Some Misconceptions About Heaven

In the Hebrew Bible which Christians refer to as the Old Testament, the word “shamayim” translated “heavens”  is a plural noun and it means heavens or skies. It is used 421 times beginning from Genesis 1:1 which says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 

There are at least three meanings of heaven seen in the Bible:

• It may refer to the atmosphere above the earth’s surface which is called sky. This is the space where birds fly and where weather systems such as wind, rain, cloud, snow, dew, thunders, etc. are formed. See Deut. 11:19; 28:12; Judg. 5:4; Job 38:29; Psa. 147:8; 2 Chron. 7:13; Isa. 55:10; Dan. 4:23; Jer. 4:25; Acts 14:17.
• Heaven may also refer to the various planets called the sun, the moon, and the stars which are collectively called the outer space.
• Heaven may also refer to the eternal and invisible realm where the invisible God lives. The Bible calls the realm the dwelling place of God (Psa. 33:13-14) or where God has His throne (Psa. 103:19). It is also called God’s throne (Isa. 66:1; Matt. 23:22). The Lord Jesus Christ affirmed many times that God, the Father, lives in heaven (Matt. 5:16,45,48; 6:1,6,18; etc).

The first misunderstanding people have about heaven is this. Whenever they see the word “heaven,” especially in the KJV, they assume it refers to the realm where God dwells.

The translators of the various English Bibles have also contributed, in some ways, to the pervasive misconception people have about heaven. For example, KJV translators erroneously wrote “heaven” (singular) in Gen. 1:1 and this has caused many people to think that the realm where God lives is the one that was created in the beginning. But what Moses meant in Gen. 1:1 are the created planets – the sun, the moon and the stars. The “heaven” which God uses as His dwelling place or as His throne has been in existence before the creation of all things including the heavens or the constellations. The realm where God dwells has no beginning just as God Himself has no beginning.

When God promised to create “new heavens and a new earth,” (Psa. 102:25-26; Isa. 65:17-25; 66:22; Matt. 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33), the promise was made in relation to the planets that were created in the beginning (Gen.1:1; 2:1). God never referred to the eternal realm where He has ever lived as the one that will be changed.

Kingdom of Heaven is Conflated with Heaven

The second major misconception about heaven is the term “kingdom of heaven” used exclusively by Matthew to refer to the Kingdom of God. Matthew used this phrase 33 times and it means the same thing as the Kingdom of God. The word “Heaven” used in the 33 places is a  metonymy for God. The term “kingdom of heaven” has been mistaken to mean heaven by many Christians. Whereas “heaven” refers to the eternal and invisible abode of God, the “Kingdom of Heaven” refers to the kingdom of God and His Christ which will take over the unjust rulership of men (Rev. 11:15). The citizens of the Kingdom will live here on a new or renewed earth with the Lord Jesus Christ living among them. The  phrase “Kingdom of heaven” does not mean the citizens will be changed to spirits and made to float around the throne of the Almighty God, doing nothing other than singing praises in heaven. The Bible has made it very clear that Jesus Christ is coming again, not only to judge the world of their sins but also to rule as the righteous King of God’s Kingdom here on earth. This fact is affirmed by Christ’s teaching in Matt. 6:10 which says, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10 NKJV).

What God Promised

There is no Bible verse that shows any promise given by God of taking anyone to that realm where He dwells. What God has promised us is eternal life in His Kingdom which will be on the new earth. It needs be said that if God intended to take the saved ones to heaven ultimately, the Most High would have got no reason for creating new heavens and a new earth. We confidently say that the teaching of going to heaven to live with God after our lifetimes here on earth is incompatible with biblical revelation. Here are a few texts that support our claim:

“But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight. (2 Pet. 3:13-14 NLT).

The apostles were not nursing the futile ambition of going to rub shoulders with God in heaven. They were looking forward to what God has promised – the new heavens and a new earth in which there’ll be no form of unrighteousness.

“Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” (Rev. 21:1-2 NIV).

At God’s chosen time, the New Jerusalem or the New Paradise of God  will be brought down from heaven to be the eternal dwelling place of those who will inherit God’s gift of eternal life. This New Jerusalem is what Jesus Christ promised in John 14:2-3 when He said, “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:2-3 ESV).

The Patriarchs also did not nurse the idea of going to be with God in heaven. They looked forward to the holy city, the New Jerusalem, which will be brought down from heaven.

