Reference: Heaven
American
In the Bible, means primarily the region of the air and clouds, and of the planets and stars, but chiefly the world of holy bliss above the visible heavens. It is called "the third heaven," "the highest heaven," and "the heaven of heavens," expressions nearly synonymous. There holy beings are to dwell, seeing all of God that it is possible for creatures to see. Thither Christ ascended, to intercede for his people and prepare for them a place where all shall at length be gathered, to go no more out forever, Eph 4:10; Heb 8:1; 9:24-28. In this life we can know but little of the location and appearance of heaven, or of the employments and blessedness of its inhabitants. The Scriptures inform us that all sin, and every other evil, are forever excluded; no fruits of sin will be found there-no curse nor sorrow nor sighing, no tear, no death: the former things are passed away. They describe it figuratively, crowding together all the images which nature or art can supply to illustrate its happiness. It is a kingdom, an inheritance: there are rivers of pleasure, trees of life, glorious light, rapturous songs, robes, crowns, feasting, mirth, treasures, triumphs. They also give us positive representations: the righteous dwell in the presence of God; they appear with Christ in glory. Heaven is life, everlasting life: glory, an eternal weight of glory: salvation, repose, peace, fullness of joy, the joy of the Lord. There are different degrees in that glory, and never-ceasing advancement. It will be a social state, and its happiness, in some measure, will arise from mutual communion and converse, and the expressions and exercises mutual benevolence. It will include the perfect purity of every saint; delightful fellowship with those we have here loved in the Lord, Mt 8:11; 17:3-4; 1Th 2:19; 4:13-18; the presence of Christ, and the consciousness that all is perfect and everlasting. We are taught that the body will share this bliss as well as the soul: the consummation of our bliss is subsequent to the resurrection of the body; for it is redeemed as well as the soul, and shall, at the resurrection of the just, be fashioned like unto Christ's glorious body. By descending from heaven, and reascending thither, he proves to the doubting soul the reality of heaven; he opens it door for the guilty by his atoning sacrifice; and all who are admitted to it by his blood shall be made meet for it by his grace, and find their happiness for ever in his love. See KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
But I say unto you, Many from east and west, will have come, and shall recline with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, in the kingdom of the heavens;
And lo! there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, conversing with him. And Peter, answering, said unto Jesus - Lord! it is, delightful, for us, to be here, - If thou wilt, I will make here three tents, for thee, one, and, for Moses, one, and, for Elijah, one.
He that descended, he, it is who also ascended over-above all the heavens, that he might fill all things;
A crowning point on the things being spoken: - such a one as this, have we, as high-priest, who hath sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, -
For, not into a Holy place made by hand, entered Christ, - counterpart of the real Holy place ; but, into the heaven itself, now, to be plainly manifested before the face of God in our behalf; - Nor yet that, ofttimes, he should be offering himself, - just as the high-priest entereth into the Holy place, year by year, with alien blood; - read more. Else had it been needful for him, ofttimes, to suffer, from the foundation of the world; but, now, once for all, upon a conjunction of the ages, for a setting aside of sin through means of his sacrifice, hath he been made manifest; And, inasmuch as it is in store for men - once for all to die, but after this, judgment, Thus, the Christ also, once for all having been offered, for the bearing of the sins, of many, a second time, apart from sin, will appear, to them who for him are ardently waiting - unto salvation.
Easton
(1.) Definitions. The phrase "heaven and earth" is used to indicate the whole universe (Ge 1:1; Jer 23:24; Ac 17:24). According to the Jewish notion there were three heavens,
(a) The firmament, as "fowls of the heaven" (Ge 2:19; 7:3,23; Ps 8:8, etc.), "the eagles of heaven" (La 4:19), etc.
(b) The starry heavens (De 17:3; Jer 8:2; Mt 24:29).
(c) "The heaven of heavens," or "the third heaven" (De 10:14; 1Ki 8:27; Ps 115:16; 148:4; 2Co 12:2).
(2.) Meaning of words in the original,
(a) The usual Hebrew word for "heavens" is shamayim, a plural form meaning "heights," "elevations" (Ge 1:1; 2:1).
(b) The Hebrew word marom is also used (Ps 68:18; 93:4; 102:19, etc.) as equivalent to shamayim, "high places," "heights."
(c) Heb galgal, literally a "wheel," is rendered "heaven" in Ps 77:18 (R.V., "whirlwind").
(d) Heb shahak, rendered "sky" (De 33:26; Job 37:18; Ps 18:11), plural "clouds" (Job 35:5; 36:28; Ps 68:34, marg. "heavens"), means probably the firmament.
(e) Heb rakia is closely connected with (d), and is rendered "firmamentum" in the Vulgate, whence our "firmament" (Ge 1:6; De 33:26, etc.), regarded as a solid expanse.
(3.) Metaphorical meaning of term. Isa 14:13-14; "doors of heaven" (Ps 78:23); heaven "shut" (1Ki 8:35); "opened" (Eze 1:1). (See 1Ch 21:16.)
(4.) Spiritual meaning. The place of the everlasting blessedness of the righteous; the abode of departed spirits.
(a) Christ calls it his "Father's house" (Joh 14:2).
(b) It is called "paradise" (Lu 23:43; 2Co 12:4; Re 2:7).
(c) "The heavenly Jerusalem" (Ga 4:1; 6:18; Heb 12:22; Re 3:12).
