Define firmament series#

That we will in some way be like Christ ( 1 John 3:2-3), and in some way we will be like the angels ( Matthew 22:30). We know that we will experience it with transformed bodies ( 1 Corinthians 15:35-57), not as disembodied spirits. But there are a few things we know about heaven. Unfortunately, the Scripture does not give us a lot of information about what awaits us. As believers we look forward to life beyond this earth and in the fragile tents in which we currently dwell ( 2 Corinthians 5:1-5). A kingdom that is growing one that is worth all we have and impacted by unbelievers.Įven though heaven is in some sense a present reality that we are experiencing, there is more to come. Rather than describing a future abode of believers, they describe heaven as a present reality. Most of these parables start with the expression “the kingdom of heaven is like.” But for the most part, they are not what we might expect.

Define firmament series#

In Matthew 13 there are a series of parables.

But the kingdom Jesus proclaims was a spiritual kingdom without an earthly center. The coming kingdom had been envisioned as a physical earthly kingdom centered on Jerusalem. This kingdom that Jesus proclaims reflects a dramatic shift in thought. While this kingdom has eschatological ramifications, it is a kingdom with present day reality. A kingdom that includes all the redeemed. It is a spiritual kingdom that Christ rules over. Jesus came proclaiming the coming of the kingdom. The Kingdom of Heaven: Present Day Reality He identifies this place as being synonymous with Paradise, the Paradise that Jesus promised to share with the repentant thief on the cross. In 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 Paul shares an experience of being caught up to the third heaven, the dwelling of God. At the beginning of this passage Solomon acknowledges that even the highest heaven cannot contain God. In 1 Kings 8:27-53, Solomon identifies heaven as God’s dwelling place. In Isaiah 6:1, Isaiah has a vision of God sitting on his throne, high and exalted. In Psalm 11:4, Psalm 103:19, and Isaiah 66:1 we read that God’s throne is in heaven. While eventually it came to be thought of as a spiritual place, it was still ‘up there,’ higher than the other heavens. This third level of heaven is beyond the sun, moon, and stars. Heaven as the Dwelling of Godįor the ancients, the third level of heaven was the dwelling place of God, or the gods. These heavens were visible to humans, but beyond the reach of the birds that flew through the sky. This passage is referring to the celestial bodies, especially the sun. In Psalm 19:1-6, David’s psalm begins by expressing the glory of God revealed in the heavens. In ancient Hebrew thought, the heavens consist of everything that is ‘up there.’ The sky is ‘up there.’ But God’s throne is also ‘up there,’ beyond the stars ( Job 22:12). I suspect that is because there was not a clear distinction between the two in the Hebrew mind. But they also refer to the supernatural realm of God. This word is defined as “sky, air, firmament, any area above the earth heaven(s), the place of sun, moon, and stars heaven, in which God dwells.” Like šāmayim, this word is used in a variety of ways.īoth of these words refer to the physical realm that we live in. In the New Testament, the Greek word ouranos is the primary word translated as heaven. The NIV Word Study Dictionary defines this word as “region above the earth: the heavens: place of the stars, sky, air heaven: the invisible realm of God.” As you can see, it has a variety of usages.

In the Old Testament the Hebrew word šāmayim is the primary word translated as heaven. But what does the Bible itself have to say about heaven? Definition of Heaven What is heaven? And what is heaven like? These are common questions. The Kingdom of Heaven: Present Day Reality.