FanStory.com - The Three Levels of Heavenby Sally Law

I believe heaven has three chambers, or levels, if you will. It is layered above us, and God is seen in all three parts. Sounds so simple, but it's true. You and I see parts of heaven every time we go outside. We easily view this first level of heaven in the atmosphere around us; the white puffs of altocumulus, or dark foreboding nimbus filled with rain about to spill over. We feel the wind at our backs and hear it howl through the trees. Yes, atmospheric heaven touches us daily. The second level is known as the planetary heaven. The sun, moon, stars, and constellations show off nightly. Solar eclipses, super moons, blood moons, comets, and meteor showers are always on my astronomy calendar, and virtually free entertainment. Lastly is level three, known as the heavenly abode of God. The Greek word for heaven and paradise are the same: παρÎ¬δεισος parádeisos.

This palatial heaven is where God lives; and where He is worshipped by angelic beings. Jesus is there, as well, and sits at God's right hand. According to the scriptures, anyone who has faith and belief in Christ is granted forgiveness of sin, eternal life, and access to this highest realm. My personal belief is that this level of heaven is metaphysical, because those who dwell there are spirits. Try as we might, we can't seem to capture this wonderful place on a high powered telescope. I still believe it exists in my heart of faith, and many down through the ages have concurred. The Apostle Paul claimed to have been caught up to the third heaven. God's holiness was so overwhelming, Paul forbid himself to speak of it. The same overwhelming response was recorded by John the Apostle. He was instructed to write a letter to each of the seven churches in Asia Minor. When he saw Jesus, he fainted. After he was revived, John was called to heaven by a voice that sounded like a trumpet, to view and scribe the end of days. The prophet Isaiah caught a glimpse of the Lord in His holy habitation, and was rattled to the core. "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips; and I dwell in the midst of people with unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts." Isaiah 6. I love the story of the thief on the cross. A man with no redeeming qualities of his own, and sentenced to die by cruel Roman crucifixion, believed upon Jesus in his last moments. Jesus saw the man's faith and spoke to him, saying, "today, you will be with me in paradise." People ask me all the time, "how can you be so sure you'll be going to heaven?" I respond, "Jesus told me so. I was very much like the thief on the cross, you see."