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HEAVENSLEVEL
Heaven
(what the Bible says about Heaven)
I've often wondered how many heavens are there or are there just 3 or just one heaven as many believe ?
Heaven as in the celestial place where God, Jesus on the throne, where the angels reside and where our spirit will go someday and have a new body of some form some day. The heaven as in the sky, clouds and stars, etc. It depends on the context of the verse(s) we are reading in the Bible. Also, can there be more than 1,2,3 or 7 heavens ?
Well, based on the Bible, the information leads us to believe that there are only 3 heavens. Here's my explanation..
The word for heaven in Hebrew is "Shamayim" and throughout the Old Testament this term is used interchangeably to describe the sky above OR God's dwelling place.
Examples of usage to describe the sky/atmosphere above: Genesis 1:9, 1:14, Isaiah 13:10, Isaiah 55:10 and Psalm 102:25.
A couple of examples where heaven is used to refer to the dwelling place of God the father and that special celestial place. If you read and think about the context of Joshua 2:11, Rahab is saying, " ...your God in Heaven and of earth..". She is stating that the God of Israel is in his dwelling place. Another example of the same word but used for heaven as God's dwelling place is in 1 Kings 8:30. There are more verses that refer to the Heaven where God resides or where the heavenly home and throne is but I think I'm making my point.
The third heaven is where God's dwelling place is and where the angels are, etc. This heaven where the Lord's heavenly throne is described in Acts 7:55, Psalm 45:6. The Apostle Paul writes about the third Heaven in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, you can read this scripture but Paul talks about meeting someone who was taken up to the Third Heaven. In the New Testament the Greek word for heaven is "ouranos" and the like the OT Hebrew word can mean the expanse of the sky and stars up in the atmosphere or that celestial place where God the Father resides.
The first heaven, which is never mentioned exactly like this in the Bible, is the space and sky around the earth as mentioned previously. See Genesis 1:9, is definitely the sky, clouds, stars and sun, etc that is around us and/or above us. There are several verses that refers to the heaven as the sky, clouds and stars, etc. Just to add another verse to the list of verses that I mentioned already is 2 Chronicles 2:12. I really think this a statement as to God who made earth and the universe. Some may say it refers to earth, the physical realm, and heaven, the heavenly/spiritual realm.
Many believe that the place where Satan resides is the second heaven but I have to admit that I think that is just trying to put this idea in perspective as it relates to human logical terms. There very well could be a second heaven however Satan is described in Ephesians 2:2 as the prince of the air moving around in this atmosphere and, I think, he is in some spiritual realm between Hell and earth for the most part. Furthermore, the Apostle John writes in Revelation 2:13 that Satan has his throne in the city of Pergamum or in that vicinity of the city where that third church is in the list of the seven churches. So we can't be sure if Satan resides in a second heaven or not in my opinion.
This is a topic not talked about to much from the pulpit but at the end of the day it's the most important subject that needs to be taught after being guided by the Holy Spirit and understanding our response to salvation. The important thing is the salvation story and how we can walk closely with the Lord in obedience and be guided by the Holy Spirit.
Reach out with questions or comments
to Larry.heavenslevel@gmail.com
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