Is Heaven a Real Place?

Is Heaven a place or a relationship? Are there physical aspects to heaven or is it all metaphysical and allegorical? Is heaven a place we can touch?

Here are a few quotes from some wrong sources:

“Fundamentally, heaven is not a place at all. It is our definitive relationship with God, just as hell is the eternal severing of that relationship. 'Heaven' is where God is; and to be with God is to be 'in heaven'.”

“Thus, heaven is not a place, but "spirit." Heaven is not up or down, because Jesus was saying in Luke 17:20-21 that one cannot see heaven...it is not a physical place.”

“We talk about dying and “going to” heaven, as if we hop on a bus and ride from Point A to Point B. It may be that we better understand heaven as “the presence of the Lord, (Job 1:12)”.”

I have heard these claims myself. But I can assure you, there is a Heaven. It is a real, tangible place as much as St. Louis or Springfield. There is ample evidence in Scripture to support my view. We learn in Scripture about various places called heaven:

There is the first heaven, the atmosphere, where birds fly and clouds gather:

And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. Genesis 1:7-8

And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. Genesis 1:20

And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not. And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. 1Kings 18:44-45

Next is the second heaven, the stratosphere, where the Sun, Moon, and Stars are located:

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And 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. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, Genesis 1:14-17

Finally there is the third heaven, the place of the Lord’s Throne:

The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. Psalm 11:4

But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Matthew 5:34

And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. Matthew 23:22

And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. Revelation 16:17

The concept of multiple heavens is not unusual to the Scriptures:

Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD'S thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is. Deuteronomy 10:14

I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. 2Corinthians 12:2

People are often confused between “Heaven” and “Kingdom of Heaven”. This confusion is not necessary. The Third Heaven contains the Throne of God. God, as The King Eternal, is ruler over His Kingdom.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 7:21

This Kingdom is referred to as either the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven.

But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 19:14

But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Mark 10:14

We become a part of this Kingdom when we acknowledge our sin and we humble ourselves and receive the payment for our sin made by Christ on the cross. We then are members of the Kingdom upon Salvation. Joining the Kingdom of Heaven does not mean we have gone to Heaven.

Heaven, the third heaven, is an actual place. God’s Throne is not just a symbol of God’s judgment, but it is a actual, tangible, throne located in a specific location. The Throne of God is located in the Temple of Heaven.

And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. Revelation 16:17

We are given a better picture of heaven when we look at what Lucifer tried to do:

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. Isaiah 14:12-15

In the north side (yes, there is north, south, east, and west in heaven) of the mount of the congregation (there are mountains too) Lucifer wanted to enter the Temple and assume the power and authority of the Throne of God. He failed. Even after his failure, he still stands before the Throne to give audience to the King as recorded in Job:

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. Job 1:6

Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. Job 2:1 -2

There is evidence too we are going to heaven:

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matthew 6:19-21

And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. Revelation 19:1 -5

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. 2Corinthians 5:1-4

Heaven is a real place. In the future, we will be able to walk its width and breadth in our glorified body. This is the reality of Scripture.

Until Next Time, Keep Studying The Scriptures.