(d) The "kingdom of heaven" (Mt 25:1; Jas 2:5).
(e) The "eternal kingdom" (2Pe 1:11).
(f) The "eternal inheritance" (1Pe 1:4; Heb 9:15).
(g) The "better country" (Heb 11:14,16).
(h) The blessed are said to "sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," and to be "in Abraham's bosom" (Lu 16:22; Mt 8:11); to "reign with Christ" (2Ti 2:12).
In heaven the blessedness of the righteous consists in the possession of "life everlasting," "an eternal weight of glory" (2Co 4:17), an exemption from all sufferings for ever, a deliverance from all evils (2Co 5:1-2) and from the society of the wicked (2Ti 4:18), bliss without termination, the "fulness of joy" for ever (Lu 20:36; 2Co 4:16,18; 1Pe 1:4; 5:10; 1Jo 3:2). The believer's heaven is not only a state of everlasting blessedness, but also a "place", a place "prepared" for them (Joh 14:2).
See Verses Found in Dictionary
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
And God said, Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it be a means of dividing, between waters and waters,
Thus were finished the heavens and the earth and all their host.
Now Yahweh God had formed from the ground every living thing of the field and every bird of the heavens, which he brought in unto the man, that he might see what he should call it, - and, whatsoever the man should call it - any living soul, that, should be the name thereof.
Also of the bird of the heavens, by sevens, male and female, - to keep alive a seed on the face of all the earth.
Thus was wiped out all that existed on the face of the ground, from man unto beast unto creeping thing, and unto the bird of the heavens, thus were they wiped out from the earth, - so that there was left - only Noah and they that were with him in the ark.
Lo! unto Yahweh thy God, belong the heavens even the highest heavens, - the earth, with all that is therein.
yea hath gone, and served other gods, and bowed down unto them, - whether unto the sun or unto the moon or unto any of the host of the heavens which I have not commanded;
There is none like GOD, O Jeshurun, - Riding upon the heavens to thy help, - And for his own majesty, on the skies;
There is none like GOD, O Jeshurun, - Riding upon the heavens to thy help, - And for his own majesty, on the skies;
And it came to pass, after three days, that the officers went through the midst of the camp,
When the heavens are shut up, and there is no rain, because they have been sinning against thee, - and they shall pray toward this place, and confess thy Name, and, from their sin, shall return, because thou hast been afflicting them,
And, when David lifted up his eyes, and saw the messenger of Yahweh, standing, between the earth and the heavens, and his sword drawn, in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem, then fell David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, upon their faces.
Look at the heavens and see, - and survey the skies - they are higher than thou.
With which the clouds flow down, They drop on man in abundance.
Didst thou spread out, with him, the skies, strong as a molten mirror?
The bird of the heavens, and the fishes of the sea, - the passer-by on the paths of the seas?
Made darkness his hiding-place, Round about him - his pavilion, Darkness of waters, clouds of vapours.
Thou hast ascended on high, Thou hast led in procession a body of captives, Thou hast received gifts consisting of men, Yea even the rebellious, That, Yah, Elohim, might settle down to rest.
Ascribe ye strength unto God, - Over Israel, is his majesty, And his strength, in the skies. To be revered is God, for his sanctuary, -
The, voice of thy thunder, was in the whirlwind, Thy lightnings illumined the world, The earth, trembled and quaked;
Though he had commanded the skies above, And, the doors of the heavens, had opened;
With the sounds of many waters, Majestic are the breakers of the sea, Majestic on high, is Yahweh.
That he looked down, out of his holy height, Yahweh, from the heavens unto the earth, directed his gaze; -
As for the heavens, the heavens, belong to Yahweh, but the earth, hath he given to the sons of men.
Yet, thou, didst say in thy heart - The heavens, will I ascend, Above the stars of GOD, will I lift up my throne, - That I may sit in the Mount of Assembly In the Recesses of the North: I will mount on the hills of the clouds, I will match the Most High!
And shall spread them out - To the sun, and To the moon, and To all the host of the heavens, Whom they have loved, And whom they have served, And after whom they have walked, And whom they have sought, And to whom they have bowed themselves down, - They shall not be gathered, Neither shall they be buried, As heaps of dung on the face of the ground, shall they be.
Can any hide himself in secret places that I, shall not see him? Demandeth Yahweh, - The heavens and the earth, do I not fill? Demandeth Yahweh.
Swifter are our pursuers, than the eagles of the heavens, - Over the mountains, have they come hotly after us, In the wilderness, have they lain in wait for us.
And it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth mouth on the fifth day of the month I being in the midst of them of the captivity, by the river Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
But I say unto you, Many from east and west, will have come, and shall recline with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, in the kingdom of the heavens;
But, straightway after the tribulation of those days, the sun, will be darkened, and, the moon, will not give her brightness, and, the stars, will fall from heaven, - and, the powers of the heavens, will be shaken;
Then, will the kingdom of the heavens become like unto, ten virgins, who, taking their torches, went forth to meet the bridegroom.
And it came to pass that the beggar died, and was carried away by the messengers, into the bosom of Abraham. And, the rich man also, died, and was buried.
For they cannot, even die any more, - for, equal unto messengers, are they, and are, sons of God, Of the resurrection, being, sons.
And he said unto him - Verily, I say unto thee this day: With me, shalt thou be in Paradise.
