Is the kingdom of heaven in our universe?

I would say that Heaven is likely in a different dimension, so not in our Universe as such.

The heaven where God/Jesus is, is right above the raqia and the water that is above the raqia.

Ezekiel was given a view by God in heaven, that is in chapter 1

And above the raqia (dome) over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it.

rturner76 said:

Wasn't quite sure where to ask this question but.........

Christ's physical body ascended to heaven. Did he go to a different plane of existence or did he rise to a place in the universe we haven't learned how to reach?

It seems like when the Bible was written, heaven was just up in the clouds stars/constellations etc. Hell was just considered down below I guess.

The Zoroastrians were able to predict the time and place of Christ's birth using astronomy. There may be some lost knowledge about how the universe works out there. As the ancient libraries of the world digitize their stock, new information is constantly being found about all kinds of topics. So many ancient libraries were raised to the ground even back in the days B.C. I'm sure we have lost some insightful information over the millennia.

It just made me wonder what my fellow Christians have heard or read that can shed light on the questions at hand.

Where is heaven? Is it a place or a state of being etc? Where is Jesus' physical body residing right now? Does the Father choose a physical form or does he just communicate through Christ in heaven? Will he just be present in our abiding souls?

I feel like that kid asking impossible questions in Sunday school.

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Different dimension, most likely. Heaven is close, not in the sky. It's just not in our dimension.

I think it would HAVE to be in a different dimension. Our universe is far too limiting to accommodate a place so monumentally awesome.

The idea is SO awesome it terrifies me, actually. My little human brain freaks out.

rturner76 said:

I feel like that kid asking impossible questions in Sunday school

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If this was Sunday school you would most likely be told to stop asking questions and stick to the agenda. The kingdom and governance of God has never been high on the priority list once the religious institution returned itself to partner with the institutions of man and form their own governance. The Kingdom is a counter-culture to the culture/world of man.

rturner76 said:

Wasn't quite sure where to ask this question but.........

Christ's physical body ascended to heaven. Did he go to a different plane of existence or did he rise to a place in the universe we haven't learned how to reach?

It seems like when the Bible was written, heaven was just up in the clouds stars/constellations etc. Hell was just considered down below I guess.

The Zoroastrians were able to predict the time and place of Christ's birth using astronomy. There may be some lost knowledge about how the universe works out there. As the ancient libraries of the world digitize their stock, new information is constantly being found about all kinds of topics. So many ancient libraries were raised to the ground even back in the days B.C. I'm sure we have lost some insightful information over the millennia.

It just made me wonder what my fellow Christians have heard or read that can shed light on the questions at hand.

Where is heaven? Is it a place or a state of being etc? Where is Jesus' physical body residing right now? Does the Father choose a physical form or does he just communicate through Christ in heaven? Will he just be present in our abiding souls?

I feel like that kid asking impossible questions in Sunday school.

Click to expand...

Interesting questions. Let me just say I think that if anyone claims they've got it all figured out to a T, exactly the thing where is Heaven and other things I think their being somewhat presumptuous....I don't think anyone can claim they understand it all and you won't find even in the Bible chapter after chapter of much detail.

Yes there are some verses but not a great many for the reason I think that if God went into rolling out all details he knows what humans are like....they'd tend to put too much of their focus on the place itself and not on what he wants our minds primarily focused on.....spiritual development here on the Earth. I'd therefore keep that in mind. Primarily focus spiritual development.

To your questions though....so what do we think. I tend to think Heaven it could be defined how current way of saying things is that it is a place of a universal HIGHER order. It's the place of the more so reality. Jesus said he came down from ABOVE. John 8:23 And he said we are from BELOW. In saying ABOVE I don't think he's meaning physically above our heads necessarily but he's using the term that one place better reflects the MORE REAL reality. e.g....A kids sandbox is a real thing. Kids playing in it can build kingdoms and castles, even roads for their dinky toys to play in.....BUT, it's not the REAL reality....the more so reality if you get my thinking.

The REAL PLACE....I mean the real, real place is outside the box, beyond the barriers of the physical. And even then the barriers aren't a thing of so many miles away that you could get to in a space ship.....it's just a HIGHER order of existence. I think men of science today would define it as a universe (which is what the word Spirit can mean it can mean the order) Spiritual beings are in the Spiritual universe and the Bible says God is a Spirit. Jn 4:24

God is a spiritual being in that order of existence. And why did God create this BELOW? Why does a loving parent create a sandbox for his kids???? To give him his own place where he can have his kingdom. The Heavens even the heavens are the Lords but the earth (meaning the physical realm order) has he given to the sons of men. Ps 115:16 But where is the REAL WORLD really I mean the real, real, place....It's the ABOVE!

So many others things I could say but like I've suggested I or no one have all these things figured out. God has revealed only so much and I think as I've said for good reason. In closing though I think the SPIRIT or the spiritual realm kingdom when they look at natural realm men who many times think they're so very much exalted in intelligence as they downplay the SPIRITUAL, the ones in the spiritual must shake their heads and smile at natural men's sheer ignorance. It'd be like they're thinking look at them playing in their sandbox that these ones think they have some type of advanced thinking and really they have nothing. Rejecting or making light of the REAL WORLD outside the box is so far beyond foolishness to them and is most laughable. And yet earthly worldly men embrace their snugness.

