If God lives in heaven (Matthew 6:9), where did He live before the earth and the heavens were created?
The reason is that there are three distinct ways the term “heaven” is used in the Bible, and we need to understand each one separately. Please refer to this article for scripture’s depiction of the [three distinct heavens].
To summarise:
- “Heavens” refers to: (1) the earth’s atmosphere, which is where clouds and birds live;
- outside of Earth’s atmosphere, or the region where stars are found;
- the dwelling place of God.
God therefore lived in this third meaning of “heaven,” which is God’s dwelling place, prior to creation as He was unable to reside in either the earth’s atmosphere or outer space because those places were not yet created.
Please watch this [Animated explanation of ‘heaven & earth’] to gain a better understanding of the notion of “heaven.”
