Tags
2 Corinthians 12:2-3, Celestial Heaven, Genesis 1:14, Genesis 1:20, Genesis 1:6-8, Heaven, hell, Jesus, Model Prayer, Psalm 8:3-4
The next few weeks I am going to spend time blogging about Heaven and Hell. I realize there are many who do not believe there are such places. Yet, for the Christ-follower, God’s Word, the Bible, says there are such places, so this enough.
Let’s begin with Heaven.
I Thessalonians 4:13-18 13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
“Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,
Sing is mercy and His grace.
In the mansions bright & blessed,
He’ll prepare for us a place.
When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be.
When we all see Jesus
We’ll sing and shout the victory.”
Will everyone make it to Heaven? Of course not, only Christ-followers can sing that song. Jesus talked about two roads humanity travels, the wide road and the narrow road. The wide road is easy travel, requires no sacrifice, and many find it, but ends in destruction. The narrow road, on the other hand, is difficult. It requires sacrifice. Few find it, but it ends in eternal life. Which road are you on?
2 Corinthians 12:2,3 says, 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows—
3 HEAVENS?
1) Atmospheric Heaven
Genesis 1:6-8 6 Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. 8 God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
The expanse/firmament is the atmosphere surrounding earth – – Genesis 1:20 Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.” The atmosphere extends about 20 miles above the earth. This is the first HEAVEN.
2) Celestial Heaven
Genesis 1:14 Then 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;
Psalm 8:3-4 3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; 4 What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?
This is the second HEAVEN
3) Heaven of Heavens
This is where God lives. For instance, the Model Prayer begins “Our Father Who is in Heaven….” God, although omnipresent, is in a definite place.
This is the third HEAVEN.
This lesson will take a look at this HEAVEN. So, when I mention the word Heaven, I am talking about the THIRD HEAVEN, unless otherwise noted
Next time we will begin looking at how Heaven is described in the Bible.