"Where is Heaven located?

Today we resume our study of one of the greatest subjects in the Bible. I'm speaking about Heaven. Almost no one talks about Heaven. It is a strange fact of American life that, according to the Gallup polls; although 71% of us believe in an afterlife, no one much talks about it.

Today we are going to begin answering some of the questions relative to Heaven. A few weeks ago we discussed how the Bible tells us that Heaven is a real place. The question that naturally arises out of that questions is, "If heaven is real, where is it."

IF HEAVEN IS A REAL PLACE, WHERE IS IT LOCATED?

If this question were asked of a small child at our church, the answer probably would come back in the form of a finger pointing up. And maybe they would say, "Up there!" To almost everyone, Heaven is "up."

As adults, we might be prone to give a little more complex answer, but what the child says does have some biblical backing.

In Acts 1:9, when Jesus ascended to glory, it says "While they beheld, he was taken UP." Heaven is real and is not a figment of our imagination. And Heaven is up.

Paul reminded us that when Jesus came to earth, He descended. And when He left earth, He ascended (Ephesians 4:8-10). When God contemplates His creatures, He looks down (Psalm 53:2). And when man contemplates his God, he looks up (Psalm 121:2).

2 Kings 2:11 (NIV) reads:

11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.

2 Corinthians 12:2 (NKJV)

2 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.

In the book of Revelation, at the beginning of chapter 4, John is told "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." And when the New Jerusalem is ready for occupancy, it will come down (Revelation 21:2).

When Satan rebelled against God, what did he say. Isaiah 14:13 (NAS)says, "I will ascend (go up) to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God."

So the Bible, over and over again, states that Heaven is "UP!"

But someone might want to ask, "up from where?" If we say it is in the direction at right angles with the earth's surface, "up" would be different at every point on the earth. "Up" from China is not the same direction as "up" from the United States. And if you say it is "up" from Jerusalem, the direction will be different in a few minutes, because of the earth's rotation.

Could it be that "UP," when it is mentioned in the Bible, is really indicating a particular direction?" Maybe Isaiah gives us a clue in his description of the fall of Lucifer. A moment ago, I read part of Isaiah 14:13, which quotes Lucifer saying, "I will ascend to Heaven…." Let's now read the whole verse.

Isaiah 14:13 NKJV

13 For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north;

Notice that last phrase in this verse. He is describing where he will be when he ascends into heaven. "On the farthest sides of the north."

Some have taken verses like this, as well as others, and concluded that Heaven is in the northern skies. It is true, that no matter where you are on earth, north will always be up.

Some have gained support for this view from findings in astronomy. Astronomers have discovered only one area where space appears to be empty. It is the region around the North Star.

For biblical evidence to support their position, they point to Psalm 75.

Psalm 75:5-7 NKJV

5 Do not lift up your horn on high; Do not speak with a stiff neck.'"
6 For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south.
7 But God is the Judge: He puts down one, And exalts another.

They reason that if "exaltation" does not originate from the east, west or south, then it can only come from the north. And since it is God that is the One who gives blessing, this verse, they believe, teaches that His throne must be located somewhere in the north.

So, one view of Heaven is that it is located somewhere in the far northern reaches of the universe. This view holds that Heaven is up, beyond the atmosphere, the troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere, the ionosphere, and the exosphere. It is beyond the Van Allen radiation belt and beyond interplanetary space.

There are, however, other theories about its location. Others would suggest that we might travel all the way to the edge of the universe and still not find Heaven. These would propose that heaven exists in a different dimension that we do today.

In 2 Kings 6, we find Elisha and his servant in the city of Dothan. The King of Syria, who is making war against Israel, is told that Elisha is telling the King of Israel every move the Syrians make. So they surround the place where Elisha is staying, and when his servant looked out early in the morning and saw the Syrians he was fearful of what might happen to them.

2 Kings 6:17 (NIV) reads:

17 And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

This tells us that the armies of God were invisible to the natural eye. They were in another dimension, which could only be seen by human eyes when God altered their ability to see. Many people in the Bible saw heaven when God allowed them to see into the other dimension.

In Ezekiel 1:1, the prophet tells us that he was among the exiles at the River Chebar. He says that while he was there, "the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God." The earthly heavens were removed for a moment where he was, and he saw into heaven. Similar things happened to others, like Micaiah (2 Chron. 18:18) and Stephen (Acts 7:56). They saw heaven, but they saw it in another dimension.

So this opinion about the location of Heaven believes it is not really very far from any of us. But it is in another dimensions, that keeps us from seeing it with normal human eyes.

The question "where is Heaven?" is one that cannot be easily answered with the information we have. But, being unable to identify its location does not at all take away from its reality.

Last Updated: Wednesday September 07 2011
©2001 John's Notes