Are there different levels in Heaven?

Genesis 1:1 (CSB): “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Deuteronomy 26:15 (CSB): “Look down from your holy dwelling—heaven—and bless your people Israel and the soil you have given us…”

Psalm 11:4 (CSB): “The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord—his throne is in heaven. His eyes watch; his gaze examines everyone.”

Psalm 16:11 (CSB): “You reveal the path of life to me; in your presence is abundant joy; at your right hand are eternal pleasures.”

Isaiah 65:17 (CSB): “For I will create new heavens and a new earth; the previous ones will not be remembered or come to mind.”

Isaiah 66:1 (CSB): “This is what the Lord says: Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where could you possibly build a house for me? And where would my resting place be?”

Matthew 5:12 (CSB): “Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

John 14:2-3 (CSB): “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also.”

2 Corinthians 5:1 (CSB): “For we know that if our earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands.”

Philippians 3:20 (CSB): “Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Hebrews 12:22-23 (CSB): “Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels, a festive gathering, to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to a Judge, who is God of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect.”

Revelation 21:1-2 (CSB): “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.”

Revelation 22:3-5 (CSB): “Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. Night will be no more; people will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will give them light, and they will reign forever and ever.”

2 Corinthians 12:2 “2 I know a man in Christ who was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether he was in the body or out of the body, I don’t know; God knows.”

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:

level for “super-committed Christians” or Christians who have obtained a high level of spirituality,

level for “ordinary” Christians, 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.

Reformed Baptist theology, rooted in the broader Reformed tradition, views heaven as the eternal dwelling place of God and His redeemed people. It is understood as a real, physical, and glorious realm where believers will experience perfect communion with God, free from sin, suffering, and death. Below is a concise overview based on Reformed Baptist teachings, drawn from Scripture and theological confessions like the 1689 London Baptist Confession:

Presence of God: Heaven is primarily defined by the immediate and unhindered presence of God. Believers will see God face-to-face (Revelation 22:4) and dwell in His glory, experiencing perfect joy and worship (Psalm 16:11).

Eternal Life and Glory: Heaven is the final destination for those saved by Christ, where they receive glorified, resurrected bodies (1 Corinthians 15:42-44) and live eternally in a renewed creation (Revelation 21:1-4). It is a place of perfect holiness, with no sin or corruption.

New Heavens and New Earth: Reformed Baptists emphasize the biblical teaching that heaven is not merely a spiritual realm but part of a restored physical creation. The “new heavens and new earth” (Isaiah 65:17; Revelation 21:1) will be a perfected world where righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13).

Rest and Reward: Heaven is a place of rest from earthly labors and trials (Hebrews 4:9-11), where believers receive their eternal inheritance as a reward for faith in Christ (1 Peter 1:4). However, this reward is by grace, not earned by works.

Communal Worship: Heaven involves the gathered community of the redeemed, including angels and saints, worshipping God together (Hebrews 12:22-24; Revelation 7:9-12). It is a place of unity, love, and fellowship.

No More Suffering: Heaven is free from all pain, sorrow, and death (Revelation 21:4). It is the consummation of Christ’s redemptive work, where all things are made new.

Reformed Baptists typically avoid speculative details about heaven (e.g., its exact appearance or activities) beyond what Scripture reveals, focusing instead on its theological significance as the culmination of God’s plan for His people. The 1689 London Baptist Confession (Chapter 31) underscores that the righteous will be “received into heaven, where they shall be fully and forever freed from all sin and misery.”

Heaven

There cannot be heaven without Christ. He is the sum total of bliss; the fountain from which heaven flows, the element of which heaven is composed. Christ is heaven and heaven is Christ. “Forever With The Lord”, Volume 19, Sermon #1136 - Philippians 1:23

Charles Spurgeon

Here are key quotes from Reformed Baptist sources and related confessions that describe heaven, focusing on primary theological documents and influential figures:

1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith (Chapter 31, “Of the State of Man After Death and of the Resurrection of the Dead”):

“The bodies of the just, by the Spirit of Christ, and by virtue of His resurrection as their head, shall be raised in power, spiritual, and incorruptible, and made like to His glorious body; and shall be received into heaven, where they shall be fully and forever freed from all sin and misery; filled with inconceivable joys, made perfectly holy and happy both in body and soul, in the company of innumerable saints and holy angels, but especially in the immediate vision and fruition of God the Father, of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, to all eternity.”

Charles Spurgeon, Sermons on Heaven:

“Heaven is the place where God dwells with His people. It is not a place merely of happiness, but of holiness; not a place merely of enjoyment, but of perfect service to the living God.” (Sermon: “Heaven and Hell,” 1855)

“To come to Thee is to come home from exile, to come to land out of the raging storm, to come to rest after long labour, to come to the goal of my desires and the summit of my wishes.” (Sermon: “A Sight of Heaven,” 1896)

John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress (a widely influential work among Reformed Baptists):

“Then I saw that there was a way to Hell, even from the gates of Heaven, as well as from the City of Destruction. So I awoke, and behold, it was a dream.” (This reflects the contrast between heaven’s glory and the fate of the unredeemed, emphasizing heaven’s exclusivity for the redeemed.)

Describing the Celestial City (heaven): “The talk that they had with the Shining Ones was about the glory of the place; who told them that the beauty and glory of it was inexpressible.”

Scripture (frequently cited in Reformed Baptist teaching):

Revelation 21:4 (ESV): “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Revelation 22:3-5 (ESV): “No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.”

These quotes encapsulate the Reformed Baptist view of heaven as a place of God’s presence, eternal joy, holiness, and the fulfillment of redemption. If you’d like more quotes from specific theologians or additional context, let me know!