Reference: Heaven
American
In the Bible, means primarily the region of the air and clouds, and of the planets and stars, but chiefly the world of holy bliss above the visible heavens. It is called "the third heaven," "the highest heaven," and "the heaven of heavens," expressions nearly synonymous. There holy beings are to dwell, seeing all of God that it is possible for creatures to see. Thither Christ ascended, to intercede for his people and prepare for them a place where all shall at length be gathered, to go no more out forever, Eph 4:10; Heb 8:1; 9:24-28. In this life we can know but little of the location and appearance of heaven, or of the employments and blessedness of its inhabitants. The Scriptures inform us that all sin, and every other evil, are forever excluded; no fruits of sin will be found there-no curse nor sorrow nor sighing, no tear, no death: the former things are passed away. They describe it figuratively, crowding together all the images which nature or art can supply to illustrate its happiness. It is a kingdom, an inheritance: there are rivers of pleasure, trees of life, glorious light, rapturous songs, robes, crowns, feasting, mirth, treasures, triumphs. They also give us positive representations: the righteous dwell in the presence of God; they appear with Christ in glory. Heaven is life, everlasting life: glory, an eternal weight of glory: salvation, repose, peace, fullness of joy, the joy of the Lord. There are different degrees in that glory, and never-ceasing advancement. It will be a social state, and its happiness, in some measure, will arise from mutual communion and converse, and the expressions and exercises mutual benevolence. It will include the perfect purity of every saint; delightful fellowship with those we have here loved in the Lord, Mt 8:11; 17:3-4; 1Th 2:19; 4:13-18; the presence of Christ, and the consciousness that all is perfect and everlasting. We are taught that the body will share this bliss as well as the soul: the consummation of our bliss is subsequent to the resurrection of the body; for it is redeemed as well as the soul, and shall, at the resurrection of the just, be fashioned like unto Christ's glorious body. By descending from heaven, and reascending thither, he proves to the doubting soul the reality of heaven; he opens it door for the guilty by his atoning sacrifice; and all who are admitted to it by his blood shall be made meet for it by his grace, and find their happiness for ever in his love. See KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.
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I tell you, many will come from the east and the west, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven:
Moses and Elijah appeared, and they were talking to him. Peter told Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, let us make three tents here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.
He that descended is the same also that ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)
Here is a summary of the things we are discussing: We have this kind of high priest. He sat down at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in heaven.
Christ has not entered into the Holy Place made with human hands. This is a copy of the true one. He has entered into heaven to appear before the presence of God for us. Neither should he offer himself as the high priest enters into the Holy Place every year with blood of others. read more. Otherwise he would have to suffer often from the founding of the world. He has presented himself once at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. It is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. He will appear the second time without sin to those who look to him for their salvation.
Easton
(1.) Definitions. The phrase "heaven and earth" is used to indicate the whole universe (Ge 1:1; Jer 23:24; Ac 17:24). According to the Jewish notion there were three heavens,
(a) The firmament, as "fowls of the heaven" (Ge 2:19; 7:3,23; Ps 8:8, etc.), "the eagles of heaven" (La 4:19), etc.
(b) The starry heavens (De 17:3; Jer 8:2; Mt 24:29).
(c) "The heaven of heavens," or "the third heaven" (De 10:14; 1Ki 8:27; Ps 115:16; 148:4; 2Co 12:2).
(2.) Meaning of words in the original,
(a) The usual Hebrew word for "heavens" is shamayim, a plural form meaning "heights," "elevations" (Ge 1:1; 2:1).
(b) The Hebrew word marom is also used (Ps 68:18; 93:4; 102:19, etc.) as equivalent to shamayim, "high places," "heights."
(c) Heb galgal, literally a "wheel," is rendered "heaven" in Ps 77:18 (R.V., "whirlwind").
(d) Heb shahak, rendered "sky" (De 33:26; Job 37:18; Ps 18:11), plural "clouds" (Job 35:5; 36:28; Ps 68:34, marg. "heavens"), means probably the firmament.
(e) Heb rakia is closely connected with (d), and is rendered "firmamentum" in the Vulgate, whence our "firmament" (Ge 1:6; De 33:26, etc.), regarded as a solid expanse.
(3.) Metaphorical meaning of term. Isa 14:13-14; "doors of heaven" (Ps 78:23); heaven "shut" (1Ki 8:35); "opened" (Eze 1:1). (See 1Ch 21:16.)
