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Heavenly Places from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.

Heaven is a real place, as real as the ground underneath your feet, with streets of pure transparent gold and a clear river of the water of life. There will be gates made of a single pearl and foundations made from precious gemstones. There is no darkness, for it is illuminated by the glory of God (Revelation 21:10-23). It will be a jaw-dropping absolute wonder to behold what God has prepared for those who love Him. 

Before the ascension of Jesus, Saints who died went to a place called "Abraham's bosom" (Luke 16:22). But when Jesus ascended, He took all those Old Testament saints with Him to Heaven (Ephesians 4:8-10). Now when a believer dies, their body goes to sleep, but their soul and spirit go to be with the Lord immediately in Heaven (2 Corinthians 5:8). 

Only those whose names are written in the "Lamb's Book of Life" shall enter Heaven (Revelation 21:27). If your name is not recorded in this book before judgment day, you will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). Sin is not the issue. It's your missing name that dooms you. We will not be granted entrance to heaven unless we repent of our sins and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Then our names are recorded in His Book.  

No sickness, disease, pain, death, poverty, or sorrow will exist in heaven. There will be no lying, slander, strife, jealousy, contentions, or quarrels. There will be no bloodshed, murder, hate, or wars. That's all in the here and now as petty people squabble over petty things that won't even exist in the future. Let the strife go and focus on eternity.

Heaven will be an astounding place to live. Jesus Christ said, "I go to prepare a place for you." So it will be a prepared place for people who have prepared themselves—a place for believers to reside with their Savior for eternity. 

(John 14:2–3 NKJV)  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

Yet, there are multiple heavens mentioned in Scripture, so which one are we going to? To better understand them, we have to put together pieces from Genesis through Revelation. The first verse of the Bible gives us a clue by using the plural word heavens instead of the singular heaven:

(Genesis 1:1 NKJV)  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

As I understand it, three heavens are mentioned in Scripture, and I can't find a reference to a seventh heaven or a cloud nine in the Bible. There may be more levels, but I haven't been there yet. Also, "Second Heaven" isn't mentioned, but you can't have a third heaven without a second one. The three heavens spoken of are defined like this:

The First Heaven: The literal sky you see above you where the birds fly and the clouds form. (Genesis 1:20, Job 35:11, Jeremiah 16:4, Isaiah 55:9-10).

The Second Heaven: is a place where a lot of spiritual warfare is happening. Satan led a rebellion in heaven with a third of the angels and lost. They are already driven out of the third heaven into the second and will soon be booted from there to the Earth:

(Isaiah 14:12–15 NKJV)  "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.

The term "lowest depths of the pit" suggests there are levels of hell as well, and old Luci will be at the bottom. There is a great uncrossable chasm between Heaven and Hell that cannot be crossed over (Luke 16:26). So where you go is where you will stay forever.

(Revelation 12:7–9 NKJV)  And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Some would have you believe that God rules Heaven and satan rules Hell, but that is not true. Hell is an eternal prison for the damned, and satan will just be another inmate in chains and darkness. 

(Revelation 20:10 NKJV)  The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

The Apostle Paul wrote about spiritual wickedness in heavenly places. This would be in the second heaven where "spiritual influencers" dwell. It's the unseen spiritual realm beyond our physical senses. The kingdom of darkness is a hierarchy with many levels that range from weak, evil spirits dwelling in people to powerful fallen angels who war in the heavens above us. 

(Ephesians 6:11–12 NKJV)  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Some demons are stronger than others, and even satan himself entered the Apostle Judas Iscariot. So apparently, satan still has access to the first and second heavens and goes and comes as he pleases:

(John 13:26–27 NKJV)  ... And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, "What you do, do quickly."

The book of Daniel provides insight into the war going on in the second heaven. Daniel had fasted for twenty-one days about a vision he had when a Man or Angel appeared to him to bring a message from the third heaven to Daniel. He told Daniel that He had been delayed for twenty-one days because of a "prince" that was in the way. The Archangel Michael came and helped Him break through. This battle took place in the second heaven:

(Daniel 10:12–13 NKJV)  Then he said to me, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.

The Third Heaven: is called Paradise, where God dwells. This is where believers would go if they were to die today. The Apostle Paul mentioned the third heaven in his writing and called it "Paradise." The word Paradise is used three times in Scripture: 

Jesus told the thief on the cross he would go there that day:

(Luke 23:43 NKJV)  And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

The Apostle Paul called the third heaven "Paradise":

(2 Corinthians 12:2–4 ESV)  I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether 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.

Jesus told the Apostle John that the Tree of Life was there:

(Revelation 2:7 NKJV)  "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God." '

Paradise will be a wonderful, peaceful place to live. It is the believer's retirement plan. 

(1 Corinthians 2:9 NKJV)  But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for preparing a place for us! I look forward to living with You for eternity and walking on streets of pure gold. Please make Your will clear to me and help me get in tune with what You are doing on Earth today. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!