II. Scriptures related to heaven
III. Heaven in the Nazarean Codicil
V. The righteous will dwell on earth forever
VI. "Paradise" is the abode of the righteous
![]()
Question: Where do we
go when we die?
To answer this question, we will need to discard some old
ideas and begin to be oriented towards what the Torah really teaches. This will
be an eye opening exercise for those who have never studied this subject from a
Jewish perspective.
Definition of
"heaven" according to Strong’s:
8064 shamayim, shaw-mah'-yim; dual of an unused singular shameh, shaw-meh'; from an unused root mean. to be lofty; the sky (as aloft; the dual perh. alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve):-air, X astrologer, heaven (-s).
Note that this definition tells us that Shamayim, heaven, is PLURAL. There is more than one! The Talmud (Chagigah 12b) teach us that there were seven heavens, namely:
Wilon, Rakia, Shehakim, Zebul, Ma'on, Makon, Araboth.
We shall explore these heavens a bit later in this paper. The Sages teach us that Shamayim is a combination of two words:
Aish (fire) and
mayim (water)
So, “heaven” = “fire and water”. If you are accustomed to the concept that heaven is a place of fluffy clouds, then this might be a bit of a different perspective. This concept is extremely important if we are to understand several aspects of how His Majesty King Yeshua obeyed the commands of Torah.
Bereshit (Genesis) 14:17-24 After Abram returned from defeating
Chedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet
him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). Then Melchizedek king of
Heaven was created by G-d Most High:
Bereshit
(Genesis) 21:14-18 Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set
them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way
and wandered in the
The angel of God can call to earth from heaven.
Bereshit
(Genesis) 22:6-18 Abraham took the wood for the burnt
offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he
himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of
them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham,
"Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire
and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt
offering?" Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the
burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together. When they
reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and
arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and
laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and
took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the HaShem
called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I
am," he replied. "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said.
"Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have
not withheld from me your son, your only son." Abraham looked up and there
in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram
and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called
that place The HaShem Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the
mountain of the HaShem it will be provided." The angel of the HaShem
called to Abraham from heaven a second time And
said, "I swear by myself, declares the HaShem, that because you have done
this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and
make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on
the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their
enemies, And through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed,
because you have obeyed me."
The Angel of the Lord can call from heaven and be heard by men on earth.
Bereshit
(Genesis) 24:5-8 The servant asked him, "What if the woman is
unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to
the country you came from?" "Make sure that you do not take my son
back there," Abraham said. "The HaShem, the God of heaven, who
brought me out of my father's household and my native land and who spoke to me
and promised me on oath, saying, 'To your offspring I will give this land'--he
will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from
there. If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be
released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there."
Abraham served the God of heaven
Bereshit
(Genesis) 28:10-18 Jacob left
Heaven has gates and stairways.
Shemot
(Exodus) 16:2-5 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses
and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, "If
only we had died by the HaShem’s hand in
The Israelites ate bread from heaven.
Devarim
(Deuteronomy) 26:8-15 So the HaShem brought us out
of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and
with miraculous signs and wonders. He brought us to this place and gave us this
land, a land flowing with milk and honey; And now I bring the firstfruits of
the soil that you, O HaShem, have given me." Place the basket before the
HaShem your God and bow down before him. And you and the Levites and the aliens among you shall rejoice in all the good things
the HaShem your God has given to you and your household.
When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third
year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the alien, the
fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.
Then say to the HaShem your God: "I have removed from my house the sacred
portion and have given it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the
widow, according to all you commanded. I have not turned aside from your
commands nor have I forgotten any of them. I have not eaten any of the sacred
portion while I was in mourning, nor have I removed
any of it while I was unclean, nor have I offered any of it to the dead. I have
obeyed the HaShem my God; I have done everything you commanded me. Look down
from heaven, your holy dwelling place, and
bless your people Israel and the land you have given us as you promised on oath
to our forefathers, a land flowing with milk and
honey."
HaShem's holy dwelling place is heaven.
