“ But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heavenof heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded? “ - 1 Kings 8:27
Heaven - II
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Our anchor text this week is from the lips of Solomon, from his prayer of dedication of the first Temple in Jerusalem, and it provides a perfect jumping off point to start our investigations into Heaven.
Please note, the question asked at the beginning of the text has been answered in the book of Revelation!
Revelation 21:3–5 (KJV): And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God —-is with men—-, and —-he will dwell with them—-, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. “
True Heaven is indeed a place on earth , albeit in a future one ….. ? That is the endgame…. but before we go there, we need to go back to the beginning of the Word, and work our way diligently to get a full-orbed understanding of this word.
It first appears in Genesis 1:1 , ( In the beginning God created the -heaven- and the earth ) … “Shamayim” “Shameh” — The second form being dual of an unused singular; from an unused root meaning to be lofty; the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve): - air, X astrologer, heaven (-s), 421 occurrences in the KJV.
We didn’t pick this name for the sky and outer space , it was —God— that named it …
“ And God made the firmament ( “raqiya” —expanse/arch of the sky” ), 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.”
The fact that this Heaven refers to both sky and stars is abundantly clear in references in Genesis. “And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.” Genesis 1:20–21 (KJV): 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.”
Since stars and birds are not consigned to hell, we can see that this usage of Heaven means air and space, throughout the Old Testament ( use an electronic bible and see for yourself ? ) and these were the heaven(s) that He completed in 6 days. If any final proof is needed, this concept of heaven is rooted in the Abrahamic Covenant—-“And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.”
Throughout the Old Testament , we DO hear that God’s dwelling place is in —-heaven ( “ Then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy dwelling place,even unto heaven ) and in the New Testament, the Lord’s prayer begins with “ Our Father, which art in -heaven”. Jesus would know….
This Heaven is NOT the sky or space ( they were created in proportion to humans )… but is the Heaven of Heavens … ( referenced in our text today ) hmmmm….
There is a hypothesis to be drawn that access to this Heaven of Heavens is VIA outer space, as we see Elijah being carried up into space by a chariot, and even Christ going up to space ( at His Ascension ) before a cloud comes and hides how He was —-physically—- transported to Heaven.
Please note, that this means of transportation is for PHYSICAL entities, as the last words of Christ to the thief on the cross were …. “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, —-To day— shalt thou be with me in paradise.” ? Clearly, Christ expected that He AND the thief, would be carried to Paradise ( /Abrahams Bosom ) by the angels , just as He spoke in His parable(!), about the Rich man and Lazarus, the beggar.
Paul : “ And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” 2 Cor 12:4
John: “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.” - Rev 4:1-2
——- Spiritual access is —-different—- from —-physical access , as confirmed by the apostle Paul, and Johns experiences.
Being kicked out of Heaven and being limited to earth PHYSICALLY is what happened to Satan. In the days of Job, he apparently still had access to the Heaven containing Gods’ throne, as he shows up for a mandatory meeting (along with the other angels ).
Isaiah prophesies what is to be accomplished in Heaven once Christ fulfils His mission ( and Christ confirms the prophecy with His prophetic foresight ) …
Isaiah : “ 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”. Isaiah 14:12-13
Christ: “ And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. “ - Luke 10:18 ( it happens after the 6 seals and seven trumpets ) Revelation 12:7–9..12-13 (KJV): And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in —heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out —-into the earth—, and his angels were cast out with him…… …….Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. “
Here is this weeks takeaway….. Heaven is a physical place, where the Throne of God is.
Matthew 5:34–37 (KJV): “ But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by —heaven; for it is God’s throne: Nor by the —earth; for it is his footstool: neither by —Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy —head, because thou canst not make one —hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. “
We hope it is abundantly clear that Heaven is a physical TANGIBLE place, as Christs sermon references very real TANGIBLE things.
Throughout the Bible we see constant PHYSICAL interactions and goings to and from Heaven to earth… Jacob sees a ladder with angels ascending and descending, God makes PERSONAL visits, to Babel, Abraham, Sodom and Gonorrah ( to see for Himself ) to the tabernacle, to Isaiah, to Ezekiel …. and also sends messengers ( Zechariahs vision of horses, angels to Mary, Peter, Paul and Silas…. etc etc ).
There is also a SPIRITUAL way of “calling” or “being called” from heaven, which transcends the physical… but that is a different mode of operation entirely. Visions, dreams, actual physical/spiritual teleportation ( Moses, Philip, Ezekiel, Jesus ) are other modes of communication that are also referenced in scripture —- it is very clear that there are interactions between that realm and this earthy plane from the beginning of human history.
These interactions are not weird, they make complete sense … angels sent to bear a message from heaven to earth are held up by other angels ( see Daniel 11-13 ), Christ says He is going to prepare a PLACE for us, and has to physically ascend to Heaven to do so.
God IS out there … and He has eyes on what is going on here, AND He has graciously revealed His plans to us, His servants, so that we may be comforted by knowing that our hopes are planted firmly in reality, and can —-persevere—- through 3 1/2 years of hell on earth, should that occur in our lifetime!
Hallelujah!!!!!