What is Heaven?⤒🔗

At a first reading of the New Testament, two things are striking when it speaks about heaven. First, that the Greek word for heaven, “ouranos” occurs more than 250 times. It is clear that heaven receives no little attention! In the second place, when we consult a dictionary, we find that the word “ouranos” does not always indicate the same thing. The term is used in the sense of the sky with its clouds, as evidenced by phrases such as “birds of the air”’ (e.g., Matt. 6:26) and “clouds of heaven” (see Matt. 24:30). But the word can also be used for the starry sky. Thus we read about “the stars of heaven” (Heb. 11:12) and the “powers of heaven” (Matt. 24:29). And subsequently it occurs in the sense that concerns us in this chapter, namely as “the dwelling place of God”.

Before we continue to delve more into this last meaning, I want to make a few comments about this threefold use of the concept of “ouranos”.

In the first place from this varied use of the term it shows that the New Testament clearly assumes that the God’s heaven is as spacious and locally determined as are the earth’s atmosphere and the starry sky.

Secondly, I do not believe that this threefold heaven is characteristic of an ancient view of the world. Here we have to do with a natural worldview, common to our humanity, which, although of a pre-scientific order, is yet experienced and understood by everyone. The concept of a threefold heaven is also the most obvious explanation of 2 Corinthians 12:2, where Paul is speaking to the (formerly) Gentile Christians without elucidation about “the third heaven”. Although the third heaven, God’s heaven, is determined locally, one may not ask where it is. It is indeed of a different order than the first two. It is hidden and invisible. That is why we read several times that the heavens are opened. For example, at the time of Jesus’ baptism in Matthew 3:16, where we read, “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him.” And when Stephen is stoned, he says, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56).

God’s heaven is thus a closed book for man, unless it is opened for him. For our knowledge of this heaven we are therefore entirely dependent on divine revelation.

The Invisible Heaven←⤒🔗

Let us now see what the New Testament reveals to us about this invisible heaven. There are two letters, namely the letter to the Hebrews and the one to the Ephesians, which give us some more insight into the identity of this invisible heaven.

We read in Hebrews 4:14, “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” These heavens, which Jesus passed through, are called in Heb. 9:11, “the greater and more perfect tent—not made with hands—that is, not of this creation...” But for example in Heb. 8:1 it says that “we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places ...”

Thus, in Hebrews it is stated both that Jesus is “exalted above the heavens” (Heb. 7:26) and also that he is enthroned in the heavens. A distinction is made between two heavens, both of which do not belong to the transitory creation, namely the heavens that the Lord Jesus passed through and the heaven where God is enthroned. We can notice here that in heaven there is still a difference between heaven and heaven. There is variety and gradation.

This becomes more clear when we read the letter to the Ephesians. This letter consistently speaks in the plural about heavens and with this clearly means several heavens. We see this for example in Ephesians 4:10, when we read of Jesus Christ, “He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens...” At the same time we read in Ephesians 1:20 that God raised the Lord Jesus from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavens (“heavenly places”). In this letter, too, a distinction is made between the heavens that have been passed through by the Lord Jesus, and the heavens where he is seated at the right hand of God.

Heaven and Earth Touch Each Other←⤒🔗

The letter to the Ephesians also makes it clear to us that the invisible heavens extend to the earth. We see this from two occasions.

First, we read that there are also evil powers in the heavens called “cosmic (world) powers over this present darkness” (Eph. 6:12). Ephesians 2: 2 locates these evil powers in the air. We read there about “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience”. These evil spirits are thus in the air, in the heaven that touches the earth directly. We talked about the cloud sky before.

That the invisible heavens stretch to the earth we also see in the given that it is said that the church on earth is found as well “in the heavenly places”. Ephesians 2:5-6 says that God has “made us alive together with Christ”, that he has raised us up with him and “seated us with him in the heavenly places”. In summary, we can say that the concept of “heavens” in the letter to the Ephesians speaks of the spiritual world, which is invisible to our natural senses (see 2 Cor. 4:18), but which nevertheless is thought of as a locality. It stretches from the earth to the throne of God.

Heaven and the Living Believers←⤒🔗

We have seen how the New Testament speaks of heaven in general. We now want to go deeper into the relationship that exists between heaven as the residence of God and the believers. Here it appears that the New Testament distinguishes itself in threefold relationships between heaven and believers, namely that of the living believers, secondly that of the believers who have died and, in the third place, that of the risen believers. Let us have a closer look at these three distinct relationships, one at a time.

As for the living believers, i.e., the believers living on earth before the second coming of Jesus, Paul says in Philippians 3:20, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.” The believers therefore have their homeland in the heavens; they form a colony of heavenly citizens on earth. The relationship with heaven is described even closer in the already mentioned passage of Ephesians 2:4-6 where we read: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ...and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places.” So heaven is not only the place from which the believers receive their blessings, but more than that: the believers who live on earth, at the same time are now already living in the heavenly reality.

