September 26 - 2 Cor. 12:1-4

September 26
2 Cor 12:1-4

2 Cor 12:1-4… I knew a man in Christ about fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knows;) such a one caught up to the third heaven.  How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Heaven is made up of three parts. Genesis 1:1 tells us that in the beginning God created the heavens (plural) and the earth. The first heaven is the air in which we breath. The second heaven is where the sun, moon, and stars are located. And the third heaven is the place where God dwells.

The third heaven is made up of three separate places:

1. Paradise
2. The Holy City
3. The throneroom of God 

In our Daily Devotions today, let's center on Paradise. Paradise is separate from the Holy City of God, often called the New Jerusalem, which is the location of our promised eternal dwelling home.  Until the Rapture of the Church occurs, however, all believers in Christ, upon death, will go to Paradise in heaven as a resting and a waiting place before they can be joined to Christ as His bride in the Holy City of God. This has confused Christians for centuries, thinking Paradise and the Holy City are one and the same. 

The Apostle Paul confirmed our waiting place by telling us of his miraculous experience in Paradise in heaven. Whether Paul had an out of body experience or he actually died, he could not say.  He saw and heard things that were wonderous - "literally out of this world."  This experience not only blessed him, but gives us hope. It gives us a glimpse of Paradise where we, as believers will go upon our death to await Christ’s coming at the Rapture of the Church when He will bring us to our eternal home in the Holy City of God. 

• Throughout time, many believers have had a "Near Death Experience" (NDE) where God has granted to them a glimpse of heaven and have then come back. Just about all NDE experience have the same commonalities. 

I have had one NDE experience, but my experience was of going to hell.
That was before I came to Christ, of which I will talk about at another time.

I personally have had four visions of heaven in my lifetime. Everytime I was in deep worship and the Lord gave me glimpses of heaven.

• The first was simply a smile of the face of a loved one who had recently passed. It happened while I was in worship in church.
• The second was a scene of several loved ones in heaven by a lake or stream, giving me comfort that these family members who had passed were in heaven.
• The third was a "cultured green garden" setting adjoined to a castle (or maybe a temple) where I saw Jesus sitting on a beautiful park bench at the edge of the garden, and He called out to me to join Him in conversation.
• The last was in the throneroom of God where I was sitting with Jesus and God on the throne of God and Satan was under a stool that was under my feet. Jesus was pointing to my feet and told me I had authority over Satan. 

Every vision I have received from the Lord came at a time of extreme sadness in my life and God gave me a vision as an encouragement. While visions from God can never be supported as biblical truth, my personal visions did compliment scripture passages of  which I cannot ignore. 
A warning: Never seek after visions, but instead, seek after God. If He wants you to have a vision, He will then give it to you when or if you need it.

The Apostle John supported Paul's experience by confirming to believers in Christ, that they, as overcomers will go to the Paradise of God.

Rev 2:7 ...to him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.

Paradise in heaven is not the Holy City of God.  While its exact location in heaven is not given in Scripture, most biblical scholars claim it is on the plains or foothills surrounding the Holy City, which is set on or in the mountain of God with the throne room of God resting on the top. (In another Daily Devotion, we will look at the Holy City and the Throneroom of God). 

• Other biblical scholars have speculated that Paradise might even be “under” the throne of God (possibly inside the mountain of God) based on Revelation 6: 9-11 and Ezek 28:3-14.
• Either way, Paradise in heaven probably resembles the Garden the Eden when God first created the earth and mankind some 6000 years ago. It has lush greenery, trees, and flowers – a place of beauty. The Tree of Life is planted in the midst of this garden, along with rivers flowing down from the mountain of God, bringing forth the waters of life and refreshment to everyone.

We can take comfort that to be absent from this body on earth is then to be present with the Lord in heaven. In that we can rejoice with excited anticipation that our eternal future goes far beyond our imagination - as the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Cor 12:4, Paradise is beyond his unspeakable words, which he could not even speak forth. 

2 Cor 5:8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

Blessings,