In reading the scriptures I’m sure most people have come across passages where they notice that the Bible refers to the word ‘heaven’ as singular, and then sometimes as plural, ‘Heavens’. So what’s the deal? Does this slight difference have any significance to it or do the words heaven and heavens mean exactly same thing throughout scripture?
In order to answer this question, we have to revert to Genesis 1, the creation week.
In Genesis 1:6 we see these words written, “And God said, let there be a firmament (space, expanse, or sky) in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the water.” Then in verse 8 we see that God names this firmament heaven (Keep note that this is just the first day). Lastly in verse 20 on day five, God says to “Let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament in the heavens.“ It is common knowledge that birds do not fly in the earth (the solid ground according to the Bible) and birds do not fly in outer space so the only logical conclusion is the sky. So according to scripture, the first heaven is the skies.
Now follow me to Genesis 1:14. Here on day four God talks about heaven again, but this time a different one. “And God said, let there be lights in the firmament of heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.” Evidently we know that God is talking about the sun and the moon and where they reside. We know this however as space yet God refers to it as heaven again. With this we can conclude that there are at least two separate heavens, the skies where the birds fly, and space where we find the sun moon and stars.
So what about the heaven where God resides? In order to find out if there is another heaven, we have to look through scripture. There isn’t actually much mention specifically of a third heaven, however one direct reference to it is found in 2 Corinthians 12:2 Where Paul notates “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago……..Such a one was caught up to the third heaven.” Other scriptures also tell us indirectly about multiple heavens, “Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord’s thy Gods, the earth also, with all that there in is”, Deuteronomy 10:4.
So as we can clearly see, there are certainly three layers to the heavens, and God has recorded them each in his Word. Another interesting factor to note is that each level becomes increasingly greater with the skies as level one, space as level two, and the Heaven of God as level three, no doubt the most amazing of them all!