This is a scriptural study about the kingdom of God.
Heaven
“The phrase “heaven and earth” is used to indicate the whole universe.”
Gen 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Jer 23:24 “Can anyone hide himself in secret places so that I shall not see him? says
Jehovah. Do I not fill the heavens and earth? says Jehovah.”
According to the Jewish belief, there are three heavens.
The 1st heaven ~
The firmament, as “birds of the heaven.”
Psalms 8:8 “the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, and all that pass through the paths of the seas.”
The 2nd heaven~
The starry heavens.
Jer 8:2 “And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of the heavens…“
The 3rd heaven~
“The heaven of heavens.”
Deu 10:14 “Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens belong to Jehovah your God, the earth also, with all in it.”
Kings 8:27 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, the heavens and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this house which I have built?”
Psalms 115:15 “Blessed are ye of Yahweh, who made the heavens and the earth: v.16 As for the heavens, the heavens, belong to Yahweh, but the earth, hath He given to the sons of men.”
The kingdom of God
Psalms 103:19 “Jehovah has prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom rules over all.”
Matt 6:10 “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Luke 17:20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, v. 21 nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you."
John 18:36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world."
1Cor 15:50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. v.51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, v.52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.
Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, v. 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, v.21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Rev 11:15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever." V. 16 And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, v. 17 saying, We thank You, O Lord God Almighty, who are, and who was, and who is coming, because You took Your great power and reigned. V.18 And the nations were full of wrath, and Your wrath came, and the time of the judging of the dead, and to give the reward to Your servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to the ones fearing Your name, to the small and to the great, and to destroy those destroying the earth.
Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not the angels of Heaven, but only My Father.
v.37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall be the coming of the Son of Man.
v.38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered into the ark.
v.39 And they did not know until the flood came and took them all away. So also will be the coming of the Son of Man.
v.40 Then two shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
v.41 Two shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
v.42 Therefore watch; for you do not know what hour your Lord comes.
v.43 But know this, that if the steward of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched and would not have allowed his house to be dug through.
v.44 Therefore you also be ready, for in that hour you think not, the Son of Man comes.
v.45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord has made ruler over His household, to give them food in due season?
v.46 Blessed is that servant whom his Lord shall find him doing so when He comes.
Matt 25:31 But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He shall sit on the throne of His glory.
v.32 And all nations shall be gathered before Him. And He shall separate them from one another, as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats.
v.33 And indeed He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats off the left.
v.34 Then the King shall say to those on His right hand, Come, blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
v.35 For I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me in;
v.36 I was naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.
v.37 Then the righteous shall answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry, and fed You? Or thirsty, and gave You drink?
v.38 When did we see You a stranger, and took You in? Or naked, and clothed You?
v.39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and came to You?
v.40 And the King shall answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you have done it to Me.
v.41 Then He also shall say to those on the left hand, Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.
v.42 For I was hungry, and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me no drink;
v.43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in; I was naked, and you did not clothe Me; I was sick, and in prison, and you did not visit me.
v.44 Then they will also answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to You?
v.45 Then He shall answer them, saying, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.
v.46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life.
So this study is leading me to a better understanding of heaven the invisible realm, where God and all the spirit beings abode.
I believe heaven fills the universe, it is all around us, just as God is.
But since it is invisible kingdom, we do not see it or it’s subjects.
When Christ chooses someone and gives His Spirit to them, then our eye begin to be opened to the understanding of heaven.
We are begotten and have a guarantee that when Christ returns we will be with Him in heaven.
For now we must be waiting and watching.
(Good New Bible)
2Cor 5:1 For we know that when this tent we live in---our body here on earth---is torn down, God will have a house in heaven for us to live in, a home he himself has made, which will last forever.
v.2 And now we sigh, so great is our desire that our home which comes from heaven should be put on over us;
v.3 by being clothed with it we shall not be without a body.
v.4 While we live in this earthly tent, we groan with a feeling of oppression; it is not that we want to get rid of our earthly body, but that we want to have the heavenly one put on over us, so that what is mortal will be transformed by life.
v.5 God is the one who has prepared us for this change, and he gave us his Spirit as the guarantee of all that he has in store for us.
v.6 So we are always full of courage. We know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord's home.
v.7 For our life is a matter of faith, not of sight.
Mercy, peace, and love
Kat