Is Heaven real?
I (the Apostle Paul) was caught up into Paradise (God’s heaven, the third heaven) and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.
The Bible Mentions Three Heavens
The first heaven is the atmosphere that surrounds the earth. It has the air we breathe and the clouds in the sky. The second heaven is where the heavenly bodies are. It has the sun, our planets, and the stars. The third heaven is where God lives. It is the home of angels. We don’t see the third heaven, but the Bible says it exists and tells us about it.
Where is God’s Heaven?
We don’t know where God’s heaven is, but the Bible’s descriptions describe some things about it.
Heaven is Up
The Bible describes it as “up” from the earth. When Jesus ascended to the Father in heaven, “He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight (Acts 1:9).”
With a touch of humor and irony, God said He had to come down to see the Tower of Babel, which the rebellious builders thought reached up to heaven: “The Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built (Genesis 11:5).”
Jesus is the Only Way
Jesus is the only way to heaven, and He tells believers that He is preparing a place for them there. Jesus promises that He will be there with believers:
“I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also (John 14:2-3, 6).
Though we can’t see where heaven is now, we do know how to get there–by believing in Jesus’ Name, and God promises eternal life to all who believe (John 1:12). Jesus told His disciples that they know the way and that He is the way.
The Apostle Paul Visited Heaven
A man (the Apostle Paul) describes a visit to the third heaven, which Christians enter at death:
“Whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows— I (Paul) was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak (2 Corinthians 12: 2-4).”
The Blessed Dead and Paradise
Jesus told a parable, popularly known as “The Rich Man and Lazarus,” in which He describes a beggar who died and angels carried him to Abraham’s side. Abraham’s side is a metaphor for Paradise, the place of the blessed dead. Jesus said the beggar was comforted there while the rich man was in agony in Hades (Luke 16:22-25).
Read more about where you go when you die here.
In Eternity Heaven will Come to Earth
Jesus told the Apostle John where heaven will be in eternity future:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away….And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them (Revelation 21:1-4).”
The angel in Revelation measured the city, New Jerusalem, and it is an enormous cube:
“The city lies as a square, its length as long as its width. He measured the city with the rod: one thousand four hundred miles. Its length and breadth and height are equal (Revelation 21:16).”
God Invites You to Heaven
So, in eternity future, God will bring His dwelling place, (heaven) to earth to dwell with His people. Now that you know the way there, we hope to see you there.
To find out how you can go to heaven, we invite you to watch the GREAT NEWS FOR YOU video on this page.
