Many Christians today talk about an “open heaven.” They say that anyone who “walks under an open heaven” has access to supernatural power, financial blessings, and healing.
The concept originated in the non-Catholic “Word of Faith” movement; more recently, some Catholics have begun to spread it.
John A MacMillan (1873-1956) was a Presbyterian missionary in China and the Philippines. In his book, The Authority of the Believer, he taught that the full authority of the risen Christ would “reach its full development and manifestation through His body. The Son of God became incarnate, not merely that He might save men from their sins, but also that He might bring man to [a] place of dominion over the works of God.” Christ assumed his full authority when he took his seat in heaven (see Heb 8:1); now, MacMillan taught, every Christian is seated in the heavenly places with Christ (see Eph 1:20; 2:6), and shares in his full authority. Instead of asking God for something, the believer can command heavenly power: “God is waiting for those whom He can trust and use, who will have … the faith to command His power… As they speak the word of command, God obeys. His delight is in such co-working. They have caught His thought concerning the method of the advance of His kingdom.” The well-known preacher Kenneth E. Hagin (1917-2003) copied and helped popularize MacMillan’s teaching.
In this view, “heaven” is primarily about power. This leads to a redefinition of both faith and prayer. Faith becomes access to heavenly power that the believer can deploy on earth.
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Prayer is redefined as the ability to wield heavenly power here below. Because the believer is understood to be already seated in heavenly places with Christ (see Eph 2:6), he can “unleash” the power of heaven on earth. Instead of asking that God’s will be done and hoping for a good outcome, the believer commands God’s power. For this reason, “open heaven” teachers say that Christians should not pray “from earth to heaven” but “from heaven to earth.” Bill Johnson, Senior Pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, California, teaches that each Christian is a “bridge and connection point” that allows heavenly power to flow into this world.
Two biblical episodes have special importance to “open heaven” teachers: Jacob’s vision at Bethel and the Baptism of Jesus. Jacob dreamt of a ladder connecting earth and heaven (see Genesis 28). After Jesus was baptized by John and the heavens were “torn open” (see Mark 1:10), he “lived under an open heaven,” which enabled him to drive out demons, heal the sick, and raise the dead. In the same way, the heavens were opened for everyone who would believe in Jesus and become children of God.
When Jacob had his dream, he said, “This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (Gen 28:17, RSV). For Bill Johnson, “Jesus … was the initial fulfillment of the House of God, but not the ultimate fulfillment… We, the Church, the redeemed, are the tabernacle of the Holy Spirit, the eternal dwelling place of God!” Every Christian, he teaches, has the same access to heaven’s power that Jesus had.
A Catholic group, Encounter Ministries, shares a version of the “open heaven” concept that is virtually identical to Johnson’s teaching. Where Johnson speaks of Christians as “houses of God,” Encounter prefers “temples of the Holy Spirit,” but the idea is the same. It teaches that all believers are already seated in heavenly places, and should pray, not from earth to heaven, but from heaven to earth:
“Each of us is a temple of the Holy Spirit. This means we are the true ‘House of God’ and ‘Gateway to Heaven’ through Jesus. Through Jesus, there is an open heaven where we can hear the voice of God and see the presence of the angels and the fire of the Spirit coming down upon us. So we don’t pray from earth to heaven, we pray in faith to bring heaven to earth… What God revealed at Bethel, fulfilled in Christ, is available to us right now.”
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Encounter presents heaven as a realm of power and believers as “access points” who bring that power down to earth. Echoing MacMillan’s teaching, ESM teaches that those who live under an open heaven have power to “advance the kingdom” in their spheres of influence.[1]
How should Catholics think about “Open Heaven?” First, the teaching of “open heaven” described above does not line up with Catholic tradition. The Catholic Church teaches that Christ opened heaven for believers by his death, resurrection, and return in glory to the Father:
“By his death and Resurrection, Jesus Christ has ‘opened’ heaven to us. The life of the blessed consists in the full and perfect possession of the fruits of the redemption accomplished by Christ. He makes partners in his heavenly glorification those who have believed in him and remained faithful to his will. Heaven is the blessed community of all who are perfectly incorporated into Christ” (Catechism of the Catholic Church . The Catechism of the Catholic Church 1026).
The presentation of believers as “access points” to a heaven understood as a realm of power has no place in Catholic teaching. Heaven is not like an electrical grid that believers “plug into.” It is a community, not a public utility.
The members of the Church on earth pray from earth to heaven. The saints who live in glory intercede from heaven for those still on earth. In this sense, we could say that the saints pray from heaven to earth, while the Church in this world prays from earth to heaven.
Finally, we must maintain the distinction between Jesus Christ, who was always the only-begotten Son of God, and Christians who became God’s children by adoption when they were baptized. Jesus was fully united to his Father even before receiving the baptism of John.
[1] https://www.ncregister.com/blog/ten-truths-learned-from-encounter-ministries