(4.) Spiritual meaning. The place of the everlasting blessedness of the righteous; the abode of departed spirits.
(a) Christ calls it his "Father's house" (Joh 14:2).
(b) It is called "paradise" (Lu 23:43; 2Co 12:4; Re 2:7).
(c) "The heavenly Jerusalem" (Ga 4:1; 6:18; Heb 12:22; Re 3:12).
(d) The "kingdom of heaven" (Mt 25:1; Jas 2:5).
(e) The "eternal kingdom" (2Pe 1:11).
(f) The "eternal inheritance" (1Pe 1:4; Heb 9:15).
(g) The "better country" (Heb 11:14,16).
(h) The blessed are said to "sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," and to be "in Abraham's bosom" (Lu 16:22; Mt 8:11); to "reign with Christ" (2Ti 2:12).
In heaven the blessedness of the righteous consists in the possession of "life everlasting," "an eternal weight of glory" (2Co 4:17), an exemption from all sufferings for ever, a deliverance from all evils (2Co 5:1-2) and from the society of the wicked (2Ti 4:18), bliss without termination, the "fulness of joy" for ever (Lu 20:36; 2Co 4:16,18; 1Pe 1:4; 5:10; 1Jo 3:2). The believer's heaven is not only a state of everlasting blessedness, but also a "place", a place "prepared" for them (Joh 14:2).
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In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Then God said: Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters. Let it separate the waters from the waters.
The heavens and the earth and their immense arrangement were completed.
Then Jehovah God formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to let him name them. Whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.
Also take seven of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth.
Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out. Men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.
Behold, heaven and the highest heavens belong to Jehovah your God, even the earth and all that is in it.
Some worship and bow down to other gods, the sun, the moon, or the whole army of heaven. I have forbidden this.
There is none like the God of Jeshurun (Israel). He rides the heavens to give you help. He goes through the skies in his majesty.
There is none like the God of Jeshurun (Israel). He rides the heavens to give you help. He goes through the skies in his majesty.
When you hold back the rain because your people have sinned against you. And when they repent in this Temple, humbly praying to you,
David saw the angel standing in midair, holding his sword in his hand, ready to destroy Jerusalem. Then David and the leaders of the people, all of whom were wearing sackcloth bowed low, with their faces touching the ground.
Look at the heavens, observe the clouds and see. They are higher than you.
The clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind.
Have you, like him, spread out the skies, strong as a cast metal mirror?
the birds, the fish, whatever swims in the currents of the seas.
He made the darkness his hiding place, his pavilion round about, the dark rain clouds his covering.
You went to the highest place. You took prisoners captive. You have received gifts in the form of people, even from among rebellious people, so that Jehovah God may live there [with them].
Acknowledge the power of God. His majesty is over Israel, and his power is in the skies.
The voice of your thunder was in the whirlwind. The lightning lit up the world. The earth trembled and shook.
Jehovah on high is mightier than the noise of many waters. Yes he is mightier than the mighty waves of the sea.
He looked down from his holy height. Jehovah gazed upon the earth from heaven.
The highest heaven belongs to Jehovah, but he has given the earth to the sons of men.
You thought: 'I will go up to heaven (Mount Zion) and set up my throne above God's stars (messengers). I will sit on the mountain of meeting far away in the north where the gods assemble. I will go above the top of the clouds. I will be like the Most High.'
They will be spread out and exposed to the sun, the moon, and all the stars in the sky. These are the things that they had loved, served, gone after, sought, and worshiped. Their bones will not be gathered or buried, but they will become manure on the ground.
Can a man hide himself in hiding places so I do not see him? asks Jehovah. Do I not fill the heavens and the earth? Declares Jehovah.
Those who went after us were quicker than the eagles of the heaven. They drive us before them on the mountains. They wait secretly for us in the wasteland.
I was living among the exiles by the Chebar River. On the fifth day of the fourth month in the thirtieth year the [figurative] heaven opened and I saw visions from God.
I tell you, many will come from the east and the west, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven:
Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened. The moon will not give light. The stars will fall from heaven. The powers of the heavens will be shaken.
The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man died and was buried.
They cannot die anymore for they are equal to the angels. They are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.
He replied: Today I tell you this. You will be with me in paradise.
In my Father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
In my Father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
The God that made the world and all things in it is the Lord of heaven and earth. He does not live in temples made with hands.
