'Heaven' in the Bible

Whom have I in heaven [but You]?And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.

You caused judgment to be heard from heaven;The earth feared and was quiet

Yet He commanded the clouds from aboveAnd opened the doors of heaven;

Turn again [in favor to us], O God of hosts;Look down from heaven and see, and take care of this vine,

Truth springs from the earth,And righteousness looks down from heaven.

The heavens (angels) praise Your wonders, O Lord,Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.

“His descendants I will establish forever,And his throne [will endure] as the days of heaven.

For He looked down from His holy height [of His sanctuary],From heaven the Lord gazed on the earth,

The Israelites asked, and He brought quail,And satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

But our God is in heaven;He does whatever He pleases.

May you be blessed of the Lord,Who made heaven and earth.

Lamedh.Forever, O Lord,Your word is settled in heaven [standing firm and unchangeable].

My help comes from the Lord,Who made heaven and earth.

Unto you I lift up my eyes,O You who are enthroned in the heavens!

Our help is in the name of the Lord,Who made heaven and earth.

May the Lord bless you from Zion,He who made heaven and earth.

Give thanks to the God of heaven,For His lovingkindness (graciousness, mercy, compassion) endures forever.

If I ascend to heaven, You are there;If I make my bed in Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead), behold, You are there.

Who made heaven and earth,The sea, and all that is in them,Who keeps truth and is faithful forever,

Let them praise the name of the Lord,For His name alone is exalted and supreme;His glory and majesty are above earth and heaven.

Who has ascended into heaven and descended?Who has gathered the wind in His fists?Who has bound the waters in His garment?Who has established all the ends of the earth?What is His name, and what is His Son’s name?Certainly you know!

And I set my mind to seek and explore by [man’s] wisdom all [human activity] that has been done under heaven. It is a miserable business and a burdensome task which God has given the sons of men with which to be busy and distressed.

I explored with my mind how to gratify myself with wine while [at the same time] having my mind remain steady and guide me wisely; and how to take control of foolishness, until I could see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives.

There is a season (a time appointed) for everything and a time for every delight and event or purpose under heaven—

Do not be hasty with your mouth [speaking careless words or vows] or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter before God. For God is in heaven and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few.

“Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God [one that will convince you that God has spoken and will keep His word]; make your request as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven.”

“How you have fallen from heaven,O star of the morning [light-bringer], son of the dawn!You have been cut down to the ground,You who have weakened the nations [king of Babylon]!

“But you said in your heart,‘I will ascend to heaven;I will raise my throne above the stars of God;I will sit on the mount of assemblyIn the remote parts of the north.

So it will happen in that dayThat the Lord will visit and punish the host (fallen angels) of heaven on high,And the kings of the earth on the earth.

Listen carefully, the Lord is about to come out of His [heavenly] placeTo punish the inhabitants of the earth for their wickedness [their sin, their injustice, their wrongdoing];The earth will reveal the [innocent] blood shed upon herAnd will no longer cover her slain.

For My sword is satiated [with blood] in heaven;Indeed, it will come down for judgment on EdomAnd on the people whom I have doomed for destruction.

“O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.

Look down from heaven and see from Your lofty dwelling place, holy and glorious.Where are Your zeal and Your mighty acts [Your miracles which you did for Your people]?The stirring of Your heart and Your compassion are restrained and withheld from me.

This is what the Lord says,“Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool.Where, then, is a house that you could build for Me?And where will My resting place be?

The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead the dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods that they may offend and provoke Me to anger.

They will [carelessly scatter and] spread them out before the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, which the dead have loved and which they have served, and which they have walked after and which they have sought, and which they have worshiped. They will not be gathered or be buried; they will be like dung on the face of the earth.

“Can anyone hide himself in secret placesSo that I cannot see him?” says the Lord.“Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.

But rather we will certainly perform every word of the vows we have made: to burn sacrifices to the queen of heaven (Ishtar) and to pour out drink offerings to her, just as we ourselves and our forefathers, our kings and our princes did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; for [then] we had plenty of food and were prosperous and saw no misfortune.

But since we stopped burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.”

And said the wives, “When we were burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and were pouring out drink offerings to her, was it without [the knowledge and approval of] our husbands that we made cakes [in the shape of a star] to represent her and pour out drink offerings to her?”

thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, as follows: ‘You and your wives have both declared with your mouth and fulfilled it with your hand, saying, “We will certainly perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn sacrifices to the queen of heaven (Ishtar) and to pour out drink offerings to her.” Surely then confirm your vows and go ahead and perform your vows! [If you intend to defy all My warnings, proceed!]’

‘And I will bring upon Elam the four windsFrom the four corners of heaven;And I will scatter them toward all those winds,And there will be no nationTo which the outcasts of Elam will not go.

We would have healed Babylon, but she was not to be healed.Abandon her and let each [captive] return to his own country,For her guilt and judgment have reached to heavenAnd are lifted up to the very skies.

“Then heaven and earth and all that is in themWill shout and sing for joy over Babylon,For the destroyers will come against her from the north,”Says the Lord.

“Though Babylon should ascend to the heavens,And though she should fortify her lofty stronghold,Yet destroyers will come on her from Me,” says the Lord.

