What Does the Bible Say About Heaven?

The afterlife is something on all of our minds. Whether Christian or not, human beings have a natural longing to understand what’s next. And nearly every religion has some kind of explanation for it.

Is there something more beyond this life and its challenges? Is there something to look forward to that can give us hope in the present?

The Bible tells us yes. In fact, it talks about a place called heaven that exists right now. It’s the dwelling place of God. And someday, after Jesus returns, all those who have chosen to follow Him will be welcomed into it (John 14:1-3). We’ll spend 1,000 years (the Millennium) there with our Lord Jesus Christ and come to know Him more deeply before moving to our permanent home on the New Earth.

But it’s not easy to describe something that’s beyond our wildest dreams. Like the apostle Paul wrote, referencing the words of the prophet Isaiah,

“What no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has conceived—God has prepared these things for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9, CSB).

Because we don’t truly know (and probably can’t even imagine) too much about heaven, many have speculated about what it could be like. Though this speculation certainly isn’t wrong, the goal of this page will be to look at what the Bible explains about heaven. We’ll cover:

• What heaven is
• Where it is
• What it’s like
• Who it’s for
• How we can get there

Let’s start by learning about the three different types of “heaven” mentioned in Scripture.

What is heaven? What does the word mean in Scripture?

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If we look at all the passages that talk about “heaven,” we’ll find that there are three distinct meanings or uses for the word. It can refer to:

1. The sky, or “atmospheric heavens”¹
2. Outer space, or “the astronomic, or starry, heavens”²
3. God’s dwelling place

How do we know?

The context of the verse usually gives us clues.

The sky

Right in the Creation account, we read,

“Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven” (Genesis 1:7-8, NKJV).

The word firmament here is just another word for sky.

Numerous passages later talk about birds flying in the heavens (Genesis 1:20; 7:23), the heavens dropping down dew (Deuteronomy 33:28), or clouds covering the heavens (Psalm 147:8).

When God says that someday He will make “new heavens and a new earth,” He’s referring specifically to the atmospheric heavens, the skies.³

Outer space

When God created the sun, moon, and the stars, He said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the firmaments of the heavens to separate the day from the night” (Genesis 1:14-15, ESV).

Here, heavens is talking about outer space.

The same is true when God told Abraham to look up into the “heavens” at the stars (Genesis 15:5).

Deuteronomy 28:62 and Psalm 8:3 also mention heaven in the context of the moon and stars.

God’s dwelling place

Throughout the Bible, we see passages where God is calling out to His people, speaking to them, or listening to them from His home in heaven (Genesis 21:17; Exodus 20:22; 1 Kings 8:32).

Others talk about God’s throne being in heaven, such as Psalm 11:4:

“The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven” (ESV).

Jesus often referred to His Father “who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:11, ESV) and spoke about the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20; 7:1; 10:7; 13:44). Aside from God, the angels are also there (Matthew 18:10; 24:36).

Heaven is where Jesus, the Son of God, came from (John 3:13; 6:38) and where He went because Mark 16:19 says He went “up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God” (ESV).

This heaven, what Jesus also called “My Father’s house” (John 14:2), is what we’ll be focusing on in this article.

And that brings up the following question…

Where is heaven?

The Bible isn’t really clear about where heaven is, though we can assume it’s beyond what we can see of the galaxies, solar systems, and universe.

The most that the Bible tells us is that it’s the place where God, Jesus, is (Acts 7:55).

What will heaven be like?

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Heaven is God’s dwelling place, “the Father’s house” (John 14:2). It’s the home of the angels also, and someday, it’ll be the place Jesus takes us after He returns to the earth a second time. Jesus often spoke about what it means to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21; 18:3). It’s a place of perfect harmony because “righteousness”—alignment with God’s law of love—is the motive there (2 Peter 3:13).

As God’s dwelling place, it houses the heavenly sanctuary and God’s throne, which were illustrated by the Old Testament Israelite sanctuary. Notice how the apostle Paul makes the connection:

“We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man” (Hebrews 8:1-2, ESV).

In the book of Revelation in the New Testament, Jesus’ follower John got a small glimpse of this throne room. A rainbow encircled the throne, and a sea of glass like crystal was in front of it (chapter 4). Heavenly beings were all around.

Revelation 21 further describes the New Jerusalem, which eventually comes down from heaven (more on that part later). This massive city is radiant, made out of jewels, pearls, and other precious stones. “And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass” (Revelation 21:21, NKJV).

It won’t need light (like a sun or a moon) because of the presence of God, who “dwells in unapproachable light” (1 Timothy 6:16, ESV).

Revelation 22 has a similar description of heaven to chapter 4:

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him” (Revelation 22:1-3, ESV).

No doubt, these words don’t do heaven justice. Heaven will truly be beyond our imaginations.

Let’s find out a little more about those who will be in heaven.

Who is heaven for?

