Open Heavens
Open heavens are gold in the treasure chest of our new covenant spiritual inheritance. Christians carry an open heaven - direct access to the heavenly realm and God’s presence. This privilege enables us to experience the supernatural and the glory of God’s kingdom. Open heavens become more tangible as we grow in faith and intimacy with the Lord.
What is an open heaven? The concept of an open heaven comes from Jesus’ water baptism by John the Baptist, Jesus’ prophetic forerunner. When Jesus is baptized by John, the heavens open and the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus.
Luke 3:21-22 (NIV) “When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
Luke tells us that as Jesus was praying, heaven was opened, but Matthew says that heaven “suddenly opened” when Jesus emerged from the water (Matthew 3:16). Mark writes that heaven was “torn open” when Jesus came out of the water (Mark 1:10). We must adjust our thinking to understand that heaven is not a place in the sky, but God’s heavenly realm which actually envelopes the natural realm. It is an invisible kingdom that finds expression and manifestation in the natural realm. The heavenly realm is actually more real than the natural realm. We grow to discern it as we move deeper into intimacy with the Lord, becoming more aware of His presence in and through our lives.
We can learn from the episode of Jesus’ baptism. When we turn to Jesus, we are baptized into His name and His authority, presence, and power. We die to our old life, with its death-filled identity paradigms and sinful behavior, and become spiritually reborn. With this spiritual rebirth comes access to the riches of Christ’s heavenly inheritance. Heaven is torn open in our minds and we become aware of the Holy Spirit’s presence within us.
In the episode describing Jesus’ baptism, the Father’s voice did not literally come from the sky, but was an emanation from the heavenly realm that became discernible in the senses. It was a moment in which God’s invisible kingdom was made manifest in the natural realm. Unlike other moments in the Old Testament when God’s reality broke into the natural realm, the glory did not fade away or depart from Jesus. The Holy Spirit descended and stayed, equipping Jesus to move in supernatural power and authority during His earthly ministry. Jesus carried an open heaven and serves as a model for all new covenant believers.
We have the same Spirit that Jesus had. With the Spirit comes the entire kingdom of heaven, which Jesus tells us is “within us” (Luke 17:21). The Holy Spirit is thus our doorway into the kingdom of heaven and empowers us to manifest that kingdom into the natural realm. The Holy Spirit is more than a ghost who lives inside believers and flits around touching lives as He so pleases. The Holy Spirit is the personal presence of Jesus, who fills and upholds all things (Colossians 1:17). The Holy Spirit is a personal being who fills the entire universe and testifies of Jesus. To have the Holy Spirit is to have access to the entirety of God’s kingdom.
Heaven has an atmosphere. It is charged with the presence of God. We can feel the atmosphere of heaven (God’s presence) by taking note of what is happening in our minds and bodies when we are gathered together in fellowship. When believers gather, the presence of heaven increases because all believers carry the Holy Spirit. In our gatherings, the perceived veil between heaven and earth becomes thin as heaven manifests. One way we can discern and sense heaven is by recognizing the fruits of the Spirit in our minds and bodies. Heaven’s presence is often accompanied with feelings of love, joy, and peace.
Luke tells us that as Jesus was praying , heaven was opened. God never intended prayer to be an independent religious activity, but a lifestyle. Prayer is focusing our mind and heart on Jesus and the voice of the Father. When Paul tells the Philippians to “pray without ceasing,” he is instructing them to keep their primary focus on Jesus and His kingdom in order to commune with Him through all things. To pray without ceasing is to keep our eyes fixed not on the seen, but the unseen (2 Corinthians 4:18). Heaven opened as Jesus was praying because His focus was directed into the heavenly realm. Heaven responded to the prayer of Jesus, and the spiritual realm began to manifest. The Holy Spirit descended like a dove and the Father’s voice emanated from the realm of glory. Focusing on Jesus will bring manifestation of His kingdom.
Open heavens become more and more tangible as we train our hearts and minds to focus on Jesus. All believers already have full access to Jesus and the riches and graces of His kingdom. What changes is our awareness. As our faith grows in intimacy and through relationship with God, we will begin to experience more and more the fruit of open heavens. The empowering grace and power of heaven flows readily through faith-filled hearts. As we grow in faith both corporately and individually, the tangible manifestation of heaven through us will become undeniable. Focusing on heaven brings heaven.
Humans beings have a spirit, which already inhabits a place in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6). Our life’s purpose is to release glory from these realms in order to edify Christ’s spiritual body and advance God’s kingdom on earth (Romans 8:30; 1 Corinthians 12:7). Manifesting glory begins with knowing who we already are in Christ and growing in awareness of the open heavens at our disposal.
