The
Harvester
JULY 2003 No. 211
In 2 Corinthians 12:2 Paul refers to a man “caught
up to the third heaven.” In approaching a study of this phrase from Paul’s
writing, it would be well to carefully note the use and context of various
words employed. At the same time, it would be well to discard understandings
which might have been influenced by inherited tradition.
Many commentaries in error refer to the three
heavens as: 1) the sky above where birds fly, 2) outer space where the planets
and stars are, and 3) the eternal seat of God. But by allowing related Bible
terms to harmonize themselves we should arrive at a correct understanding.
The word “heaven” can refer to that which we
see above the earth and which extends into space as far as our eyes can behold.
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth … And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let
it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided
the waters which were under the firmament: and it was so. And God called the
firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.”
(Genesis 1:1, 6-8)
This usage refers to that which is material and
related to the place of our earthly existence. “And, Thou, Lord, in the
beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works
of thine hands.” (Heb. 1:10) “For this they
willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and
the earth standing out of the water and in the water.” (2 Pet. 3:5) “But
the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word
are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition
of ungodly men.” (v. 7) “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in
the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the
elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are
therein shall be burned up.” (v. 10) “Looking for and hasting unto the
coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved,
and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?” (v. 12)
But the word is also used to denote the eternal seat
of God. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord,
Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my
Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 7:21) This usage is not restricted to
time, distance, or direction but speaks of a dimension related favorably to
God. It denotes the eternal abode of God and is hid presently from our sight
and presence. “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be
done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10) “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust
doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.” (Matt.
6:20) “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved,
we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the
heavens.” (2 Cor. 5:1) “He that descended is
the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all
things.” (Eph. 4:10) Note here that Paul refers to a heaven above “all
heavens.”
Paul speaks of “the third heaven” in 2 Cor. 12:1-4. “It is not expedient for me doubtless to
glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in
Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or
whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such as one caught
up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of
the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable
words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” Paul’s usage of the
words heaven and paradise in this passage clearly refer to that which is beyond
our present sight, experience, and knowledge.
Note also that these words heaven and paradise are
used interchangeably. Since the word heaven in this passage refers to a
dimension removed from the present, then this
interchangeable use allows understanding of the word paradise to also refer to
a situation removed from the present. Thus, heaven and paradise as used in this
passage refers to the same time and place – the presence of God. It appears
that the one referred to by Paul was actually “caught up” into the
eternal heaven or paradise of God.
But the word paradise also has a dual meaning. It refers
to where Jesus went for three days and three nights. Jesus stated to the thief
in Luke 23:43, “Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” He was referring to
a pleasant state of being removed from the material and related to the
spiritual.
Yet this state was not the final eternal abode, for
after the resurrection and before the ascension Jesus Himself stated, “Touch
me not; for I am NOT YET ascended to my Father” (John 20:17). But Jesus HAD
BEEN in paradise, for He had so declared this destination to the thief. Both
Jesus and the thief went somewhere between the present and the eternal – that
place was paradise. The word paradise, therefore, can refer to that state of
being which exists between the material (our heavens) and the eternal (the
abode of God).
But in addition to the eternal abode of God,
paradise also refers to the place of departed saints. As seen earlier, this is
where both Jesus and the thief went. But other passages expand our
understanding to include: Samuel and Saul, “to morrow shalt
thou and thy sons be with me” (1 Sam. 28:19); Lazarus (Luke 16:22,25); those whom God will “bring with him” (1 Thess. 4:14); and souls under the altar, “souls of them
that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held”
(Rev. 6:9-11).
It is indeed comforting to understand, as Paul meant
it to be, that redeemed souls are not forgotten but will return with God when
“the Lord himself shall descend from heaven” (1 Thess.
But where will they have been so that they may
descend with the Lord? They will have been in paradise, the intermediate state
where righteous souls await. In Luke 16:22-23,26 Jesus
taught that this state has two parts, one pleasant and one unpleasant. In Acts
Therefore the three heavens are: 1) that which we
can see surrounding us in the universe, 2) where the righteous departed spirits
go, and 3) the eternal presence of God.
HARRY
COBB
