Heaven | Gentle Reading For Sleep

Relax with calm bedtime reading about Heaven to ease insomnia and invite deep sleep. This calm bedtime reading offers steady comfort for sleep while softly soothing insomnia and quieting a restless mind.

In this episode, Benjamin explores the history and meaning of Heaven across cultures, religions, and philosophical traditions. You’ll discover how different beliefs describe heavenly realms and what those visions reveal about hope, morality, and the human longing for peace—all delivered in a soothing, unhurried cadence designed to help you unwind. There’s no whispering—just clear, fact-filled, calm education shared at a gentle pace to ease insomnia, reduce stress, and settle anxiety at the end of the day.

As you listen, your mind can gradually slow while you learn something meaningful and timeless. Press play, get comfortable, and let this peaceful bedtime reading guide you toward deep rest and steady breathing. Happy sleeping!

Transcript

Welcome to the I Can't Sleep Podcast,

Where I help you drift off one fact at a time.

I'm your host,

Benjamin Boster,

And today's episode is about Heaven.

Heaven,

Or the Heavens,

Is a common religious,

Cosmological,

Or supernatural place where beings such as deities,

Angels,

Souls,

Saints,

Or venerated ancestors are said to originate,

Be enthroned,

Or reside.

According to the beliefs of some religions,

Heavenly beings can descend to Earth,

Or incarnate and earthly beings can ascend to Heaven in the afterlife,

Or in exceptional cases,

Enter Heaven without dying.

Heaven is often described as a highest place,

The holiest place,

A paradise,

In contrast to Hell or the underworld,

Or the low places,

And universally or conditionally accessible by earthly beings according to various standards of divinity,

Goodness,

Piety,

Faith,

Or other virtues,

Or right beliefs,

Or simply divine will.

Some believe in the possibility of a Heaven on Earth and a world to come.

Another belief is in an axis mundi,

Or world tree,

Which connects the Heavens,

The terrestrial world,

And the underworld.

In Indian religions,

Heaven is considered as Svargaloka,

And the soul is again subjected to rebirth in different living forms according to its karma.

This cycle can be broken after a soul achieves Moksha,

Or Nirvana.

Any plane of existence,

Either of humans,

Souls,

Or deities,

Outside the tangible world,

Heaven,

Hell,

Or other,

Is referred to as the Otherworld.

In the Abrahamic faiths of Christianity,

Islam,

And some schools of Judaism,

As well as Zoroastrianism,

Heaven is the realm of afterlife where good actions in the previous life are rewarded for eternity,

Hell being the place where bad behavior is punished.

The modern English word Heaven is derived from the earlier Middle English Heaven,

Spelled H-E-V-E-N.

This,

In turn,

Was developed from the previous Old English form,

Heofan.

By about 1000,

Heofan was being used in reference to the Christianized place where God dwells.

But originally it had signified Sky,

Firmament.

The English term has cognates in the other Germanic languages,

Old Saxon Hevan,

Sky,

Heaven,

Hence also Middle Low German Heaven,

Sky.

Old Icelandic Himan,

Gothic Himans,

And those with a variant final L,

Old Frisian Himmel,

Sky,

Heaven.

Old Saxon and Old High German Himmel,

Old Saxon and Middle Low German Himmel,

Old Dutch and Dutch Himmel,

And Modern German Himmel.

All of these have been derived from a reconstructed Proto-Germanic form,

Hemina or Hemo.

The further derivation of this form is uncertain.

A connection to Proto-Indo-European Chem,

Cover,

Shroud,

Via a reconstructed Chemen or Chomen,

Stone,

Heaven,

Has been proposed.

Others endorse the derivation from a Proto-Indo-European root,

Hachmo,

Stone,

And possibly Heavenly Vault,

At the origin of this word.

Which then would have as cognates Ancient Greek Hachmon,

Anvil,

Pestle,

Meteorite,

Persian Asaman,

Stone,

Slingstone,

Sky,

Heaven,

And Sanskrit Ashman,

Rock,

Slingstone,

Thunderbolt,

The Firmament.

In the latter case,

English Hammer would be another cognate to the word.

The ancient Mesopotamians regarded the sky as a series of domes,

Usually three,

But sometimes seven,

Covering the flat earth.

Each dome was made of a different kind of precious stone.

The lowest dome of Heaven was made of Jasper,

And was the home of the stars.

The middle dome of Heaven was made of Sagomud Stone,

And was the abode of the Igigi.

The highest and outermost dome of Heaven was made of Luludanitu Stone,

And was personified as An,

The God of the Sky.

The celestial bodies were equated with specific deities as well.

The planet Venus was believed to be in Anna.

The Sun was her brother Utu,

The God of Justice,

And the Moon was their father Nanna.

In ancient Near Eastern cultures in general,

And in Mesopotamia in particular,

Humans had little to no access to the Divine Realm.

