S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries

The closest thing Scripture says to there being different levels of heaven is found in 2 Corinthians 12:2, "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether ...

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July 01 2013 • 12 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Bryan Naidoo Supporter founder and senior pastor of The Upper-Room Church

Are there different levels of heaven....
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth--no mention of a God creating another heaven.

Even though God has created just one heaven where God dwells, I believe that scripture has divided this one place called "heaven" into categories. In many scriptures, the word "sky" is also used for heaven in some bibles.

The word heaven itself come from a hebrew word meaning "heights or elevations." It is recorded in plural form.

The psalmist tells us in Psalm 102:25 “Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.” He speaks of heaven in plural..."The heavens are the work of your hands.

Some, if not many go as far as to tell us that there are three heavens, they have done this on the basis of certain scriptures.

In Gen 1:14 we read than God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night.” So there was light in the firmament of heaven. The question now arises: Where is this heaven? Other interpretations use the word "sky." Is this the clouds, the atmosphere, it is this the heaven we see above us which we at times refer to as the sky. 

Also in Genesis : 2:19 "the fowls of the heaven" and in Lamentations 4:19, "the Eagles of heaven. All these scriptures have reference to the sky. 

In Genesis :7:11-12 "The windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.” In Genesis 8:2: “The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained.” 

Malachi 3:10 Says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.” In reference to an abundant harvest of crops.

With this understanding, many call the sky above as the first heaven, which consists of the clouds and the atmosphere. They refer to the sky as the heavens above us, until we come to the stars.

The outer space which goes beyond the skies above the stars is referred to by many as the second heaven.The second heaven is the starry heavens, where our atmosphere ends. It is the heavens in which the sun, moon, and stars are fixed in orbit. 

The Bible states Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.” 

As for the third heaven many refer to us where the glory of God dwells.

In Deuteronomy 10:14 "Behold, the heavens and the heaven of heavens belong to the Lord your God, the earth also, with all that is in it and on it. 

There is reference here to the "heaven of heavens", the question we ask again: How many heaven are there?

Psalmist David in Ps. 148:4 echoes these words: "Praise Him, you highest heavens and you waters above the heavens!" There is a call for the heavens to praise him, praise the God of Heaven.

The third heaven is beyond the space and stars, where no man has seen, even by telescope. This heaven is the dwelling-place of God, to which Paul was taken, and whose wonders he was permitted to behold.

It is specifically named “the third heaven” by Paul in 2 Cor.12:2. 

Heb 4:14 “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens." Here again we may ask, which heaven did he pass?

Heaven is the inheritance of all believers where there is “fulness of joy,” everlasting blessedness. The “place of our inheritance" where Jesus went ahead to “prepare” for us (John 14:2) that we may be with him, where he is.

September 25 2014 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Lawrence wong Supporter Disciple of iEsou ("Yeh-sou") christou

Are there different levels of heaven?

This is a very interesting question which is an enigma. What does Scripture say? 

The Hebrew of (Ge 1:1) says that “In [the] Beginning (Brashyt) ALHYM created the heavens and the earth” (see Hebrew Bible, interlinear). Heavens is plural, not singular. This is reinforced in the New Covenant in the Greek where ALHYM defines Himself as being “The Father [patera] of our Lord iEsou christou, from whom the whole family [patria] in heavens and earth is named” (Eph 3:14-15). Translations which say “heaven” are inaccurate.

A relevant question is: Where is ALHYM’s oikos, household? (Eph 2:19). We must ignore the question of who are the “patria in [the] heavens” for now. 

We are left with the problem what does “different levels of heaven” mean? 
Brethren who have responded seem to assume that there is either One Heaven with different levels, or that there are three heavens. 

The Holy Bible says “heavens” plural, which therefore means that there are more than one, and in one of these we are told is where we can find ALHYM and the heavenly families (Ep 2:15).

2 Cor12: 2 says a man in Christ “was caught up in the third heaven.” And vs 4 says it is “Paradise.” 

Brother Bryan points out that one of the heavens is the sky (Gen 2:19; 7:11-12) where the birds fly and there is rain. This is the atmosphere of this earth. 

So now we have two “heavens”. One is the atmosphere, the sky, and the other where ALHYM lives with the heavenly families. Where is the remaining one? Is it the cosmos where the stars are or elsewhere?

I think ALHYM reveals it in Daniel 10:13 “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me 21 days; and behold Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the Kings of Persia.” 

How do we understand this verse? An Angel Gabriel was sent by Christ (Dan 10: 5-6) to explain the vision Daniel saw – the 70 weeks Prophecy (Dan 9: 20-27). He was delayed by a demon “ prince of Persia” which controlled Persia. The territorial demons are mentioned in Ephesians 6: 12 ruling over “principalities”, as “powers” or “World rulers”, as “rulers of this the darkness of this age” and, “spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places”. 

So here is the missing heaven – the place where the Angles and demons inhabit and battle one another. Earth and Man is where they do their work to “steal, kill, and destroy” (Jo 10:8). 

The three heavens are then: the earth’s atmosphere including the stars; the heavenly place where angels and demons fight one another; and where ALHYM and the heavenly families are. 

Let us now go back to Ephesians 2:19-22. The disciples of Christ who have been through the SHAVUOT, Pentecost outpouring of the Holy Spirit into them and baptised, completely covered in water in iEsou christou’s name (Ac 2:38-41) The disciples “are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of ALHYM.20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, iEsou christou Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord., in whom you also are being built together for a habitation of ALHYM in the Spirit.” (Eph 2:19-22; see also Heb 3:6). 

Disciples, glorified by the Holy Spirit are adopted into ALHYM’s oikos in Heaven as heavenly men and women (1 Cor 15:48; Ro 8:15; Gal 4:6; 2 Cor 6:17). What a beautiful picture we have of our destination which is rightfuly ours now! Truly "eye has not seen nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which ALHYM has prepared for those who love [agape] Him." (1 Cor 2:9; Isa 64: 4) 

O ABBA open our eyes to see! 

Lawrence NZ

July 05 2017 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report