I
Melachim (Kings) 8:22-28 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the HaShem
in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven
And said: "O HaShem, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven
above or on earth below--you who keep your covenant
of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. You have
kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have
promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it--as it is today. "Now HaShem, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my
father the promises you made to him when you said, 'You shall never fail to
have a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons are
careful in all they do to walk before me as you have done.' And now, O God of
The highest heaven cannot contain HaShem.
II
Melachim (Kings) 2:1-15 When the HaShem was about to take Elijah up to
heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.
Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here; the HaShem has sent me to
Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
Nehemiah
9:5-6 And the Levites--Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah,
Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah--said: "Stand up and praise the HaShem
your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting." "Blessed be your
glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing
and praise. You alone are the HaShem. You made the heavens, even the highest
heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas
and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of
heaven worship you.
There are multitudes in heaven. Angels!
Tehillim (Psalms) 148:1-5 Praise the HaShem.
Praise the HaShem from the heavens, praise him in the heights above. Praise
him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon, praise him,
all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the
skies. Let them praise the name of the HaShem, for he commanded and they were
created.
Tehillim (Psalms) 123:1-4 {A song of ascents.} I lift up my eyes to
you, to you whose throne is in heaven. As the eyes of slaves look to the
hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the HaShem our God, till he shows us his mercy. Have mercy
on us, O HaShem, have mercy on us, for we have endured much contempt. We have
endured much ridicule from the proud, much contempt from the arrogant.
HaShem's throne is in heaven.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 66:1-2 This is what the HaShem says: "Heaven
is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will
build for me? Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these
things, and so they came into being?" declares the HaShem. "This is
the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my
word.
Heaven is HaShem's throne.
Zechariah 6:1-7 I looked up again--and there before me were four
chariots coming out from between two
mountains--mountains of bronze! The first chariot had red horses, the second
black, The third white, and the fourth dappled--all of them powerful. I asked
the angel who was speaking to me, "What are these, my lord?" The
angel answered me, "These are the four spirits of heaven, going out
from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world. The one with
the black horses is going toward the north country, the one with the white
horses toward the west, and the one with the dappled horses toward the
south." When the powerful horses went out, they were straining to go
throughout the earth. And he said, "Go throughout the earth!" So they
went throughout the earth.
There are spirits/angels in heaven.
Matityahu (Matthew) 6:9-11 "This, then, is how you should pray:
'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, Your
kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us
today our daily bread.
HaShem's will is done in heaven.
Matityahu (Matthew) 19:21-26 Yeshua answered,
"If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the
poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Then Yeshua said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard
for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is
easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to
enter the
We can store up treasure in heaven. It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matityahu (Matthew) 24:32-35 "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its
leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these
things, you know that it is near, right at the
door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until
all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my
words will never pass away.
Heaven will pass away.
Marqos (Mark)
Yeshua was taken up into heaven.
Luqas (Luke) 2:8-15 And there were shepherds living out in the
fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord
appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were
terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good
news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of
Angels can come from and go to heaven.
Luqas (Luke) 6:20-23 Looking at his disciples, he said:
"Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the
We can have a reward in heaven.
Luqas (Luke) 10:17-20 The seventy-two returned with joy and said,
"Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." He replied,
"I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority
to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy;
nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but
rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
Some names are written in heaven.
Yochanan (John) 3:1-21 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named
Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Yeshua at night
and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no
one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with
him." In reply Yeshua declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see
the
No one has ever gone into heaven - except Yeshua.
Yochanan (John)
Where is "My Father's house"?
II Corinthians
We have an immortal body in heaven.
Philippians 3:7 - 4:1 But whatever was to my profit I now
consider loss for the sake of Mashiach. What is
more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing
Mashiach Yeshua my Lord,
for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Mashiach
And be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Mashiach--the
righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Mashiach and
the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of
sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, And so, somehow, to
attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all
this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that
for which Mashiach Yeshua took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself
yet to have taken hold of it. But 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 Mashiach Yeshua. All of us who are mature
should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently,
that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have
already attained. Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take
note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have
often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies
of the cross of Mashiach. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their
stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But
our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the
Lord Yeshua Mashiach, Who, by the power that enables him to bring everything
under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like
his glorious body. Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy
and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!
