Heaven: A Spiritual – Not Material – Realm!

Uplook – July/August 2016 — Grace & Truth Magazine

HEAVEN —
A Spiritual, Not Material, Realm!

Heaven Is Not A “Gigantic Space Station” Or “Another Planet”
“In the beginning, God created” (Gen. 1:1 ESV ) and “by [the Son] all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible” (Col. 1:16). If the heaven where God dwells were a material place, it would be a part of creation, but it is not.

Thus, contrary to the thinking of some, we cannot be taken to that heaven by a spaceship or any other device of man. Nor can we ever see it by using a telescope, no matter how powerful. It is impossible to detect this heaven by any man-made instrument. Scoffers ridicule the idea of heaven because they argue that heaven must be a material place, but that assumption is wrong.

The apostle Paul speaks of the “third heaven” and calls it “paradise” (2 Cor. 12:2-4). What is the third heaven? The first heaven is the heaven just above the earth where the birds fly and airplanes travel. The second heaven is where the stars and planets are located. We call that heaven “space;” and being part of creation, it has properties that we can measure. The third heaven is where God the Creator dwells. It has not been created – it is not a material domain. Heaven is a spiritual realm.

Where Is The Third Heaven?
Scripture always uses the word “up” or related words in speaking of the location of the third heaven, often calling it just “heaven.” Note carefully that when looking at a model of our solar system, “up” from North America is the opposite direction than “up” from Australia. “Up,” therefore, is simply away from the earth. Actually the third heaven is “a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor. 5:1), and it is “outside” of material creation. We have great difficulty in understanding or accepting such an idea because our experiences have always been within the three-dimensional realm.

Who Is In The Spiritual Place Called “Heaven”?
One must be of spirit to be in a spiritual realm. This includes God, for “God is spirit” (Jn. 4:24). Angels are there – they are “ministering spirits” (Heb. 1:14). The Bible says that man was created “a little ... lower than the angels” (2:7), consisting of “spirit and soul and body” (1 Th. 5:23). Therefore, heaven includes people made fit to be there by faith (Gal. 3:5-14).

Most of the human beings there now are the soul-spirits of those who have died in Christ, but that disembodied state will not be allowed to persist. The resurrection will occur and at that time their soul-spirits will be given a changed body, a material “spiritual body” (1 Cor. 15:44). The bodies of living believers will be changed into similar spiritual bodies also (vv.51-53); and all believers will then be in heaven with the Lord forever (1 Th. 4:17).

The Bible says very little about the spiritual body other than “the Lord Jesus Christ ... will transform our lowly body to be like His [present] glorious body” (Phil. 3:20-21). This change is called “the redemption of our bodies” (Rom. 8:23).

Angels, The Ministering Spirits
Ranked in order of power, we have:

1. God
2. Angels
3. Man

Nothing follows “man” as there is no other thing spoken of as having spirit.

As already mentioned, man, speaking of men and women, has a material body in addition to a spirit and soul. But angels, although sometimes appearing as men, are only spirit. Angels are told, “Praise the LORD, O you His angels, you mighty ones who do His word, obeying the voice of His Word” (Ps. 103:20). However, not all angels seek to obey the LORD – these are “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12).

Angels have access to heaven. We see an example of this in Job: “There was a day when the sons of God [angels] came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them” (1:6). Satan is “that ancient serpent, who is called the devil” and “the accuser of our brothers ... who accuses them day and night before our God” (Rev. 12:9-10). However, his days are numbered!

“The Son of God appeared ... to destroy the works of the devil” (1 Jn. 3:8) and to “destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:14). There will be “war ... in heaven,” and Satan will be “thrown down to the earth, and his angels ... with him” (Rev. 12:7-9). The destiny of the devil is “the lake of fire and sulfur” (Rev. 20:10), which is “the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Mt. 25:41). Eternal fire will be the destiny also of men and women whose names are “not found written in the book of life” (Rev. 20:15).

Whose Names Are In The Book Of Life?
This book of life will be opened and used for the judgment of unbelievers at the great white throne. Scripture does not answer questions about the specific names in this book, but our Lord Jesus tells us that “whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (Jn. 3:18). The wonderful truth is: “There is ... now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1)!

Believers need not fear the judgment at the great white throne. Why? It is because we will have been raptured and “will always be with the Lord” (1 Th. 4:16-17). However, the destiny of unbelievers is the lake of fire!

God tells us about the horrible destiny for the unbeliever so those who do not believe will take advantage of the way of escape which He has provided. He wants all men to “be saved by Him [Christ] from the wrath of God” (Rom. 5:9). Stated another way, He “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). He does not want to condemn anyone!

Will you be in that spiritual place called “heaven”?

By Alan H. Crosby

Very little is said of believers going to heaven, though their citizenship is there now (Phil. 3:20). But they are to be where Jesus is, and He went to heaven and prepared a place for them. In Revelation the four and twenty elders, which represent all believers, are seen in heaven sitting on “seats” (4:4 KJV), before falling down in worship (5:9-12). Every creature adds, “Blessing, and honour, and glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever” (v.13). Amen. —George Morrish, Concise Bible Dictionary (adapted).