Some Heavenly Questions

Before we move on to the next five of John's 7 scenes of the Last Times there are a couple questions I'd like us to ask about heaven: 

1. Is heaven a real, literal place in the same sense that we speak about say Boston, MA. ? 
2. If it is not, then what does John mean when he writes about heaven being opened or someone or something coming down from heaven? 

Permit me to give you some examples from John's writings. 

And John bore witness: "I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. ... 

And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." - John 1:32, 51 ESV

No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. - John 3:13 ESV

And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, - Rev 5:3 ESV

Heavens Above by PuccaNoodles2009

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. ... And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven - Rev 10:1, 5 ESV

Earlier in this blog I explored the possibility that heaven refers to other worlds (cf. Heaven and Parallel Universes):

"We shall have to wait and see whether quantum physics will ever be able to prove conclusively that there are many other worlds. From a Biblical viewpoint we already know that there are. We have learned to call them the heavens. "Behold, to the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it" (Deut. 10:14)."

Again, as we started our study of The Revelation, we recalled that the Bible speaks about Three Heavens.

1. The firmament, our planet's atmosphere, where the eagles fly (Gen 2:19; Lamentations 4:19)
2. Beyond is the starry heavens, with the sun, moon and stars in their orbits. Out there they declare God's glory and show His handiwork (Ps. 19:1)
3. The third heaven is that place to which Paul was caught up, the place beyond, the dwelling-place of God, the heaven of heavens (Deut 10:14; Psalms 115:16; 148:4) 

There is no way to speak of that third heaven other than through the use of symbolical language. . .

In our day scientists are exploring ways to explain the universe, when it began, if it did have a beginning, where we humans came from, assuming that we "evolved" somehow from lower forms of life and on and on. Movies, novels, TV series and blog after blog all ponder these mysteries. So far we've found no other life, regardless of what sci-fi adventurists claim. 

In 2009 I wrote (What and Where Is Heaven?): 

Many of us adults are almost as confused about our hope. Perhaps part of the confusion lies with the fact that whatever heaven holds is outside and beyond our experience. In 1 Corinthians 2:9 the Apostle Paul quotes from Isaiah 64:4 to remind us our eyes have never seen, our ears have never heard and our minds have never conceived what God has prepared for His beloved children.

Then in 2013 I heard a lecture at Texas A&M U. by Dr. Hugh Ross. He was talking about the relationship between the Bible and science on the topic of creation. During his talk he said that Christians have long believed in some kind of a parallel universe. Its called heaven. I liked his comment. It fits in with the very popular discussion in science—and science fiction—about parallel or multiple universes (Praying To Our Father In Parallel Universes). What he failed to say is that this third or parallel heaven is not discoverable or accessible to us by way of our science or our sacrifices. It is God's gift of grace.

So let us continue, aware that we are dealing with deep mysteries, places, times, beings and plans far beyond us. . . There are millions of us who have accepted the wondrous truth that our God has come down to us from heaven in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, Son of Mary and Son of God. By God's grace and free gift, we have received from Him the hope of that we shall share eternally in these ever deepening wonders.