Our citizenship is in heaven.
I Tzefet (Peter) 1:1-7 Peter, an apostle of Yeshua Mashiach, To
God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia,
Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, Who have been chosen according to the
foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit,
for obedience to Yeshua Mashiach and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance. Praise be to the
God and Father of our Lord Yeshua Mashiach! In his great mercy he has given us
new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Yeshua Mashiach from
the dead, And into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept
in heaven for you, Who through faith are shielded by God's power until the
coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little
while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come
so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though
refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result
in praise, glory and honor when Yeshua Mashiach is revealed.
Our inheritance is in heaven.
Revelation 4:1-2 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in
heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said,
"Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this."
At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with
someone sitting on it.
Human spirits have visited heaven.
Revelation 11:3-13 And I will give power to my two witnesses,
and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth." These are
the two olive trees and the two lamp stands that stand
before the Lord of the earth. If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from
their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm
them must die. These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain
during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters
into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague
as often as they want. Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast
that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them.
Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called
The two witnesses went bodily to heaven.
Ephesians 2:4-10 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, Made
us alive with Mashiach even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Mashiach and seated us with him in the heavenly realms
in Mashiach Yeshua, In order that in the coming ages
he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness
to us in Mashiach Yeshua. For it is by grace you have been saved, through
faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- Not by works, so
that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Mashiach Yeshua
to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
We are seated with Mashiach in the heavenly realms.
Yochanan (John) 17:24-26 "Father, I want those you have
given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have
given me because you loved me before the creation of
the world. "Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know
you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and
will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be
in them and that I myself may be in them."
Those who belong to the Lord will be with Him where He is.
Revelation 7:9-17 After this I looked and there before me was
a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and
language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing
white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out
in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our
God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." All the angels were
standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures.
They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, Saying:
"Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and
strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!" Then one of the elders
asked me, "These in white robes--who are they, and where did they come
from?" I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These
are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their
robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, "they are
before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who
sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they
hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will
not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the
throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water.
And God will wipe away every tear from their
eyes."
The tribulation saints are before HaShem's throne.
Matityahu (Matthew) 5:34-35 But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either
by heaven, for it is God's throne; Or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or
by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.
Heaven is HaShem’s throne.
Matityahu (Matthew) 19:17-30 "Why do you ask me about what is
good?" Yeshua replied. "There is only One
who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments." "Which ones?" the man
inquired. Yeshua replied," 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not
steal, do not give false testimony, Honor your father and mother,' and 'love
your neighbor as yourself.'" "All these I have kept," the young
man said. "What do I still lack?" Yeshua answered, "If you want
to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will
have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard
this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Yeshua said to his
disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter
the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go
through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the
If you want to enter life, keep the commandments. It is hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of heaven. At the renewal of all things, the apostles will sit on thrones. The people who left family and things for Yeshua will inherit eternal life.
Matityahu (Matthew) 24:29-31 "Immediately after the distress of
those days 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the
stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly
bodies will be shaken.' "At that time the sign of
the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the
clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with
a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect
from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the
other.
The elect shall be gathered from the ends of the heavens.
Luqas (Luke) 10:26-28 "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" He
answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your
neighbor as yourself.' " "You have answered correctly," Yeshua
replied. "Do this and you will live."
If you love God and your neighbor, you will live.
I Thessalonians 4:13-17 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant
about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no
hope. We believe that Yeshua died and rose again and so we believe that God
will bring with Yeshua those who have fallen asleep
in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still
alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede
those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven,
with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Mashiach will rise first. After that, we who are
still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to
meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
If the dead are raised first; where are they now?
When we talk about the British kingdom of yesteryear, we
are not necessarily talking about
This concept of a
kingdom is very important. It helps us to understand the following passages:
Daniel 2:37-45 You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; In your hands he has placed mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold. "After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over t