The Third Heaven: Dwelling Place Of God

We now follow John as he goes through a door standing open in heaven! But where is that? Surely it is out there, beyond the clouds and the stars above, beyond human experience, outside of this world to that somewhere and everywhere where God dwells with all the great host of heavenly beings. This heaven was opened to Jesus at His baptism and he saw the Spirit of God descending, descending and descending like a dove to rest on him. And he heard a voice from that somewhere that said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased" (Matt 3:16-17).

Now John is invited into that other place, above and beyond us all. A door stands open and he passes through it. The Apostle Paul had been there. He wrote,

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. - 2 Co 12:2 ESV

He called it the "third" heaven. How many are there? And to which of these did John go?

The Hebrew word for it all is shamayim, a plural word. The Hebrew has several other words that refer to the sky, the firmament and the clouds. John uses a Greek word that refers to the same location, but is not a plural. Rather John speaks about the heaven (ouranos). When Peter received his vision about clean/unclean food a voice from the heaven spoke to him three times, indicating that this was God's voice (Acts 10:9-16). The third heaven is the dwelling-place of God.

From the blog of Pastor Ray K Liu

So there are 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. Paul knew that as well. He says "he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter" (2 Co 12:4). John, on the other hand, is given a revelation from that place of wonder and awe to share, using symbols and images familiar to this time, this world so that we may imagine in some small way what it is like there and what is going to happen in this world as we await Christ's return. These will appear all throughout the next chapters. Here's a partial list of the images we will want to study:

• thrones of precious stones like jasper and carnelian
• emerald rainbows
• crowns
• torches of fire
• people wearing white robes
• creatures like lions, oxen, men and eagles
• creatures with wings, full of eyes
• a mighty Lion
• the Lamb
• scroll with seven seals
• horses of various colors
• wars, blood, storms, people dying
• angels, elders, demons

So we move forward with a prayer that the Spirit will speak to our hearts and open our eyes as well.

A Warning About Imagination

In our small group Bible study we recently took a look at the Apostle encouraging young Pastor Timothy to lead his congregation in prayer (1 Timothy 2:1-7). That opened a lively conversation among us about for what and how we should be praying. It is the how that concerns me in this post. We're accustomed to praying by thinking and speaking words, but what about what these days is called visualization? Jon Trott (Visualization And Imaging) writes,

. . . imaging and visualization are increasingly appearing as Christian meditation, "mind-stretchers," or a consciousness awakening experience in Christian workshops, and you'd better believe that visualization as a cultivated exercise comes with all sorts of metaphysical and spiritual baggage in tow."

What exactly are we talking about here?  Here's how Sandra M. Levy (Imagination and the Journey of Faith) describes the human capacity to imagine:

By imagination I do not mean what is commonly assumed by the term - that is, mere products of fancy without any status in reality (i.e., "It's only in your imagination, dear!"). Nor am I using the term in the limited sense of images, dreams, or "pictures" held in the mind. What I mean by imagination here is the inherent human power to transcend the concrete, to create new images or ideas that can open up new possibility and promise - the not yet of a future we can envision, the re-valuing of a remembered past. Ultimately what I mean by imagination is that human capacity to receive and respond to God's revelation in our everyday lives. I believe that it is this human capacity which plays a key role in faith development.

 Before we get too deeply involved in what various authors are saying about this kind of prayer, both pro and con, it is important that we take a good look at what God says in His Word.

Way back, before the great Flood, we read that the LORD God was deeply troubled by man's use of this capacity.

And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually. - Gen 6:5 KJV

. . . every imagination of the thoughts of his heart —that's the way several versions translate the Hebrew word yetser. The basic meaning of the root verb is "to form, frame or fashion." In a number of passages it is parallel to bara (create) and asa (make).

Sometimes the verb describes what a man does.

Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding? - Isa 29:16 KJV

Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image [that] is profitable for nothing? - Isa 44:10 KJV 

What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols? - Hab 2:18 KJV

At other times the verb points to God's activity. He frames and devises things in His mind. He plans what He does. For example, He fashions and forms us for His purposes from the moment of our conception in our mothers' wombs.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance (golem); in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. - Psa 139:16 ESV

Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: 'Thus says the LORD, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.' - Jer 18:11 ESV

Back to Sandra Levy's definition of imagination:

"the inherent human power to transcend the concrete, to create new images or ideas that can open up new possibility and promise - the not yet of a future we can envision, the re-valuing of a remembered past."