Reminds me of Jesus with Pilate when he said to him, "Don't you know I have power to crucify you?" Jesus set him straight. Nope. You have nothing over me except that which is given to you from ABOVE. John 19:11 I think we know that scared Pilate. He tried to want to have Jesus set free. He at least wanted to take him seriously. Plus throw in a dream his wife had the night before she received from the Spirit he was alarmed as in what in the world am I dealing with here. Matt 27:19

Bobber said:

he was alarmed as in what in the world am I dealing with here.

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Hence the washing of hands perhaps in a futile gesture to tell God thanks a lot for putting me in this situation.

I'm surprised at the number of posts suggesting a different dimension, but I agree on many levels. Just the addition of one more spatial dimension would explain many of the miracles Christ performed - walking on water, appearing in the midst of a cube (room) without coming through any of its sides. Even John's logic that we'll be like Christ because we'll see him as he is suggests we'll become beings of the same dimensions Christ is of (1 John 3:2). If that's true, the kingdom of God may be all around us, just not perceivable to us (yet).

Rachel20 said:

Even John's logic that we'll be like Christ because we'll see him as he is suggests we'll become beings of the same dimensions Christ is of (1 John 3:2). If that's true, the kingdom of God may be all around us, just not perceivable to us (yet).

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Good points but consider that being made in the image of God He may have already put Himself in us over here so we are already part of an outside 'dimension', not as previous individuals but merely as extensions of God. It is those who cut off that conduit that fail and carry on no further than does the rest of material creation. The rest go on to be new births of God with identities.

timothyu said:

Hence the washing of hands perhaps in a futile gesture to tell God thanks a lot for putting me in this situation.

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Or I think rather it was him trying to say to God by actions, "It's not my fault! It's not my fault!" He wanted this sin to be upon the accusers. I think he was afraid. Plus also when they pressured him to change the words on the cross from "The was the King of the Jews!" to "He said he was the King of the Jews" he said "No! What I have written I have written!" John 19:22 In other words if this was indeed the King of the Jews and the Messiah and divinity no way was he going to make God upset by challenging Jesus statement.

The answer of where Jesus is, bodily speaking, is "in heaven" and thus everywhere. Heaven isn't a place, it's about God's presence and there is no where that God isn't.

(Which is, by the way, also why Christ being truly bodily present in the Eucharist as He said He was isn't a problem; it is not at odds with saying He is seated at the right hand of Majesty on high; these are mutually inclusive)

-CryptoLutheran

rturner76 said:

Wasn't quite sure where to ask this question but.........

Christ's physical body ascended to heaven. Did he go to a different plane of existence or did he rise to a place in the universe we haven't learned how to reach?

It seems like when the Bible was written, heaven was just up in the clouds stars/constellations etc. Hell was just considered down below I guess.

The Zoroastrians were able to predict the time and place of Christ's birth using astronomy. There may be some lost knowledge about how the universe works out there. As the ancient libraries of the world digitize their stock, new information is constantly being found about all kinds of topics. So many ancient libraries were raised to the ground even back in the days B.C. I'm sure we have lost some insightful information over the millennia.

It just made me wonder what my fellow Christians have heard or read that can shed light on the questions at hand.

Where is heaven? Is it a place or a state of being etc? Where is Jesus' physical body residing right now? Does the Father choose a physical form or does he just communicate through Christ in heaven? Will he just be present in our abiding souls?

I feel like that kid asking impossible questions in Sunday school.

Click to expand...

Great question! I often look up at the sky and ask ‘where are you Lord, where did you go?’

Heaven is more in the Universe, than we are now (selah)

We should begin with a proper definition of the used terms:
a) universe
b) physical, spiritual
c) the Kingdom of God

We can then answer the questions better.

myst33 said:

We should begin with a proper definition of the used terms:
a) universe

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Stars.

b) physical, spiritual

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Faith in the meaning of "stars"

c) the Kingdom of God

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Justification in the meaning those stars represent.

Good challenge.

Gottservant said:

Stars.

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So, only stars create the Universe? If so, we are not part of it, because we do not live on a star.

myst33 said:

So, only stars create the Universe? If so, we are not part of it, because we do not live on a star.

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We have faith, that we will live in the midst of them (the stars).

God has not finished Creating, that which depends on the stars to come.

The stars to come, themselves are built on the stars which already have meaning.

(Stars having meaning, being the way in which they come to inspire us, in our faith).

Basil the Great said:

I would say that Heaven is likely in a different dimension, so not in our Universe as such.

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I don't know man, the Universe is a pretty big place. What's stopping God from placing it in a different galaxy? Heck, we don't even have the ability to send a satellite to Mars at the right speed, how are we gonna end up discovering an elusive Heaven FROM ANOTHER GALAXY?

Bee_Brian said:

I don't know man, the Universe is a pretty big place. What's stopping God from placing it in a different galaxy? Heck, we don't even have the ability to send a satellite to Mars at the right speed, how are we gonna end up discovering an elusive Heaven FROM ANOTHER GALAXY?

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The point is the faith, the stars give you.

You are not supposed vexed about which stars, they all mean something different.

Your walk with Christ will revolve around some stars, at one time and others at another time.

You can't even really understand this, unless you ask the Holy Spirit.