I believe in God the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth;
I believe in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell;
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father . . .
Jesus ascended into heaven—but what is heaven? Most of you think you are going there at the end of your earthly life, so it’s probably good that we know something about it. In the Bible heaven means 3 things:
First, heaven is where God is. It is the endless, self-sustaining life of God. God has always dwelt there, even before creation. In as sense where God is there is heaven.
Second, the Bible tells us that heaven is the infinite sky above us, an emblem in space and time of God’s eternal life.
Third, heaven is the state where angels or men share the life of God in his presence. We see this most clearly in the Book of Revelation where the elders and angels surround the heavenly throne. We, the church, ascend into heaven in worship where we get a foretaste, knowing that we will also experience the fullness of heaven in the future. Heaven is our inheritance and our reward. It is where our treasure and hope are to be stored. It is where our true citizenship is, and therefore we should never confuse our earthly citizenship with it.
