What is Heaven Like?

Heaven is a term used to describe anything above the Earth. “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.”(Gen. 1:1) If God created the heavens, then His residence must be somewhere else. When Jesus explained His earthly mission to the disciples before the crucifixion, He told them He had to leave for a while, but He would return to get them and take them to where God lives. “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may also be.” Jesus is speaking of the spiritual realm that existed before the material universe was created. Jesus makes it clear that there are at least two worlds that share the same space. One is material, and one is spiritual. When a person dies physically, the spirit they are born with moves into the spiritual dimension. There are innumerable characters of the indescribable kind that live, work and move in the spiritual realm. Paul, the Apostle, was given a sneak preview of the spiritual world and was unable to describe in earthly terms what he saw.“Fourteen years ago I was taken up to heaven for a visit. Don’t ask me whether my body was there or just my spirit, for I don’t know; only God can answer that. But anyway, there I was in paradise and heard things so astounding that they are beyond a man’s power to describe or put in words (and anyway I am not allowed to tell them to others). (2 Cor.12:2-4)

What we do know according to scripture; streets, buildings, streams, mountains, fruit trees, etc. are all a part of spiritual Heaven. In the presence of God, there is nothing to hide or be ashamed of so Heaven is transparent. Many spirit beings look like human beings, including God himself who created man in His image. There are a host of other created characters that are not so easy to identify in human terms. Seraphim and Cherubim, Zoa or Living Creatures as well as animals. Paul did understand and teach that both worlds have some things in common. “There are things about God that people cannot see—his eternal power and all that makes him God. But since the beginning of the world, those things have been easy for people to understand. They are made clear in what God has made.” (Rom. 1:20) Travel in the spiritual realm is achieved through teleportation; the transfer of matter or energy from one point to another without traversing the physical space between them. Many spirit beings have appeared in the material world and then disappeared in a wink including Jesus after the resurrection.  “Don’t forget to be kind to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!”(Heb.13:2)

There are three dimensions in space we can observe: height, width and depth, all relative to the material universe (creation). The fourth and fifth dimensions are not observable with the naked eye. Since time is only relative in the observable universe, it likely becomes the 4th dimension and the buffer between the physical and spiritual worlds. Strangely enough, physical scientist are trying to link these 5 dimensions theoretically. We could save them some time if they would just read and believe their Bibles. When we go to Heaven, we will merely pass through the 4th dimension into paradise, just as Paul did. For more about Heaven read “Beam me up Commander” it’s free!