45 of 63

Write now Article Tools

The Nature of Heaven

This article is extracted in part from Aliens in the Bible: A Biblical Perspective of Supernatural Entities, Realms of Existence, and Pheomenon, found at http://www.AliensInTheBible.co m

Heaven is both a spiritual, and a physical place. Understanding this concept is important, because it opens up more possible interpretations in scripture that many people aren't aware of.

Heaven is defined as the physical expanse surrounding the Earth. Examples of this are in Genesis 1:15-18, and Exodus 32:13. It is common throughout scripture to see the term "Heaven", and "Heavens", used in context with a description of the sky, and outer space.

Genesis 1:15-18
15And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the Earth: and it was so. 16And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 17And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the Earth, 18And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

Exodus 32:13
13Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.

Equally common in scripture are verses describing the spiritual aspect of heaven. In short, the spiritual aspect of heaven refers to the presence of God. This is the definition that most people are familiar with. In Genesis 28:12-13, Psalms 11:4, and Matthew 6:9, among many others, this spiritual aspect is exemplified.

In order to get the complete understanding of what, and where heaven is, both of these definitions should be combined. On the micro level, the entire human race over its entire existence has been going through different levels of glory. All levels other than the highest level are intermediary levels of glory which will all pass away on Judgment Day, leaving only the saved to spend eternity with God, and the deceived to eternally perish in the lake of fire.

Before the fall, there was no sickness or death. Adam and Eve lived in God's presence. After the fall, mankind was under the curse of death. Then, after the great flood of Noah, the life span of mankind dramatically decreased. The level of glory for man was decreased to the point that simply being in God's presence would be fatal.

• 1
• 2
• 3
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Searching for truth in the Bible?
We want to hear your view. Write now!