I agree.

The rift is, in my mind, yes energy. I was just getting I little drawn to the side on what kind. Tears are unstable, portals are created, and so on. . . .So, an energy field that was established after the initial rift was formed to stabilize it. . . .Now maintained by a gate of sorts? Does that work for you? I still like the idea of it being well away from "Heaven".

Instead of a gate how about a energy barrier that separates the "God's" realm from the rest of the universe? Something that formed almost naturally due to the concentration along this outer edge of the universe?