Praise the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome as we study the Bible together. Today, we will briefly explore the nature of heaven and who currently dwells there.
When God created mankind, He made us with three parts: soul, body, and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23 NKJV: “May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless…”). This mirrors God’s own triune nature in a way—God has a soul, a spirit, and a body (the Word became flesh, John 1:14 NKJV).
God created man in His image (Genesis 1:27 NKJV), so He Himself possesses these aspects in perfect unity.
Hebrews 1:3 (NKJV) says, “Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” This verse shows Jesus Christ as God incarnate—the eternal God in bodily form who lived, died, was resurrected, and ascended to heaven.
1 Timothy 3:16 (NKJV) affirms this: “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory.”
Jesus is the only one who has ascended into heaven to sit at God’s right hand (Mark 16:19 NKJV; Acts 1:9-11 NKJV).
John 3:13 (NKJV) clearly states: “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.”
This means no human being, except Jesus, has entered the full, eternal heaven where God dwells.
You may ask, “What about Elijah and Enoch, who were ‘taken to heaven’?” The Bible explains these cases differently.
Hebrews 11:5 (NKJV) says of Enoch: “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, ‘and was not found, because God had taken him’; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” The word “taken” (Greek metatithemi) implies translation or removal, not necessarily entry into the ultimate heaven.
Elijah was taken up to Paradise (Luke 16:22 NKJV calls it “Abraham’s bosom,” a temporary resting place), not the new heaven prepared for believers (John 14:2-3 NKJV).
The Bible differentiates Paradise from the full heaven. Paradise is a place of rest and waiting for the saved dead, but it is not the eternal heaven where God dwells (2 Corinthians 12:4 NKJV: Paul describes being caught up to the “third heaven”—the final heaven).
Many people claim to have been taken to heaven in visions or dreams, but these are spiritual visions, not physical visits. The Lord reveals glimpses of heaven to encourage His people and prepare them for what is to come (Acts 10:9-16 NKJV; Revelation 4:1-6 NKJV).
Even in ordinary dreams, sensory details can seem very real, but they are not actual physical reality.
The visions God gives differ among individuals, showing various aspects of heaven: golden streets (Revelation 21:21 NKJV), precious stones (Revelation 21:18-19 NKJV), angels in white robes (Revelation 7:9 NKJV), and indescribable beauty.
This diversity in visions explains why testimonies vary—if people had physically been there, their accounts would be identical.
Both visions point to the same reality but are shown differently.
Similarly, Ezekiel’s cherubim have four faces each (Ezekiel 1:5-10 NKJV), whereas John sees four cherubim, each with one face (Revelation 4:6-8 NKJV). These variations emphasize symbolic visions rather than literal, physical descriptions.
Currently, no human has entered the final heaven (Revelation 21:1-4 NKJV) prepared by God for His people. Only Jesus is there now, preparing a place for us (John 14:2-3 NKJV).
When believers die, they go to Paradise (Luke 23:43 NKJV), a place of peace and rest, awaiting resurrection.
On the last day, all believers will be resurrected (John 5:28-29 NKJV), transformed, and given glorified bodies (1 Corinthians 15:42-44 NKJV; Philippians 3:20-21 NKJV) capable of living eternally in heaven.
Suddenly, believers will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NKJV), entering the eternal, new heaven.
Maranatha—“Our Lord, come!” (1 Corinthians 16:22 NKJV; Revelation 22:20 NKJV) is the cry of all saints.
The day will bring an end to suffering for God’s people and eternal joy in His presence. Those outside of Christ will face judgment and sorrow (Matthew 25:46 NKJV).
Make sure you give your life to Jesus Christ today, so you can be part of those who will inherit the eternal glory God has prepared.
May the Lord richly bless you.
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