In the house of my Father, are, many dwellings; or else I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you.
In the house of my Father, are, many dwellings; or else I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you.
The God that made the world and all things that are therein, the same, being, Lord, of heaven and earth, not in hand-made shrines, doth dwell,
For, the momentary lightness of thee tribulation, in a manner yet more and more excelling, is working out for us, an age-abiding weight of glory, -
For we know that - -if, our earthly tent-dwelling, should be taken down, we have, a building of God, a dwelling not made by hand, age-abiding in the heavens. And verily, in this, we sigh, earnestly desiring to clothe ourselves over, with our habitation which is of heaven, -
But I say: - for as long a time as, the heir, is an infant, he differeth, nothing, from a servant, though, lord of all,
The favour of our Lord Jesus Christ, be with your spirit, brethren. Amen.
And, as soon as the epistle hath been read amongst you, cause that, in the assembly of Laodiceans also, it be read; and, that from Laodicea, that, ye also, read.
The salutation of me Paul, with my own hand: - keep in mind my bonds. Favour be with you!
If we endure, we shall also reign together; If we shall deny, he also, will deny us,
The Lord will rescue me from every wicked work, and will bring me safe into his heavenly kingdom: unto whom be the glory, unto the ages of ages. Amen.
And, for this cause, of a new covenant, is he mediator, - to the end that, death coming to pass for the redemption of the transgressions against the first covenant, the called might receive the promise of the age-abiding inheritance;
For, they who such things as these are saying, make it clear that, of a paternal home they are in quest;
But, now, after a better one, are they reaching, that is, a heavenly; wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be invoked as, their God, - for he hath prepared for them, a city.
But ye have approached - unto Zion's mountain, and unto the city of a Living God, a heavenly Jerusalem, - and unto myriads of messengers,
Hearken! my brethren beloved: - Hath not, God, chosen the destitute in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
Unto an inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled and unfading, reserved in the heavens for you
For, thus, shall richly be further supplied unto you - the entrance into the age-abiding kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what, the Spirit, is saying unto the assemblies. Unto him that overcometh - I will give, unto him, to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
He that overcometh, I will make, him, a pillar in the sanctuary of my God, and, outside, shall he in nowise go forth any more; and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and I will write upon him my new name.
Fausets
From "heaved up;" so "the heights" (Ps 148:1). The Greek ouranos and the Hebrew shamaim, are similarly derived. It is used of the surrounding air wherein "the fowls of heaven" fly (Ge 1:26, compare Ge 1:20); from whence the rain and hail fall (De 11:11). "I will make your heaven as iron," i.e. your sky hard and yielding no rain (Le 26:19). "The four quarters of heaven" (Jer 49:36) and "the circuit of heaven" (Job 22:14) refer to the atmospheric heaven. By metaphor it is represented as a building with foundations and pillars (2Sa 22:8; Job 26:11), with an entrance gate (Ge 28:17) and windows opened to pour down rain (Ge 7:11, compare 2Ki 7:2; Mal 3:10). Job 37:18, "spread out the sky ... strong ... as a molten looking glass," not solid as "firmament" would imply, whereas the "expanse" is the true meaning (Ge 1:6; Isa 44:24), but phenomenally like one of the ancient mirrors made of firm molten polished metal.
Matthew, who is most Hebraistic in style, uses the plural, the Hebrew term for heaven being always so. "The heaven of heavens" (De 10:14) is a Hebraism for the highest heavens. Paul's "third heaven" (2Co 12:2) to which he was caught up implies this superlatively high heaven, which he reached after passing through the first heaven the air, and the second the sky of the stars (Eph 4:10). Heb 7:26, "made higher than the heavens," for Christ "passed through the heavens" (Heb 4:14, Greek), namely, the aerial heaven and the starry heaven, the veil through which our High Priest passed into the heaven of heavens, the immediate presence of God, as the Levitical high priest passed through the veil into the holy of belies. The visible heavens shall pass away to give place to the abiding new heaven and earth wherein shall dwell righteousness (Ps 102:25-27; Isa 65:17; 66:22; 2Pe 3:7,13; Re 21:1; Heb 12:26-28).
The kingdom of the heavens in Matthew, for "the kingdom of God" in Mark and Luke, is drawn from Da 4:26, "the heavens do rule," (Da 2:44) "the God of heaven shall set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed." It consists of many stages and phases, issuing at last in heaven being brought down fully to earth, and the tabernacle of God being with men (Re 21:2-3,10, etc.). The plurality of the phases is expressed by "the kingdom of the heavens." The Bible is distinguished from the sacred books of false religions in not having minute details of heavenly bliss such as men's curiosity would crave. The grand feature of its blessedness is represented as consisting in holy personal union and immediate face to face communion with God and the Lamb; secondarily, that the saints are led by the Lamb to living fountains of water, and fed with the fruit of the tree of life in the midst of the paradise of God, the antitype of the former Adamic paradise.
It is no longer merely a garden as Eden, but a heavenly "city" and garden combined, nature and art no longer mutually destructive, but enhancing each the charm of the other, individuality and society realized perfectly (Revelation 2-3, 7, 21-22). No separate temple, but the whole forming one vast "temple," finding its center in the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb, who are the temple to each and all the king-priests reigning and serving there. This was the model Moses was shown on Sinai (Heb 7:1-6). The earthly tabernacle was its pattern and figure (Heb 9:23-24). The "altar" (Re 6:9) and the "censer," etc. (Re 8:3), the "temple" in heaven (Re 11:19; 14:17; 15:5,8), are preliminary to the final state when there shall be "no temple therein" (Re 21:22), for the whole shall be perfectly consecrated to God.