Our light affliction is for the moment. It works more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory for us.
We know that if our earthly house (human body) (habitation of life) is destroyed; we have a building from God. It is an everlasting house in the heavens, not made with human hands. In this we sigh (in silent prayer), longing to be clothed with our habitation that is from heaven.
But I say that so long as the heir is a child, he does not differ from a bondservant, though he is owner of the estate.
The grace (Greek: charis, divine favor, loving-kindness) of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit (Greek: pneuma, mental outlook, attitude), brothers. Amen.
When this letter has been read among you, make sure it is read also in the congregation of the Laodiceans; and that you also read the letter from Laodicea.
I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my imprisonment. Grace be with you.
If we endure, we will also reign with Him. If we deny him, He will deny us!
The Lord will deliver me from every evil work. He will save me to his heavenly kingdom. To him is the glory forever and ever. Amen.
For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant. A death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant. Those called may receive the promise of everlasting inheritance.
Those who say such things declare that they are seeking a country of their own.
They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Because of this, God is not ashamed to be called their God. He has prepared a city for them!
You have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads (thousands of thousands) of angels,
Listen, my dearly beloved brothers! Did God choose poor people in the world to be rich in faith and to receive the kingdom he promised to those who love him?
You are born to an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that does not fade away and is reserved in heaven for you.
For in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly (abundantly) supplied to you.
He who can hear should listen to what the Spirit says to the congregations! To him who overcomes I will give the right to eat the fruit of the tree of life that grows in the (Paradise) Garden of God.'
I will make the one who overcomes, a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will not go out from it anymore. I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is the New Jerusalem. This city comes down out of heaven from my God. I will write my new name on him.
Fausets
From "heaved up;" so "the heights" (Ps 148:1). The Greek ouranos and the Hebrew shamaim, are similarly derived. It is used of the surrounding air wherein "the fowls of heaven" fly (Ge 1:26, compare Ge 1:20); from whence the rain and hail fall (De 11:11). "I will make your heaven as iron," i.e. your sky hard and yielding no rain (Le 26:19). "The four quarters of heaven" (Jer 49:36) and "the circuit of heaven" (Job 22:14) refer to the atmospheric heaven. By metaphor it is represented as a building with foundations and pillars (2Sa 22:8; Job 26:11), with an entrance gate (Ge 28:17) and windows opened to pour down rain (Ge 7:11, compare 2Ki 7:2; Mal 3:10). Job 37:18, "spread out the sky ... strong ... as a molten looking glass," not solid as "firmament" would imply, whereas the "expanse" is the true meaning (Ge 1:6; Isa 44:24), but phenomenally like one of the ancient mirrors made of firm molten polished metal.
Matthew, who is most Hebraistic in style, uses the plural, the Hebrew term for heaven being always so. "The heaven of heavens" (De 10:14) is a Hebraism for the highest heavens. Paul's "third heaven" (2Co 12:2) to which he was caught up implies this superlatively high heaven, which he reached after passing through the first heaven the air, and the second the sky of the stars (Eph 4:10). Heb 7:26, "made higher than the heavens," for Christ "passed through the heavens" (Heb 4:14, Greek), namely, the aerial heaven and the starry heaven, the veil through which our High Priest passed into the heaven of heavens, the immediate presence of God, as the Levitical high priest passed through the veil into the holy of belies. The visible heavens shall pass away to give place to the abiding new heaven and earth wherein shall dwell righteousness (Ps 102:25-27; Isa 65:17; 66:22; 2Pe 3:7,13; Re 21:1; Heb 12:26-28).
The kingdom of the heavens in Matthew, for "the kingdom of God" in Mark and Luke, is drawn from Da 4:26, "the heavens do rule," (Da 2:44) "the God of heaven shall set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed." It consists of many stages and phases, issuing at last in heaven being brought down fully to earth, and the tabernacle of God being with men (Re 21:2-3,10, etc.). The plurality of the phases is expressed by "the kingdom of the heavens." The Bible is distinguished from the sacred books of false religions in not having minute details of heavenly bliss such as men's curiosity would crave. The grand feature of its blessedness is represented as consisting in holy personal union and immediate face to face communion with God and the Lamb; secondarily, that the saints are led by the Lamb to living fountains of water, and fed with the fruit of the tree of life in the midst of the paradise of God, the antitype of the former Adamic paradise.
