Bible Mysteries: Where is Heaven? How Far Is Heaven From Earth?

Our Father’s House: A Journey to Understand Where Heaven Is

In the quiet moments of our lives, a question often whispers in our hearts: “Where is my true home?” This longing is not a sign of weakness, my friends. It is a beautiful and holy sign that our hearts were made for God. The great Saint Augustine, who knew this restlessness so well, prayed to the Lord, “our hearts are restless until they rest in you”.¹ This journey we take together today is not with a map and compass to find a location with faith and hope to understand a promise—the promise of heaven.

We will not find a physical address for heaven in the pages of Scripture. This is not an oversight by our loving God. In His wisdom, God wants to teach us something far more powerful. He wants us to see that heaven is less about a place and more about a Person: our Lord, Jesus Christ. He is the one who has gone to prepare a place for us, and He Himself is the way to that home.²

So let us set aside our anxieties and our earthly ways of thinking. Let us explore this beautiful mystery with the gentleness of the Holy Spirit, finding comfort in God’s promises and joy in the glorious destiny He has prepared for all who love Him.⁴

This first part of our journey helps us gently unwrap the mystery of heaven. We will move from our simple, human questions to a deeper, more spiritual understanding that can bring peace to our hearts.

Where Is Heaven? Is It a Real Place?

We must begin with the words of Jesus, for they are the anchor for our souls. In the Gospel of John, on a night filled with sorrow and confusion, Jesus gave his friends a promise that echoes through the centuries: “Let not your hearts be troubled… In my Father’s house are many rooms… I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:1-2).⁵ This is not just beautiful poetry or a metaphor for a feeling. Jesus, who came to us from heaven, speaks of it as a real, existing place. It is His Father’s house, and He is there preparing it for us.

Notice the beautiful, tender language our Lord uses: “My Father’s house”.⁹ He does not say “a distant galaxy” or “another universe.” He uses the image of a home, a place of warmth, intimacy, and welcome. This tells us something very important. The reality of heaven is fundamentally relational. It is the place where we will dwell with our Father forever, received with the warmth of an embrace. The way the Bible speaks of heaven is a powerful pastoral gift. When we ask, “Where is heaven?” often what our hearts are truly asking is, “Will I be safe? Will I be with those I love? Will I finally be home?” The Lord answers this deeper cry not with cosmic coordinates with the promise of His Father’s house, a promise that speaks directly to our need for love and belonging.

While Scripture affirms heaven is a real place, it never gives us a location on a map.² We will not find it with powerful telescopes or deep space probes. This is intentional. God, in His wisdom, wants us to seek the Way to heaven, not the location of heaven. The Bible consistently speaks of heaven as a realm that exists beyond our physical world, a dimension not bound by our limited understanding of time and space.⁵ Perhaps the simplest and most powerful answer to our question is this: “heaven is where God is”.²

Is Heaven “Up” in the Sky?

When we read the Bible, we often see heaven described as being “up.” Jesus ascended “up” into heaven, and the angels told the disciples He would return in the same way (Acts 1:9-11).² He taught us to lift our eyes and our hearts when we pray to “Our Father who art in heaven”.¹⁴ This language is beautiful and true it speaks a spiritual truth, not a scientific one. In the language of the human heart, “up” is the direction of honor, of majesty, of looking toward God. It is the posture of reverence, lifting our gaze from our earthly troubles to our Creator’s throne.¹⁶

To help us understand this, some thinkers, looking at Scripture, have spoken of three “heavens”.¹⁴ The first heaven is the sky right above us, the atmosphere where the birds fly and the clouds drift. The second is the cosmos, the vast expanse of the sun, moon, and stars that declare God’s glory. But the “third heaven,” which the Apostle Paul also called “paradise,” is something entirely different. It is God’s unique dwelling place, the realm Paul was “caught up” into, a place of such wonder that he could not even speak of what he heard there (2 Corinthians 12:1-4). This is the heaven our hearts long for.