New images, ideas, plans, possibilities, promises, not-yet futures, re-valued pasts, moving beyond, re-framing, re-envisioning . . . Exciting. Motivating. Energizing.

But!

This inherent human power, this image of God within us, this imago Dei, this way of thinking forward into the future, this capacity that humans alone have, this ability that God has given to us, this wondrous power—its corrupted! It stinks! It is decayed!

After the great Flood only Noah and his family remained. Everyone else was gone, destroyed by the waters. Yet the seed of this corruption remained even in faithful Noah and his sons. After the beasts, birds and creeping things left the ark, Noah built an altar and sacrificed clean beasts and birds on it.

And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination (yetser) of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. - Gen 8:21 KJV

Noah and his family passed on this corrupted yetser. We still have it in one form or another, leader and laborer, artist and artisan, powerful or poor—all of us. But whatever the shape or form of this capacity within us, it remains corrupted, malignant, wicked and evil from childhood. Out of this power come the idols, the false gods, those images, ideas and ideologies we worship rather than the LORD God. This is why David prayed, using the bara verb, the one parallel to yetser, in his prayer. He had been carried away by his imagination as he gazed upon the beautiful, attractive and seductive Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11-12). His imagination led him to adultery, murder and lies. Looking back he saw what had happened in his heart, his evil heart. And he prayed, as must we all—daily.

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. - Psa 51:10 KJV

Only the LORD God can answer this prayer. Only as we are renewed in spirit and heart, will we be able to turn loose this wondrous capacity, this inherent human power to transcend the concrete and create new images and ideas in our hearts, only then may we confidently dream and plan for the future. Only then will we know how to pray.

God grant it for Jesus' sake.

What and Where is Heaven?

I continue to ponder the meaning of the words of Hebrews 9:24-28 this week. In this passage about Christ our High Priest, we hear that he went not into the old temple in Jerusalem, but into heaven itself once and for all. Today's questions  are about heaven. What is it? Where is it?

Among the many emails I get came this one about children and their views of heaven. Here are some samples.

• Mom, God's so neat, and heaven's supposed to be so great.  Could me and Gloria go there Saturday for a sleep-over?

• Our seven-year-old daughter, Clarisa, was not really excited about going to Sunday school, but her little friend talked her into it. After the first class, at lunch she said, "I like my teacher, and she said if I come to Sunday school every Sunday, she'll show me how I can get a free trip to heaven."

• My three-year-old granddaughter, Morgan, came over one day and looked around the room and asked, "Where's Grandpa?" I answered, "He's in heaven."  Surprised, she looked at me and said, "Still?"

• When Jenny was four, she asked, "Does heaven have a floor?"     Surprised, I said, "Well, Jenny, what do you think heaven is like?"          She looked up at the sky and clouds and replied, "Well, I can't see any  floor, so I guess people are just up there on coat hangers!"

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. Paul himself was caught up to heaven and says he heard inexpressible things that a man is not permitted to tell (2 Corinthians 12:4).

The whole thing gets more complex when you realize that the space above and beyond us, with the stars and planets, is also called heaven. In Genesis 15:5 we read that the LORD said to Abraham that he should gaze into the sky or heaven and count the stars, because that's how many descendants he would have.

On the other hand, when the Apostle speaks about Christ ascending, he says he "ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself" (Ephesians 4:10). This is in accord with Psalm 11:4 where we read that the LORD's throne is in heaven.

Heaven as the dwelling place of God—our Father who art in heaven—is also the place where the holy angels dwell. The prophet Micaiah said he saw the LORD on his throne and all the host of heaven standing by (1 Kings 22:19).

The rebel, evil angels on the other hand are not permitted into this glory. They are confined to what Paul calls the "heavenly places" (Ephesians 3:10 and 6:12). That most likely refers to the atmosphere surrounding our planet. They are not allowed into deep heaven.

Those of us who put our trust in Christ, however, have the hope laid up in heaven (Colossians 1:5). We have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing" (2 Corinthians 5:1-5).

And along with that we have the promise of a renewal of creation. We are part of that creation and our bodies, together with everything the LORD has made, will be made new. All this is a hope unseen, but nevertheless real, because of Christ's resurrection (Romans 8:18-25).

Without a doubt, words fail us to describe what awaits, but wait we must and wait we will.So, come LORD Jesus. Come soon—Marana tha (1 Corinthians 16:22).