"The Truth About Heaven"

The Truth About Heaven

Far too many too many people love the world more than they do heaven because heaven doesn’t seem real to them;
however, it does exist, and is actually mentioned 500 times in the Scriptures. Heaven isn’t some imaginary,
spiritual place, but is described as an actual city and country where God and His people live. For the born-
again believer, heaven is our permanent home where we’ll spend eternity living with Jesus after we leave the
earth. God is waiting for His beloved children to arrive home, and as believers, this is cause for great rejoicing!

You Ready… Let’s Go!!

There is the world’s definition of heaven, and then there is God’s definition of heaven. The three heavens are the
one where the sky and the clouds are, the one where the sun is, and the one where the throne of God is; this third
heaven is paradise.

2 Corinthians 12:2-4 (NKJV)

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do
not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven.  3  And I know such a man—whether in the
body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—  4  how he was caught up into Paradise and heard
inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Third heaven

Paul talks about being caught up in the third heaven

Third heaven is where the throne of God is

In verse 4, Paul refers to the third heaven as Paradise

Since Paul says that there is a third heaven, we must conclude that there is a first and a second heaven, right?

Isaiah 55:9-10 (NKJV)

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your
thoughts. 10  “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater,

First heaven is the atmosphere surrounding the earth; it is the domain of clouds and birds

Genesis 1:20 (AMPC)

And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly and swarm with living creatures, and let birds
fly over the earth in the open expanse of the heavens. Then, there is the second heaven

Genesis 1:14-16 (NKJV)

Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them
be for signs and seasons, and for days and years;  15  and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give
light on the earth”; and it was so.  16  Then God made two great  [a] lights: the greater light to rule the day, and
the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.

Second heaven is the domain of the heavenly bodies (i.e sun, moon, stars and galaxy)

Now that we have established there are three heavens, let’s specifically look at the third heaven described in 2

Corinthians 12:2-4

Third heaven is the dwelling place of God

Matthew 6:9 (NKJV)

In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

Jesus taught his disciples to pray… “Our Father which art in heaven…”

Matthew 5:16 (NKJV)

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

He refers to again “Father in heaven.”

Psalm 11:4 talks about the Lords throne being in heaven

Psalm 11:4 (NKJV)

The LORD is in His holy temple, The LORD’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.

This third heaven is the heaven where the throne of God is.

The earth is a copy of heaven. Everything good we see on earth will also exist in heaven, only much more beautiful.
All of what we see in the natural realm has its origin in the spiritual realm.

Spiritual things were not born out of physical things; physical things come out of spiritual things

The spirit world is the parent world of all physical world

There can be no physical matter except there first of all spiritual matter

Physical things are not eternal; they change

Spiritual things, things you can’t see are forever

Keep that in mind as we get deeper into this teaching

Heaven is not a flat place in the sky, floating around a covered clouds with baby angels dropping grapes in your
mouth… THAT AIN’T IT

Listen to this, I worked hard studying and preparing this message. And I promised not to get too excited, to stay
calm so that you can get excited. But I’m starting to get excited.

Listen to this, heaven is a literal world

It is round just like the earth only in huge proportion

I bet you didn’t know that, did you?

It is round; it’s a world…. Earth is a shadow of heaven

Everything that has been manifested in the physical world is a shadow of something that already exist in
the spiritual world

Hebrews 8:5 (NKJV)

who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to
make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the
mountain.”

So the pattern of the tabernacle that Moses had was the pattern of the heavenly world

Hebrews 8:5 (NLT)

They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was
getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: “Be sure that you make everything according to
the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.”

You are not the original, you are a copy

Bible says our spiritual body will favor our physical body allowing us to know each other in heaven

Hebrews 11:16 (NKJV)

But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be
called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

God’s word talks about heaven being a city and a country just like here on earth

Let’s look at this in context

Hebrews 11:13-16 (NKJV)

These all died in faith (refers to the heroes in faith), not having received the promises, but having seen them afar
off  [a] were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.  14  For
those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.  15  And truly if they had called to
mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.  16  But now they
desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared
a city for them.

God has prepared for us a city

Now, I’m getting ready to show you a description of the city

John 14:1-2 (NKJV)

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  2  In My Father’s house are
many  [a] mansions; if it were not so,  [b] I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

Heaven is a real place 

It is not a figment of our imagination

Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people

Revelation 21:10-27 (NLT)

So he took me in the Spirit [a]  to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending
out of heaven from God.  11  It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone—like jasper as clear as
crystal.  12  The city wall was broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the
twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates.  13  There were three gates on each side—east, north, south, and
west.  14  The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve
apostles of the Lamb. 15  The angel who talked to me held in his hand a gold measuring stick to measure the city, its
gates, and its wall.  16  When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long. In fact, its length and 
width and height were each 1,400 miles. [b]   17  Then he measured the walls and found them to be 216 feet thick [c]  (according to the human standard used by the angel). 18  The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass.  19  The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve precious stones: [d]  the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald,  20  the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21  The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass. 22  I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.  23  And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light.  24  The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory.  25  Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there.  26  And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city.  27  Nothing evil [e]  will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Verse 16 – the length, height and width were 1,400 miles

That is a big city; the biggest city in America ain’t got nothing on the new Jerusalem

Verse 18 – You ain’t never seen pure gold

Verse 21 – One solid pearl; not them little pearls you buy to put around your neck

Verse 25 – Ain’t never going to be no night there

Verse 27 – Only ones permitted in the city are those whose names are written in the Lambs Book of Life

Now, let’s see if we can find heaven Where exactly is this place called heaven?
We want to locate it just like you locate New York City on a map

Can you do that?…. Well, the Bible does

You ready for this?

Now, even if I tell you where it is, you can’t get there. I don’t care what kind of contraption you build that can
travel at the speed of light

It’s located at the end of the second heaven where there is going to be little to no stars or galaxies
Now, our scientist think the second heaven is infinite, but they got it all wrong

Ephesians 4:10 (NKJV)

He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

Above all the heavens

Jesus went down for three days, then ascended up

Acts 1:10-11 (NKJV)

And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white
apparel,  11  who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was
taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

The two men in white apparel were angels standing by the disciples as Jesus was going up

Jesus went up to heaven; when He comes back, he won’t touch the foot of the earth because He has to
get everyone that’s dead in Christ first, then those that are alive will meet Him in the sky

Close

You can’t get there in that physical body

That’s why you have to be changed

You got to be changed “in the moment of the twinkling of an eye.”

The dead in Christ will rise first and they will be changed Mortals will put on immortality cause mortal man can’t
make it there

Philippians 3:20 (NLT)

But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return
as our Savior.