So, heaven is not simply “up” in the way a mountain is up. It is, as some theologians suggest, on a different “plane” or in a different “dimension” of reality.² Think of it not as a distant planet millions of light-years away as a reality that is all around us, yet hidden from our eyes. It is like God’s control room for the world, a spiritual dimension that can and does intersect with our own.²⁰ This intersection happened most perfectly and beautifully in the person of Jesus Christ, when heaven came down to earth and dwelt among us.¹⁹

Is Heaven a Physical Place or a State of Being?

We must be careful not to create false choices where God has made a beautiful unity. If you ask, “Is a marriage a piece of paper, or is it a state of love?” the answer is that it is both, and one gives meaning to the other. So it is with heaven. It is both a “place” and a “state of being,” and we lose the fullness of the promise if we discard one for the other.²¹

At its very heart, heaven is a state of being. It is the state of perfect, unending, joyful communion with the Holy Trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.²¹ This is what the great theologians of our like Saint Augustine, called the “Beatific Vision”—the supreme happiness of seeing God “face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12).²⁴ In this vision, every longing of the human soul is finally and completely satisfied. Augustine wrote that in heaven, God Himself will be “the end of our desires… Seen without end, loved without sting, praised without weariness” (

City of God).²⁴ This intimate, loving relationship with God is the true substance of heaven.

But this is not the whole story. God did not create us to be disembodied spirits, floating in an abstract reality. He created us as whole persons, body and soul. Our ultimate hope, therefore, is not just for our souls to be with God for the “resurrection of the body”.²⁹ This is the key that unlocks the mystery. Jesus rose from the dead with a real, physical, yet glorified body, and He promises the same for us. A body, even a glorified one, needs a place to exist. Therefore, heaven must also be a

place. Our final home is a renewed and glorified creation—what the Bible calls a “New Heaven and a New Earth”—a real, tangible home prepared for our new, glorified bodies.³¹ This promise of a resurrected body in a renewed world affirms the goodness of the physical world God made. He will not discard it; He will redeem it. Our hope is for the whole person—body and soul—to live with God in a real, perfected home.

What Can We Learn from Those Who Say They Have Seen Heaven?

In our modern world, we hear many stories of people who have had “near-death experiences,” or NDEs.⁴⁸ Some have written books and shared powerful testimonies of what they saw and felt when they were on the very threshold between life and death.⁵¹

How should we, as Christians, approach these stories? We must do so with pastoral care and great wisdom. These personal experiences are not a new Bible; our faith rests on the solid rock of Scripture alone.⁴⁹ But we should not be quick to dismiss them. The Apostle Paul himself spoke with great humility of being “caught up to the third heaven,” an experience so powerful he could not fully explain it (2 Corinthians 12:2-4).⁵⁸ When these modern stories echo the truths of the Bible, they can be a powerful gift from God, a personal reminder that what He has promised is real. They can function like modern-day parables. Jesus did not give theological lectures to the crowds; he told stories about farming and fishing to help them understand the Kingdom of God. In the same way, these personal stories of near-death experiences can help our modern minds, which so often value personal experience, grasp the spiritual truths of God’s love and the reality of life beyond death.

It is beautiful to see that across so many of these stories, whether from a nurse, a doctor, or an ordinary person, we hear a common refrain. They speak of an overwhelming feeling of peace that erases all fear. They describe being bathed in a brilliant, loving light and feeling an all-encompassing love.⁴⁸ Many tell of seeing a beautiful city or a magnificent garden, and of being joyfully reunited with loved ones who had gone before them.⁵² These are not proofs they are beautiful, personal echoes of what the Book of Revelation promises: a city of light where God’s love reigns and there are no more tears.

What Is the “New Heaven and New Earth”?

Many Christians have been taught that our ultimate goal is to escape this world and “go to heaven.” But the Bible’s final promise is even more wonderful and surprising. As the great scholar N.T. Wright reminds us, the ultimate Christian hope is not just life after death life after life after death.⁴⁷

The final chapter of the Bible does not show us flying away from earth. It shows the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, “coming down out of heaven from God” to rest upon a renewed and redeemed earth (Revelation 21:2).⁵⁷ Heaven and earth, which were separated by sin, will finally and forever be united. God’s own dwelling place will be with His people, right here.