“For he [Abraham] was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.. .But as it is, they [the faithfuls of Old Testament] desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city” (Heb. 11:10, 16 ESV, words in square brackets added by me).

The city is described as “heavenly” because it will possess the beatific qualities of heaven. It is also built in heaven. The reader should not make the mistake of thinking that the word “heavenly” automatically means heaven.

“For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come” (Heb. 13:14 ESV).

The saints of God who lived up to the first century AD never nursed the idea of going to be with God in heaven. They looked forward to that holy city which is going to be brought down from God out of heaven. This city called the New Jerusalem will be a replacement of the Edenic Paradise. All the imagery given us in Revelation 21 and 22 are about the city. God has not shown anyone the picture of the invisible realm where He dwells.

God created the earth to be the eternal dwelling place of humankind. This truth is affirmed by the following scriptures, among many others:

“May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to mankind.” (Psa. 115:15-16 NIV, emphases added throughout).

“For this is what the Lord says— he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited— he says: “I am the Lord, and there is no other. (Isa. 45:18 NIV).

“For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever.” (Psa. 37:9-11, 29 ESV).

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matt. 5:5 ESV).

Some Misunderstood Scriptures

There are also some passages in the Bible that have been erroneously taken to mean that we will go to heaven.  But a careful examination of the Bible has shown that the passages do not mean what we suppose of them. Below are my explanation of some of such passages:

a. The Names Written in Heaven

The Bible makes us know that the names of all true children of God are written in the book of life which is in heaven (Phil. 4:3; Heb. 12:23; Rev. 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:27; 22:18). The Lord Jesus Christ once told His disciples, after they returned from an evangelizing work to rejoice because their names are registered or written in heaven. His words: ”I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:19-20 NIV).

Did they go to heaven to get their names written in the Book of Life? No. A person’s name gets written when he or she becomes a child of God through genuine repentance from sin and belief in the Good News about the Kingdom of God accessed through Jesus Christ. The names are written in heaven while we are here on the earth. That the names of all those who will inherit eternal life in God’s Kingdom are written in the Book which is in heaven does not translate to the mistaken belief that we will go to the very presence of God eventually. God keeps records of all that we do here on the earth. He knows those who truly belong to Him and He has their names written in the Book of Life in heaven.

b. Treasures Banked In Heaven

We lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven (Matt. 6:20). The treasures are kept safe for us in heaven (2 Pet. 1:4). Do we go to heaven to make the deposits? No, we don’t. We make the deposits in our accounts in heaven while we are here on the  earth. We know from the scriptures  that these spiritual deposits are made through acts of goodness and charity. To a rich man who asked Him what he should do to inherit eternal life in God’s Kingdom, Christ’s answer include this statement:

“Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. ‘There is still one thing you haven’t done,’ he told him. ‘Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’” (Mark 10:21 NLT).

Jesus Christ made it known here that no one needs to go to heaven to make deposits in his or her heavenly account. The treasures are stored as we give to the poor among us, here on earth. There is a divine connection between heaven and earth. Unlike what many false teachers have espoused, the earth in which we live is not a worthless, God-forsaken, evil place. It still remains the very good creation of God which He cherishes. What makes the present earth bad is the system of things in it as a result of man’s sinful ways. God has planned to change things and turn the earth to its original creation so that it will be the eternal abode of mankind. 

c. Rewards for the Righteous Believers

Believers will be  rewarded for acts of righteousness and kindness done by them while they are on the earth. As part of His sermon on a mountain, Jesus Christ said, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt. 5:11-12 ESV).

When many people read a passage like this, they immediately conclude that we will go to heaven to be rewarded. But the Bible makes it plain that we will be rewarded, not in heaven, but here on earth. To His disciples Jesus said, “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.” (Matt. 16:27 NIV).

To a Pharisee who hosted Him to a dinner He said, “Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.” (Luke 14:13-14 NLT).

Here, the Lord made it known that people will be rewarded at the time of the resurrection of the righteous. That will be at the second coming of Christ to establish God’s Kingdom here on earth (1 Cor. 15:23).

The Apostle Paul said he will be rewarded with a crown of righteousness on the day of Christ’s appearing, that is, the day of His second advent (2 Tim. 4:8). He did not have the hope of going to heaven to be rewarded.

