Scripture presents the temple in heaven as a real, structured place where God’s presence is manifest, where Christ ministers, and where divine authority proceeds. It is the heavenly original of which the earthly tabernacle and temple were copies. The writer of Hebrews states that the earthly sanctuary was “a copy and shadow of the heavenly things” (Heb. 8:5), and that Christ “entered…into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Heb. 9:24). This establishes that there is an actual heavenly sanctuary, and that Jesus Christ presently ministers there as our High Priest (Heb. 4:14–16).
In simple terms, the temple in heaven is God’s throne-centered dwelling place, purposeful and active. There are several passages in Revelation that reveal there is a temple in heaven (Rev. 3:12; 7:15; 11:19; 15:5), for John records that “the temple of God which is in heaven was opened” (Rev. 11:19). The word temple translates the Greek ναός (naos), referring to the very dwelling place of God Himself, the place of His immediate presence and authority.
The temple in heaven contains the throne of God. John writes, “Behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne” (Rev. 4:2). Everything in the heavenly temple centers on that throne. It is the place of absolute authority, righteousness, and judgment. Thomas states, “The heavenly throne was probably a part of the heavenly temple as seen by the presence of the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant therein also.”[1]
It includes worship and service. Around the throne are angelic beings and redeemed saints who continually honor God, for “Day and night they do not cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty’” (Rev. 4:8). The temple is active with praise, not silence. Swindoll notes, “The temple in heaven indicates unbroken fellowship with God—its doors remain open to all. Within this temple John saw the ark of the covenant, a symbol of God’s holiness as the basis for His just wrath.”[2]
The temple in heaven contains heavenly counterparts to earthly items. John saw “the temple of God which is in heaven…opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple” (Rev. 11:19). This shows that what Israel had on earth pointed to something real in heaven. The ark in heaven represents God’s faithfulness and covenant integrity. According to Patterson, “This appearance of the ark in heaven is particularly important because the ark was the symbol of the promises of God, and particularly the mercy seat was the focus of the ritual of the Day of Atonement, which foreshadowed the ultimate atonement of Christ.”[3]
Heaven’s temple is a place where prayers are received and presented. Revelation describes “golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints” (Rev. 5:8), and an angel offering incense “with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne” (Rev. 8:3). This means your prayers are not lost. They are received in a structured, purposeful way before God. Indeed, they ascend before Him as a fragrant offering, for “the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand” (Rev. 8:4).
The heavenly temple is a place from which judgment proceeds. When God acts in judgment during the future Tribulation, it often comes out of the heavenly temple. “The temple of God in heaven was opened… and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder” (Rev. 11:19). Later, angels come out of the temple to execute judgment (Rev. 15:5–6). This shows the temple functions as the divine control center from which God’s righteous judgments are issued, for “the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power” (Rev. 15:8).
It is the place where Christ currently serves on our behalf. He is not in an earthly building but in the true sanctuary. “We have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens” (Heb. 8:1). His work there secures our access to God and our eternal standing. He continually represents us before the Father, for “He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25).
In summary, the temple in heaven is the real, eternal center of God’s presence and rule. The earthly temple was a teaching tool. The heavenly one is the reality. It is structured, active, filled with worship, responsive to prayer, and the place where Christ ministers and from which God governs the universe.
Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div.
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[1] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 339.
[2] Charles R. Swindoll, Insights on Revelation, Swindoll’s New Testament Insights (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), 166.
[3] Paige Patterson, Revelation, ed. E. Ray Clendenen, vol. 39, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2012), 257.