The Three Types of Heaven
Samuel Smith
23 Jan'19
5
LESSON 2
THE THREE TYPES OF HEAVEN
You are welcome to another edition of Insights from God's Word, a Bible study programme that is committed to sharing God's Word by allowing the Bible to speak for itself.In this edition, we continue with our series on Heaven. The topic for this study is: The Three Types of Heaven. In our last study, we considered some texts in Scripture that made it clear that heaven is not a matter of speculation, but rather, a real place. We learnt from this previous study that the Lord we serve actually resides in heaven (
Beloved, in this study, I want us to build on the knowledge we have gained so far. You see friends, besides the dwelling place of God, which is described as "the height of heaven" (
Thus beloved, this third heaven, which is also described as far above all heavens, is the same place which Moses described as the height of heaven in the book of Job (
Friends, the Bible's clear statement of fact that there is a third heaven actually implies that there is a first heaven and also a second heaven. And beloved, this is what we discover when we read about heaven in the sacred pages of Scripture.
When we open our Bible to the book of Genesis, we find right at the first chapter of the book the record of the creation of our world. From this account of the creation of our world, we read the following from the patriarch Moses in relation to the first heaven:
Friends, this first heaven; that is, our firmament, as we all know, has been deeply contaminated with the virus of sin. In fact, the Bible teaches that the Lord is going to do away with the first heaven one day and create for us a new heaven. At this stage, I want us to consider some few Bible texts that make this point very clear. From the apostle Peter, we read the following in relation to what will happen to the first heaven:
"6:13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
6:14 And the HEAVEN departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places."
"21:1 And I saw a NEW HEAVEN and a new earth: for the FIRST HEAVEN and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea."
(
Now beloved, besides the dwelling place of God (third heaven) and our firmament (first heaven), the Bible also mentions another type of heaven. Friends, the second heaven, as we will soon discover from Scripture is actually the atmosphere that is found beyond our firmament. From the book of Psalms, we read the following in relation to the second heaven:
Beloved, from our study so far, we have learnt that there are three types of heaven in Scripture. These are the first heaven or the firmament where the birds fly; the second heaven where the moons, the planets, and stars are located; and the third heaven where God Himself dwells.
Friends, the Bible promises that soon and not too far away, our Lord Jesus Christ will come to redeem us from this world of suffering, sorrow and sin. He is coming to redeem us not just to the first or second heaven, but to the third heaven; to the place where He Himself dwells (
Exhortation: "1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. 2 Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun, 5 Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoices like a strong man to run its race. 6 Its rising is from one end of heaven, And its circuit to the other end; And there is nothing hidden from its heat" (
In our next study, we will consider the topic: The Paradise of God. The Bible study reference for this study is
[Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages are from the King James Version of the Bible.]
Stay blessed and keep shining for King Jesus.
Maranatha!
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