This is our ultimate destiny: to live in resurrected, glorified bodies in a world that has been washed clean and made new. God will not abandon His beautiful creation; He will redeem it completely.⁶³ This is the final and glorious answer to the prayer Jesus himself taught us to pray: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven“.⁶⁴ This hope gives our lives on earth immense purpose and dignity. We are not just waiting to leave; we are “building for the kingdom,” participating in God’s work of healing, justice, and restoration right now.⁶³ Every act of love, every work of beauty, every deed of mercy is a foretaste of the new creation to come.

Can we measure the distance between heaven and earth?

The question of measuring the distance between heaven and earth touches upon the very limits of human understanding and the nature of our relationship with the divine. As we reflect on this, we must approach the matter with both scientific curiosity and spiritual humility.

From a purely physical perspective, we might be tempted to equate heaven with the vast expanse of the cosmos that surrounds our planet. Throughout history, humans have looked to the skies as the dwelling place of the divine. The Psalmist declares, “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1). But we must be cautious about conflating the physical heavens with the spiritual reality of God’s presence.

Our modern scientific understanding has revealed a universe of incomprehensible scale. We now know that the observable universe extends for billions of light-years in all directions. Yet, even as we marvel at these cosmic distances, we must remember that they do not bring us any closer to measuring the distance to the spiritual realm we call heaven.

The Scriptures, in their wisdom, do not provide us with a cosmic map or celestial GPS coordinates for heaven. Instead, they speak of heaven in relational terms. Our Lord Jesus Christ taught us to pray, “Our Father, who art in heaven” (Matthew 6:9), emphasizing not a spatial distance, but a spiritual connection. The prophet Isaiah reminds us of God’s transcendence: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Psychologically we can understand the desire to measure the distance to heaven as a manifestation of our human need for certainty and control. We live in a world where nearly everything can be quantified and mapped, and it’s natural to want to apply this same approach to spiritual realities. But this desire can also reflect a misunderstanding of the nature of our relationship with God.

Historically, we see how different cultures and epochs have attempted to conceptualize the distance between heaven and earth. Ancient cosmologies often depicted a series of celestial spheres, with the divine realm at the outermost edge. Medieval Christian thinkers, influenced by Neoplatonic philosophy, sometimes spoke of a “great chain of being” stretching from earth to heaven. These models, while no longer scientifically tenable, reflect the persistent human desire to bridge the gap between the earthly and the divine.

In our modern era, we might be tempted to dismiss the question of heaven’s distance as meaningless. Yet, I believe it still holds powerful spiritual significance. Perhaps the true measure of the distance between heaven and earth is not found in light-years or parsecs, but in the degree to which our hearts are aligned with God’s will. As Saint Augustine famously wrote, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

In this light, we can understand the distance to heaven not as a spatial measurement, but as a spiritual journey. It is a distance crossed not by rockets or spaceships, but by prayer, love, and acts of mercy. As we contemplate this mystery, let us remember that while heaven may be beyond our ability to measure, God’s love reaches across any distance to touch our hearts and transform our lives.

What did Jesus teach about the nearness or distance of heaven?

Yet, Jesus also spoke of heaven in terms that implied distance or futurity. In the Lord’s Prayer, He taught His disciples to pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). This suggests a distinction between the heavenly realm where God’s will is perfectly realized and our earthly existence where it is not yet fully manifest.

Jesus often used parables to describe the kingdom of heaven, comparing it to seeds growing, yeast leavening bread, or a pearl of great price (Matthew 13). These metaphors imply a process, a gradual unfolding or discovery of heaven’s reality, rather than an instantaneous arrival.

Psychologically we can understand this tension between nearness and distance as reflecting the human experience of the divine. We have moments of powerful spiritual intimacy, where heaven seems to touch earth, and other times when God feels distant and heaven seems far away. Jesus’ teachings validate both of these experiences while calling us to live in the light of heaven’s reality regardless of our emotional state.

