The Heavens Opened

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.”  Revelation 19:11

This is the final climactic reference in the Bible to God’s opened heavens. Sometimes, as in this verse, heaven is opened in judgement; sometimes in blessing. Sometimes it is the atmospheric heaven that is open; sometimes the heaven of heavens where stands the throne of God.

The first such mention refers to the world-destroying flood of Noah’s day when “floodgates of the sky were opened” (Gen. 7:11). The second mention, however, speaks of blessing. God had “opened the doors of heaven; He rained down manna upon them to eat and gave them food from heaven” (Psalm 78:23-24). The windows of heaven rained down the waters of death, while the doors of heaven rained down the bread of life!

Ezekiel also saw the heavens opened in judgement (Ezekiel 1:1), but God told Malachi, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse...and test Me now...if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows” (Malachi 3:10).

At the baptism of Jesus the heavens were opened and men heard the great testimony of the Father concerning His beloved Son (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:21). Jesus promised Nathanael, “You will see the heavens opened” (John 1:51), and Stephen and Peter actually saw the heavens open (Acts 7:56; 10:11).

Finally, the apostle John reported that “a door standing open in heaven” (Revelation 4:1), and he saw the Lord on His throne - twelve specific references (four in the Old Testament, eight in the New) to the opened heavens.