The Heaven of Heavens | The Institute for Creation Research

The Heaven of Heavens

"But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?" (1 Kings 8:27)

The term "heaven" is not just a general term for where the souls of the righteous go after death. The Bible actually speaks of the "third heaven," the realm to which Paul was once temporarily "caught up into paradise" (2 Corinthians 12:4). The term is also applied to the realm of the atmosphere, and to the realm of the stars (e.g., Genesis 1:14, 20). In fact, the Hebrew word shamayim is actually a plural noun, often rendered "heavens" as well as "heaven."

The concept of "first heaven," "second heaven," and "third heaven" may also have another meaning, depending on context. For example, Peter speaks of "the heavens |which| were of old," "the heavens . . . which are now," and the "new heavens" which God has promised (2 Peter 3:5, 7, 13) in the ages to come. The phrase "heaven of heavens" actually occurs at least six times in the Old Testament.

Presumably, the "heaven of heavens" is where God now has His heavenly throne and to which, after His resurrection, Christ "ascended up far above all heavens" (Ephesians 4:10) to be seated at the right hand of the Father. It is beyond all the stars and galaxies and presumably has no end. It may be synonymous with the third heaven (the extra-biblical literature speaks of a "seventh heaven," but this idea is not in the Bible).

Someday, however, the heavenly Jerusalem will come "down from God out of heaven" (Revelation 21:2), and "the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it" (Revelation 22:3). The heaven of heavens will be on earth (the new earth) and we also shall be there--with our Lord--forever. Therefore, sing praises "to him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens" (Psalm 68:33). HMM

The Latest
NEWS
Man of Science, Man of God: Johannes Kepler
Who: Johannes (or Johann) Kepler What: Father of Physical Astronomy When: December 27, 1571 - November 15, 1630 Where: Born in Weil der...

NEWS
Man of Science, Man of God: Isaac Newton
Who: Isaac Newton What: Father of Universal Gravitation When: January 4, 1643 - March 31, 1727 Where: Woolsthorpe, a hamlet of Lincolnshire, England Nature...

DAYS OF PRAISE DEVOTIONALS
Fall 2025
...

NEWS
Man of Science, Man of God: Michael Faraday
Who: Michael Faraday What: Father of Electromagnetism When: September 22, 1791 - August 25, 1867 Where: South London, England Michael Faraday...

CREATION PODCAST
FIVE Reasons You Can Believe the Bible!! | The Creation Podcast:...
The Bible is God’s Word. At least, it claims to be. And for centuries, Christians have staked their lives and eternities...

NEWS
A Big Texas Fossil Possum Is a Primate Ancestor?
Recently, University of Kansas paleontologists discovered a fossil of what they think is a “near-marsupial.”1 It is called Swaindelphys...

NEWS
Earth-Sized Lava World ''Circling the Drain''
Astronomers have discovered an earth-sized exoplanet, designated TOI-2431 b, that is so close to its host star that it completes a full orbit in just...

NEWS
Origin of Biofluorescence in Fishes
Biofluorescence is a phenomenon in which creatures—plant or animal—absorb light at a certain wavelength and release or emit it at a different...

NEWS
August 2025 ICR Wallpaper
"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." (Galatians 6:9 NKJV) ICR's August...

NEWS
Quietly ''Devolving'' Tomatoes?
Apparently, evolution (and natural selection) can do almost anything: If new forms appear, the credit goes to creative natural selection; if old...