Historically, we see how Jesus’ teachings about heaven challenged the prevailing Jewish expectations of His time. Many were looking for a political messiah who would establish God’s kingdom through military might. Instead, Jesus proclaimed a kingdom that was already present in His person and ministry, yet would find its full realization in the future.

It’s also important to note that Jesus often spoke of heaven (or the kingdom of heaven) as a present reality within the believer. He declared, “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21), suggesting that heaven is not merely a future destination but a transformative power that can work in our lives here and now.

At the same time, Jesus clearly taught about a future, eschatological dimension of heaven. He spoke of preparing a place for His followers (John 14:2-3) and of a coming judgment when the full reality of God’s reign would be established (Matthew 25:31-46).

Jesus presented heaven as both near and far, both present and future. This paradoxical teaching invites us to live in a state of “already but not yet,” experiencing the reality of God’s kingdom in the present while eagerly anticipating its full realization.

How did early Church Fathers view the relationship between heaven and earth?

One of the earliest and most influential views came from Saint Irenaeus of Lyons in the 2nd century. He emphasized the goodness of God’s creation and saw the relationship between heaven and earth as part of a divine plan for the maturation and perfection of humanity. Irenaeus spoke of a “recapitulation” in Christ, through which all things in heaven and on earth would be brought together under one head. This view presented a dynamic relationship between heaven and earth, with Christ as the bridge uniting the two realms.

Origen of Alexandria, writing in the 3rd century, offered a more allegorical interpretation. He saw the physical world as a symbol of spiritual realities and viewed the journey from earth to heaven as primarily an interior, spiritual ascent. For Origen, heaven was less a place than a state of being in perfect communion with God. This perspective emphasized the spiritual continuity between earthly and heavenly existence.

Saint Augustine, in the 4th and 5th centuries, developed a powerful theology of the “Two Cities” – the City of God and the City of Man. Although these were not strictly equated with heaven and earth, Augustine’s concept highlighted the interpenetration of heavenly and earthly realities in human history. He saw the Church as a sacrament of heaven on earth, a visible sign of the invisible reality of God’s kingdom.

Psychologically we can see in these early teachings a recognition of humanity’s dual nature – beings of both spirit and matter, citizens of both heaven and earth. The Fathers grappled with how to understand and live out this complex identity, offering guidance that still resonates with our modern experiences of feeling caught between two worlds.

Historically, the early Church Fathers were writing in a context where Gnostic and Neo-Platonic philosophies often denigrated the material world in favor of purely spiritual realities. Many of the Fathers, therefore, emphasized the goodness of creation and the ultimate redemption of the physical world, not just human souls.

Saint John Chrysostom, known for his eloquent preaching, often spoke of how Christians could make earth like heaven through their actions. He exhorted his congregation: “For nothing prevents us from having our conversation in heaven even Although we walk on earth.” This perspective saw heaven not as a distant realm, but as a reality that could be partially realized in the present through virtuous living and communion with God.

The Cappadocian Fathers – Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus – developed a rich theology of deification or theosis. This concept saw the relationship between heaven and earth in terms of humanity’s gradual transformation into the likeness of God. Gregory of Nyssa described this as an eternal progress, an ever-deepening participation in the divine life that begins on earth and continues in heaven.

Does modern science give us any clues about heaven’s location?

From a scientific perspective, our universe is vast beyond comprehension. Astronomers have discovered billions of galaxies, each containing billions of stars, stretching across distances measured in light-years. This cosmic expanse reminds us of the psalmist’s words: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Psalm 19:1).

But it would be a mistake to equate the physical universe with the spiritual realm of heaven. As Jesus taught us, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you” (Luke 17:20-21). This suggests that heaven’s “location” may not be a physical place at all, but a state of being or a dimension beyond our current perception.

Modern physics has revealed the existence of dimensions beyond the three spatial dimensions and one time dimension we experience in our daily lives. String theory, for instance, proposes the existence of multiple dimensions beyond our perception. Although these theories are not direct evidence of heaven, they remind us that reality may be far more complex than what we can observe with our senses or scientific instruments.

