Where is Heaven?

Articles

Scott Hafer
01/14/25 - Faith

It seems that almost everyone wants to know about heaven, and everyone wants to go there. Recent polls suggest that nearly 71% of all Americans believe there is a place called heaven. I find this statistic encouraging because it tells me that even in this postmodern age there is something deep inside the human heart that cries out, “There’s got to be something more.” With that in mind, let’s consider two important facts about heaven.

Fact #1: Heaven is a real place. Listen to the words of Jesus on the night before he was crucified:

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:1-2)

Jesus refers to heaven (“my Father’s house”) as a real place, as real as Indianapolis, Tampa Bay, or Marion. The movies have told you wrong. Those images of knee-high fog banks, harps, and floating spirits? Forget them. Jesus has gone to “prepare a place.” Like hell, heaven is tangible and touchable. It’s a real place filled with real people, which is why the Bible sometimes compares heaven to a house with many rooms (John 14:1-2) and sometimes to a new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3:13) So, heaven is not a concept. It’s a reality. But the most important fact is that heaven is where God dwells.

Fact #2: Heaven is where God dwells. In John 14:3 Jesus goes on to say:

“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.”

The Bible clearly states that heaven is God's dwelling place. His throne, his angels, and the Lord Jesus Christ are there. Philippians 3:20 reads:

“Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

God is not just the only way to heaven; he is what makes heaven worth wanting. If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever enjoyed, and all the leisure activities you ever liked, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever experienced, and no conflicts or disasters at all, could you be satisfied with heaven, if God were not there? Could you? Could I? I don’t think so, because God is what makes heaven heavenly. Yes, it’s true that many rewards await us in heaven, but really we want to be with God because he is better and more desirable than anything else in life!