It is no longer merely a garden as Eden, but a heavenly "city" and garden combined, nature and art no longer mutually destructive, but enhancing each the charm of the other, individuality and society realized perfectly (Revelation 2-3, 7, 21-22). No separate temple, but the whole forming one vast "temple," finding its center in the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb, who are the temple to each and all the king-priests reigning and serving there. This was the model Moses was shown on Sinai (Heb 7:1-6). The earthly tabernacle was its pattern and figure (Heb 9:23-24). The "altar" (Re 6:9) and the "censer," etc. (Re 8:3), the "temple" in heaven (Re 11:19; 14:17; 15:5,8), are preliminary to the final state when there shall be "no temple therein" (Re 21:22), for the whole shall be perfectly consecrated to God.
Negatives of present provisional conditions and evils form a large part of the subordinate description of heaven's bliss: no marriage (Lu 20:34-36), no meats for the belly (1Co 6:13), no death, no sorrow, crying, pain; no defilement, no curse, no night, no candle, no light of the sun, for the Lord God giveth them light (Re 21:4,27; 22:3,5). Heaven is not merely a state but a place. For it is the place where Christ's glorifed body now is; "the heaven must receive Him until the times of restitution of all things" (Ac 3:21).
Thither He will "receive His people to Himself" after He hath "prepared a place for them" (Joh 14:2-4), that where He is there His servants may be (Joh 12:26). From heaven, which is God's court, angels are sent down to this earth, as the multitude of the heavenly host (distinct from the host of heaven," Ac 7:42), and to which they return (Lu 2:13-15; 22:43). God Himself is addressed "Our Father who art in heaven." His home is the parent home, the sacred hearth of the universe.
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Then God said: Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters. Let it separate the waters from the waters.
God said: Let the waters be filled with many kinds of living beings, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.
Then God said: Let us make man in our image, in our likeness. Let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth and over all the creatures that move along the ground.
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month, on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the sky were opened.
He was filled with reverence. He said: This is an awesome place! Certainly, this is the house of God and the gateway to the heavens!
I will crush your arrogance. You will have no rain, and your land will be as hard as cement.
Behold, heaven and the highest heavens belong to Jehovah your God, even the earth and all that is in it.
But the land you go to possess is a land of hills and valleys. It drinks water from the rain from the clouds in the sky.
Earth shook and shivered! The columns supporting the sky rocked back and forth. You were angry.
The personal attendant of the king said to Elisha: If Jehovah could make floodgates in the heavens could this happen? Elisha replied: You will see it with your own eyes. But you will not eat from it.
Thick clouds enwrap him, so that he does not see, and he walks on the dome of the heavens.'
The pillars of heaven tremble, and are astounded at his rebuke.
Have you, like him, spread out the skies, strong as a cast metal mirror?
You founded the earth of old. The heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you endure. All of them will wear out like a garment; like clothing you will renew them and they will be renewed. read more. But you are the same. Your years will not come to an end.
Praise Jehovah! Praise Jehovah from the heavens. Praise him in the heights above.
I am Jehovah, your savior. I am the one who created you. I am Jehovah, the Creator of all things. I alone stretched out the heavens! No one helped me when I made the earth (I was by myself) (Who was with me?).
Behold! I WILL CREATE A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.
The new heaven and earth that I am about to make will continue in my presence, declares Jehovah. So your descendants and your name will also continue in my presence.
I will bring the four winds from the four corners of heaven against Elam and scatter its people in every direction. There will not be a nation where Elam's refugees will not go.
In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed. Its sovereignty will not be entrusted to another people. It will break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms and it will stand forever!
Because they commanded to leave the stump and the roots of the tree your kingdom will be sure to you. After that you will know that the heavens do rule.
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse. Test me, said Jehovah of Hosts, and see if I will open the windows of heaven and pour out showers of blessing upon you until there is no more want.
Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God, and saying: Glory to God in the highest. Peace on earth among men with whom he is pleased. read more. The angels went away from them into heaven. Then the shepherds said to one another, Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which God told us about.
Jesus said, The sons of this age marry, and are given in marriage. Those accounted worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage. read more. They cannot die anymore for they are equal to the angels. They are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.
An angel came to him and gave him strength.
If you want to serve me follow me! My servant will be where I am and the Father will honor my servant.
In my Father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and I will receive you to myself, for where I am you may also be. read more. You know where I go and you know the way.
whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things. God spoke about this through all his holy prophets since the world began.
