The Physical Reality of Heaven, Flesh, & Spirit
1. Heaven is located somewhere in our physical universe.
2. Upon the resurrection, we are raised in new bodies to this same physical universe.
3. The sons of God (angels) have physical bodies similar to humans.
The above statements have profound implications. To the modern-western-Christian ear, this all probably sounds like heresy. "Heaven, in this universe? Impossible. Ridiculous."
However, the idea that heaven is a spiritual realm where humans float around as bodiless wraiths singing hymns all day is a fantasy (and a terrible one, at that). It's not what Jesus taught, and it's not from the Bible. Thankfully, the Lord has something much, much more exciting and real for us.
In order to expand our understanding on this topic, we first have to lay down our human traditions, bias, and pride. We must seek only the truth - which is the Spirit of God. Then we can begin to build sound philosophy, cosmology, theology, & doctrine based on Jesus, the biblical & historical texts, and our observations of the universe we live in.
The institution of the modern western church has failed to teach some of the most essential aspects of the gospel. Physical realities are often neglected or intentionally subverted for hyper spiritualized, supernatural explanations (a term that's not in the bible, might I add). The philosophy that the flesh is evil and the spirit realm is good, is Gnosticism. Unwittingly, the church has largely adopted this line of thinking since medieval times. But this was not the original understanding in Hebrew cosmology. Let's dive into some important topics that have been divorced from the physical universe, but are paramount to a broader, more accurate paradigm:
-The Resurrection
-What Happens After Death
-Locality of Heaven
-Angels & Demons
The Resurrection
The resurrection is the very reason for the gospel! Jesus came as a man to sacrifice his life for humanity so we could be brought back into the family of God through the resurrection of the body. Due to our rebellion (sin), we deserved permanent death, but He paid the price. Following his death, Jesus was brought back as the firstfruits of the resurrection:
"But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet." 1 Corinthians 15:20-25
The scriptures makes it clear that the resurrected body is physical in substance:
'As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them. ' Luke 24:36-43
Ironically though, the resurrection of humanity at Christ's return is hardly ever mentioned in protestant churches. It's an afterthought at best. We hear about heaven and hell quite often, but not the resurrection. Why? Because in a non-physical realm, the resurrection makes no sense. If we suddenly appear in heaven after we die, soaking in the glory of the Lord and reaping all the benefits, what purpose does the resurrection serve? And in what way would we experience life without a body? How did we circumvent judgement?
The truth is, we don't go to heaven or hell after we die, but we'll discuss further below. It's important to understand that because of the resurrection, we will be brought back into this physical universe. We will eat, drink, sing, play, govern, rule, and live in God's kingdom. We will do all the things we do now, in a physical body with a spirit (upgraded to Adam's original design). The spirit and the body will be in union, one does not thrive without the other. This will become evident in our discussion of demons, but first let's talk about death.
What Happens After Death
The widespread belief in modern Christianity is that we all go to heaven or hell as soon as we die. However, this is not what the old or new testament says. Three things have to occur before we can enter the Lord's kingdom or be condemned to hell (or the 2nd death).
1. Jesus returns at the end of the age
2. All who have died in the past are resurrected (born again)
3. The final judgement occurs
So what does that mean for those who have died? It means they are dead. They are not anywhere, and they are not floating around without a body. As the authors of the bible would say, "they are asleep":
“so a man lies down and rises not again; till the heavens are no more he will not awake or be roused out of his sleep.” Job 14:12
"And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Daniel 12:2
"For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten." Ecclesiastes 9:5
'But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 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 4:13-17
Some may argue that Jesus went to Heaven after he died, but this is not what He says.
"Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” John 20:17
He also said:
"No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man." John 3:13
We need to understand that when He says "ascend" He quite literally means He is moving from point A to point B. He is traversing space time. If heaven was an ethereal realm with no physical objects or bodies, there'd be no reason to go up. But to go up is to go off planet towards heaven, and heaven is in the stars. Now let's dive into heaven. Where is it?
