What is Heaven? tomorrowsworld.org

Traditions and fantasy have shaped many opinions about heaven. From the context of the Bible there are three heavens. The first heaven is simply earth’s atmosphere. “let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” (Gen 1:20). Like the first heaven the second heaven is also observable by mankind. It is what we call outer space. “I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven…” (Gen 22:17) The first two heavens are often called just that in scripture, heavens – plural. The third heaven, as described in the Bible, is unobservable to mankind. It is often called the “heaven of heavens”. This is the realm outside of the physical where only God the Father, Jesus and angels are. “No one has ascended into heaven except He who descended from heaven, the Son of Man”, (John 3:13-14) “Christ who…was caught up to the third heaven.” (2 Cor 12:2)