God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven. It is written in the book of the prophets: O you house of Israel, have you offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?
Foods are for the belly, and the belly for foods, but God will destroy both of them. Now the body is not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body.
I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I do not know; or whether out of the body, I do not know; God knows), such a one caught up even to the third heaven.
He that descended is the same also that ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)
We have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, so let us hold fast our confession.
Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him. Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything to him. He was first of all, by translation of his name, King of Righteousness, and then he was also ruler of Salem, which means, King of Peace. read more. He was without father or mother or genealogy, and neither had beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God, he continues as a priest forever. See how great he was! Abraham the patriarch gave him a tenth of the spoils. The descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the Law to take tithes from the people. This is from their brothers, for these are descended from Abraham. But this man does not have their genealogy. He received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.
Such a high priest as this was suitable for us. He is holy, harmless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and higher than the heavens.
It was necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these. But the heavenly things should be cleansed with better sacrifices than these. Christ has not entered into the Holy Place made with human hands. This is a copy of the true one. He has entered into heaven to appear before the presence of God for us.
His voice shook the earth then, but now he has promised: I will once more shake not only the earth but also heaven. The words once more plainly show that the created things will be shaken and removed, so that the things that cannot be shaken will remain. read more. Let us be thankful, because we will receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Let us be grateful and worship (serve) (intensely adore) God in a way that will please him, with reverence and awe.
When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the persons who were slaughtered because of the word of God, and for the witness they gave.
Another angel, with a golden incense vessel, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense so he could offer it with the prayers of all the holy ones upon the golden altar before the throne.
The temple of God was opened in heaven. There was seen in his temple the ark of his covenant. And there were lightnings and voices and thunder and an earthquake and great hail.
Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
After that I noticed the temple of the sanctuary of the tent of witness was opened in heaven.
The temple was filled with smoke from the glory and power of God. No man was able to enter into the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.
I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. There was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. read more. Then I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying: Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men. He will dwell with them and they will be his people! God will be with them, and be their God. God will wipe away all tears from their eyes. There will be no more death. There will be no more sorrow nor crying. There will be no more pain! The former things have passed away.
He carried me away in spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy city Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.
I saw no temple there: for the Jehovah God the Almighty and the Lamb are the temple.
Nothing impure will ever enter it. The shameful and deceitful will not enter. Only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life will enter.
There will be no curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city. His servants will serve him.
There will be no night there. They need no lamp, neither light of the sun, for Jehovah God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.
Hastings
In the cosmic theory of the ancient world, and of the Hebrews in particular, the earth was flat, lying between a great pit into which the shades of the dead departed, and the heavens above in which God and the angels dwelt, and to which it came to be thought the righteous went, after having been raised from the dead to live for ever. It was natural to think of the heavens as concave above the earth, and resting on some foundation, possibly of pillars, set at the extreme horizon (2Sa 22:9; Pr 8:27-29).
The Hebrews, like other ancient peoples, believed in a plurality of heavens (De 10:14), and the literature of Judaism speaks of seven. In the highest, or Aravoth, was the throne of God. Although the descriptions of these heavens varied, it would seem that it was not unusual to regard the third heaven as Paradise. It was to this that St. Paul said he bad been caught up (2Co 12:2).
This series of superimposed heavens was regarded as filled by different sorts of superhuman beings. The second heaven in later Jewish thought was regarded as the abode of evil spirits and angels awaiting punishment. The NT, however, does not commit itself to these precise speculations, although in Eph 6:12 it speaks of spiritual hosts of wickedness who dwell in heavenly places (cf. Eph 2:2). This conception of heaven as being above a flat earth underlies many religious expressions which are still current. There have been various attempts to locate heaven, as, for example, in Sirius as the central sun of our system. Similarly, there have been innumerable speculations endeavouring to set forth in sensuous form the sort of life which is to be lived in heaven. All such speculations, however, lie outside of the region of positive knowledge, and rest ultimately on the cosmogony of pre-scientific times. They may be of value in cultivating religious emotion, but they belong to the region of speculation. The Biblical descriptions of heaven are not scientific, but symbolical. Practically all these are to be found in the Johannine Apocalypse. It was undoubtedly conceived of eschatologically by the NT writers, but they maintained a great reserve in all their descriptions of the life of the redeemed. It is, however, possible to state definitely that, while they conceived of the heavenly condition as involving social relations, they did not regard it as one in which the physical organism survived. The sensuous descriptions of heaven to be found in the Jewish apocalypses and in Mohammedanism are altogether excluded by the sayings of Jesus relative to marriage in the new age (Mr 12:25|), and those of St. Paul relative to the 'spiritual body.' The prevailing tendency at the present time among theologians, to regard heaven as a state of the soul rather than a place, belongs likewise to the region of opinion. The degree of its probability will be determined by one's general view as to the nature of immortality.
