When most people think of God, they gaze up to the sky. This is understandable because the Bible contains several verses that explain how Jesus Christ raised His gaze to heaven before conversing with His Father. What does this, however, actually mean for “where God is” in our universe? Does God have a favored location? If yes, where exactly is this location?
What can we learn from Jesus, about where God is?
When it comes to God, Jesus is our main information source. Because Jesus Himself originated from wherever God is. According to John 7:29, Jesus declared, “I know Him, because I come from Him, and He sent Me.” The same thing is confirmed by Jesus in John 6:38, although He provides further context for His mission: “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.”
Jesus emphasizes that God alone is worthy of the highest and most significant position, not just in terms of where He is but also in terms of our life and our relationship with Him, when He says, “…not to do My will.” According to Psalm 115:16, God is the most significant entity in the universe. In Ephesians 4:8–10, the apostle Paul also makes reference to the original home of Jesus.
- Therefore, Jesus looked up to heaven when He wanted to seek God for assistance in feeding the five thousand (see, for instance, Luke 9:16, Matthew 14:19, and Mark 6:41).
- Jesus raised His eyes to heaven and spoke straight to His Father, pleading for His glorification (John 17:1).
- Jesus raised His eyes as He stood in front of Lazarus’s tomb in John 11:41, knowing that the Father had already carried out the task that Jesus had requested Him to perform—raising Lazarus from the dead.
God resides in heaven, as demonstrated by Jesus’ deeds. As an aside, the apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 that there is a [“third heaven”] in addition to the first heaven!
Is God on earth, as well?
God was present on earth at the time of Jesus’ conception. The Creator of heaven and earth took on physical form in what is known as the “incarnation.” That being said, God’s existence on Earth was not new.
- The Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the seas before the first day of creation had even begun (Genesis 1:2).
- The reason Adam and Eve (who had just eaten the forbidden fruit!) hid from the Lord God’s presence amid the garden’s trees is explained in Genesis 3:8, where God is described as strolling through the garden during the cool part of the day.
- In fact, according to Exodus 19, God summoned the entire people of Israel to meet him on Mount Sinai, where Moses first encountered him. From Exodus 40:34 on, God stayed with the Israelites while they journeyed through the wilderness, residing in the tabernacle.
- Elijah discovers God in a soft whisper rather than in an earthquake, fire, or wind in 1 Kings 19:11–13.
God does appear to be “everywhere,” and in fact, He is. God is all-pervasive, or omnipresent. After we have been filled with the Holy Spirit, He can even live inside of us!
Can we see God?
If we can see God, He must “be” somewhere, right? So, this is an important question. When Jesus said: “Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9) He was speaking of God’s nature, rather than of His physical appearance: this verse does not mean that God looks exactly like Jesus incarnated. It is often said that because God is Spirit, He cannot be seen, at all. Yet Exodus 33:20 tells us that God has a face. So, we must conclude that He is not invisible. And the place where He is, is not invisible either, because Revelation 4 tells us of a throne – God’s throne. The Apostle John, writer of the Book of Revelation, describes the One sitting there, and the throne itself. He mentions that there is a door; there are other thrones, there’s something looking like a sea of glass and there are creatures. John is able to see all of this.
Can we use a rocket to travel to God?
Starting from the premise that God exists in a visible location, which has to be in heaven, the question of where this could be emerges. If not in the orbit of the moon, then perhaps a little farther out…? Possibly in an other galaxy? In actuality, we do not have God’s GPS coordinates. Just as spiritual as God is, there is a location that is mentioned in Revelation and hinted to in Luke 16 as the place where Abraham and the beggar Lazarus dwell after they die.
We cannot travel to or touch God’s Kingdom because it is not tangible in the same sense that we are. We cannot identify a place on a map of the planets and stars and declare, “That’s where He is!” However, Jesus made contact with His Father when He glanced up, and we can do the same to address Him in our prayers by looking up at nothing in particular while also acknowledging that the universe’s creator is there, keeping watch over us!
God’s omnipresence
Looking in the mirror is the simplest approach to locate a location where God might be present. You are the Holy Spirit’s temple if you have received the Holy Spirit and accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior (1 Corinthians 3:16). Every follower of Jesus Christ is filled with the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). In John 14:23, Jesus states, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” That promise is excellent!
In fact, this is the reason Jesus stated in John 16:7 that [it was better for us if He went]. Although Jesus could only be in one area at a time while He was on earth, the Spirit has the ability to indwell every living person! The Holy Spirit took Jesus’ place when He ascended back to heaven and is now available to everyone! Please take a moment to study our articles on the Holy Spirit to learn why this is so crucial.