Negatives of present provisional conditions and evils form a large part of the subordinate description of heaven's bliss: no marriage (Lu 20:34-36), no meats for the belly (1Co 6:13), no death, no sorrow, crying, pain; no defilement, no curse, no night, no candle, no light of the sun, for the Lord God giveth them light (Re 21:4,27; 22:3,5). Heaven is not merely a state but a place. For it is the place where Christ's glorifed body now is; "the heaven must receive Him until the times of restitution of all things" (Ac 3:21).
Thither He will "receive His people to Himself" after He hath "prepared a place for them" (Joh 14:2-4), that where He is there His servants may be (Joh 12:26). From heaven, which is God's court, angels are sent down to this earth, as the multitude of the heavenly host (distinct from the host of heaven," Ac 7:42), and to which they return (Lu 2:13-15; 22:43). God Himself is addressed "Our Father who art in heaven." His home is the parent home, the sacred hearth of the universe.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And God said, Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it be a means of dividing, between waters and waters,
And God said - Let the waters swarm with an abundance of living soul, and, birds, shall fly over the earth, over the face of the expanse of the heavens.
And God said - Let us make man in our image after our likeness - and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the bird of the heavens and over the tame-beast - and over all the land, and over every creeping thing, that creepeth on the land.
In the six hundredth year, the year of the life of Noah. in the second month on the seventeenth day of the month on this day, were burst open all the fountains of the great roaring deep, and the windows of the heavens, were set open.
And he feared and said, How fearful is this place! None other this, than the house of God! Nor this than the gate of the heavens
So will I break your pomp of power, And will set your heavens as iron, and your land as bronze;
Lo! unto Yahweh thy God, belong the heavens even the highest heavens, - the earth, with all that is therein.
but the land whereinto ye are passing over to, possess it, is a land of hills, and valleys, - which of the rain of the heavens, cloth drink water:
Then did the earth shake and quake, the foundations of the heavens, were deeply moved, - yea they did shake, because he was angry,
Then the officer on whose hand the king leaned responded to the man of God, and said, Even if Yahweh were making windows in the heavens, could this thing, come to pass? And he said - Lo! thou, art about to see it with thine own eyes, but, thereof, shalt thou not eat!
Dark clouds, are a veil to him, and he cannot see, or, the vault of the heavens, doth he walk?
The pillars of the heavens, are shaken, and are terrified at his rebuke:
Didst thou spread out, with him, the skies, strong as a molten mirror?
Of old - the earth, thou didst found, And, the work of thy hands, are the heavens; They, shall perish, But, thou, wilt abide; And, they all, like a garment, shall fall in pieces, As a vesture, wilt thou change them and they shall vanish; read more. But, thou, art, the same, - And, thy years, shall have no end:
Praise ye Yah, Praise Yahweh, out of the heavens, Praise him, in the heights;
Thus, saith Yahweh Who hath redeemed thee, Who hath fashioned thee from birth, - I - Yahweh, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens, alone, Spreading forth the earth, of myself;
For, behold me! Creating new heavens, and a new earth, - And the former shall not be mentioned, neither shall they come up on the heart,
For, as the new heavens and the new earth, which I am about to make, are to remain before me, Declareth Yahweh, So, shall remain your seed and your name.
Then will I bring in against Elam four winds from the four quarters of the heavens, And will scatter them to all these winds, - And there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam, shall not come;
And, in the days of those kings, shall the God of the heavens, set up, a kingdom which, to the ages, shall not be destroyed, and, the kingdom, to another people, shall not be left, - it shall break in pieces and make an end of all these kingdoms, but, itself, shall stand to the ages.
And, whereas they gave word to leave the stock of the roots of the tree, thy kingdom, unto thee, is sure, - after that thou come to know, that the heavens, have dominion.
Bring ye all the tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, Yea, I pray you, put me to the proof hereby, saith Yahweh of hosts, whether I will not open to you the sluices of the heavens, and pour out for you blessing, until there be no room.
And, suddenly, there came to be, with the messenger, the throng of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying - Glory, in the highest, unto God! And, on earth, peace, among men of goodwill. read more. And it came to pass, when the messengers had departed from them into heaven, that, the shepherds, began to say one to another - Let us go through forthwith as far as to Bethlehem, and see this thing which hath come to pass, which the Lord hath made known to us.
And Jesus said unto them - The sons of this age, marry, and are given in marriage, - But, they who have been accounted worthy, that age, to obtain, and the resurrection that is from among the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage; read more. For they cannot, even die any more, - for, equal unto messengers, are they, and are, sons of God, Of the resurrection, being, sons.
If, with me, anyone be ministering, with me, let him be following; and, where, I, am, there, my minister also, shall be. If anyone, with me, be ministering, the Father, will honour him.
In the house of my Father, are, many dwellings; or else I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. And, if I go, and prepare a place for you, again, am I coming, and will take you home unto - myself, that, where, I, am, ye also, may be. read more. And, whither, I, go, ye know, the way.
Unto whom, indeed, heaven must needs give welcome, until the times of the due establishment of all things, of which God hath spoken through the mouth of his holy age-past prophets.