Shailer Mathews.
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Behold, heaven and the highest heavens belong to Jehovah your God, even the earth and all that is in it.
You breathed out smoke. Scorching heat and fiery flames spewed from your mouth.
When he prepared the heavens, I was there. When he circled the face of the deep: When he established the clouds above, when he strengthened the fountains of the deep, read more. When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his command, when he appointed the foundations of the earth,
For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as angels in heaven.
I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I do not know; or whether out of the body, I do not know; God knows), such a one caught up even to the third heaven.
You once walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the power (authority and jurisdiction) of the air, the spirit that is now active in the sons of disobedience.
Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places.
Morish
The principal words so translated are shamayim, from 'the heights,' and ???????. They are used in a variety of senses: as
1. The atmosphere in which the birds fly, and the lightning appears, and from whence the rain descends. Ge 7:23; De 11:11; Da 4:21; Lu 17:24. It will pass away. 2Pe 3:10,12.
2. The firmament or wide expanse in which are seen the sun, moon, and stars. Ge 1:14-15,17.
3. The abode of God, where His throne is. Ps 2:4; 11:4; Mt 5:34. Whence the Lord descended and to which He ascended, and where He was seen by Stephen. Mr 16:19; Ac 7:55; 1Co 15:47.
4. The abode of angels. Mt 22:30; 24:36; Ga 1:8.
It is important to see that, in forming the present system of this world, God made a heaven to this earth, so that the earth should be ruled from heaven. The blessing of the earth, either materially or morally, depends upon its connection with heaven. This blessing will be full when the kingdom of the heavens is established in the Son of man, and He will come in the clouds of heaven. Ps 68:32,35. It is the place of angelic power, 'the principalities and powers in the heavenly places' being angelic, Satan and his angels, though fallen, still being among them. Job 1:6; 2:1; Re 12:7-9.
That there are various heavens is evident; Satan cannot have entrance into the glory, and Paul speaks of being caught up into the third heavens, 2Co 12:2; and the Lord Jesus passed through the heavens, and we read of 'the heaven of heavens.' De 10:14; 1Ki 8:27. Very little is said of the saints going to heaven, though their citizenship is there now, Phi . 3:20; but they are to be where Jesus is, and He went to heaven, and prepared a place for them. In the Revelation the four and twenty elders are seen in heaven sitting on 'thrones.' To Him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Believers "look for NEW HEAVENS and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." 2Pe 3:13; Re 21:1.
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Then God said: Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. Let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years. Let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth. It was so.
He placed the lights in the sky to shine on the earth.
Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out. Men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.
Behold, heaven and the highest heavens belong to Jehovah your God, even the earth and all that is in it.
But the land you go to possess is a land of hills and valleys. It drinks water from the rain from the clouds in the sky.
The day came when heavenly beings appeared before Jehovah (YHWH). Satan was there among them.
One day when the sons of God came to present themselves in front of Jehovah, Satan the Accuser came along with them.
The One who dwells in heaven laughs. Jehovah scoffs at them.
Jehovah is in his holy temple. Jehovah's throne is in heaven. His eyes see. They examine the sons of men.
You kingdoms of the world, sing to God. Make music to praise Jehovah.
God, the God of Israel, is awe-inspiring in his holy place. He gives strength and power to his people. Praise God!
whose leaves were beautiful and fruit abundant, and in it was food for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the birds of the heavens lived:
I tell you, offer no promises at all, not by heaven, because it is God's throne.
In the resurrection they will not marry nor be given in marriage. They will be like the angels in heaven.
No one knows the day and the hour (the period of time). The angels of heaven do not know. The Son does not know. Only the Father knows!
After he had spoken to them the Lord Jesus, was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.
Just as the light from lightning shines from one part of the sky to another part of the sky, so the Son of man will be in his day.
Being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I do not know; or whether out of the body, I do not know; God knows), such a one caught up even to the third heaven.
