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."
1 Corinthians 2: 9 NKJV
A few years back, after listening to another radio sermon, I found myself going to sleep one night amid thoughts if my recently passed mother was indeed in heaven. I'm not really sure why I shaken from my sleep that night, but I recall being suddenly awakened. It was then that the thought hit me. Not really a voice but a realization in my spirit, "She watches you and then she returns." It took me some time to realize it, but this was my first encounter with heaven. I have no doubt that this was Gods way of assuring me that my mother is indeed now in the presence of the Lord she loved. In recent years there have been more than a few books written by those who have claimed that they have indeed seen heaven. A group of Christian brothers I know will be beginning a study on Randy Alcorn's book Heaven. It seems that Mr. Alcorn as well once had his own heaven experience. I am of the belief that heaven is a reality enjoyed by those who love the Lord. Therefore, I will not be discussing here whether or not heaven is real. What I will be writing on is the Christian perspective of just where heaven is. Have you ever wondered to yourself where heaven is? I have. The scriptures tell us that heaven is place somewhere in the sky above us. Indeed, with verses containing words such as "ascended" and "heavens," what else are we supposed to believe? We're told that Elijah "went up" by a whirlwind into heaven {2 Kings 2:11}. By all accounts, the roadmap to heaven should start with a sign with a arrow pointing up. Yet, are we indeed sure of that location? How can we be? I agree that we have more than a few examples of the existence of heaven, yet not one of these instances gives us a clear idea of where heaven really is. To this I will pose another question...does it really matter? Think about it, if we are assured in our own hearts that heaven does exist, does it really matter its location? Yet we humans are curious types and will constantly seek answers to the unknown. However, God has indeed blessed us with much knowledge of our eternal home.
"In My Fathers 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."
John 14: 2 - 3 NKJV
I'll admit that I've spent more than enough time wondering and worrying about where the Lords kingdom is. Again, why do we occupy ourselves with such things when we are assured that we will be with the Father in heaven? If there is one thing that my own heaven experience has taught me is that our own views of where heaven is might just be a bit skewed. I don't feel that we're to blame for this as much as that of the original translators of the bible. For they are the ones who included words such as "up" and "ascend." Perhaps that is how they understood how best to describe what happened? That's my opinion anyway. What I learned from my near heaven experience is that wherever heaven is, it must be somewhere very near the reality we see, perhaps another dimension entirely. Growing up I read plenty of books by Hans Holzer and other ghost story writers, so I have always been curious about the spirit realm. Could it be that the ghostly experiences so many people have encountered are nothing more than our own encounters with another dimension we rarely see? Could this be heaven? There have been many instances of people seeing long lost relatives after they have passed from this earthly realm. I know, I experienced my own. I believe that that which we see is closely knit with the heaven we cannot see. Some say we may be living in heaven right now. One thing is for certain, I'm less concerned now about the location of my final home. As the apostle Paul claimed, "absent from the body and present with the Lord."
We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
2 Corinthians 5: 8 NKJV
~Scott~
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