Now let us look at what Jesus told John at the end of the revelation He gave him:

“Listen!” says Jesus. “I am coming soon! I will bring my rewards with me, to give to each one according to what he has done. (Rev. 22:12 GNT).

These verses give us unimpeachable  proof that the rewards or treasures that are kept safe in heaven will be given out when our Lord Jesus Christ returns to the earth to rule over the Kingdom of God, here on earth. The mistaken idea that we will go to heaven to be rewarded is not derived from the Bible.

d. Heaven’s Citizenship

We become citizens of heaven by the simple fact that our names are written in heaven at the time we turn our lives to God by believing in His Son and repenting of all our sins. Paul said, “We, however, are citizens of heaven, and we eagerly wait for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven. He will change our weak mortal bodies and make them like his own glorious body, using that power by which he is able to bring all things under his rule” (Phil. 3:20-21 GNT).

It should be observed here that the apostle didn’t say that our citizenship entitles us to go to heaven. He said it entitles us to await the return of our Saviour at which time our bodies will be changed to immortal ones (1 Cor. 15:51-55) to enjoy eternal life in His Kingdom here on earth. It is therefore evident from this passage, among others, that our citizenship of heaven does not mean that we will go to heaven to live with God.

e. A Realm Not Meant For Mankind

When Jesus Christ told the Jews that they cannot come to where He was going, they did not understand what He was telling them. This is what transpired between them. Jesus said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?” (John 7:33-36 ESV).

He repeated the statement and they still didn’t understand Him. He then explained to them that they belong to the earth which implies that they are not meant to go to heaven: “So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world” (John 8:21-23 ESV).

He told the same thing to His disciples: “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. (John 13:33 NIV).

The fact that He told the unbelieving and unconverted Jews, and His disciples the same thing implies that the statement has nothing to do with unbelief or not being one of His own. It is purely a statement of fact that the realm where God lives is not meant for humans. Hence, the Lord emphatically said that they cannot come to where He was going. That was why God created the earth to be the eternal abode of mankind. We are adam (human) made from adama (earth or soil). We are not spirits and there is no Bible passage that says we will be changed to spirits. The promise we have is that we will be given glorified, immortal bodies to spend eternity in the new earth which will be brought down out of heaven from God.

The following scriptures have given us the knowledge that the earth will be the eternal abode of those who will inherit eternal life.

“For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever” (Psa. 37:9-11, 29 ESV). 

“May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to mankind” (Psa. 115:15-16 NIV).

“For this is what the Lord says— he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited— he says: “I am the Lord, and there is no other. (Isa  45:18 NIV).

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5 NIV).

Will Man Dwell with God?

“In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of Lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen” (1 Tim. 6:13-16 NIV).

There is no verse of the Bible that has either modified or set aside this truth about God and the invisible realm where He dwells.

The reason Jesus Christ entered into heaven and appeared before God on our behalf (Heb. 9:24) is because mankind cannot go there. Heaven, ab initio, is not meant to be the habitation of humans, either in this present age or in the one to come.

Conclusion

The expectation of God’s children who know the truth is not that of going to heaven to live with God. What God promised those who will live eternally is that of spending eternity in the new earth which will replace the present earth. The expectation is that Christ, on God’s behalf, will come down from heaven to live with the saved on the new earth. The concept of going to heaven to live with God forms part of the corruptions that were woven into christian teachings after the first century AD. 

God has put His best into the earth He created for man. All the imagery we see in places such as Isaiah 35 and Revelation 21 and 22 are not about the invisible realm where God dwells. They are all about the holy city, the New Jerusalem which will replace the Edenic Paradise where man was first placed. The new Paradise of God is going to be a literal, physical, place like the first one. That is where our Lord Jesus Christ, the visible representative of the invisible God, will live with the saints throughout eternity to come. 

Apostle Peter summed the subject up when he wrote, “But according to his [God’s] promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (2 Pet. 3:13 ESV). They were not waiting for what God has not promised. Neither should we.

Finally, if the righteous and saved people have been destined by God to go to heaven to spend eternity, the Almighty Father would have got no reason creating a new earth. Who will live in the new earth if the saved ones are meant to live in heaven? We know that all the unrighteous people will be judged and destroyed. They won’t have any part in the new creation of God – the new heavens and the new earth.