Phillip Ramirez Supporter Actor-Musician-Bible Student

The "third" heaven is actually God's dwelling place, where He and the angels reside. There are three heavens referenced in scripture:

Heavens of earth’s atmosphere. “The heaven(s)” may apply to the full range of earth’s atmosphere which covers the earth (dew and frost) (Ge 27:28; Job 38:29), the birds fly (De 4:17; Pr 30:19; Mt 6:26), the winds blow (Ps 78:26), lightning flashes (Lu 17:24), and the clouds float and drop their rain, snow, or hailstones (Jos 10:11; 1Ki 18:45; Isa 55:10; Ac 14:17). “The sky” is sometimes meant, that is, the apparent or visual dome or vault arching over the earth.—Mt 16:1-3; Ac 1:10, 11.

“Heavens of the heavens” (figuratively outer space). The expression “heavens of the heavens” is considered to refer to the highest heavens and would embrace the complete extent of the physical heavens, however vast, since the heavens extend out from the earth in all directions.—De 10:14; Ne 9:6.

Spiritual Heavens (abode of God and his angels). The same original-language words used for the physical heavens are also applied to the spiritual heavens. As has been seen, Yahweh does not reside in the physical heavens, being a Spirit. However, since he is “the High and Lofty One” who resides in “the height” (Isa 57:15), the basic sense of that which is “lifted up” or “lofty” expressed in the Hebrew-language word makes it appropriate to describe God’s “lofty abode of holiness and beauty.”

A systematic study of scripture will help understand these three... two physical heavens, one spiritual heaven = three heavens. Hope this answer makes sense!

January 01 2014 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jim Tumlinson Supporter One beggar leading others to where the bread is

I will tell you what I was taught in bible school. I am not a mormon and do not believe their theology Just sayn

First heaven is the sky we see, up in the air, clouds, stars, moon etc
Second heaven, or heavenlies where demonic forces and angels operate. 
Third heaven is where God is located, though I know He is omnipresent, Jesus is sitting at His right hand so He must be there, right. LOL

I have no further teaching or understanding on this and do not focus on it much, though from my understanding in the book of Daniel it took the Arch Angel time to get to Daniel because he was fighting against the Prince of Persia, (demon) So when we pray as Daniel it can take time for things to change in the spirit realm before they change here on earth. Not a doctrine but something I live by until I get more revelation or understanding. Though to me it does make sense.

Some times when I remember I will ask God why He put a particular scripture there. In this case we can see Paul was saying he would boast in a man like that but not himself. So why not use something else to say the same thing. That is why God is who He is. He may like to see if we are going to get off and start some kind of cult or see if we are willing to seek out His hidden treasures in His Word. Or maybe He is just sayn. Who knows but sometimes it is just fun to think about His vastness and wisdom. I guess it keeps us humble, at least it does me. God is so cool.

January 01 2014 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

Judy Jentz Supporter Christian, Lay Person Who Studys God's Living Word

Verse 2. - I knew; rather, I know. A man. St. Paul speaks in this indirect way of himself (see vers. 5, 7). In Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30). 

To St. Paul every true Christian was a man whose personal life was lost in the life of Christ. Above fourteen years ago. The note of time is very vague. If we are at all able to identify the vision alluded to, it must have been the vision in the temple, referred to in Acts 22:17, which was, roughly speaking, "about fourteen years" before this time. 

The vision on the road to Damascus had occurred about twenty years earlier than the date of this Epistle. Whether in the body, etc. A powerful description of the absorption of all conscious bodily modes of apprehension. In their comments on. These verses, many commentators enter into speculations which seem to me to be so entirely arbitrary and futile that I shall not even allude to them. 

St. Paul's bodily and mental state during this vision is familiar to all who know the history of Oriental and mediaeval mysticism. Caught up (Ezekiel 11:24; Acts 8:39; Revelation 4:1, 2). Into the third heaven. It is most unlikely that St. Paul is here in any way referring to the Jewish hagadoth about seven heavens. 

The expression is purely general, and even the rabbis did not expect to be taken au pied de la lettre. Hence all speculations about first, second, and third heavens are idle and useless. Even as late as the Clementine writings in the middle of the second century, an attempt is made, in reference to this passage, to disparage St. Paul by sneering at visions as a medium of revelation, on the ground that they may spring from self-deception; and this rapture of the "bald hook-nosed Galilean" to the third heaven is also sneered at in the 'Philopatris' of the pseudo-Lucian. 

