Open Heaven

"But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 'Look,' he said, 'I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.'"
Acts 7:55&56

The phrase, 'Open Heaven,' has become a popular one of late. I write this, neither to validate or deny the things that are being proclaimed by others. I want to offer a Biblical perspective regarding the subject. Stephen had been seized by the religious leaders of the day. They trumped up charges against him and asked him to give his defense. He used that platform to tell them about Jesus. When he saw heaven open and spoke about it, they dragged him off and stoned him to death.
    It was not just at that moment that Stephen saw heaven opened. I believe he lived it every moment of every day. He was chosen to be one of the first deacons of the church because he was known to be full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. He went on to do, "Great wonders and miraculous signs among the people." (Acts 6:8). When called before the religious leaders, "They saw that his face was like the face of an angel." (Acts 6:15). Stephen was obviously a man who experience an open heaven all the time.
    So what does it mean to experience an open heaven? The answer is represented in the life of Stephen. He was full of the Holy Spirit. That is what experiencing an open heaven is all about. It is not necessarily about actually seeing it, as Stephen did in that moment. It is about living it every moment. Our connection to heaven, to the Father, and to Jesus, is the Holy Spirit. The closer we walk with him, the more we experience the reality of heaven. If God graciously allows us to see heaven with our spiritual or physical eyes, it is wonderful. But even more wonderful, is the process of being continually filled with the Holy Spirit. He will point us to the glories of heaven. He will reveal the secrets of the kingdom to us. When we grow in our relationship with the Holy Spirit, we will not have to look for a 'spiritual moment' when we see heaven, we will experience it all the time. This is the joy of being a Christian.
    We must know that God has not left us to ourselves. He does not look down from afar and just observe what happens on earth, as so many suppose. He has deposited heaven in our hearts. This is what will get us through times of difficulty. If we will live an 'open heaven' life as Stephen did, the time of trouble will be just another mile marker on our way to glory. Eternity is already in our hearts, God lives in us, and heaven is already accessible. Cultivate your relationship with the Holy Spirit, listen to him, act on what he says, and live in the glory he reveals.