Neuroscience and psychology have also provided insights into altered states of consciousness and near-death experiences. Although these phenomena do not prove the existence of heaven, they suggest that human consciousness may be capable of perceiving realities beyond our normal waking state.

Historically we see that human understanding of the cosmos has evolved dramatically over time. Ancient cosmologies often placed heaven in the sky or above a dome covering the earth. As our knowledge of the universe expanded, so too did our conception of heaven’s possible “location.”

I urge you not to limit your understanding of heaven to a physical location that can be pinpointed or measured. Instead, let us embrace the mystery of heaven as a spiritual reality that intersects with our world in ways we may not fully comprehend. St. Paul reminds us, “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Why do some Christians believe heaven is close while others think it’s far away?

The diversity of beliefs among Christians regarding the proximity of heaven reflects the richness and complexity of our faith tradition. This variation in perspectives stems from multiple sources: scriptural interpretation, personal experiences, cultural influences, and theological traditions.

Those who believe heaven is close often draw inspiration from passages such as Jesus’ proclamation that “the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 4:17). This nearness is understood not necessarily in spatial terms, but in terms of accessibility and immediacy. The idea of heaven’s closeness can provide comfort and a sense of God’s immanence in our daily lives.

Psychologically, the belief in a close heaven can foster a sense of divine presence and support, particularly during times of hardship. It aligns with the concept of God as a loving, ever-present Father, ready to hear our prayers and intervene in our lives. This perspective can lead to a more intimate and personal relationship with the divine.

Historically, we see examples of Christian mystics and saints who experienced powerful encounters with the divine, suggesting a thin veil between earthly and heavenly realms. St. Teresa of Avila’s interior castle and St. Francis of Assisi’s stigmata are but two examples of experiences that seemed to bridge the gap between heaven and earth.

On the other hand, those who view heaven as distant often emphasize its otherness and transcendence. They may point to passages like Isaiah 55:9, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” This perspective underscores the vast difference between our fallen world and the perfection of heaven.

Conceiving heaven as distant can reinforce the idea of it as a goal to strive towards, motivating believers to live righteously in anticipation of a future reward. It can also provide a framework for understanding the apparent absence of divine intervention in the face of earthly suffering.

Historically, the concept of a distant heaven has been influenced by Platonic philosophy, which posits a perfect realm of forms separate from the material world. This idea was incorporated into Christian thought by theologians like St. Augustine, shaping Western Christianity’s understanding of heaven for centuries.

Cultural factors also play a role in these differing perspectives. Societies with a more immanent view of the divine may tend towards a “close heaven” theology, while those emphasizing divine transcendence may lean towards a more distant conception.

These perspectives are not mutually exclusive. Many Christians hold a nuanced view that embraces both the immanence and transcendence of heaven. I encourage you to reflect on how both perspectives can enrich your faith.

The tension between these views reflects the paradoxical nature of our relationship with God – at once intimate and beyond comprehension. As St. Augustine beautifully expressed, “God is closer to us than we are to ourselves, and yet higher than our highest thoughts.”

How Do We Find the Way to Heaven?

We have come to the end of our journey together, and we arrive at the simple, beautiful, and powerful answer. After all our questions about where heaven is, we return to Jesus. When the disciple Thomas, full of honest doubt, said, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”, Jesus did not give him a map. He gave him Himself. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:5-6).²

The way to heaven is not a set of complicated rules, a secret password, or a reward for being a good person. The way to heaven is a living, loving relationship with Jesus Christ.³ To follow Him, to trust Him, to love Him, to imitate His life of service and humility—this is the path that leads directly to the Father’s house. He is our compass for reaching our true homeland.¹⁰

Let us not be overwhelmed by the present. Let us look up. Let us remember our destination. We are made for heaven.³ Let this hope be an anchor for your soul, firm and secure, as the Letter to the Hebrews tells us, and as I have reminded you before.⁴ Let this hope purify you. Let it give you courage in times of trial and overflowing joy in times of blessing. And know, with a certainty that does not disappoint, that the God who loves you has prepared a place for you, and He is waiting to welcome you home with the warmth of an eternal embrace.

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May He let His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. And may He give you His peace, now and forever. Amen.