Yet how modest and simple is St. Paul's awestruck reference to this event, when compared, not only with the lying details of Mohammed's visit to heaven, but even with the visions of St. Theresa or Swedenborg! 

http://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/12-2.htm

January 01 2014 • 2 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Pastor Shafer Supporter

[fourteen years ago] This takes us back to about 46 A.D., some 14 years after Christ died. Just where he saw the vision is not known. 

1. [in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell] It could have been in the body, as in the case of Enoch, Elijah, and John (Gen. 5:24; 2Ki. 2; Rev. 4:1). The fact he did not know proves the possibility of a natural body going to heaven. It also proves that he believed in the consciousness of souls after leaving the body (2Cor. 5:8; Php. 1:21-24; Heb. 12:23). 

2. [caught up to the third heaven] Caught up, like in 1Th. 4:16-17. Paul was not doubtful about being caught up to the third heaven. He was certain about that (2Cor. 12:2,4). It was whether in the body or out of it that he was doubtful (2Cor. 12:2-3). 

3. [third heaven] There are three heavens: 

1. The clouds or atmospheric heavens (Gen. 1:8; Ps. 77:17-18; 104:2-3) 

2. The starry space (Gen. 15:5; 22:17; 26:4; Dt. 1:10; Isa. 13:10; 14:13) 

3. The planet heaven (Gen. 1:1; Isa. 14:12-14; Isa. 66:1; Rev. 21:2,10) 

Verse 4
1. [paradise] This paradise is in the third heaven (2Cor. 12:2,4). 

Luke 16:22 (KJV) And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 

2. [unspeakable words] This simply means that human lips and tongue could not express them. They were too sacred to repeat. 

3. [it is not lawful for a man to utter] Paul may have been forbidden to utter these words, like John was commanded to seal up and write not Revelation 10:4 (KJV) 

Revelation 10:4 (KJV) And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.

January 02 2014 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

Danny Hickman Supporter Believer in The Gospel Of Jesus Christ

What is 2 Corinthians 12:2 about? 

"A Mormon on YouTube said that Paul is referring to the 'Celestial Kingdom.'"

If by 'Celestial Kingdom' the Mormon on YouTube meant the place we refer to as 'Heaven,' that Mormon might be correct. But I think there's a more important aspect of the 2 Corinthians 2 narrative of Paul's spiritual trip to the "third heaven," than to just wonder about the location of the place to which he traveled. Paul told the Corinthian Church about his experience for a good reason. He wasn't bragging.

Let me say that again, he was not bragging. THAT was his point. If you put your study in reverse, and back up to 2 Corinthians 11 you can get a good understanding of why he felt the need to relate to them his, 'Whether In the body, or out of the body, I'm not sure,' experience. In chapter 11, he was comparing himself to false apostles who were, in Paul's words, "deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ." Then here comes the memorable warning: "Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:13,14). Next, he told them what all he had gone through as a minister of Christ:

"In labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fasting often, in cold and nakedness ---- besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches." (2 Corinthians 11:23 - 28) In all of this he was IN THE BODY!.. and he knew it! He felt it! It was real!

WHEW! This is the stuff that Paul would brag about if he had a propensity to boast about his position with the Lord as a suffering servant. So he told them of the "third heaven" vision he was given. (Stay with me, now)

The vision was a bit much for him to mentally and spiritually assimilate; In other words, he started to feel more important than he had before. He'd gone through a lot of suffering for Christ, so now it was as though he had gained a higher calling in his ministry; he'd been lifted to another realm of spiritual reality. So what happened? He was given a "thorn in the flesh" to 'keep him from being exalted beyond measure.' (2 Corinthians 12:7) 

What's the point? It is that he hadn't felt proud of the suffering he'd been going through. But he did start to feel a little 'above himself' when he had the "third heaven" encounter with God. It resulted in him being given an issue for which to deal with, that would keep him reminded to stay humble before the Lord. He prayed for deliverance from it, and was told it would not be removed, but that he would receive a sufficient amount of grace for which to handle it. 

Being a recipient of God's amazing grace gave him something that made him feel good to brag about! The story about his "third heaven" experience was a setup for what he wanted to tell us about God's abundant supply of His amazing grace! Visions are good experiences; God's grace supersedes them! For by grace we are saved... Ephesians 2:8... God's unending grace! Praise the Lord!

2 days ago • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report