Although the Bible is clear that the souls of believers go to be with Christ in heaven when they die, there are also texts that say Christians have already been seated with God “in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6). Since believers who have not died are presently on the earth, this must be a positional reality. In other words, although we are not physically present in heaven right now, we are there in effect. We are to regard ourselves as already ruling and reigning alongside Jesus by right even if we do not have the full realization of that in our experience. This is a great encouragement to sanctification.
From music to movies to books and more, heaven is a topic that fascinates people both in the church and in the world. Yet as with other spiritual matters, much confusion abounds regarding the concept of heaven. Scripture alone gives us the truth. Here are five things you should know about heaven.
1. Heaven Is a Place
Acts 1:6–11 tells us that Jesus ascended to heaven, indicating His movement from one place (earth) to another (heaven). Furthermore, we know that Jesus continues to have a physical human body after His resurrection, albeit one that is glorified by the Holy Spirit (John 20:24–29; 1 Cor. 15). Physical objects are located in space and time; in other words, they are localized in a particular place. On the last day, Jesus will descend from heaven to bring the final resurrection and judgment (1 Thess. 4:16). His physical, glorified body will move from one place (heaven) to another (earth).
2. Heaven Is the Place of God’s Throne
The psalms often refer to heaven as the place of God’s throne (Ps. 9:7; Ps. 11:4; Ps. 103:19). Since God is spirit and does not have a physical body (John 4:24), we understand that to some degree this is a metaphor that indicates that God makes His special ruling presence felt most powerfully in heaven.