If we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any message other than that which we preached to you, let him be accursed (condemned) (expelled).
The day of Jehovah will come as a thief. The heavens will pass away with a great noise. The elements shall be dissolved with intense heat. And the earth and the works in it will be burned up (destroyed). (Joel 2:31) (Zephaniah 1:14)
Look for and earnestly desire the coming presence of the Day of Jehovah. (Zephaniah 1:14) The heavens being on fire will be dissolved (destroyed), and the elements will melt with intense heat! We look for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. This is according to his promise.
War broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. The dragon lost and no place in heaven was found for him any longer. read more. The great dragon was thrown down, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was hurled down to the earth, and his angels with him.
I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. There was no more sea.
Smith
Heaven.
There are four Hebrew words thus rendered in the Old Testament which we may briefly notice.
1. Raki'a, Authorized Version, firmament. [FIRMAMENT]
See Firmament
2. Shamayim. This is the word used in the expression "the heaven and the earth," or "the upper and lower regions."
3. Marom, used for heaven in
Ps 18:16; Isa 24:18; Jer 25:30
. Properly speaking it means a mountain as in
4. Shechakim, "expanses," with reference to the extent of heaven.
De 33:26; Job 35:5
St. Paul's expression "third heaven,"
had led to much conjecture. Grotius said that the Jews divided the heaven into three parts, viz.,
1. The air or atmosphere, where clouds gather;
2. The firmament, in which the sun, moon and stars are fixed;
3. The upper heaven, the abode of God and his angels, the invisible realm of holiness and happiness the home of the children of God.
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There was evening and there was morning, a third day.
There is none like the God of Jeshurun (Israel). He rides the heavens to give you help. He goes through the skies in his majesty.
Look at the heavens, observe the clouds and see. They are higher than you.
He reached down from high above and took hold of me. He pulled me out of the raging water.
He looked down from his holy height. Jehovah gazed upon the earth from heaven.
Those who flee in terror will fall into a trap, and those who escape the trap will step into a snare. Destruction falls on you from the heavens. The world is shaken beneath you.
That is why you will prophecy all these things to them and say: Jehovah roars from above. He thunders from his holy dwelling place. He roars against his land. He shouts like those who stomp grapes. He shouts against all those who live on earth.
All kinds of birds will find shelter under the tree, and they will rest in the shade of its branches.
I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I do not know; or whether out of the body, I do not know; God knows), such a one caught up even to the third heaven.
Watsons
HEAVEN, the place of the more immediate residence of the Most High, Ge 14:19. The Jews enumerated three heavens: the first was the region of the air, where the birds fly, and which are therefore called "the fowls of heaven," Job 35:11. It is in this sense also that we read of the dew of heaven, the clouds of heaven, and the wind of heaven. The second is that part of space in which are fixed the heavenly luminaries, the sun, moon, and stars, and which Moses was instructed to call "the firmament or expanse of heaven," Ge 1:8. The third heaven is the seat of God and of the holy angels; the place into which Christ ascended after his resurrection, and into which St. Paul was caught up, though it is not like the other heavens perceptible to mortal view.
2. It is an opinion not destitute of probability, that the construction of the tabernacle, in which Jehovah dwelt by a visible symbol, termed "the cloud of glory," was intended to be a type of heaven. In the holiest place of the tabernacle, "the glory of the Lord," or visible emblem of his presence, rested between the cherubims; by the figures of which, the angelic host surrounding the throne of God in heaven was typified; and as that holiest part of the tabernacle was, by a thick vail, concealed from the sight of those who frequented it for the purposes of worship, so heaven, the habitation of God, is, by the vail of flesh, hidden from mortal eyes. Admitting the whole tabernacle, therefore, in which the worship of God was performed according to a ritual of divine appointment, to be a representation of the universe, we are taught by it this beautiful lesson, that the whole universe is the temple of God; but that in this vast temple there is "a most holy place," where the Deity resides and manifests his presence to the angelic hosts and redeemed company who surround him. This view appears to be borne out by the clear and uniform testimony of Scripture,; and it is an interesting circumstance, that heaven, as represented by "the holiest of all," is heaven as it is presented to the eye of Christian faith, the place where our Lord ministers as priest, to which believers now come in spirit, and where they are gathered together in the disembodied state. Thus, for instance, St. Paul tells the believing Hebrews, "Ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born, which are written," or are enrolled, "in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than the blood of Abel," Heb 12:22-24. Here we are presented with the antitype of almost every leading circumstance of the Mosaic dispensation. Instead of the land of Canaan, we have heaven; for the earthly Jerusalem, we have the heavenly, the city of the living God; in place of the congregation of Israel after the flesh, we have the general assembly and church of the first-born, that is, all true believers "made perfect;" for just men in the imperfect state of the old dispensation, we have just men made perfect in evangelical knowledge and holiness; instead of Moses, the mediator of the old covenant, we have Jesus the Mediator of the new and everlasting covenant; and instead of the blood of slaughtered animals, which was sprinkled upon the Israelites, the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, to make a typical atonement, we have the blood of the Son of God, which was shed for the remission of the sins of the whole world; that blood which doth not, like the blood of Abel, call for vengeance but for mercy, which hath made peace between heaven and earth, effected the true and complete atonement for sin, and which therefore communicates peace to the conscience of every sinner that believes the Gospel.
