“Where is heaven? What is the location of heaven?”……Heaven is most certainly a "real place"(See is Heaven real below). The Bible very definitely speaks of heaven's existence-and access to heaven through faith in Jesus Christ-but there are no verses that give us a Mapquest-style location. The short answer to this question is, "heaven is where God is." The place referred to in this question is called the "third heaven" and "paradise".

The apostle Paul tells of a living man who was "caught up" to heaven and was unable to describe it.

2 Corinthians 12:1-4 This boasting will do no good, but I must go on. I will reluctantly tell about visions and revelations from the Lord. I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don't know-only God knows.Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do knowthat I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.

The Greek word translated is "caught up"

1 Thessalonians 4:17Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.

Here Paul describes the rapture, wherein believers will be caught up to be with the Lord. These passages have led to the conclusion that heaven is beyond the earth's airspace and beyond the stars.……However, since God is spirit, "heaven" cannot signify a place remote from us which He inhabits. The Greek gods were thought of as spending most of their time far away from earth in sort of a celestial equivalent of the Bahamas, but the God of the Bible is not like this. He is always near us when we call on Him, and we are encouraged to "draw near" to Him.

James 4:8Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

Hebrews 10:1.The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship.

Hebrews 10:22let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

Granted, the "heaven" where saints and angels dwell has to be thought of as a sort of locality, because saints and angels, as God's creatures, exist in space and time. But when the Creator is said to be "in heaven," the thought is that He exists on a different plane from us, rather than in a different place. ……That God in heaven is always near to His children on earth is something which the Bible expresses throughout. The New Testament mentions heaven with considerable frequency. Yet, even with this frequency, detailed description of its location is missing. Perhaps God has intentionally covered its location in mystery, for it is more important for us to focus on the God of heaven than the description or location of it. It is more important to heaven more than telling us what it is like or where it is. We have seen that hell is for separation and punishment

Matthew 8:12But many Israelites-those for whom the Kingdom was prepared-will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.".

Matthew 22:13 Then the king said to his aides, ÔÇÿBind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

Heaven, on the other hand, is for fellowship and eternal joy and, more importantly, worshipping around the throne of God.

For more answers to Bible related questions : …John Nel tel.- 0824527155 or e mail – jmnelarch@gmail.com