Is Heaven a Real Place.....

Heaven Bible Study • Sermon • Submitted 7 years ago

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Introduction

Over the next few weeks we are going to be looking at the topic of heaven, I do not intend for this to be a exhaustive look, I am not sure I can do that, but I do believe we can try to examine a lot of what the Bible tells us about heaven.

Lets talk about heaven this evening, heaven is a topic we hear about most of our life.

From the time we are little and began to experience death or perhaps questions about where so and so is… we were taught things about heaven, not necessarily meaning that all that we heard were true, but that is where we heard the word… heaven.

So we hear about heaven in a variety of contexts.

So what does it mean when we mention the word Heaven?

What do we mean....when we refer or speak about heaven..

Well first off… People talk of a destination as heaven, for them heaven is a adjective that refers to this place, they believe this place is wonderful, perfect.... yet they are comparing the imperfect place no matter how nice with what is truly perfect....

People talk a destination as heaven, for them heaven is a adjective that refers to this place, they believer this place is wonderful, perfect.... yet they are comparing the imperfect place no matter how nice with what is truly perfect....

Secondly people talk about heaven as a place where all will reside… no matter the person we will all be there and see all there.... it is like a family gathering ...... but no spiritual thought or practice is spoken off.... it is just the homestead of the family.

Thirdly, and the most accurate, heaven is spoken off as the place of God. Where we will be gathered as the bride of Christ. And we will not only share in heaven, but in the worship of God and the Lord Jesus who loves us and gave His Son, Jesus as a ransom for sin.

So as we see, heaven can have a lot of different thoughts or meanings for people around our world.

But the Scriptures tell us the most and this is where we will draw our thoughts and conclusions over the next few weeks.

So when we look at the word heaven, the word heaven is mentioned more than 500 times across the Old and New Testaments…

So without a doubt God wants us to look at, examine and know about this place called heaven, if it were not so, He would not have made sure we had such a diverse language and look at this place called heaven.

So with this all in mind, I want to begin by sharing this Scripture verse with you .

Ephesians 2:4–6 ESV

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Ephesians 2:5–6 ESV

5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Ephesians 2:6 ESV

6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Now I choose this verse for a particular reason. Now you might ask why this verse might be important. I look at it, I like it for it tells us of God’s direction to help us, to save us from our sin. But also of where we are placed in Christ Jesus.

We are seated in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus.

The truth of the matter is simple, We have our reservation in heaven, and already we are lifted in the heavenlies, but we do not understand it yet, it is our reservation…but one day we will have the opportunity to see it, to live in it and be in His wonderful presence.

1. The Meaning of the Hebrew and Greek words for Heaven....

So lets begin with the idea of understanding what the word heaven truly means in the Bible...

In the Old Testament , the word is(Sa ma yin) it refers to the the place where God abides, to the place above the sky.... a special place....

But it can also be used in the sense of the heavens above us, the sky....

This word is used in

Genesis 1:1 ESV

1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

and it is uses in the reference of

Isaiah 66:1 ESV

1 Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?

So just in these two verses we get an idea of the sense of the meaning of the word heaven and how it is used and why...

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Now if you look at the Greek, in the New Testament, we find the word there is (Ouranous). which also refers to the heavens and the sky.... the abode of God if you will....

One such verse to see or examine this truth is in

Acts 1:11 ESV

11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

So the reference is that Jesus is returning to His home in heaven, and will remain there until it is time for Him to come and gather His people, His church.

So these are the two main words that are listed in the Bible, and their uses ....

2. Where is Heaven?

So let me ask you a question, where is heaven…

What would you say? We would say up?

I was listening to David Jeremiah the other day, he was teaching about heaven and he brought us this thought… if we say that heaven is up here were we are today, what about a person who lives in Australia? They would point up and that would be a totally different place or direction from where we would be pointing today, correct?

So where is heaven....

Jodi Eckeson Tada, who speaks and shares the love of God and has for years, she says her conviction is that heaven is closer than we could ever imagine, almost as if there was a third or fourth dimension…

Now I am not sure I agree with here but I know she is saying that heaven is closer than anyone could hope or imagine.

Ephesians 2:1–6 ESV

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

What do I believe?

I believe heaven is close by, perhaps above us in that the Bible tells us that we are being looked upon by the glorious saints from above…

Listen to this passage from the Book of Hebrews

Hebrews 12:1 ESV

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Now look at the passage, the writer here for Hebrews tells us that since we have a crowd who is a witness of our life, let us strive to do well in the this life...

It is like a ball field if you will, we are players on the field of life, and we have our family in the stands, our friends, etc.. And we want to play, we want to do our best.... yes.

The great cloud of witnesses are in the heavens, literally in the heavens looking down at us.