But God, turned, and delivered them up to be doing divine service unto the host of heaven, - just as it is written in a book of the prophets - Victims and sacrifices did ye offer unto me, forty years in the desert, O house of Israel?
Foods for the belly, and the belly for foods; but, God, will set aside, both it and them. The body, however, is not for fornication, but, for the Lord, - and, the Lord, for the body.
I know a man in Christ, who, fourteen years ago, whether in the body, I know not, or out of the body, I know not, God, knoweth, such a one as this, caught away, as far as the third heaven;
He that descended, he, it is who also ascended over-above all the heavens, that he might fill all things;
Having then a great high-priest who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast the confession;
For, this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him, - To whom even a tenth of all Abraham apportioned, first, indeed, when translated, King of Righteousness, but, after that, King of Salem also, which is King of Peace, - read more. Without father, without mother, without pedigree, having, neither beginning of days, nor of life an end, but made like unto the Son of God, abideth a priest evermore. Now consider, how great, this man was, to whom, a tenth, Abraham gave out of the choicest spoils, Yea Abraham the Patriarch. And, they, indeed, from among the sons of Levi who the priesthood receive, have commandment to take tithes of the people, according to the law, that is, of their brethren, although sprung from the loins of Abraham; But, he who deriveth not his pedigree from among them, hath taken tithes of Abraham. And, the holder of the promises, hath he blessed.
For, such a high-priest as this, for us, was evensuited: Loving, noble, undefiled, set apart from sinners, and become, higher than the heavens;
It was indeed therefore necessary for the glimpses of the things in the heavens with these to be purified; but, the heavenly things themselves, with better sacrifices than these. For, not into a Holy place made by hand, entered Christ, - counterpart of the real Holy place ; but, into the heaven itself, now, to be plainly manifested before the face of God in our behalf; -
Whose voice shook the earth, then, but, now, hath he promised, saying - Yet once for all, I, will shake - not only the earth, but, also the heaven. But, the saying, Yet once for all, maketh clear the removal of the things which can be shaken, as of things done with, - that they may remain, which cannot be shaken. read more. Wherefore, seeing that, of a kingdom not to be shaken, we are receiving possession, let us have gratitude - whereby we may be rendering divine service well-pleasingly unto God, with reverence and awe;
And, when he opened the fifth seal, I saw, beneath the altar, the souls of them who had been slain because of the word of God and because of the witness which they held.
And, another messenger, came, and took his stand at the altar, having a censer of gold: and there was given unto him much incense, that he might give it unto the prayers of all the saints, upon the altar of gold that is before the throne.
And the sanctuary of God which is in heaven, was opened, and the ark of his covenant in his sanctuary, appeared, and there came to be lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
And, another messenger, came forth out of the sanctuary that is in heaven, - he also, having a sharp sickle.
And, after these things, I saw, and the sanctuary of The Tent of Witness in heaven, was opened;
And the sanctuary was filled with smoke by reason of the glory of God, and by reason of his power; and, no one, was able to enter into the sanctuary, until the seven plagues of the seven messengers should be ended.
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for, the first heaven and the first earth, have passed away, and, the sea, is no more. And, the holy city, new Jerusalem, saw I coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. read more. And I heard a loud voice out of the throne, saying - Lo! the tent of God, is with men, and he will tabernacle with them, and, they, shall be, his peoples, and, he, shall be, God with them; And he will wipe away every tear out of their eyes, - and, death, shall be no more, and grief and outcry and pain shall be no more: the first things, have passed away.
And he carried me away, in spirit, unto a mountain great and high, and pointed out to me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God;
And, sanctuary, saw I none therein; for, the Lord, God, the Almighty, is the sanctuary thereof, and the Lamb.
And in nowise shall there enter into it, anything common, or he that doeth abomination and falsehood, - but only they who are written in the Lamb's book of life.
And, no curse, shall there be, any more; and, the throne of God and of the Lamb, shall be, therein, - and his servants will render divine service unto him,
And, night, shall be, no more; and they have no need of the light of a lamp or the light of a sun, because, the Lord, God, will give them light, - and they shall reign unto the ages of ages.
Hastings
In the cosmic theory of the ancient world, and of the Hebrews in particular, the earth was flat, lying between a great pit into which the shades of the dead departed, and the heavens above in which God and the angels dwelt, and to which it came to be thought the righteous went, after having been raised from the dead to live for ever. It was natural to think of the heavens as concave above the earth, and resting on some foundation, possibly of pillars, set at the extreme horizon (2Sa 22:9; Pr 8:27-29).
The Hebrews, like other ancient peoples, believed in a plurality of heavens (De 10:14), and the literature of Judaism speaks of seven. In the highest, or Aravoth, was the throne of God. Although the descriptions of these heavens varied, it would seem that it was not unusual to regard the third heaven as Paradise. It was to this that St. Paul said he bad been caught up (2Co 12:2).
