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.

God Has Put Eternity In Our Hearts

Yesterday I opened up—again—the question of parallel universes by suggesting that the term heaven or the heavens may be a reference to that concept. I did suggest that we who believe in the authority of Holy Scriptures as our Creator's revelation of Himself and His plans for His creation must approach these discussions with caution, especially since scientists are not always objective. Like the rest of us, they bring with them assumptions not supported by objective studies and mathematics.

In yesterday's blog I made the following statement: 

Scientific studies during the past century have radically broadened our concepts of the universe or universes. So much, so very, very much remains unknown. We have only to read books like The Hidden Reality—Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos by Brian Greene to realize how little we know and how vast creation may be.

I referred to Greene, because I've only now begun to read his book (listen to the audio version). Early in his book he acknowledges that some attempt to explain life as arising from some soul, spirit, etc. outside creation, but he personally doubts it. Then he proceeds to outline one theory that our universe is but one of an infinite number of universes stretching on forever!  In that scenario, our universe, our world and each one of us is repeated endlessly in an infinite number of other universes! 

Whoa horses! Greene has suddenly reduced everything to . . . a meaningless infinity! There is no beginning, even as there is no ending. And there is no room in that model (at least as presented in the first two chapters of his book) for a Creator. You and I are not unique creations. We are simply an assemblage of matter, repeated endlessly in an endless array of worlds in an infinite number of parallel universes. Life is a matter of chance and it has no meaning and no purpose. It is nothing but a cold assembly of matter and energy. That's all you are. That's all I am, along with the infinite other me's in those infinite other universes. 

And all along I thought only GOD was infinite and without beginning or ending! That's what I read in His revelation. 

• In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. - Gen 1:1 ESV
• Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. - Pro 8:23 ESV
• He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. - Ecc 3:11 ESV
• He answered, "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, - Mat 19:4 ESV
• But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.' - Mar 10:6 ESV
• In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. - Jhn 1:1-2 ESV

The Hebrew word for beginning, Re'shiyth, is used elsewhere to speak about the firstborn, the first fruits in the harvest, the first fruits offered in the temple (i.e. Gen. 49:3; Exod. 23:19, etc.). 

The Proverbs passage refers to R'osh, often translated as head. As in Genesis, it implies a beginning. 

In Ecclesiastes Solomon tells us that God has put eternity into our hearts. Eternity or 'Owlam points to undefined time with an unknown beginning or ending. We know about time and learn here the wonder that everything is beautiful in its time. And beyond time we are intrigued by eternity. What is it? What does it mean? However, there is a darkness about 'Owlam. We will never be able to plumb the depths of it. Ed Welch puts it this way:

While God has created all the “times” of life (Ecclesiastes 3:2-8), each appropriate in its time (v.10), He has obscured humanity’s knowledge, placing darkness in their hearts, so that they cannot discover His divine program (v.11). But why? Because God wants humanity to enjoy the work He has given them (vv.12-13), to trust in His sovereignty and fear Him (v.14). (Gault p.57)

Focus on your task at hand; trust God for the future. That would be the message of the verse, and it fits the message of the larger book. It is simple and wise advice.

In the Gospels we read about the Lord Jesus referring to the beginning of creation. The Greek word there is archē, a word that absolutely speaks about the beginning of all things, again emphasizing that only God is eternal. Jesus, who is God, was in the beginning. Again, only God is eternal. Everything else has its source in Him. Without Him nothing exists. The very idea of an infinite and endless number of universes fights against that revelation. 

Without faith brilliant scientists are ready to posit an infinite number of universes, visible or invisible, yet theoretically available to math, research and science. In faith we turn to the God who called us and our earth and the heavens (whatever that implies) into being. In faith we acknowledge that it all has its beginning in Him. So the Hebrews letter states, 

By faith we understand that the worlds (aions) were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. - Hebr 11:3 NKJV

Heaven and Parallel Universes

As we Christians continue to celebrate the 40 days of Easter we rejoice in the hope we now have of heaven and the resurrection because of Christ's return from the grave. Biblical writers speak, however, of many heavens. Are these many heavens what moderns mean by multiple universes? Is our reference to the hope of heaven a reference to another universe? Or is all this speculation mere fantasy?

"The idea of multiple universes is more than a fantastic invention—it appears naturally within several scientific theories, and deserves to be taken seriously," stated Aurelien Barrau, a French particle physicist at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) recently. If you are not a nuclear physicist with multiple degrees and well acquainted with the arcane and mysterious language of this group, do not try to read the following link: http://cerncourier.com/cws/article/cern/31860. Rather, suffice it to note that there is much speculation about multiverses and parallel universes or many-worlds in our day.

