HEAVEN.

HEAVEN.

Use of " Heaven " in the Bible (§ 1). Heaven the Abode of God (§ 2). Heaven the Symbol and Source of Salvation (§ 3) Use of the Plural, " Heavens " (§ 4). y The Old Testament has no comprehensive term tor the universe, which is designated as heaven and earth; although in the Wisdom of i. Use of Solomon and II Maccabees it is called "Heaven" "world" (Wisd. of Sol. i. 14, and in the Bible, often; II Mace. vii. 9, 23, and often). This term is employed in the New Testament with the same connotation (John xvii. 5. xxi.25; Acts xvii. 24; Rom. i. 20; cf. " the foundation of the world," Matt. xiii. 3.5, xxv. 34; Luke xi.

RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA

Heathenism Heaven

50; John xvii. 24; Eph. i. 4; Heb. iv. 3, ix. 26; I Pet. i. 20; Rev. xiii. 8). In other passages, however, " world " implies the dwelling-place of mankind as defiled with sin and death, and with Satan for its lord instead of God. The phrase " heaven and earth " is accordingly retained to denote the universe (Matt. v. 18; Mark xiii. 27; Luke xii. 56; 18; cf. Eph. i. 10; Col. i. 16, Rev. xxi. 1). In a physical the place of the stars and 14; Jer. xxxiii. 22; Matt.

Acts iv. 24; James v. 20; II Pet. iii. 7, 13; sense heaven denotes constellations (Gen. i.

xxiv. 29; Heb. xi. 12; Rev. vi. 13, etc.) and of the clouds (Gen. i. 9; Deut. xxviii. 23; Ps. cxlvii. 8; Matt. xxiv. 30; etc.), and its power and phenomena influence the earth (Job xxxviii. 33; Matt. xvi. 2-3; James v. 18). Beneath the heaven lies the earth (Job ii. 2; Prov. viii. 28), which it encloses so as to form a unity (Eccl. i. 13; Luke xvii. 24; Acts ii. 5; Col. i. 23). The heaven is a " firmament " (Gen. i. 6, 8; Ps. xix. 1), which is supported by the mountains as pillars (Job xxii. 14). With the heaven is conjoined the earth, thus forming the cosmos which will pass away to make place for a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness shall dwell (Ps. cii. 26; Isa. xiii. 13; Joel ii. 30-31; Luke xxi. 33; II Pet. iii. 7, 10; Rev. vi. 12-14).

Heaven is, moreover, the throne of God (Ps. ii. 4; Isa. lxvi. 1; Ezek. i. 1; Matt. v. 34; Acts vii. 49; Heb. viii. 1 ), and in heaven is the 2. Heaven divine temple (Isa. vi.; Rev, xi. 19), the Abode which is the prototype of the earthly of God. sanctuary (Ex. xxv. 40; Acts vii. 44; Heb. viii. 5). It is the dwelling-place of God (II Chron. xx. 6; Ps. cxv. 3; Eccles. v 2), who looks from heaven upon the earth (Ps. xiv. 2; Isa. lxiii. 15; Lam. iii. 50), and speaks from thence (Deut. iv. 36; Neh. ix. 13); so that words spoken from heaven are eternal in their validity (Heb. xii. 25), since what comes from heaven comes from God and is binding unconditionally on the earth and on man (Matt. xxi. 25-26; Mark i. 11; Luke iii. 22; John iii. 13). All deeds done on earth, and especially the forgiveness of sins by Christ, bear a distinct relation to heaven or to God (Matt. ix. 6 as compared with xvi. 19), who hears prayer while he is in heaven (I Kings viii. 30 sqq.; II Chron. vi. 25 sqq.; Neh. ix. 27-28; Ps. xxxiii. 13; Luke xi. 13; etc.). When the exaltation and absolute sovereignty of God are to be emphasized, he is termed " the God of heaven " (Gen. xxiv. 7; Neh. i. 4-5; Ps. xcvi. 5), who reveals from heaven his wrath against iniquity (Rom. i. 18; I Thess. iv. 16; II Thess. i. 7-8). Sins which require the vengeance of God cry to heaven (Gen. iv. 10; I Sam. v. 12; Luke xv. 18, 21), and, in like manner, he who prays turns toward heaven (Mark vi. 41; John xvii. 1; etc.), since God is exalted above all the earth (Ps. Ixviii. 15; Dan. iv. 23) and his will is manifested from heaven (Deut. 'v. 36), his holy mandate being absolute (Deut. xxxiii. 26; Ps. lvii. 3; lxxxix. 2). The designation of God as " my father," " your father which is in heaven," and the like in Matthew and Mark (Matt. y- 16, 45, 48; Mark xi. 25; etc.) is intended to inspire confidence in his goodness, especially as he is represented as saying: " For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than