This series of superimposed heavens was regarded as filled by different sorts of superhuman beings. The second heaven in later Jewish thought was regarded as the abode of evil spirits and angels awaiting punishment. The NT, however, does not commit itself to these precise speculations, although in Eph 6:12 it speaks of spiritual hosts of wickedness who dwell in heavenly places (cf. Eph 2:2). This conception of heaven as being above a flat earth underlies many religious expressions which are still current. There have been various attempts to locate heaven, as, for example, in Sirius as the central sun of our system. Similarly, there have been innumerable speculations endeavouring to set forth in sensuous form the sort of life which is to be lived in heaven. All such speculations, however, lie outside of the region of positive knowledge, and rest ultimately on the cosmogony of pre-scientific times. They may be of value in cultivating religious emotion, but they belong to the region of speculation. The Biblical descriptions of heaven are not scientific, but symbolical. Practically all these are to be found in the Johannine Apocalypse. It was undoubtedly conceived of eschatologically by the NT writers, but they maintained a great reserve in all their descriptions of the life of the redeemed. It is, however, possible to state definitely that, while they conceived of the heavenly condition as involving social relations, they did not regard it as one in which the physical organism survived. The sensuous descriptions of heaven to be found in the Jewish apocalypses and in Mohammedanism are altogether excluded by the sayings of Jesus relative to marriage in the new age (Mr 12:25|), and those of St. Paul relative to the 'spiritual body.' The prevailing tendency at the present time among theologians, to regard heaven as a state of the soul rather than a place, belongs likewise to the region of opinion. The degree of its probability will be determined by one's general view as to the nature of immortality.
Shailer Mathews.
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Lo! unto Yahweh thy God, belong the heavens even the highest heavens, - the earth, with all that is therein.
There went up a smoke in his nostrils, and, a fire out of his mouth, devoured, - live coals, were kindled from it:
When he prepared the heavens, there, was I! When he decreed a vault upon the face of the resounding deep; When he made firm the skies above, when the fountains of the resounding deep, waxed strong; read more. When he fixed for the sea its bound, that, the waters, should not go beyond his bidding, when he decreed the foundations of the earth: -
For, when, from among the dead, they rise, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like messengers in the heavens.
I know a man in Christ, who, fourteen years ago, whether in the body, I know not, or out of the body, I know not, God, knoweth, such a one as this, caught away, as far as the third heaven;
In which at one time ye walked, according to the age of the world, according to the prince of the authority of the air, of the spirit that now energiseth in the sons of disobedience,
Because our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but, against the principalities, against the authorities, against the world-holders, of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenlies.
Morish
The principal words so translated are shamayim, from 'the heights,' and ???????. They are used in a variety of senses: as
1. The atmosphere in which the birds fly, and the lightning appears, and from whence the rain descends. Ge 7:23; De 11:11; Da 4:21; Lu 17:24. It will pass away. 2Pe 3:10,12.
2. The firmament or wide expanse in which are seen the sun, moon, and stars. Ge 1:14-15,17.
3. The abode of God, where His throne is. Ps 2:4; 11:4; Mt 5:34. Whence the Lord descended and to which He ascended, and where He was seen by Stephen. Mr 16:19; Ac 7:55; 1Co 15:47.
4. The abode of angels. Mt 22:30; 24:36; Ga 1:8.
It is important to see that, in forming the present system of this world, God made a heaven to this earth, so that the earth should be ruled from heaven. The blessing of the earth, either materially or morally, depends upon its connection with heaven. This blessing will be full when the kingdom of the heavens is established in the Son of man, and He will come in the clouds of heaven. Ps 68:32,35. It is the place of angelic power, 'the principalities and powers in the heavenly places' being angelic, Satan and his angels, though fallen, still being among them. Job 1:6; 2:1; Re 12:7-9.
That there are various heavens is evident; Satan cannot have entrance into the glory, and Paul speaks of being caught up into the third heavens, 2Co 12:2; and the Lord Jesus passed through the heavens, and we read of 'the heaven of heavens.' De 10:14; 1Ki 8:27. Very little is said of the saints going to heaven, though their citizenship is there now, Phi . 3:20; but they are to be where Jesus is, and He went to heaven, and prepared a place for them. In the Revelation the four and twenty elders are seen in heaven sitting on 'thrones.' To Him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Believers "look for NEW HEAVENS and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." 2Pe 3:13; Re 21:1.
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And God said - Let there be luminaries in the expanse of the heavens, to divide between the day and the night, - and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years; yea let them be for luminaries in the expanse of the heavens, to give light on the earth. And it was so.
And God set them in the expanse of the heavens, - to give light on the earth;
Thus was wiped out all that existed on the face of the ground, from man unto beast unto creeping thing, and unto the bird of the heavens, thus were they wiped out from the earth, - so that there was left - only Noah and they that were with him in the ark.
Lo! unto Yahweh thy God, belong the heavens even the highest heavens, - the earth, with all that is therein.
but the land whereinto ye are passing over to, possess it, is a land of hills, and valleys, - which of the rain of the heavens, cloth drink water:
Now there came a certain day, when the sons of God entered in to present themselves unto Yahweh, - so the accuser also entered, in their midst.
And there came a certain day when the sons of God entered in, to present themselves unto Yahweh - so the accuser also entered in their midst, to present himself unto Yahweh.
He that sitteth in the heavens, will laugh, - My Lord, will mock at them:
Yahweh, is in his holy temple As for Yahweh, in the heavens, is his throne, His eyes, behold - His eyelashes test the sons of men.
Ye kingdoms of the earth, sing unto God, Praise in song Adonay. Selah.
As for the GOD of Israel, he, is giving strength and abundant might to the people. Blessed be God!