Heaven and the Believers Who Have died←⤒🔗

Next we want to read a few passages that deal with the presence of deceased believers in heaven. Not only is their presence important, but also their condition. There are some questions that concern us, such as: have they already obtained the perfection? Are they there in their full consciousness and is their earthly identity recognizable? The fact that there are already believers in heaven is clearly stated on a number of occasions. Note for instance Hebrews 12:23, whereas inhabitants of the heavenly Jerusalem, in addition to the tens of thousands of angels, it also mentions the “spirits of the righteous” i.e., the spirits of believers who have died. So in the heavens there are already believers who have died before the second coming. But what interests us more is the condition in which they find themselves there. When Paul is speaking about his death in Philippians 1:23-24, he says the following: “I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.” To die is to Paul to be “with Christ”. He already experiences this unity with Jesus Christ (see 1 Cor. 6:17), but he expects that this bond will become even more intense after his death. That is why he says: dying and being with Christ, when compared to remaining alive here on earth, is by far the best. Paul’s words are diametrically opposed to the idea of a “soul sleep”. Also what we read in Hebrew 12:23 earlier gives us some insight with regard to our fellow brothers in heaven. It speaks there of “the spirits of the righteous made perfect”.

There is mention of spirits, because these righteous ones have not yet received a glorified body. Therefore, their consummation here is not the ultimate glorification, but the perfect sanctification, as we can read in Hebrews 10:14,  “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” The spirits of the righteous in heaven have not yet attained the perfection of glory.

John’s Vision←⤒🔗

The book of Revelation speaks most clearly about the heavenly situation of the believers between death and resurrection. In Revelation 7:9-17, John is allowed to take a look into heaven. The fact that the vision describes a situation in heaven before the second coming of Christ is shown in particular by the presence of the temple (v.15, see Rev. 11:19); for it will no longer be there on the new earth (Rev. 21:22). John may see here in a vision the moment that a large crowd from all peoples, tribes and nations and languages ​​will be standing before the throne and before the Lamb. The heavenly interpreter then tells John that these people have come out of the great tribulation and we read the following, “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their Shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Rev. 7:15-17). In the first place we note that it is said that these people come out from the great tribulation; their earthly identity is therefore known. Further, we see that there is activity in heaven. There is work going on. The service of God is being continued.

Waiting for God’s Righteousness←⤒🔗

Although the blessings mentioned are very similar to those in the heavenly Jerusalem on the new earth (Rev. 22:1-5), the heavenly situation is nevertheless at a provisional stage. The resurrection of the body and the new earth still lie ahead. The temporary provision of the heavenly life between death and resurrection is also emphasized in Revelation 6:9-11, where we read that John sees souls under the altar in heaven. He says, “I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, ‘O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete...” John speaks here about souls who are in heaven, and yet they are souls who are able to call and pray. They are apparently fully conscious. They also share in the blessings and the existence of a heavenly life, as evidenced by the white robes that they receive. A white luminous garment is typical of a heavenly appearance (see Rev. 4:4; 7:9, 13; Matt. 28:3, Mark 9:3, Acts 1:10). But it appears nowhere more clearly than here that they do not yet enjoy the ultimate perfection. The souls ask how long they have to wait for God’s righteousness to be revealed on earth. They are told that they must wait a short time, that is, until the number of their brothers will be full. Their heavenly glory is provisional. The perfection only comes with the resurrection of the body and the new earth.

Heaven and the Resurrected Believers←⤒🔗

This brings us to the final point, namely heaven and the resurrection of the dead. Paul speaks about this in 2 Corinthians 5:1 when he says: “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” Paul speaks here about the resurrection body, the glorified body that all the believers will receive at the resurrection of the dead. This is what is called “an eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:17). A little further he says that God has in fact prepared us for that (2 Cor. 5:5). This is the perfection of spirit, soul and body, that we will receive at the return of Jesus Christ (see 1 Thess. 5:23).

This total and perfect renewal of the believers is again part of an absolutely perfect renewal of creation, which comes about because heaven will completely embrace the earth. We read about this in Revelation 21:1-2, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away...And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God...”

Not only does the earth have a history, but so does heaven. With the first coming of Christ, heaven and earth have been brought into a new relationship. This is evident, for example, from the expression “in the heavens and on the earth” (e.g., Matt. 6:10; 28:18; Eph 1:10; Col. 1:16, 20). But a time will soon arrive, after the last judgment, that heaven will descend to earth and the separation between the two will be completely lifted. John received the following revelation about this time, which he describes Revelation 21:3-6, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new...I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.’”