Is heaven a fifth dimension?

inquiry

I have enjoyed listening to Mr. Stedman's views for some time now. He
has been a very congenial fellow to listen to. I'm a Christian
enjoying service to our Lord Jesus in the way of Jail Ministry. I
wanted to confirm with you if I am understanding one of Mr. Stedman's
taped messages correctly. In series 8 (Supreme Headquarters) The book
of Revelation; Am I understanding correctly that he is saying; Heaven
is a 5th. dimension here on earth? Please reply.

first response

Dear friend,

Pastor Doug Goins has forwarded your email to our Paraclete Forum 
team of 15 men and women. We answer the large volumes of email that 
various pastors can not always address because of their full 
schedules.

In the physical world we usually think of four dimensions: length, 
width, height, and time. This has been the conventional approach 
since Einstein. It is possible there are more than four dimensions in 
the PHYSICAL, MATERIAL universe.  This can not be proven at this 
point. However certain areas of mathematical physics suggest that 
additional dimensions (up to 23 or even 26) may exist. On my web site 
you will find two short articles on these theories of hyperspace:

http://ldolphin.org/update.html

However there is really no reason to be concerned about the number of 
dimensions in the PHYSICAL world. For instance, the Genesis account 
of creation can be understood quite well assuming there are only four 
dimensions in the material world.

Now what is often missed in reading Genesis is that in addition to 
the physical, material world, God also CREATED an invisible SPIRITUAL 
realm. In the new Testament this is called "the heavenlies" or "the 
heavenly places." The spiritual realm is a created part of the 
universe which has different characteristics and obeys different laws 
than the physical world. The spiritual realm was created as the 
habitation of the angels for example. God Himself is a Spirit, so He 
also dwells in the heavenlies.

Man is a creature who was made to live simultaneously in both realms:

Genesis 2:7 "...then the LORD God formed [the physical body of] man 
of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath 
[spirit] of life; and man became a living being [nephesh = soul]."

We are spiritually dead until we are born again in Christ. After that 
we have access to God in our spirits and in the spirit we have 
fellowship with God and we are in touch with the spiritual side of 
the universe. Actually the physical, material world is EMBEDDED in 
the spiritual. The physical universe is a small district within the 
heavenlies. So in our bodies we interact with the physical world 
(which is perishing) and in our spirits we tune into to the 
heavenlies which are eternal.

As you read through Ray Stedman's commentary on the book of the 
Revelation you will note how the scene switches back and forth from 
earth to heaven. Then as the book unfolds, the heavens open up (are 
"revealed" or unveiled) and things now hidden from plain view in the 
material world are made known. That is, the world of the invisible 
breaks in upon us. At the beginning of Chapter 4 of Revelation, the 
scene does switch from earth to heaven. John the Apostle is invited 
to step outside out the physical world through a door into the 
eternal, spiritual realm. Revelation 4 is outside our our space-time 
domain but these are real events John describes. What John sees going 
on in the Throne Room of the Universe affects events in history that 
will unfold shortly. Time has different properties in heaven, 
http://ldolphin.org/time.html, events in heaven are not locked in 
step with the time flow of world history.

A similar glimpse into eternity is seen in the Transfiguration of 
Jesus. (Matthew 17:1-10).

Let me know if I can help you further with this. It takes getting 
used to think of the material and the spiritual realms as two 
separate, but interacting parts, of the creation. Very often objects 
and events happening in the physical world are mere shadows of the 
permanent and enduring realities which exist in the spiritual realm.

Sincerely,

reply

(Now what is often missed in reading Genesis is that in addition to 
the physical, material world, God also CREATED an invisible 
SPIRITUAL realm.)
                           In regard to this, where do you find in 
Genesis that God also created a spiritual realm? Remember; "I have 
gone to prepare a place for you. If it were not so, I would have 
told you"
I suppose we agree to disagree. I believe God has gone to prepare a 
place for me, not of, in, or around here, regardless of dimension. 
I know it is beautiful, and lighted by Jesus Christ. I know I will 
be praising Him forever. So, the dimension thing does not matter 
after all. It makes discussion. But does that edify? I will pay 
closer attention to what I hear.
                                              Thank you,

second response

"In the beginning God created the heavens (plural) and the earth."

In Hebrew thought there are three created levels of heaven: the 
earth's atmosphere, space--the stellar realm, and thirdly the heaven 
of heavens which is the abode of God.

The angels have a habitat--it is the spiritual realm. It is where they live.

Yes, the dimensionality of the physical world is not important, I agree.

When Moses made the tabernacle, God told him to make it as an exact 
copy of the tabernacle which was eternal in the heavenlies.

This same temple shows up again in the book of the Revelation.

Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us in the spiritual world. We 
shall soon have spiritual resurrection bodies which are more solid 
and better built than our present physical bodies.

Have you read C.S. Lewis' "The Great Divorce?" It is quite thought provoking.

God bless you.