Heaven is God’s “holy and beautiful habitation” (Isaiah 65:13, ESV), and it’s the place where the angels are. But it’s also meant for every single human being! Heaven is for us! (Of course, God still respects our choice and won’t force us to choose Him and being with Him for eternity.)

Jesus told His disciples in John 14:2-3:

“In My Father’s 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” (ESV).

Philippians 3:20 emphasizes that our “citizenship is in heaven.”

Jesus is preparing it for us so that we be with Him someday. But when?

When do people go to heaven?

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Scripture teaches that God’s followers will go to heaven at the time of Christ’s Second Coming. Rather than people waiting at heaven’s gate until someone determines whether they’re good or bad, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 describes it like this:

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, ESV).

This event is known as the “first resurrection” in Revelation 20, and it happens at the beginning of a thousand-year period called the millennium:

“They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended” (Revelation 20:4-5, ESV).

But until that time when Jesus returns, those who died having chosen to follow Christ will sleep peacefully in their graves. That’s why passages like Acts 2:34 point out that even someone like David, who was a man after God’s own heart and will most likely be in heaven, “did not ascend into the heavens” (ESV).

He, together with all those who have accepted Him, will be raised to life at the Second Coming.

(Find out more about the Bible’s teachings on death and the resurrection.)

Will we have physical bodies in heaven?

Jesus, after His resurrection, is an example of what we will be like when we’re resurrected at His return (Romans 6:5). “Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven” (1 Corinthians 15:49, ESV). This means that we will have a body like Jesus has.

When Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to His disciples, He encouraged His disciples to touch His hands and feet, “for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have” (Luke 24:39-40, ESV).

But here’s the best part:

We will have glorified bodies in heaven. Not the aching, hurting, sinful bodies we have on this earth (1 Corinthians 15:51-54).

What will we be doing in heaven?

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Unlike the cartoons of cherubs floating on clouds and playing harps, the Bible teaches that we will be involved in a variety of activities while in heaven. The most fulfilling and enjoyable activities possible! Most important of all is that we will be with God, spending time with Him face to face and worshiping Him (Revelation 21:3; 22:3).

But the Bible lets us in on something else:

We’ll also be part of a special work of judgment.

Revelation 20:4-5 describes this judgment as happening during the thousand-year period after Jesus’ coming:

“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them” (ESV).

The context of this verse helps us realize that it’s talking about those who have followed God. Judgment will be committed to them.

Paul also talks about this in 1 Corinthians 6:2-3:

“Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?” (ESV)

Does this mean we’ll be deciding people’s cases? Not exactly.

Remember, Jesus will come with His reward at the Second Coming (Revelation 22:12). He will already have decided everyone’s cases during an event called the investigative judgment.

But when we as followers of God go to heaven, we’ll get to conduct a kind of review process. God gives us an opportunity to see the decisions He’s made and understand why some have been saved and some lost. In a sense, we’re judging God’s justice and fairness.

God’s willingness to let us do that shows His transparency and desire that we would understand His character.

Aside from the work of judgment, we will reign together with Christ (Revelation 20:6).

And Revelation 19:9 even speaks of us being invited to “the marriage supper of the Lamb.” Jesus could very well have been referring to this when He told His disciples,

“But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29, ESV).

No doubt, heaven will be a blissful place. But will we always stay there?

Will we live in heaven forever?

The Bible teaches that rather than living in heaven forever, we will be in heaven for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4-5). Afterwards, God will destroy sin and evil and recreate the earth. The New Jerusalem, the holy city, will come down out of heaven and rest on the earth so that we can then live there (Revelation 21:1-2).

Jesus Himself said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5, ESV).

God has always intended for us to live on the earth, and we’ll have that opportunity when He restores it to reflect the Garden of Eden, the home of Adam and Eve, again.

One commentator writes,

“Life in the new earth will to a large degree be similar to the life that man lived in Paradise before the entrance of sin. In the world made new there will be all the comforts and delights of Eden of old. There will be trees and flowers and streams, delicious fruits, and beautiful homes. The world will be man’s to enjoy, to erect for himself the kind of home that he wills, and, with the humble heart of a learner, to hold converse with nature and nature’s God.”⁴

And best of all, God will be there with us (Revelation 21:3). Isn’t that what heaven is really all about?

How can I get to heaven?

Getting to heaven is simple. We can’t earn our way to heaven. It’s a gift that God gives us when we choose to believe in Jesus Christ, which is why John 3:16 promises that “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (ESV).

When we make the decision to follow Jesus, He comes into our lives and changes us, preparing our hearts to enjoy heaven with Him (Ephesians 2:4-10).

And that opportunity is available for each one of us—life in heaven and on the new earth with Jesus.

What’s more, that life begins now: “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3, ESV).

1. Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary, entry for “heaven” [↵]
2. Ibid. [↵]
3. Ibid. [↵]
4. Nichol, F.D., Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, comments on Isaiah 65:21. [↵]

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