What does the Bible say about heaven? A lot. Heaven in the Bible can refer to an afterlife or future paradise, but it can also mean something more like a community, way of life, or spiritual state here and now. And sometimes it simply means the sky.
In Hebrew and Greek the same word (shamayim in Hebrew and ouranos in Greek) is often used to refer to both the physical sky and a spiritual heaven, leaving interpreters to determine when it should be taken literally and when it should be understood metaphorically.
Either way, you will find that heaven (or “the heavens,” since both the Hebrew and Greek word are plural), is a real place where God lives. Jesus promises his followers that they will go there and be with him forever. But he also encourages us not to wait for death, but to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth right now.
Here is a selection of Bible verses about heaven in its various meanings. These verses are presented in a variety of different Bible translations. You can click on each verse reference to read it in your own favorite version.
God Made Heaven
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
— Genesis 1:1 (NIV)
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
— Psalm 19:1 (ESV)
Heaven is yours, the earth also;
you made the world and everything in it.
— Psalm 89:11 (GNT)
Heaven Is God’s Home — Yet It Cannot Contain Him
The LORD has established His throne in the heavens,
And His sovereignty rules over all.
— Psalm 103:19 (NASB)
The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all humankind.
— Psalm 33:13 (NRSVue)
“Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man.”
— Ezekiel 1:26 (NIV)
I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.
— Isaiah 6:1 (NKJV)
God sits above the circle of the earth.
The people below seem like grasshoppers to him!
He spreads out the heavens like a curtain
and makes his tent from them.
— Isaiah 40:22 (NLT)
But will God indeed live on earth?
Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain you,
much less this temple I have built.
— 1 Kings 8:27 (CSB)
What Is the Kingdom of Heaven — and How Do You Get There?
From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
— Matthew 4:17 (NABRE)
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.”
— Matthew 5:3 (NET)
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
— Matthew 6:9-10 (KJV)
“Stop collecting treasures for your own benefit on earth, where moth and rust eat them and where thieves break in and steal them. Instead, collect treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moth and rust don’t eat them and where thieves don’t break in and steal them.”
— Matthew 6:19–20 (CEB)
“But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.”
— Matthew 6:33 (AMP)
Jesus said, “What I’m about to tell you is true. You need to change and become like little children. If you don’t, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
— Matthew 18:3 (NIrV)
Here is another of his illustrations: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a tiny mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds but becomes the largest of plants, and grows into a tree where birds can come and find shelter.”
— Matthew 13:31–32 (TLB)
He also used this example: “The Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a woman making bread. She takes a measure of flour and mixes in the yeast until it permeates every part of the dough.”
— Matthew 13:33 (CEV)
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”
— Matthew 13:44 (NIV)
“The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
— Luke 17:20–21 (NKJV)
For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
— Romans 14:17 (NRSVue)
Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! Didn’t God choose poor people in the world to become rich in faith and to receive the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?
— James 2:5 (GW)
“For I say to you that unless your righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
— Matthew 5:20 (NASB)
Don’t you realize that this is not the way to live? Unjust people who don’t care about God will not be joining in his kingdom. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex, use and abuse the earth and everything in it, don’t qualify as citizens in God’s kingdom.
— 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 (MSG)
“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.”
— Matthew 7:21 (NLT)
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.'”
— Matthew 25:34 (ESV)
The Afterlife: A New Heaven and a New Earth
But our citizenship is in heaven—and we also eagerly await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform these humble bodies of ours into the likeness of his glorious body by means of that power by which he is able to subject all things to himself.
— Philippians 3:20-21 (NET)
But now that you have been set free from sin and become slaves to God, you have the consequence of a holy life, and the outcome is eternal life. The wages that sin pays are death, but God’s gift is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
— Romans 6:22-23 (CEB)
And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.
— 1 John 2:25 (KJV)
But I know that my Redeemer lives,
and at the end he will stand on the dust.
Even after my skin has been destroyed,
yet I will see God in my flesh.
— Job 19:25–26 (CSB)
For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
— 2 Corinthians 5:1 (NIV)
Jesus said to him, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
— Luke 23:43 (AMP)
“There are many rooms in my Father’s house, and I am going to prepare a place for you. I would not tell you this if it were not so. And after I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to myself, so that you will be where I am.”
— John 14:2 (GNT)
I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” said the Spirit, “let them find rest from their labors, for their works accompany them.”
— Revelation 14:13 (NABRE)
For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
— 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 (ESV)
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them and be their God;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.”
— Revelation 21:1-4 (NRSVue)
Dig deeper into all these verses and more with Bible Gateway Plus. Bible Gateway Plus has dozens of resources — from Study Bibles and commentaries to encyclopedias, dictionaries, and more — all for less than $5/month. Try it free today!
Bible Gateway is the internet's premier Bible reading and research tool. With more than 200 versions of the Bible in over 70 languages freely available to read, research, and reference anywhere — plus a library of audio Bibles, mobile apps, devotionals, email newsletters, and more — Bible Gateway equips you not only to read the Bible, but to understand it.