Locality of Heaven
Where is heaven? Well the bible doesn't say exactly where it's located, but we're given enough information to determine its nature:
'And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.' Genesis 1:6-8
'And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, ' Genesis 1:14-17
Right off the bat, we're given a description of what heaven is and where it is. The atmosphere & sky is described as heaven, and the stars are the heavens. Throughout the entire bible, the heavens are used to describe the stars in this universe:
"And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven." Deuteronomy 4:19
“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place…” Psalm 8:3
“His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth…” Revelation 12:4
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” Matthew 24:29
“The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.” Joel 2:10
'And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”' Genesis 15:5
Now, Jesus proclaims that he is from heaven. Much of what he teaches about is his kingdom in heaven. We also learn about what happens in the kingdom of heaven: judges judge, armies fight, singers sing, rulers rule, hungry people eat, thirsty people drink. What does all of this imply? Heaven is a physical place in this universe, probably a planet or a multitude of planets & galaxies. All of the things described in heaven are physical characteristics of things we do here on earth. None of these things would even be possible without a body. Lets ask these questions:
-How would you eat & drink without a digestive system?
-How would you sing or talk without a mouth?
-How would you do battle without a body?
-How would you walk without legs?
The truth is, it is literally impossible for us to comprehend a separate spirit realm where we exist and operate without a body. And we don't need to do the mental gymnastics, because all the things we're told we'll do in heaven, are things we do in a body. Now let's talk about angels & demons, because this topic is often spoken of in broad terminology, but is a vital part of the conversation. We should define terms and derive the nature of these beings using the biblical texts. The biblical narrative and ancient texts give us enough detail to draw logical conclusions about who they are and where they come from.
Angels
First, we should differentiate between the angels represented in prophetic iconography (visions), and the actual biblical narrative. The angels represented in visions (or trance's) often have unnatural descriptions, but we must understand that these visions occur by the Lord's intervention of the mind. They are typically symbolic representations of deeper meaning, and not literal representations of what the prophets eyes are seeing. The angels described in the narrative, however, always look similar to humans.
The term angel is originally derived from the Hebrew word mal’ākh, which means messenger. This term describes an occupation, rather than the nature of the being delivering the message. Sometimes humans are described as angels, or messengers, and other times these messengers are described as the non-human beings, the sons of God (bənê hāʼĕlōhîm).
We know from the biblical texts that the sons of God existed before the earth was formed:
'“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? ' Job 38:4-7
We know they look like men and eat like men:
'And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth...Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate. ' Genesis 18:1-2,8
But are these beings bodiless genies that can metamorphose into any form they wish? Did Satan metamorphose into a serpent and a dragon? Did Jesus metamorphose into a lion and a lamb? Or are the sons of God all bound to a body by the same laws of physics that rule our universe?
It's my opinion that only two "supernatural" beings exist, The Father and the Son, and they can mold matter as they desire. However, every other being is subject to the laws of the universe set by the Father and the Son. It's important to note that the Spirit of God (a.k.a. the Holy Spirit) can empower people to do things that would otherwise be impossible, but it only happens under God's desire to do so.
The Book of Enoch and the Genesis 6 narrative gives us additional insight into the physical nature of the sons of God.
"1. And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters. 2. And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: 'Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men and beget us children.' 3. And Semjâzâ, who was their leader, said unto them: 'I fear ye will not indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin.' 4. And they all answered him and said: 'Let us all swear an oath, and all bind ourselves by mutual imprecations not to abandon this plan but to do this thing.' 5. Then sware they all together and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it. 6. And they were in all two hundred; who descended ⌈in the days⌉ of Jared on the summit of Mount Hermon, and they called it Mount Hermon, because they had sworn and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it." 1 Enoch 6:1-6
This narrative is also briefly summarized in Genesis 6:1-4:
'When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years." The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.'
