Category Archives: spiritual

God Is in Heaven

While the Bible and reason teach that God is omnipresent, the Bible and reason just as clearly teach that God also resides in heaven. The Bible is very clear about this.

Jesus taught us to pray by saying, “Our Father, which art in heaven…” (Matt. 6:9). In this simple statement, He clearly affirms that the first Person of Godhead, the Father, resides in Heaven. Several things need to be addressed in this connection. First, this post assumes the triune nature of God. That is, that God is three Persons in One God, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This topic will be addressed in another post, but for our purposes here, it will be assumed as correct. Second, while the Father is in Heaven on His Throne, the second and third Persons of the Godhead may be elsewhere. For instance, in Jesus’ baptism, the Father spoke from Heaven, the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove and Jesus was in the Jordan being baptized. Thus, while in some sense God’s Presence is everywhere, as we have seen, the Person of the Father was in Heaven on His throne.

When Jacob went out from his father unto Haran, he came to a certain place where he pillowed his head upon some stones (Gen. 28:10,11). In a vision from God, he dreamed there of a ladder whose top reached to Heaven and the angels of God were ascending and descending upon it (v.12). But above the ladder was Jehovah (v13). Jacob said, “How dreadful is this place. This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (v17). Heaven, then, in Jacob’s view, in the Biblical view, was the House of God.

When Solomon prayed at the dedication of the Temple he had built as a “house of habitation” for God (II Chron. 6:2), He made clear that God’s actual dwelling place is in Heaven (II Chron. 6:39). On multiple occasions Solomon would say of God, “Then hear Thou from Heaven” (6: 23, 25, 27, 35) which he would call “Thy dwelling place” (6:21, 30, 33, 39). During Hezekiah’s day, it is said the prayer of the children of Israel was heard and that it went up to Heaven, to His holy dwelling place (II Chron. 30:27). Isaiah said that God dwells in the high and holy place (Is. 57:15). Every time we read of Heaven, it is always spoken of as being upward.

The following is a list of passages which refer to Heaven in some form as God’s dwelling place:

Gen. 28:17- This is the House of God, the gate of Heaven
II Chron. 6:39 – Heaven Thy dwelling place
II Chron. 30:27 – Holy dwelling place, even Heaven
Psalms 123:1 – Dwellest in the heavens
Is. 57:15 – Dwell in the high and holy place
Is. 63:15 – Heaven is called the habitation of the holiness and glory of God
Matt. 23:9 – Your Father in heaven
II Chron. 20:6 – God in heaven
Psalm 115:3 – Our God is in the heavens
Is. 66:1 – Heaven is the place of His rest
Gen. 21:17 – Angel of God called out of heaven
Gen. 24:3 – The Lord, the God of Heaven
Gen. 24:7 – Lord God of Heaven
Josh. 2:11 – He is God in Heaven
II Chron. 36:23 – Lord God of Heaven – Ezra 1:2
Ezra 5:12 – God of Heaven – (6:9,10; 7:12, 21,23; Neh. 1:4,5; 2:4,20; Psalm 136:26; Dan. 2:18,19,37,44; John 1:9; Rev. 11:3;16:11)
Job 22:12 – God is in the height of heaven
Psalm 14:2; 53:2 – God looked down from Heaven
Psalm 57:3 – He shall send from Heaven
Psalm 80:14 – God look down from heaven and visit
Eccl. 5:2 – God is in Heaven
Is. 14:13 – satan said I will ascend into heaven and exalt my throne above the stars of God
Dan. 2:28 – God in Heaven (Matt. 22:30)
Dan. 5:23 – Lord of Heaven
Matt. 23:20 – He that swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and Him that sits thereon
Mark 16:19 – In heaven is the right hand of God
Acts 7:55 – Looked into Heaven, saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God
Rom. 1:18 – Wrath of God is revealed from Heaven
I Thess. 4:16 – Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven
Heb. 9:24 – Jesus went into Heaven itself to appear in the presence of God for us
I Pet. 3:22 – Is gone into Heaven and is on the right hand of God
Rev. 3:12 – New Jerusalem comes down from God out of Heaven
Rev. 20:9 – Came down from God out of Heaven- Rev. 21:2
Rev. 21:10 – Out of Heaven from God

A distinction needs to be made between the various uses of Heaven in the Bible. The word “Heaven” is used in a least three ways. Heaven is used, first of all, in reference to the atmosphere surrounding the earth (Gen. 1:20; Psalm 104:12). Then it is used of the place where the stars are, the universe (Gen. 1:14,15; Psalm 19:1). But Heaven is also used of where God resides (II Cor. 12:2; II Chron. 6:39). It is in the third sense that we are speaking about now. Sometimes, however, the other two heavens are used interchangeably with God’s place of dwelling (e.g., Psalm 103:19 – The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all).

God is a spirit (John 4:24). A spirit does not have flesh and bones (Luke 24:39), but a spirit may at least have a body or form (I Cor 15:44; cf. Ex. 33:23). His Presence is everywhere, but His Person resides in Heaven, the third Heaven, where He sits upon His throne, a representation of His sovereignty and rule. God exists and resides somewhere outside and superior to the created, material universe, in some sense as Spirit and where ever that “place” is, is Heaven. Heaven, then, is the eternal realm of God’s personal presence, inseparable from His eternal existence.

The Bible repeatedly affirms that while God’s Presence pervades all creation, He Personally dwells in Heaven. Scripture portrays Heaven as the seat of His throne, the realm of His glory, and the place from which He engages with His creation in a personal way. Understanding the distinction between His Presence and His Person, strengthens our comprehension of God’s nature–He is both transcendent over the universe and imminent in His interaction with His people (Acts 17:27,28). As we grasp this truth, we are invited to approach Him with reverence, recognizing that His throne in heaven is not a limitation of His being but an expression of His divine order and majesty (Heb. 10:19-22).

