Is Heaven A Physical Place?
Question: Is Heaven a physical place or a spiritual one?
Joe and Lee's Answer: It's interesting that many of us seem quick to assume Heaven is either one or the other - either entirely physical or entirely spiritual as though the the two couldn't coexist. Yet we live in a world now that is both physical and spiritual. Though we may not always be able to see the spiritual, the Bible tells us that it's there even if it's usually unseen (Colossians 1:16, 2 Corinthians 4:18).
When we assume that there will be no physical part to Heaven, we're doing so because we've been taught to see the physical as flawed and indeed it currently is. But it wasn't always that way. Remember, God created the earth, other planets, stars, animals, plants and human beings and He called it "good." In fact, it was perfect in the beginning. It was sin that brought about death, sickness, separation and ultimately more sin.
If we have a body part that develops a tumor, we don't come to the conclusion that the infected part is the tumor itself. Rather we understand that it's the tumor that has caused the problem. The same is true of what we often refer to as "the physical." Sin caused the problem in what was a "good" thing that God made. The physical itself has never been the problem.
God didn't make a mistake when He made us to be physical humans on a physical planet with other physical beings and objects. He didn't intend to make more angels or more gods. It was no accident that He made humans and animals. He did so because He wanted to. The Bible tells us that God even "walked" with Adam and Eve in the Garden. But when sin entered the world, humans became separate from the source of life, God, thus making their sinful state and the state of the sinful world temporary because existence can't be sustained apart from God. However, the Bible tells us that God will restore this diseased earth with a New Earth (2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:1, Isaiah 66:22) and that He'll replace our bodies with new bodies (Romans 8:23, 1 Corinthians 15:35-38) and animals/creation will be recreated as God originally intended (Romans 8:20-22, Acts 3:21).
God didn't lose or fail. He isn't going to have to scratch humans off His list as a failed creation. The opposite is true. He'll restore His creation to what He intended in the beginning before sin infected it. The Bible tells us that Heaven will come to earth and that God will dwell among us on the New Earth (Revelation 21). So the physical and the spiritual will be united rather than the physical being eliminated as though it were something inherently bad or flawed. This physical world was perfect in the beginning as God created it and it will be again (Acts 3:21).
Become a fan of this book on Facebook. For a far more detailed explanation on this and other topics related to Heaven, order the book below:
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The True Heaven
by Joe Beam and Lee Wilson
What does the Bible mean when it talks about "the New Earth"? Will we have relationships there? Will we have bodies or just be spirits? Will we have free will and if so, what will keep us from sinning again? Will animals be in the next life? If these questions intrigue you then you'll want to order this book!
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