your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts " (Isa. Iv. 9). Hence God is besought to rend the heavens (Isa. Ixiv. 1), and a sign from heaven is desired to prove the Messiahship of Jesus (Matt, xvi. 1, cf. xxiv. 30; Luke ix. 54). The ascension of Christ to heaven symbolizes his exaltation to divine honor and glory (Luke xxiv. 51; Acts i. 9-11; cf. John iii. 13; Heb. iv. 14; I Pet. iii. 22), and necessitates unconditional obedience and recognition on the part of man (cf. Acts ii. 34-36 with Eph. i. 20- 22; Phil. ii. 9-11).

Yet God is by no means restricted to heaven, and

I Kings viii. 27 expressly declares: " The heaven and heaven of heavens can not contain thee." In Christ, therefore, there is access to God through faith (Rom. v. 2; Eph. ii. 18). God is present throughout the world (Ps. cxxxix; Jer. xxiii..'23-24), but his earthly congregation is in a special sense his " habitation " (Eph. ii. 22) and his temple (I Cor. iii. 6).

As contrasted with the earth, heaven represents

a higher and eternal order (Matt. vi. 20; Mark x. 21 ;

Luke xii. 33; II Cor. v. 1; Phil. iii. 20;

3. Heaven Col. i. 5; Heb. x. 34; I Pet. i. 4). It

the is, therefore, the place of the prototype Symbol of the earthly symbolic ordinances of

and salvation (Ex. xxv. 40; Acts vii. 44; Source of Heb. viii. 5), and from it come the Salvation, actual means of salvation (John vi. 51 ;

I Cor. xv. 47 sqq.). It is the abode of the true and eternal means of salvation (Matt. v. 12; Col. i. 5; I Pet. i. 4), as well as of the righteous who have been perfected (Heb. xii. 23; comp. Luke x. 20) and of the angels and " ministering spirits " who are to appear on the earth at its renewal (Mark xii. 25; Luke ii. 15; Rev. xxi. 1 sqq.). It thus becomes evident that the " kingdom of God " is regarded as situated in heaven (Dan. ii. 44; cf. Ps. ciii. 19), so that Matthew terms it the " kingdom of heaven " (Matt. iii. 2). It is present on earth wherever its boons, which are righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost (Rom. xiv. 17), are possessed by man, but it will not be revealed in all its glory until the power of evil is annihilated (Matt. vi. 10, 13). Thus it was heaven to which Christ was exalted together with those who were raised with him (Eph. ii. 6; Col. iii. 1-4), and it is there that they have their citizenship (Phil. iii. 20).

The Hebrew plural " heavens " is represented in

the great majority of instances by the singular in the

Septuagint, this number being found

4. Use of also in the Apocrypha, except in the the Plural, Wisdom of Solomon ix. 10, 16, xviii.

"Heavens." 15. In Matthew, Paul, Hebrews, and

II Peter the plural is more frequent than the singular; but in Mark the plural is found only in i. 10-11; xi. 25-26; xiii. 25; in Luke only in Acts ii. 34, vii. 56, and probably Luke x. 20, xxi. 26; John avoids the plural altogether in the Gospel and the Epistles, and uses it in the Apocalypse only in xii. 12. There is no distinction in meaning between the singular and plural, except in

II Cor. xii. 2, where a " third heaven " is mentioned, this being glossed in xii. 4 as " paradise." This statement evidently rests upon a threefold division of heaven, into the sky, heaven in the relig-

Heaven

Hebrew Language