Whose, foliage, was beautiful, and whose, fruit, abundant, and, food for all, was in it, - under it, dwelt the wild beasts of the field, and, in the branches thereof, nestled the birds of the heavens:
But, I, tell you - not to swear, at all: Neither by heaven, because it is the, throne of God, -
For, in the resurrection, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but, as messengers in the heaven, are they.
But, concerning that day and hour, no one, knoweth, neither the messengers of the heavens, nor the Son, - save the Father only.
For, just as, the lightning, flashing out of the one part under heaven, unto the other part under heaven, shineth, so, shall be, the Son of Man.
But he, being already full of Holy Spirit, looking steadfastly into heaven, saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God;
I know a man in Christ, who, fourteen years ago, whether in the body, I know not, or out of the body, I know not, God, knoweth, such a one as this, caught away, as far as the third heaven;
But, even if, we, or, a messenger out of heaven, announce a glad-message unto youaside from that which we announced unto you, accursed, let him be!
Howbeit the day of the Lord will be here, as a thief, - in which, the heavens, with a rushing noise, will pass away, while, elements, becoming intensely hot, will be dissolved, and, earth, and the works therein, will be discovered.
Expecting and hastening the presence of the day of God, by reason of which, heavens, being on fire, will be dissolved, and, elements, becoming intensely hot, are to be melted; But, new heavens, and a new earth, according to his promise, are we expecting, wherein, righteousness, is to dwell.
And there came to be war in heaven: Michael and his messengers going forth to war with the dragon; and, the dragon, fought, and his messengers; and he prevailed not, neither was place found for them, any longer, in heaven. read more. And the great dragon was cast out, - the ancient serpent, he that is called Adversary and the Satan, that deceiveth the whole habitable world, - he was cast to the earth, and his messengers, with him, were cast.
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for, the first heaven and the first earth, have passed away, and, the sea, is no more.
Smith
Heaven.
There are four Hebrew words thus rendered in the Old Testament which we may briefly notice.
1. Raki'a, Authorized Version, firmament. [FIRMAMENT]
See Firmament
2. Shamayim. This is the word used in the expression "the heaven and the earth," or "the upper and lower regions."
3. Marom, used for heaven in
Ps 18:16; Isa 24:18; Jer 25:30
. Properly speaking it means a mountain as in
4. Shechakim, "expanses," with reference to the extent of heaven.
De 33:26; Job 35:5
St. Paul's expression "third heaven,"
had led to much conjecture. Grotius said that the Jews divided the heaven into three parts, viz.,
1. The air or atmosphere, where clouds gather;
2. The firmament, in which the sun, moon and stars are fixed;
3. The upper heaven, the abode of God and his angels, the invisible realm of holiness and happiness the home of the children of God.
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So it was evening - and it was morning, a third day.
There is none like GOD, O Jeshurun, - Riding upon the heavens to thy help, - And for his own majesty, on the skies;
Look at the heavens and see, - and survey the skies - they are higher than thou.
He sent from on high, he took me, - he drew me out of many waters.
That he looked down, out of his holy height, Yahweh, from the heavens unto the earth, directed his gaze; -
So shall it be - He that fleeth from the sound of the terror! shall fall into the pit, And I he that getteth up out of the midst of the pit, shall be captured in the snare, - For, the windows on high, have opened, And shaken are the foundations of earth.
Thou, therefore, shalt prophesy against them all these words, - and shalt say unto them - Yahweh, from on high, will roar Yea from his holy habitation, will utter his voice, He will, roar mightily over his home, With a shout as of them who tread the winepress, will he answer unto all the inhabitants of the earth.
In the mountain of the height of Israel, will I plant it, And it shall put forth boughs And bear fruit, And become a majestic cedar,- And every bird of every wing shall dwell under it, In the shade of its branches, shall they dwell.
I know a man in Christ, who, fourteen years ago, whether in the body, I know not, or out of the body, I know not, God, knoweth, such a one as this, caught away, as far as the third heaven;
Watsons
HEAVEN, the place of the more immediate residence of the Most High, Ge 14:19. The Jews enumerated three heavens: the first was the region of the air, where the birds fly, and which are therefore called "the fowls of heaven," Job 35:11. It is in this sense also that we read of the dew of heaven, the clouds of heaven, and the wind of heaven. The second is that part of space in which are fixed the heavenly luminaries, the sun, moon, and stars, and which Moses was instructed to call "the firmament or expanse of heaven," Ge 1:8. The third heaven is the seat of God and of the holy angels; the place into which Christ ascended after his resurrection, and into which St. Paul was caught up, though it is not like the other heavens perceptible to mortal view.