We could fill up an entire book based on the implications of this event. But lets address the essential, paradigm shattering, points. The sons of God, had, and still have the biology "the equipment" to mate with human women. They lusted after them, prior to marrying them or procreating.
OK. So, now our paradigm begins to take shape. The sons of God, look like us, they procreate like us, sing like us, eat like us, and they seemingly do everything we do. How? Because they are our older siblings in the family of God. They too, were created in the image of God:
"Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." Genesis 1:26
Let's remember that Adam was also a son of God:
"...the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God." Luke 3:38
In summary, the sons of God are physical & spiritual beings just like humans are. However, humans were created "...a little lower than the heavenly beings..." Psalm 8:5. They likely possess highly intelligent technology that gives them abilities beyond our current understanding. However, they do not metamorphose or float around as bodiless spirits.
Now let's clarify what a demon is. Because demons, actually are disembodied spirits! They are specifically the disembodied spirits we deal with in the bible.
Demons
The Book of Enoch describes in detail the origins of demons and how they came into being:
"8. And now, the giants, who are produced from the spirits and flesh, shall be called evil spirits upon the earth, and on the earth shall be their dwelling. 9. Evil spirits have proceeded from their bodies; because they are born from men, ⌈⌈and⌉⌉ from the holy Watchers is their beginning and primal origin; ⌈they shall be evil spirits on earth, and⌉ evil spirits shall they be called. [10. As for the spirits of heaven, in heaven shall be their dwelling, but as for the spirits of the earth which were born upon the earth, on the earth shall be their dwelling.] 11. And the spirits of the giants afflict, oppress, destroy, attack, do battle, and work destruction on the earth, and cause trouble: they take no food, ⌈but nevertheless hunger⌉ and thirst, and cause offences. And these spirits shall rise up against the children of men and against the women, because they have proceeded ⌈from them⌉." 1 Enoch 15:8-11
These same "evil spirits" are also described as unclean spirits in the new testament. We find that the hybrid giants created by the sons of God and human women, upon death, were cursed to live as bodiless spirits, with a never ending thirst for a body, until their day of judgement (described below). This is why they possess other people's bodies (given the opportunity), because they are in a torturous state of spirit, but always striving to fulfill the desires of flesh.
"And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. and behold, they cried out, 'What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?'" Matthew 8:29
Demons (unclean spirits), are indeed, bodiless wraiths. It's important to understand that these are the fleshless spirits we encounter in the biblical narrative.
Conclusion
Having spent my entire life in the protestant-modern-western-church, most things taught from the pulpit were spiritual. Heaven was a spiritual place, hell was a spiritual place, the war between good and evil was spiritual, demons were everywhere, and guardian angels were always present. To be clear, there are certainly spiritual aspects to all of this. We are spirit beings, and the network of consciousnesses & spirit extends to God, Heaven, and probably other spirits we have no knowledge of.
However, the physical reality of the universe was neither understood, nor taught. As stated earlier, the church unwittingly adopted a spiritual lens through which we see the universe, and neglected the physical.
Then I began to read the Bible for myself. I began to see Jesus in a new light. I began to seek truth as it is, and not as I want it to be. I began to ask questions that were taboo, seemingly unapproachable, or unknowable. Those questions led to more questions, and then dots started to connect.
Coming to understand the physical realities of the universe & the gospel caused a major, life changing, shift in my Christian paradigm. Jesus became real. He became incredibly exciting, masculine, and heroic. Heaven became real, and tangible.
This article is not meant to convince anyone of my opinion. It's simply to share what I have learned on my journey in hope that profound joy and excitement will spread like fire. My faith has been increased one hundred fold, and I can't wait to feast with our fellow saints upon the resurrection at the Lord's supper.
'And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”' Revelation 19:9
No threat, death, or evil will separate the saints from the Lord. My love is for the church, who are the saints loyal to the King of kings, Jesus Christ.
My hope is for those that are seeking more, seeking Jesus, to find him. To find love, truth, & strength in him.
For your spirit to come alive.
-The Warrior Saint
11/12/2025