3. Among the numerous refinements of modern times, that is one of the most remarkable which goes to deny the locality of heaven. "It is a state," say many, "not a place." But if that be the case, the very language of the Scriptures, in regard to this point, is calculated to mislead us. For that God resides in a particular part of the universe, where he makes his presence known to his intelligent creatures by some transcendent, visible glory, is an opinion that has prevailed among Jews and Christians, Greeks and Romans, yea, in every nation, civilized or savage, and in every age; and, since it is confirmed by revelation, why should it be doubted? Into this most holy place, the habitation of the Deity, Jesus, after his resurrection, ascended; and there, presenting his crucified body before the manifestation of the divine presence, which is called "the throne of the Majesty in the heavens," he offered unto God the sacrifice of himself, and made atonement for the sins of his people. There he is sat down upon his throne, crowned with glory and honour, as king upon his holy hill of Zion, and continually officiates as our great High Priest, Advocate, and Intercessor, within the vail. There is his Father's house, into which he is gone before, to prepare mansions of bliss for his disciples; it is the kingdom conferred upon him as the reward of his righteousness, and of which he has taken possession as their forerunner, Ac 1:11; Heb 6:19-20.
4. Some of the ancients imagined that the habitation of good men, after the resurrection, would be the sun; grounding this fanciful opinion on a mistaken interpretation of Ps 19:4, which they rendered, with the LXX and Vulgate, "He has set his tabernacle in the sun." Others, again, have thought it to lie beyond the starry firmament, a notion less improbable than the former. Mr. Whiston supposes the air to be the mansion of the blessed, at least for the present; and he imagines that Christ is at the top of the atmosphere, and other spirits nearer to or more remote from him according to the degree of their moral purity, to which he conceives the specific gravity of their inseparable vehicles to be proportionable. Mr. Hallet has endeavoured to prove that they will dwell upon earth, when it shall be restored to its paradisaical state. The passages of Scripture, however, on which he grounds his hypothesis, are capable of another and very different interpretation. After all, we may observe, that the place of the blessed is a question of comparatively little importance; and we may cheerfully expect and pursue it, though we cannot answer a multitude of curious questions, relating to various circumstances that pertain to it. We have reason to believe that heaven will be a social state, and that its happiness will, in some measure, arise from mutual communion and converse, and the expressions and exercises of mutual benevolence. All the views presented to us of this eternal residence of good men are pure and noble; and form a striking contrast to the low hopes, and the gross and sensual conceptions of a future state, which distinguish the Pagan and Mohammedan systems. The Christian heaven may be described to be a state of eternal communion with God, and consecration to hallowed devotional and active services; from which will result an uninterrupted increase of knowledge, holiness, and joy, to the glorified and immortalized assembly of the redeemed.
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God called the expanse heaven. There was evening and there was morning, a second day.
He blessed him and said: Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth.
Who teaches us more than the animals of the earth, and makes us wiser than the birds of the air?
Yet, their measuring line (rule) has gone out into the entire world, their message to the ends of the earth. He has set up a tent in the heavens for the sun.
They said: You men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was received up from you into heaven will come in a similar manner as you saw him go into heaven.
We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of life. It is a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain. That is where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
You have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads (thousands of thousands) of angels, to the general assembly and congregation of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just (righteous) (holy) men made perfect (mature) (having all needed qualities). read more. You have come to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks in a better way than the blood of Abel.