Heaven
The Capital of the Universe.
According to Isaiah 42:5, God created the heavens
and He stretched them out. This speaks of the first, the second, and the third
Heavens.
“The first Heaven” is our atmosphere—the sky;
recorded in Genesis 1:8:
And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the
morning were the second day.
KJV
God made this first Heaven from the vapors—when He
separated the waters from the waters.
“The second Heaven” is the space—the universe, which
consists of the solar system and the stars. This is recorded in Genesis 1:14-19
And God said, "Let there be
lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let
them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights
in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. God
made two great lights — the greater light to govern the day and the lesser
light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse
of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to
separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.
NIV
The second Heaven was also mentioned in Psalm 8:3.
“The third Heaven” is the Kingdom of God; the Heaven
of Heavens. Paul called it “Paradise.”
I must go on boasting. Although there
is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from The Lord.
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 — whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know,
but God knows— was caught up to Paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things
that man is not permitted to tell. I will boast about a man like that, but I
will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses.
2 Corinthians 12:1-6 NIV
Heaven is the capital of the universe.
Heaven is a REAL PLACE!
Only Enoch, Elijah and Jesus live in Heaven in
bodily form.
Like Abraham, everyone born of God is destined to
enter Heaven; and receive it as an eternal inheritance.
The patriarchs that walked in faith, 'perceived the
Kingdom of Heaven from afar.'
Along with Abraham, we, on earth, are in a strange
country. We are temporary residents here on earth.
God is the Architect and Builder of Heaven, and He
did this through His Son Jesus Christ (John 14:3).
By faith Abraham, when he was called
to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance,
obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
By faith he sojourned in the land of
promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob,
the heirs with him of the same promise:
For he looked for a city which hath
foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God.
Through faith also Sara herself
received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was
past age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.
Therefore sprang there even of one,
and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the
sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.
These all died in faith, not having
received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of
them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on
the earth.
For they that say such things declare
plainly that they seek a country.
And truly, if they had been mindful of
that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have
returned.
But now they desire a better country,
that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for
he hath prepared for them a city.
Heb 11:8-16 KJV
Out of our physical (corruptible) bodies, we shall
enjoy the tangible fulfillment of God's divine Promises.
Heaven, our true 'Fatherland', is indeed a better
and more desirable country.