Heaven and Earth were separated by their very nature.

Humans could see and be affected by elements of the lower Heaven,

Such as stars and storms.

But ordinary mortals could not go to Heaven,

Because it was the abode of the gods alone.

In the Epic of Gilgamesh,

Gilgamesh says to Enkidu,

Who can go up to Heaven,

My friend?

Only the gods dwell with Shamash forever.

Instead,

After a person died,

His or her soul went to Kur,

Later known as Irkala,

A dark shadowy underworld,

Located deep below the surface of the Earth.

All souls went to the same afterlife,

And a person's actions during life had no impact on how they would be treated in the world to come.

Nonetheless,

Funerary evidence indicates that some people believed that Inanna had the power to bestow special favors upon her devotees in the afterlife.

Despite the separation between Heaven and Earth,

Humans sought access to the gods through oracles and omens.

The gods were believed to live in Heaven,

But also in their temples,

Which were seen as the channels of communication between Earth and Heaven,

Which allowed mortal access to the gods.

The Akur temple in Nippur was known as the Dur-Anki,

The mooring rope of Heaven and Earth.

It was widely thought to have been built and established by Enlil himself.

The ancient Hittites believed that some deities lived in Heaven,

While others lived in remote places on Earth,

Such as mountains.

Where humans had little access.

In the Middle Hittite myths,

Heaven is the abode of the gods.

In the Song of Kumarbi,

Alalu was king in Heaven for nine years,

Before giving birth to his son Anu.

Anu was himself overthrown by his son,

Kumarbi.

Almost nothing is known of Bronze Age Canaanite views of Heaven,

And the archaeological findings at Ugarit have not provided information.

The 1st century Greek author Philo of Byblos may have preserved elements of Iron Age Phoenician religion in his Sanconiathon.

Zoroaster,

The Zoroastrian prophet who introduced the Gathas,

Spoke of the existence of Heaven and Hell.

Historically,

The unique features of Zoroastrianism,

Such as its conception of Heaven,

Hell,

Angels,

Monotheism,

Belief in free will,

And the Day of Judgment,

Among other concepts,

May have influenced other religions and philosophical systems,

Including the Abrahamic religions,

Gnosticism,

Northern Buddhism,

And Greek philosophy.

As in other ancient Near Eastern cultures,

In the Hebrew Bible,

The universe is commonly divided into two realms,

Heaven,

Shemayim,

And Earth,

Eretz.

Sometimes a third realm is added,

Either sea,

Water under the earth,

Or sometimes a vague land of the dead that is never described in depth.

The structure of Heaven itself is not fully described in the Hebrew Bible,

But the fact that the Hebrew word Shemayim is plural has been interpreted by scholars as an indication that the ancient Israelites envisioned the heavens as having multiple layers,

Much like the ancient Mesopotamians.

This reading is also supported by the use of the phrase,

In verses such as Deuteronomy 10,

Verse 14,

1 Kings 8,

Verse 27,

And 2 Chronicles 2,

Verse 6.

In line with the typical view of most Near Eastern cultures,

The Hebrew Bible depicts Heaven as a place that is inaccessible to humans.

Although some prophets are occasionally granted temporary visionary access to Heaven,

Such as in 1 Kings 22,

Verses 19-23,

Job 1,

Verses 6-12,

And 2,

Verses 1-6,

And Isaiah 6,

They hear only God's deliberations concerning the earth,

And learn nothing of what Heaven is like.

There is almost no mention in the Hebrew Bible of Heaven as a possible afterlife destination for human beings,

Who are instead described as resting in Sheol.

The only two possible exceptions to this are Enoch,

Who is described in Genesis 5,

Verse 24,

As having been taken by God,

And the prophet Elijah,

Who is described in 2 Kings 2,

Verse 11,

As having ascended to Heaven in a chariot of fire.

According to Michael B.

Hundley,

The text in both of these instances is ambiguous regarding the significance of the actions being described,

And in neither of these cases does the text explain what happened to the subject afterwards.

The God of the Israelites is described as ruling both Heaven and Earth.

Other passages,

Such as 1 Kings 8,

Verse 27,

State that even the vastness of Heaven cannot contain God's majesty.

A number of passages throughout the Hebrew Bible indicate that Heaven and Earth will one day come to an end.

This view is paralleled in other ancient Near Eastern cultures,

Which also regard Heaven and Earth as vulnerable and subject to dissolution.

However,

The Hebrew Bible differs from other ancient Near Eastern cultures in that it portrays the God of Israel as independent of creation and unthreatened by its potential destruction.

Because most of the Hebrew Bible concerns the God of Israel's relationship with His people,

Most of the events described in it take place on Earth,

Not in Heaven.

The Deuteronomistic source,

Deuteronomistic history,

And Priestly source all portray the Temple in Jerusalem as the sole channel of communication between Earth and Heaven.