Barrau concludes, "It could well be that the whole idea of multiple universes is misleading. It could well be that the discovery of the most fundamental laws of physics will make those parallel worlds totally obsolete in a few years. It could well be that with the multiverse, science is just entering a "no through road". Prudence is mandatory when physics tells us about invisible spaces. But it could also very well be that we are facing a deep change of paradigm that revolutionizes our understanding of nature and opens new fields of possible scientific thought. Because they lie on the border of science, these models are dangerous, but they offer the extraordinary possibility of constructive interference with other kinds of human knowledge. The multiverse is a risky thought—but, then again, let's not forget that discovering new worlds has always been risky."

A "deep change of paradigm" . . . and  "the extraordinary possibility of constructive interference with other kinds of human knowledge." What do those statements suggest?

• The idea that our universe is all that exists might have to change?
• History, philosophy, theology and even the arts will have to rethink their premises? 

Well, maybe not theology, at least not Biblical theology. Listen to the Apostle Paul—

 "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter" (2 Corinthians 12:2-4).

The apostle's 'third heaven' refers to the view of the universe common in Paul's day—but certainly not based on science as we now know it. In that onion-peel view, we live in the lowest heaven with its seemingly solid firmament above. Above that is a great sea of water that once spilled down to engulf the world in a flood (Genesis 6). Beyond that is the third heaven where God's throne is and where the heavenly beings dwell.

Paul insists that he was 'caught up' to that third heaven. This probably refers to his experience on the road to Damascus when Christ appeared to him (Acts 9:1-9; 22:6-11). He was so focused on his experience that he was unaware whether it was a vision or an actual transportation to that heaven.

The Hebrew word for heaven is Shamayim. The word literally means the sky, that vaulted roof of earth (Isaiah 40:22), the first heaven. Beyond it are the second and third heavens, as indicated above. To speak about this the Greek translation of the O.T. and the Greek N.T. itself had to borrow a word for sky or air, Ouranus. The Latinized form for that word is Uranus, the mythological first god whose wife was Gaia, mother earth. The English word 'heaven' refers to the sky, but it can also refer to that place of bliss, contentment and joy where the favored departed dwell.

What does Paul's witness, along with other Biblical testimonies about heaven (Rev. 4:1; Luke 2:15; Luke 23:43; Matt. 17:1-11 and the huge host of other passages) tell us believers today? Obviously there is a whole lot more to God's creation than we might imagine. And that there is more 'interference' with our universe by beings from the other universes or heavens than we usually think about. Consider Jacob's vision of angelic messengers who move back and forth between heaven and earth as another example (Genesis 18:1-2; Genesis 28:10-22).

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). This same Lord has come among us to redeem us from death. He is the man from heaven whose image we shall bear when death is finally swallowed up in victory and all things are made new (1 Cor. 15:47-58; Rev. 21:1-5).

Do We Christians Believe in Parallel Universes?

I have to say that Jeffrey Jacob "J.J." Abrams is a brilliant and talented man. Writer, producer, director and musician, he keeps on pouring out wildly popular movies and TV series. He is both an Emmy Award and Golden Globe winner. He's obviously an amazing man--and he's only 43. 

J. J. Abrams - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Recently I viewed Fringe, a TV series he has written and is directing. I'm planning to watch them all. Information on FOX follows: 


Set in Boston, the FBI's Fringe Division formed when Special Agent OLIVIA DUNHAM (Anna Torv) enlisted the help of institutionalized "fringe" scientist WALTER BISHOP (John Noble) and his son, PETER (Joshua Jackson), to save her partner and lover from a mind-bending death. Through unconventional and unorthodox methods, the FRINGE team imagines and tests the impossibilities while investigating unbelievable events, macabre crimes, and mystifying cases involving pyrokinesis, neuroscience, cryonics, genetic engineering, astral projection, and other fantastical theories. When the unimaginable happens, it's their job to stop it.


What are Abrams and Fox tapping into? What draws people like me to watch this stuff? My children watch it. My grandchildren watch it. So what's going on? Why the interest in aliens, parallel universes, demons, angels, sci-fi, shape shifters, etc. The list goes on. You get the picture. 
For starters, let me emphasize that the Bible has always had its own list of strange beings with unexplained powers and a parallel universe. Try your hand at explaining this.  

• The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown (Genesis 6:4). 

• Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls on both sides. ²⁵ When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam's foot against it. So he beat her again (Numbers 22). 

• He (Jacob) had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. ¹³ There above it stood the LORD, and he said: "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying (Genesis 28). 

Who can stop asking where heaven is? What does it mean to ascend and descend to and from that place? Is heaven a parallel universe of some sort? Is there more than one? 

Since angels are creatures of God, as are the rebel angels, what are they made of? Of what does their matter consist? And what energy do they employ to do what they do, e.g. destroy entire cities? How do they move about? Why are they able to inhabit human bodies? 

That ought to be enough to get you going with your own TV series. Or is it already being done? Oh well, there's always room for creative twists.