Category: HeavenWhere is heaven and will I get there?
Jean Sherrill Staff asked 4 years ago

I’m a millennial and I feel like this post would be great if it had an relate-able explanation. One major question, how do I get to heaven if I’m not perfect? Where is heaven?

1 Answers
Jean Sherrill Staff answered 4 years ago

Resurgent Elders says:
February 16, 2020 at 7:13 
Let me answer your second question first. Heaven is the dwelling place of God. Although he is present everywhere, the Bible describes God as being in heaven in a more emphatic way, his headquarters, one might say. (“Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.” -Ps 115:3)
 
Where is heaven? It is spoken of as being “above.” When Jesus in his resurrected body was “taken up” (Acts 1:11), we are told he ascended “into heaven” beyond the clouds. Even so, heaven does not exist in our physical universe. Since God is spirit (John 4:24), heaven exists in a spiritual realm. It is not accessible by human technology. You could not find it through a telescope, for example. Beyond that, the Bible does not tell us the location. It does say heaven is holy (“The priests and Levites stood to bless the people, and God heard them, for their prayer reached heaven, his holy dwelling place.” -II Chron 30:27), which brings us to your first question.
 
How do I get to heaven if I’m not perfect? It’s a good question because the Bible also tells us that God will not tolerate unholiness. (“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” -Hebrews 12:14) The good news is that when we place our faith in Jesus Christ, God forgives us. John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” As a result, God sees us as sinless and declares us to be holy. The record is expunged, the slate is wiped clean, the charges are dropped.
 
You should also understand that when you have asked God for forgiveness, you should believe he has done so, even if you don’t feel any different. We are forgiven, but remain flawed, and will still lapse into doing things that are wrong. But we strive to please God and live in a holy fashion nevertheless. The apostle Paul wrote “ . . . one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (– Philippians 3:13-14)
 
Elder Dan