During the period of the Second Temple,

Circa 515 BC to 70 AD,

The Hebrew people lived under the rule of first the Persian Achaemenid Empire,

Then the Greek kingdoms of the Diadochi,

And finally the Roman Empire.

Their culture was profoundly influenced by those of the peoples who ruled them.

Consequently,

Their views on existence after death were profoundly shaped by these ideas of the Persians,

Greeks,

And Romans.

The idea of the immortality of the souls derived from Greek philosophy and the idea of the resurrection of the dead is thought to be derived from Persian cosmology,

Although the later claim has been recently questioned.

By the early 1st century AD,

These two seemingly incompatible ideas were often conflated by Hebrew thinkers.

The Hebrews also inherited from the Persians,

Greeks,

And Romans the idea that the human soul originates in the divine realm and seeks to return there.

The idea that a human soul belongs in Heaven and that Earth is merely a temporary abode in which the soul is tested to prove its worthiness became increasingly popular during the Hellenistic period,

323-31 BC.

Gradually,

Some of the Hebrews began to adopt the idea of Heaven as the eternal home of the righteous dead.

Descriptions of Heaven in the New Testament are more fully developed than those in the Old Testament,

But are still generally vague.

As in the Old Testament,

In the New Testament,

God is described as the ruler of Heaven and Earth,

But His power over the Earth is challenged by Satan.

The Gospels of Mark and Luke speak of the Kingdom of God,

While the Gospel of Matthew more commonly uses the term Kingdom of Heaven.

Both phrases are thought to have the same meaning,

But the author of the Gospel of Matthew changed the name Kingdom of God to Kingdom of Heaven in most instances because it was a more acceptable phrase in his own culture and religious context in the late 1st century.

Modern scholars agree that the Kingdom of God was an essential part of the teachings of the historical Jesus,

But there is no agreement on what this Kingdom was.

None of the Gospels record Jesus as having explained exactly what the phrase Kingdom of God means.

The most likely explanation for this apparent omission is that the Kingdom of God was a commonly understood concept that required no explanation.

According to Sanders and Cayce,

Jews in Judea during the early 1st century believed that God reigns eternally in Heaven,

But many also believed that God would eventually establish His Kingdom on Earth as well.

Because God's Kingdom was believed to be superior to any human kingdom,

This meant that God would necessarily drive out the Romans,

Who ruled Judea,

And establish His own direct rule over the Jewish people.

This belief is referenced in the first petition of the Lord's Prayer taught by Jesus to His disciples and recorded in Matthew and Luke 11.

Other scholars contend that Jesus' teaching of the Kingdom of God was of something that is present,

But also still yet to come.

For instance,

Wright points to the Synoptic Gospels that Jesus' death and resurrection was anticipated as the climax and fulfillment of His Kingdom of God messages,

And that His combined prophecy about the Second Temple's doom,

Through apocalyptic language,

Would serve as His vindication.

The Synoptic Gospels and Pauline Epistles portray Jesus as believing His death and resurrection would complete the work of inaugurating the Kingdom of God,

And that His followers,

Who wrote everything down,

Expressed their belief He had done so,

Using first-century Jewish idioms,

And that such events did with evil and launched the project of new creation.

In the teachings of the historical Jesus,

People are expected to prepare for the coming of the Kingdom of God by living moral lives.

Jesus' commands for His followers to adopt lifestyles of moral perfectionism are found in many passages throughout the Synoptic Gospels,

Particularly in the Sermon on the Mount,

In Matthew chapters 5-7.

Jesus also taught that in the Kingdom of Heaven there would be a reversal of roles,

In which the last will be first and the first will be last.

This teaching recurs throughout the recorded teachings of Jesus,

Including in the admonition to be like a child,

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke chapter 16,

The parable of the workers in the vineyard in Matthew chapter 20,

The parable of the great banquet in Matthew chapter 22,

And the parable of the prodigal son in Luke chapter 15.

Traditionally,

Christianity has taught that Heaven is the location of the throne of God,

As well as the holy angels.

Although this is in varying degrees considered metaphorical.

In traditional Christianity it is considered a stage or condition of existence,

Rather than a particular place somewhere in the cosmos,

Of the supreme fulfillment of theosis,

And the beatific vision of the Godhead.

In most forms of Christianity,

Heaven is also understood as the abode for the redeemed dead in the afterlife,

Usually a temporary stage before the resurrection of the dead and the saints return to the new earth.

The resurrected Jesus is said to have ascended to Heaven where he now sits at the right hand of God,

And will return to earth in the second coming.

Various people have been said to have entered Heaven while still alive,

Including Enoch,

Elijah,

And Jesus after his resurrection.

According to Roman Catholic teaching,

Mary,

Mother of Jesus,

Is also said to have been assumed into Heaven and is titled the Queen of Heaven.

