HEAVEN
The concept of heaven is a major theme in the Bible. Here are a few of the better known references:
Understanding of the symbolic meaning of the kingdom of heaven and kingdom of God is confused by common understanding of heaven, or heavens, as the area above the earth occupied by clouds and sky. And this is understandable considering many scriptures that reference God looking down from heaven his dwelling place. And this is why religious people often pray and sing with their eyes and hands lifted up with the expectation of making contact with God.
This common religious thinking that God is somewhere up in the air or sky is fake faith. God’s home is not in the natural clouds or anywhere above the earth. God’s home is in his kingdom which is in the hearts of New Covenant disciples.
God’s presence (i.e. where his home is), therefore, is in the heart of New Covenant disciples. His presence, his name, his laws, and his character are examples of many different ways that God uses to describe his word. His presence, his name, his spirit, his laws and his character are not qualities that can be defined, observed, or quantified because they are spiritual, like the wind. That is why it is impossible to find God the natural world — including in the natural heavens.
God’s qualities do not exist in any physical location. It is foolish, religious thinking to imagine that tabernacles, temples, churches, shrines, sacred locations or even the natural heavens/sky that exists above the earth can represent God’s character.
God cannot be found in the natural sky, the natural heavens, in temples or tabernacles or churches, in liturgy, in music, or anywhere else that is created by man. Nor can he be found in nature. The only place God can be found is in the heart. The heart is God’s creation in which God can be found. That is why only God knows the heart.
We know that God’s home is in the heart because the heart is the place where God places his name/character. Only New Covenant disciples have hearts with God’s name/character because God’s laws are written on their hearts. God’s laws and God’s name/character are the same thing. In other words, New Covenant disciples who have God’s laws written on their hearts in effect have God’s name/character in their hearts. Or, to put it as simply as possible, they have God in their heart.
The heart of New Covenant disciples is the only place God can be found. He can be found there because his laws, his words have been written on the hearts of New Covenant disciples.
STUDY TIP: See THE MIRACLE OF CREATION and this link for understanding of creation.
People who try to prove the existence of God in the natural world are on a fool’s errand. They are looking to discover something that cannot be discovered. That is the nature of spirit. It is like the wind which cannot be seen but the effects of it can be seen. And so it is that God cannot be seen, but the effects of the presence of his spirit on the heart can be seen. And the way his presence is known is when we hear his spoken voice in our heart.
Nevertheless, religious people continue to believe that God’s home is somewhere up in the sky (i.e. heaven) somewhere. And this is not a surprise because the concept of a natural heaven is a common theme in most ancient and contemporary religions. And, like he did with many other themes found in ancient religions, God borrowed the imagery of heaven in the sky to symbolically represent his concept of heaven: a clean, pure heart where God makes his home.