Eric L. Padgett

I Thirst

The whole ordeal surrounding the arrest of Jesus and the stress of the illegal trial and the physical abuse He suffered put tremendous strain on the Lord’s earthly body. In the garden, His anxiety was expressed in strong crying and tears and by hematidrosis, or the sweating of blood. On the cross, His humanity burst through with one loud cry, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” Then, as if to signal the end of all His earthly trials, while still suspended there between heaven and earth, the Lord expressed both an earthly desire and fulfilled the scriptures at the same time when He said “I thirst” (John 19:30).

Those who have experienced great physical exertion or experienced great stress know just how dry and thirsty a person can get. Our bodies need hydration to function properly. Indeed, water makes up sixty to seventy percent of our body weight and a loss of only fifteen percent can prove fatal. In fact, water is so essential to life, you can’t live but a matter of days without it.

The children of Israel complained to Moses at Rephidim because “there was no water for the people to drink” (Ex. 17:1). “And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst” (Exodus 17:3)? Because of their need for water, and the lack of water at that place, God miraculously allowed Moses to bring forth water out of a rock (Ex. 17:6).

Thirst has long been a symbol of a deep desire or need or craving for something more or something needed. God promised His people that “When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water” (Isaiah 41:17-18).

Not only is physical thirst a powerful force in life, but so also is spiritual thirst. David expressed a deep, spiritual thirst when he wrote, “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God” (Psalm 42:1,2)? Again David wrote, “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is” (Psalm 63:1).

The Lord surprised the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well when he asked her “Give Me to drink” (John 4:7). When she expressed surprise that Jesus, a Jew, would ask her, a Samaritan woman, for a drink Jesus told her that He could give her “living water” (John 4:10). Jesus told her that “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:13,14). Jesus was explaining to her how to draw waters out of the wells of salvation.

The only way to quench our spiritual thirst and hunger is through the Lord. Jesus said that those that hunger and thirst after righteousness are blessed and shall be filled (Matt. 5:6). We learn that even ancient Israel, when they drank from the water that flowed from the rock, all drank “the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ” (I Cor. 10:4).

The Lord says that even to day “It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely” (Rev. 21:6). John was given a glimpse of heaven and was shown “a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Rev. 22:1). We can have the privilege of drinking the water of life from that same holy fountain.

If you are thirsting for something more in life, if you thirst after righteousness, then your thirst can be quenched with living water drawn out of the well of salvation. The Lord suffered great thirst so that our thirst for God could be quenched. “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17).

Eric L. Padgett

Good Soldiers Keep In S. T. E. P.

On occasion, the apostle Paul used the imagery of warfare to depict the Christian life. He reminded the Corinthians that though it is not a carnal war, nevertheless we do engage in warfare, spiritual warfare against spiritual powers (II Cor. 10:3,4). At the close of his life Paul would say he had fought a good fight (II Tim. 4:7). He warned us to put on the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:16). And when he wrote to his friend and young gospel preacher, Timothy, he warned him to war a good warfare (I Tim. 1:18) and to fight the good fight of faith (I Tim. 6:12). Furthermore, he urged him to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ (II Tim. 2:1-4). With this imagery in mind, let us observe that good soldiers keep in S. T. E. P.

First, good soldiers of Christ are Strong. Paul admonished Timothy to be Strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus (II Tim. 2:1). To be strong, we must exercise ourselves unto godliness (I Tim. 4:7,8). We do this as we study to show ourselves approved unto God (II Tim. 2:15). Also, we grow in strength when we go through trials (II Cor. 12:10), as the trying of our faith works patience (James 1:2,3). Remembering that God does not want us to have the spirit of fear but of power (II Tim. 1:7) because, as we grow in grace and knowledge, we know that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (II Pet. 3:18; Phil. 4:13).

In the second place, good soldiers of Christ Teach others (II Tim. 2:2). This is the plain where battles are fought and won in the Christian’s life. It is the human mind and heart which are affected in this battle. The sword of the Spirit, the word of God, is sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of he heart (Heb. 4:12). When the gospel is heard honestly, it affects the heart (Luke 8:15; Acts 2:37). Our mission is to teach all nations the gospel of Christ (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15,16).

In the third place, good soldiers Endure hardness (II Tim. 2:3). In all war, combat conditions are never pleasant. This is true of spiritual warfare, as well. So Paul informs us that all that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution (II Tim. 3:12). If we are not suffering persecution, then we are not living godly in Christ. Jesus said beware when all men speak well of you (Luke 6:26). Peter warned first century Christians that they would face severe, fiery trials but that they should not think of that as being strange or anomalous to the Christian condition (I Pet. 4:12).

Finally, Paul said that a good soldier Pleases Him who called him to be a soldier (II Tim. 2:4). A soldier is not a free agent. He is not only a soldier but a servant and amenable to his Master’s will. “But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts” (I Thess. 2:4). “Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him” (II Cor. 5:9). Therefore, we cannot afford to get entangled in the affairs of this life lest the cares, the riches, and the pleasures of this life choke the life out of us (Luke 8:14).

A good soldier, then, keeps in S. T. E. P. He is Strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus. He Teaches the gospel to those with whom he comes in contact. He Endures the hardships that living the Christian life will bring. And he Pleases the Lord as he strives to carry out His commands.

Onward Christian soldier; keep in S. T. E. P.

Eric L. Padgett