2. It is an opinion not destitute of probability, that the construction of the tabernacle, in which Jehovah dwelt by a visible symbol, termed "the cloud of glory," was intended to be a type of heaven. In the holiest place of the tabernacle, "the glory of the Lord," or visible emblem of his presence, rested between the cherubims; by the figures of which, the angelic host surrounding the throne of God in heaven was typified; and as that holiest part of the tabernacle was, by a thick vail, concealed from the sight of those who frequented it for the purposes of worship, so heaven, the habitation of God, is, by the vail of flesh, hidden from mortal eyes. Admitting the whole tabernacle, therefore, in which the worship of God was performed according to a ritual of divine appointment, to be a representation of the universe, we are taught by it this beautiful lesson, that the whole universe is the temple of God; but that in this vast temple there is "a most holy place," where the Deity resides and manifests his presence to the angelic hosts and redeemed company who surround him. This view appears to be borne out by the clear and uniform testimony of Scripture,; and it is an interesting circumstance, that heaven, as represented by "the holiest of all," is heaven as it is presented to the eye of Christian faith, the place where our Lord ministers as priest, to which believers now come in spirit, and where they are gathered together in the disembodied state. Thus, for instance, St. Paul tells the believing Hebrews, "Ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born, which are written," or are enrolled, "in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than the blood of Abel," Heb 12:22-24. Here we are presented with the antitype of almost every leading circumstance of the Mosaic dispensation. Instead of the land of Canaan, we have heaven; for the earthly Jerusalem, we have the heavenly, the city of the living God; in place of the congregation of Israel after the flesh, we have the general assembly and church of the first-born, that is, all true believers "made perfect;" for just men in the imperfect state of the old dispensation, we have just men made perfect in evangelical knowledge and holiness; instead of Moses, the mediator of the old covenant, we have Jesus the Mediator of the new and everlasting covenant; and instead of the blood of slaughtered animals, which was sprinkled upon the Israelites, the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, to make a typical atonement, we have the blood of the Son of God, which was shed for the remission of the sins of the whole world; that blood which doth not, like the blood of Abel, call for vengeance but for mercy, which hath made peace between heaven and earth, effected the true and complete atonement for sin, and which therefore communicates peace to the conscience of every sinner that believes the Gospel.
3. Among the numerous refinements of modern times, that is one of the most remarkable which goes to deny the locality of heaven. "It is a state," say many, "not a place." But if that be the case, the very language of the Scriptures, in regard to this point, is calculated to mislead us. For that God resides in a particular part of the universe, where he makes his presence known to his intelligent creatures by some transcendent, visible glory, is an opinion that has prevailed among Jews and Christians, Greeks and Romans, yea, in every nation, civilized or savage, and in every age; and, since it is confirmed by revelation, why should it be doubted? Into this most holy place, the habitation of the Deity, Jesus, after his resurrection, ascended; and there, presenting his crucified body before the manifestation of the divine presence, which is called "the throne of the Majesty in the heavens," he offered unto God the sacrifice of himself, and made atonement for the sins of his people. There he is sat down upon his throne, crowned with glory and honour, as king upon his holy hill of Zion, and continually officiates as our great High Priest, Advocate, and Intercessor, within the vail. There is his Father's house, into which he is gone before, to prepare mansions of bliss for his disciples; it is the kingdom conferred upon him as the reward of his righteousness, and of which he has taken possession as their forerunner, Ac 1:11; Heb 6:19-20.
4. Some of the ancients imagined that the habitation of good men, after the resurrection, would be the sun; grounding this fanciful opinion on a mistaken interpretation of Ps 19:4, which they rendered, with the LXX and Vulgate, "He has set his tabernacle in the sun." Others, again, have thought it to lie beyond the starry firmament, a notion less improbable than the former. Mr. Whiston supposes the air to be the mansion of the blessed, at least for the present; and he imagines that Christ is at the top of the atmosphere, and other spirits nearer to or more remote from him according to the degree of their moral purity, to which he conceives the specific gravity of their inseparable vehicles to be proportionable. Mr. Hallet has endeavoured to prove that they will dwell upon earth, when it shall be restored to its paradisaical state. The passages of Scripture, however, on which he grounds his hypothesis, are capable of another and very different interpretation. After all, we may observe, that the place of the blessed is a question of comparatively little importance; and we may cheerfully expect and pursue it, though we cannot answer a multitude of curious questions, relating to various circumstances that pertain to it. We have reason to believe that heaven will be a social state, and that its happiness will, in some measure, arise from mutual communion and converse, and the expressions and exercises of mutual benevolence. All the views presented to us of this eternal residence of good men are pure and noble; and form a striking contrast to the low hopes, and the gross and sensual conceptions of a future state, which distinguish the Pagan and Mohammedan systems. The Christian heaven may be described to be a state of eternal communion with God, and consecration to hallowed devotional and active services; from which will result an uninterrupted increase of knowledge, holiness, and joy, to the glorified and immortalized assembly of the redeemed.
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And God called the expanse, heavens. So it was evening - and it was morning, a, second day.
So he blessed him and said, - Blessed be Abram of GOD Most High, possessor of the heavens and earth;
Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and, beyond the bird of the heavens, giveth us wisdom?
Yet through all the earth, hath gone forth their voice, - and, to the end of the world, their sayings, - For the sun, hath he set up a tent therein;
Who also said - Men of Galilee! why stand ye looking into heaven? This Jesus who hath been taken up from you into heaven, shall so come, in like manner as ye yourselves have gazed upon him going into heaven.
Which we have, as an anchor of the soul, both secure and firm, and entering into the interior of the veil: Where a forerunner in our behalf hath entered, even Jesus, who, according to the rank of Melchizedek, hath become, a high-priest unto times age-abiding.
But ye have approached - unto Zion's mountain, and unto the city of a Living God, a heavenly Jerusalem, - and unto myriads of messengers, in high festival, - and unto an assembly of firstborn ones, enrolled in the heavens, - and unto God, judge of all, - and unto the spirits of righteous ones made perfect, - read more. And unto the mediator of a new covenant, Jesus, - and unto the blood of sprinkling, more excellently speaking, than, Abel.