Heaven

In scripture, the word heaven has three meanings:

The place where the stars and planets are located. We use heaven in this sense when we talk about the grandeur of the 'heavens' while looking at the night time sky.

The sky, where the clouds are and where weather happens. We use heaven in this sense when we describe an approaching thunderstorm by saying that the 'heavens are angry'.

The place where God abides with His angels. It was above the firmament, which was believed to be a solid metal dome located a few hundred feet above the earth. In Christianity it is the abode of God, the Father's House, where selected individuals go after death to be with God. Faith groups differ in their belief about what criteria are used to determine who will attain heaven after death.

Several religions and myths have defined heaven, the dwelling place of God, hell and a final battle.