Where does heaven exist?

Answer 1

A:

Heaven exists in the imagination of the faithful.

The ancients, as demonstrated by some of the Apocrypha and by Paul's epistles, believed there were seven heavens, one above the other. Whether one or several, it was a physical place, just above the earth. Acts of the Apostles talks of Jesus taken bodily up into heaven, through the clouds, and of heaven opening and Stephen looking up into heaven to see Jesus seated on the right hand of God.

With the invention of astronomy and space travel, the old concept of heaven as a physical place just above the earth is no longer tenable. It is now described as a "place or state of grace," avoiding the recognition that ideas have changed, but also the fiction that heaven is a physical place yet science can not find it.

Answer:

In spite of man's romantic thoughts of "seventh heaven"... The Bible only speaks of "three" of them.

Paul writes of having "visions" of "the third heaven"... the place of God's throne:

"...I will come to visions... I knew a man [Paul, speaking of himself]... such an one caught up to the third heaven..." (II Cor.12:1-2).

There is no biblical mention of man's imaginary heavens; 4 thru 7.

The first two heavens are 1)- the breathable atmosphere surrounding the earth where birds fly in the heaven.

"...and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven."

(Gen.1:20)

The 2nd heaven is, from earth's perspective, "outer space"... that vacuum beyond the earth's atmosphere... the limitless universe where the stars are. Which is presently off-limits to man.

"...I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven..." (Gen.22:17).

These first two heavens are "visible" to the human eye.

Throughout the Bible, however... the third heaven is revealed to only be seen by certain of God's Faithful in "visions" [dreams; through the mind's eye]. The limited perception of the human eye cannot see it. Like, we can't see radio waves, sound waves, white light, etc.

"...the Spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven [the first heaven, as people fly normally, today, from airports], and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem..." (Ezek.8:3).

"...the Spirit took me up, and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God..." (Ezek.11:24).

Ezekiel lends his visionary description of the third heaven this way in the Living Bible:

"The sky [heaven] spreading out above them [cherubim; four living beings] looked as though it were made of crystal; it was inexpressibly beautiful... as they flew, their wings roared like waves against the shore, or like the Voice of God, or like the shouting of a mighty army... And... there came a Voice from the crystal sky above them. For high in the sky above them was what looked like a throne made of beautiful blue sapphire stones, and upon it sat Someone who appeared to be a Man. From His waist up, He seemed to be all glowing bronze, dazzling like fire; and from His waist down He seemed to be entirely flame, and there was a glowing halo like a rainbow all around Him. THAT WAS THE WAY THE GLORY OF THE LORD APPEARED TO ME. And when I saw it, I fell face downward on the ground..." (Ezek.1:22-27 LVB Living Bible)

Where the "third heaven" is, that's invisible to the human eye [and undetectable to all the other four physical human senses] the Bible doesn't say. Even if it tried, it would probably be in terms that man's limited understanding couldn't fathom, anyway. Man has enough problem just trying to get his mind around the things of the "spirit." Trying to "physically locate" the spiritual place of God's throne is not for man to concern himself with.

The third heaven of God's throne, for the time being, rests in the Bible under the category of Belief, Faith and Trust that God's Word is "Truth" [John 17:17]. And according to the Scriptures, it will all be revealed to man at the conclusion of God's plan:

"...I, John, saw [in his end time vision] the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, COMING DOWN FROM GOD OUT OF HEAVEN. It was a Glorious sight, beautiful as a bride at her wedding. I heard a loud shout from the throne saying, 'Look, THE HOME OF GOD IS NOW AMONG MEN, and He will Live with them and they will be His people; yes, GOD HIMSELF WILL BE AMONG THEM." (Rev.21:2-3 LVB)

"...I watched that wondrous city, the Holy Jerusalem, DESCENDING OUT OF THE SKIES FROM GOD. It was filled with the Glory of God, and flashed and glowed like a precious gem, crystal clear like jasper." (verses 10-11)

For now... the third heaven exists in a dimension outside of man's physical detection. And the vision that John describes above will be experienced by God's Immortal Children... changed into Spirit, themselves, by the time the New Heaven and New Earth come to be.

"...for the present earth and sky had disappeared." (Rev.21:1 LVB)

For now... the third heaven of God's throne exists beyond the physical world, in the Hope and Trust of God's Faithful, that the Kingdom of God [God's throne] will one day be established on the earth as He promises. A Promise that He calls "Good News" [gospel - Mark 1:14-15].

Answer 2

my perspective is that heaven is in space located in another dimension

Answer 3

in the sky