described as being taken “up” into heaven, and when God takes John to heaven in Revelation 4:1, He says, “Come up here.” These passages have led to the conclusion that heaven is beyond the earth’s airspace and beyond the stars.
However, since God is spirit, “heaven” cannot signify a place remote from us which He inhabits. The Greek gods were thought of as spending most of their time far away from earth in sort of a celestial equivalent of the Bahamas, but the God of the Bible is not like this. He is always near us when we call on Him (James 4:8), and we are encouraged to “draw near” to Him (Hebrews 10:1, 22). Granted, the “heaven” where saints and angels dwell have to be thought of as a sort of locality, because saints and angels, as God’s creatures, exist in space and time. But when the Creator is said to be “in heaven,” the thought is that He exists on a different plane from us, rather than in a different place.
God in heaven is always near to us, His children on earth. This is something the Bible expresses throughout. The New Testament mentions heaven with considerable frequency. Yet, even with this frequency, a detailed description of its location is missing. Perhaps God has intentionally covered its location in mystery, for it is more important for us to focus on our God of heaven than the description or location of His dwelling. It is more important to know the “why” and the “who” than the “where.” The New Testament focuses on the purpose of heaven and who is there instead of telling us exactly what it is like or where it is. So, heaven is a place of fellowship and eternal joy and, more importantly, worshiping around the throne of God.
See You There!
Jack
Different Levels of Heaven
The closest thing Scripture says to there being different levels of heaven is found in 2 Corinthians 12:2, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know - God knows.” Some interpret this as indicating that there are three different levels of heaven: a level for “super-committed Christians” or Christians who have obtained a high level of spirituality, a level for “ordinary” Christians, and a level for Christians who did not serve God faithfully. This view has no basis in Scripture.
Paul is not saying that there are three heavens or even three levels of heaven. In many ancient cultures, people used the term heaven to describe three different “realms” - the sky, outer space, and then a spiritual heaven. Paul was saying that God took him to the “spiritual” heaven—the realm beyond the physical universe where God dwells. The concept of different levels of heaven may have come in part from Dante’s The Divine Comedy in which the poet describes both heaven and hell as having nine different levels. The Divine Comedy, however, is a fictional work. The idea of different levels of heaven is foreign to Scripture.
Scripture does speak of different rewards in heaven. Jesus said regarding rewards, “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done” (Revelation 22:12). Since Jesus will be distributing rewards based on what we have done, we can safely say that there will be a time of reward for believers and that the rewards will differ somewhat from person to person.
Only those works that survive God’s refining fire have eternal value and will be worthy of reward. Those valuable works are referred to as “gold, silver, and costly stones”
(1 Corinthians 3:12) and are those things that are built upon the foundation of faith in Christ. Those works that will not be rewarded are called “wood, hay, and stubble”; these are not evil deeds but shallow activities with no eternal value. Rewards will be distributed at the “judgment seat of Christ,” a place where believers’ lives will be evaluated for the purpose of rewards. “Judgment” of believers never refers to punishment for sin. Jesus Christ was punished for our sin when He died on the cross, and God said about us: “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (Hebrews 8:12). What a glorious thought! Christians need never fear punishment but can look forward to crowns of reward that can be cast at the feet of the Savior. In conclusion, there are not different levels of heaven, but there are different levels of reward in heaven.
How to get to Heaven
Because of sin, we are all born separated from God on earth. Without a needed intervention, we are unable to dwell with God. This applies to the entire human race.
You are not alone!
Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
Romans 3:10 says, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”
Romans 6:23a “For the wages of sin is death;”
Revelation 21:8 “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone:”
There is no amount of good works we can do to save ourselves from being eternally separated from God.
Ephesians 2:8-9 say, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
To be separated from God forever, simply do nothing. To ignore or reject Jesus is to be already condemned to the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:15, 2 Thes. 1:7-9).
John 3:18 “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
There is a simple and straight pathway to be reconciled with God made possible by God’s only son, Jesus Christ. He was nailed to a Roman cross to shed His blood in payment for our sins. Then three days after His death, He rose from the dead, validating once and for all His qualifications to be our only Savior.
Placing your complete trust in Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection is the one and only way to be reconciled to God.
Jesus said (John 14:6), “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
John 3:16 & 17 are clear. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
The Bible clearly tells us how to be saved:
Romans 10:9-10 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
This is a gift from God because He loves you.
Romans 6:23b “but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 10:13 “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Are you ready to believe right now? If so, simply tell God what he asked you to confess. You might use a prayer like this one:
“God, I admit to you that I am a sinner, and I know I cannot do anything to earn my way into your kingdom. I truly believe that Jesus died on the cross, was buried and rose from the grave. I put my faith in His sacrifice to pay for my sin in full.”
What did you decide?
Please contact me if you need help.
Jack Bell
770 – 380 – 7018
[email protected]
I pray for you to have courage and trust as you make your decision.
Let’s spend eternity in Heaven together!
Jack Bell