In the second century A.

D.

,

Irenaeus of Lyons recorded a belief that,

In accordance with John chapter 14,

Those who in the afterlife see the Savior are in different mansions,

Some dwelling in the heavens,

Others in paradise,

And others in the city.

While the word used in all these writings,

In particular the New Testament Greek word uranos,

Applies primarily to the sky,

It is also used metaphorically of the dwelling place of God and the blessed.

Similarly,

Though the English word Heaven keeps its original physical meaning when used,

For instance,

In allusions to the stars as lights shining through from heaven,

And in phrases such as to mean an astronomical object,

The heaven or happiness that Christianity looks forward to is,

According to Pope John Paul II,

Neither an abstraction nor a physical place in the clouds,

But a living personal relationship with the Holy Trinity.

It is our meeting with the Father which takes place in the risen Christ through the communion of the Holy Spirit.

While the concept of Heaven,

Malchut HaShemayim,

The Kingdom of Heaven,

Is much discussed in Christian thought,

The Jewish concept of the afterlife,

Sometimes known as Olam Chabah,

The World to Come,

Is not discussed as often.

The Torah has little to say on the subject of survival after death,

But by the time of the rabbis,

Two ideas had made inroads among the Jews.

One,

Which is probably derived from Greek thought,

Is that of the immortal soul,

Which returns to its creator after death.

The other,

Which is thought to be of Persian origin,

Is that of resurrection of the dead.

Jewish writings refer to a new earth as the abode of mankind following the resurrection of the dead.

Originally,

The two ideas of immortality and resurrection were different,

But in rabbinic thought they are combined.

The soul departs from the body at death,

But is returned to it at the resurrection.

This idea is linked to another rabbinic teaching,

That men's good and bad actions are rewarded and punished,

Not in this life,

But after death,

Whether immediately or at the subsequent resurrection.

Around 1 AD,

The Pharisees believed in an afterlife,

But the Sadducees did not.

The Mishnah has many sayings about the World to Come.

For example,

Rabbi Yaakov said,

This world is like a lobby before the World to Come.

Prepare yourself in the lobby so that you may enter the banquet hall.

Judaism holds that the righteous of all nations have a share in the World to Come.

According to Nicolas de Lange,

Judaism offers no clear teaching about the destiny which lies in wait for the individual after death,

And its attitude to life after death has been expressed as follows,

For the future is inscrutable,

And the accepted sources of knowledge,

Whether experience or reason or revelation,

Offer no clear guidance about what is to come.

The only certainty is that each man must die.

Beyond that,

We can only guess.

Similar to Jewish traditions,

Such as the Talmud,

The Quran and Hadith frequently mention the existence of seven Samawah,

The plural of Sama,

Meaning heaven,

Sky,

Celestial sphere,

And cognate with Hebrew Shemayim.

Some of the verses in the Quran mentioning the Samawah are chapter 41 verse 12,

Chapter 65 verse 12,

And chapter 71 verse 15.

Sidra Amun-Taha,

A large enigmatic lote tree,

Marks the end of the seventh heaven and the utmost extremity for all of God's creatures and heavenly knowledge.

One interpretation of heavens is that all the stars and galaxies including the Milky Way,

Are part of the first heaven,

And beyond that six still bigger worlds are there which have yet to be discovered by scientists.

According to Shiite sources,

Ali mentioned the names of the seven heavens as below,

1.

Rafi,

The least heaven,

2.

Kaidum,

3.

Marum,

4.

Arfalun,

5.

Ayun,

6.

Arus,

And 7.

Ajma.

Still,

An afterlife destination of the righteous is conceived in Islam as Jannah,

Garden of Eden,

Translated as paradise.

Regarding Eden or paradise,

The Quran says,

The description of the paradise promised to the righteous is that under it rivers flow.

Eternal is its fruit as well as its shade.

That is the ultimate outcome for the righteous.

But the outcome for the disbelievers is the fire.

Islam rejects the concept of original sin,

And Muslims believe that all human beings are born pure.

Children automatically go to paradise when they die,

Regardless of the religion of their parents.

Paradise is described primarily in physical terms as a place where every wish is immediately fulfilled when asked.

Islamic texts describe immortal life in Jannah as happy,

Without negative emotions.

Those who dwell in Jannah are said to wear costly apparel,

Partake in exquisite banquets,

And recline on couches inlaid with gold or precious stones.

Inhabitants will rejoice in the company of their parents,

Spouses,

And children.

In Islam,

If one's good deeds outweigh one's sins,

Then one may gain entrance to paradise only through God's mercy.

Conversely,

If one's sins outweigh their good deeds,

They are sent to hell.

The more good deeds one has performed,

The higher the level of Jannah one is directed to.

The Quran refers to Jannah with different names.

In the Hadith,

These are the different regions in paradise.