A) INTRODUCTION.

B) WHICH HEAVEN.

C) TO THE BIBLE.

 

 

A) INTRODUCTION

 

 

Before I begin, let me state that when I study the Bible about the subject of Heaven, I feel like I’m about to get an education about a world I don’t know anything about.  However, I believe everybody belongs in Heaven (which is why God made you).  And the reason Christ has not Come yet, is He is still looking to fill Heaven with a people that are not ready to go.

 

 

B) WHICH HEAVEN

 

 

We need to understand which “Heaven” we are talking about.  In Second Corinthians 12:2, we find a very helpful statement of Paul’s that helps us to eliminate all verses that talk about “heaven,” but not necessarily the “Heaven” we are interested in; that being the dwelling place of our Lord.  The reference, or expression we are interested in is, the “third Heaven.”

 

The conception of seven heavens was familiar to the Jews; but according to some of the Rabbis there were only threeheavens: (1) The visible clouds in the sky; (2) The one above and beyond the clouds where the stars are; (3) Then the “third heaven,” which would be the invisible region beyond the sky where our Lord dwells.

 

It is a Jewish expression for that Heaven which was beyond (1) the air, and (2) into and beyond the sun and stars; (3) and the secret place of the Almighty.  So to review, the Jews sometimes speak of seven heavens.  But the Bible speaks of but only three heavens, and among the Jews in the apostolic ages, the heavens were divided only into three areas: (1) The aerial, including the clouds and the atmosphere, the heavens above us, until we come to the stars. (2) The starry heavens, the heavens in which the sun, moon, and stars appear to be situated. (3) The Heaven beyond the stars, the residence of God, of angels, and of holy spirits.

 

“Heaven is a school; its field of study, the universe; its teacher, the Infinite One.  A branch of this school was established in Eden; and, the plan of redemption accomplished, education will again be taken up in the Eden school.”  Ed:301.1; FLB:360; Hvn:146.1.

 

I will let you pick out your concept of Heaven by reading for yourself these verses with descriptions of Heaven.

 

 

C) TO THE BIBLE

 

 

OLD TESTAMENT

 

 

Isaiah 11:5-10:

5) And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. 

6) The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 

7) And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together:  and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 

8) And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. 

9) They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. 

10) And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. 

 

Isaiah 65:20-25:

[20] There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.

[21] And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.

[22] They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

[23] They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.

[24] And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

[25] The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock:  and dust shall be the serpent’s meat.  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, saith the LORD.”

 

Ezekiel 1:1, 4-28: 

1) . . . that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

4) And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.

5) Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures.  And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.

6) And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.

7) And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot:  and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.

8) And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.

9) Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.

10) As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side:  and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.

11) Thus were their faces:  and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.

12) And they went every one straight forward:  whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.

13) As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps:  it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.

14) And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.

15) Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.

16) The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl:  and they four had one likeness:  and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.

17) When they went, they went upon their four sides:  and they turned not when they went.

18) As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.

19) And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them:  and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.

20) Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them:  for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

21) When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them:  for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

22) And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.

23) And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other:  every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies.

24) And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host:  when they stood, they let down their wings.

25) And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.

26) And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone:  and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.

27) And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.

28) As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about.  This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.”

 

Ezekiel 28:13-14:

13) Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the Beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold:  the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

14) Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so:  thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.”

 

Ezekiel 31:8-9:

8) The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him:  the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chesnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty.

9) I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches:  so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him.”

 

 

NEW TESTAMENT

 

 

First Corinthians 13:12:  “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:  now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”

 

Second Corinthians 12:4:  “How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.”

 

First John 5:7:  “For there are Three that bear record in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost:  and These Three are One.”

 

Revelation 2:7:  “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”

 

Revelation 3:12:  “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the Temple of My God, and he shall go no more out:  and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of Heaven from My God:  and I will write upon him My new name.”

 

Revelation 4:2-10:

2) And immediately I was in the spirit:  and, behold, a throne was set in Heaven, and one sat on the throne.

3) And He that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone:  and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

4) And round about the throne were four and twenty seats:  and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

5) And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices:  and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the Seven Spirits of God.

6) And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal:  and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.

7) And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.

8) And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within:  and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Which was, and is, and is to come.

9) And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to Him that sat on the throne, Who liveth for ever and ever,

10) The four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne. . .”

 

Revelation 11:19:  “And the Temple of God was opened in Heaven, and there was seen in His Temple the Ark of His Testament. . .”

 

Revelation 12:3-4:

(3) And there appeared another wonder in Heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

(4) And his tail drew the third part of the stars of Heaven, and did cast them to the earth. . .”

 

The point of including these texts is to show that Satan once dwelt there and that he took with him 1/3 of the angels from Heaven (see verses 7 and 8).

 

Revelation 14:17:  “And another angel came out of the Temple which is in Heaven. . .”

 

Revelation 15:5:  “And after that I looked, and, behold, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony in Heaven was opened.”

 

Revelation 16:17:  “. . . out of the Temple of Heaven, from the Throne. . .”

 

Revelation 19:1:  “And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in Heaven. . .”

 

Most Likely This Is The Redeemed Saints Voices, For This Event Is “after” The Second Coming.

 

Revelation 19:11:  “And I saw Heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He [our Lord] that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.”

 

Revelation 19:14:  “And the armies which were in Heaven followed Him [our Lord] upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.”

 

Revelation 20:11:  “And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it. . .”

 

Revelation 21:2:  “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

 

Revelation 21:10:  “. . . that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of Heaven from God. . .”

 

Revelation 21:18-23 & 25:

18) And the building of the wall of it was of jasper:  and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.

19) And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones.  The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;

20) The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.

21) And the twelve gates were twelve pearls:  every several gate was of one pearl:  and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

22) And I saw no Temple therein:  for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it.

23) And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it:  for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

25) And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day:  for there shall be no night there.”