How the Lord has covered the Daughter of Zion (Jerusalem)With a cloud in His anger!He has cast down from heaven to the earthThe glory and splendor of IsraelAnd has not remembered His footstoolIn the day of His anger.

Let us lift up our hearts and our hands [in prayer]Toward God in heaven;

Until the Lord looks downAnd sees from heaven.

in order that they might seek compassion from the God of heaven regarding this secret, so that Daniel and his companions would not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night, and Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

but there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days (end of days). This was your dream and the vision [that appeared] in your mind while on your bed.

You, O king, are the king of [earthly] kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory;

In the days of those [final ten] kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will its sovereignty be left for another people; but it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it will stand forever.

‘And behold, I saw in the visions of my mind as I lay on my bed, an angelic watcher, a holy one, descended from heaven.

In that the king saw an angelic watcher, a holy one, descending from heaven and saying, “Cut the tree down and destroy it; but leave the stump with its roots in the earth, but with a band of iron and bronze around it in the new grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him feed with the beasts of the field until seven periods of time pass over him,”

And in that it was commanded to leave the stump with the roots of the tree [in the earth], your kingdom shall be restored to you after you recognize (understand fully) that Heaven rules.

While the words were still in the king’s mouth, a voice came [as if falling] from heaven, saying, ‘O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: “The kingdom has been removed from you,

“But at the end of the days [that is, at the seven periods of time], I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my understanding and reason returned to me; and I blessed the Most High [God] and I praised and honored and glorified Him who lives forever,For His dominion is an everlasting dominion;And His kingdom endures from generation to generation.

“All the inhabitants of the earth are regarded as nothing.But He does according to His will in the host of heavenAnd among the inhabitants of the earth;And no one can hold back His handOr say to Him, ‘What have You done?’

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and faithful and His ways are just, and He is able to humiliate and humble those who walk in [self-centered, self-righteous] pride.”

And you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven, and the vessels of His house have been brought before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or understand. But the God who holds in His hand your breath of life and your ways you have not honored and glorified [but have dishonored and defied].

And [in my vision] this horn grew up to the host of heaven, and caused some of the host and some of the stars to fall to the earth, and it trampled on them.

Indeed, it magnified itself to be equal with the Commander of the host [of heaven]; and it took away from Him the daily sacrifice (burnt offering), and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down (profaned).

“Though they dig into Sheol [to hide in the deepest pit],From there My hand will take them [for judgment];And though they climb up to heaven [to hide in the realm of light],From there will I bring them down [for judgment].

So he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I [reverently] fear and worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”

Bring all the tithes (the tenth) into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you [so great] a blessing until there is no more room to receive it.

“Repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life], for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased and delighted!”

From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life], for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

“Blessed [spiritually prosperous, happy, to be admired] are the poor in spirit [those devoid of spiritual arrogance, those who regard themselves as insignificant], for theirs is the kingdom of heaven [both now and forever].

“Blessed [comforted by inner peace and God’s love] are those who are persecuted for doing that which is morally right, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven [both now and forever].

Be glad and exceedingly joyful, for your reward in heaven is great [absolutely inexhaustible]; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.

So whoever breaks one of the least [important] of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least [important] in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them, he will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

“For I say to you that unless your righteousness (uprightness, moral essence) is more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

But I say to you, do not make an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God;

so that you may [show yourselves to] be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on those who are evil and on those who are good, and makes the rain fall on the righteous [those who are morally upright] and the unrighteous [the unrepentant, those who oppose Him].

“Be [very] careful not to do your good deeds publicly, to be seen by men; otherwise you will have no reward [prepared and awaiting you] with your Father who is in heaven.

“Pray, then, in this way:‘Our Father, who is in heaven,Hallowed be Your name.

‘Your kingdom come,Your will be doneOn earth as it is in heaven.

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal;

If you then, evil (sinful by nature) as you are, know how to give good and advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven [perfect as He is] give what is good and advantageous to those who keep on asking Him.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.

I say to you that many [Gentiles] will come from east and west, and will sit down [to feast at the table, and enjoy God’s promises] with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven [because they accepted Me as Savior],

And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

“Therefore, the one who confesses and acknowledges Me before men [as Lord and Savior, affirming a state of oneness with Me], that one I will also confess and acknowledge before My Father who is in heaven.

But the one who denies and rejects Me before men, that one I will also deny and reject before My Father who is in heaven.

I assure you and most solemnly say to you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater [in privilege] than he.

From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize].

And you, Capernaum, are you to be exalted to heaven [for your apathy and unresponsiveness]? You will descend to Hades (the realm of the dead); for if the miracles done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth [I openly and joyfully acknowledge Your great wisdom], that You have hidden these things [these spiritual truths] from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants [to new believers, to those seeking God’s will and purpose].

For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven [by believing in Me, and following Me] is My brother and sister and mother.”

Jesus replied to them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.

Jesus gave them another parable [to consider], saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.

He gave them another parable [to consider], saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field;

He told them another parable, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and worked into three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

“The kingdom of heaven is like a [very precious] treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again; then in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field [securing the treasure for himself].

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls,

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet which was lowered into the sea, and gathered fish of every kind,

He said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things that are new and fresh and things that are old and familiar.”