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2 Corinthians 12:2-4
Q: Could you explain 2 Corinthians 12:2-4?
A: The text under our consideration reads:
I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago- whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows- such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man- whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows- how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
It is important, first, to put this text in context. In the last portion of this letter (chapters 10-13) St Paul is contending with false teachers which had infiltrated the church in Corinth and were turning the people against Paul. St Paul is forced into the position of defending himself and his apostleship. He does this by boasting in the Lord.
But look at Paul's boasting: he boasts in his suffering, “in labors more abundant, in stripes [from being whipped] above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often.” [2 Corinthians 11:23] Paul boasts in his weakness and suffering, these are the marks of his apostleship, that he was counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus.
The humble boasting of Paul continues into chapter 12. By this boasting he is establishing his apostleship against those who would deny it. In these verses Paul is recounting an amazing experience which happened to him fourteen years before he is writing: he was somehow caught up into the third heaven and heard the 'inexpressible words' of Paradise.
Why does Paul speak of himself as “a man” instead of saying “I was caught up”? This is Paul's humility. As R. Lenski comments, “Paul's humble character is here revealed. We have the rarest of all examples: a boastless boast. More than that, an extreme boast without a trace of common boasting.”
Where was Paul taken? What is the third heaven? The first heaven is the heaven of the birds and clouds, what we would call the atmosphere. The second heaven is the heaven of the sun, moon and stars, what we call outer space. The third heaven is the abode of God and the angels and the souls of all who have died in the faith. The third heaven is supernatural, not physical, and is all around us and yet far above us.
The third heaven is the throne of God, and it is this which the prophets see in their visions of heaven. It is the paradise which Jesus promised to the thief dying in the faith next to Him [St Luke 23:43]. This is where Paul was mysteriously taken for a moment, where he heard things to marvelous and holy to speak on earth.
We don't know why the Lord granted Paul and other prophets a vision of heaven. Perhaps it was to comfort him in the midst of all of his trials and tribulations. And while we do not look to be mysteriously taken to heaven for a time, we do look forward to the time when the Lord will call us permanently to heaven, where we will rejoice in Him as we see Him face to face in glory.
For further study concerning the prophetic vision of heaven:
Isaiah 6:1-8; Jeremiah 23:16-22; Ezekiel 1:1-28; Daniel 7:1-14; Revelation 4:1-5:14