And then consider Paul… he tells us in the book of 2 Corinthians, that he was caught up into the third heaven...

Lets look at the passage.... 2 Corinthians 12:2-4

Eph 2:1-

2 Corinthians 12:2–4 ESV

2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.

So Paul is the one speaking here, but he says that at a certain point in time God brought him to the third heaven. What does this mean, third heaven?

2 Corinthians 12:2 ESV

2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows.

Well lets consider this...

1st heaven - this is our atmosphere.... where we live. The first chapter of Genesis gives us this point of view

Genesis 1:6–8 ESV

6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

Now do not be confused by the idea of “waters from the waters.” The one water is the ocean and water upon the earth, but God places a atmosphere, a sky etc … above us and there was a heavy water canopy above us that blocked the harmful sun rays, kept the earth at a certain climate etc...

The Bible tells us this water canopy was lost when God flooded the earth.

But what is important here is the truth that there was the first heaven, created to give us a atmosphere.

2nd heaven - There there is a 2nd heaven, This would be the natural heavens that lies beyond our atmosphere. This would be where the moon, stars, planets would exist....

Let me share this next section of Genesis chapter 1 with you.... verses 14-18

Genesis 1:14–18 ESV

14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:14

2nd heaven - There there is a 2nd heaven,

And then we come to the third heaven.... . tells us that Paul was caught up into a third heaven, which was called Paradise....

2 Corinthians 12:3 ESV

3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—

The third heaven is the heaven of heavens, where the glory of God resides.... and Paul as had the joy of seeing this but he is not permitted to speak of anything else he has seen.

Interesting enough the same word is used in

Luke 23:43 ESV

43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

And it is used in

Revelation 2:7 ESV

7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’

So paradise is listed as the place, the third heaven where God resides,and it would be the same place that John the beloved is allowed to see and witness, which is recorded a great deal in the book of revelation.

Now if we look at the Scriptures we find that the Bible tells us exactly where the place we call heaven that we long for and will see one day is located....

For this answer, we will go over to the Old Testament book of Isaiah for the answer

Isaiah 14:13 ESV

13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north;

For this answer, we will go over to the Old Testament book of Isaiah for the answer

So here we are told that heaven is in the far reaches of the North. Now here is what is interesting, astrologers, those who look at, examine and look to the heavens day in and day out have said there in one place in the far nothern area of the heavens.. where there is nothing, it is different from the rest of the heavens

Genesis 1 ESV

1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. 6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. 9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. 14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. 20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. 24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

It was first discovered with the 200-inch telescope on Mount Palomar, California, and is now being studied by three separate observatories across the country.

It was first discovered with the 200-inch telescope on Mount Palomar, California, and is now being studied by three separate observatories across the country. This empty place has been found to be so large that it could contain 2,000 milky ways. The Milky Way is 100,000 light years across. That would mean that light traveling at 186,000 miles per second would take 100,000 years to travel from one end of the Milky Way to the other.

This empty place has been found to be so large that it could contain 2,000 milky ways.

So it appears that heaven is in the northern sky.... and it is interesting enough that in Leviticus tells us that one offering was to be mad on the north side of the altar facing God. it was to be a gift that is burnt offering, there is a special place for this offering

Listen

Leviticus 1:10–11 ESV

10 “If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he shall bring a male without blemish, 11 and he shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar.

A gift that is burnt offering, there is a special place for this offering

Leviticus 1:11 ESV

11 and he shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar.

And finally, Jesus tells us that heaven in a real place…

3. Jesus tells us that heaven in a real place…

Now we know this from one particular place in the Scriptures.. if you will look over with me to , the night before the crucifixion, Jesus speaks about here He was going and the blessing it would be to others...

Leviticus 1:1–11 ESV

1 The Lord called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock. 3 “If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord. 4 He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. 5 Then he shall kill the bull before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall bring the blood and throw the blood against the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 6 Then he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces, 7 and the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. 8 And Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head, and the fat, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar; 9 but its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 10 “If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he shall bring a male without blemish, 11 and he shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar.

John 14:1–3 ESV

1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

Cyril of Alexandria, an other church father spoke of there being no hope for mortals to see the place of God, But Jesus has forever made us a place .

Jesus said I go to prepare a place for you… the word place is Topas, meaning a special place where a sea traveler would arrive at a special, long looked for place. Long looked for and finally found.... this is the place that Jesus has prepared for us....

This place is a mansion, a home, a place of many rooms.... where those who have placed thier faith in Jesus can reside for the rest of eternity.

Heaven is eternaity, a place where the God’s people will be with him through out time.

And we were going to stop here for tonight

Ephesians 2:5–6 ESV

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