Paradise, Heaven???
The Apostle Paul had visions and revelation of Paradise and the Third Heaven
Yet it did not go to his head
It was a good thing for Paul to see what he saw
But the better thing is a daily testimony of humility in what we do and say
Fools follow pride and boasting
But the wise recognize their weakness
They live in a way that what they do and say is more important than
What they can boast in their knowledge
Heaven and Paradise are wonderful things to dream and envision
But like the saying goes
“You can be so heavenly minded you are not earthly good”
Paradise, Heaven???
All of us have had dreams and visions.
I enjoy the reality of a get away with my wife or
the reality of being with my children and grandchildren…
Realities are the things we tell stories about.
The memories of moments in life.
Dreams and visions are the hopes
and desires for the future…
The planning and imagining of a day to come.
I love to dream and envision.
When I am creating visions and dreams
in my mind, I am in a happy place.
Hope is alive.
Most of my visions and dreams
are seen under the heavens…
Plans and desires of better days on earth.
The Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12 talks
about visions and revelations he has had.
Paul puts a date to a vision he had 14 years before.
Paul is not sure if he was in the body
or had an out of the body experience.
He says he was caught up into the third heaven.
This has been understood as a place above
the stars and the first heaven, the clouds.
Paul describes himself as “this man”
and again in verse 3 and 4 says he is
not sure whether in the body or not.
But in this second account he says
he was caught up to Paradise.
There are always things we see in
visions that we don’t fully understand.
Paul said he heard inexpressible things.
Many people have had experiences
where they had died and seemed to
have an out of the body experience
and came back to tell their story.
I have always found these stories fascinating.
I have a friend who has had one of these
experiences after a fiery plane crash.
These visions and revelations
always leave us with questions.
Paul was not sure if he was in the body or not.
Paul could not describe things he heard.
There is even question to the location.
In verse 2 he says he was
caught up to the third heaven.
In verse 4 he was caught up to Paradise.
In light of Luke 23:43 we see Jesus said
to the criminal on the cross next to Him…
"I tell you the truth, today you
will be with me in paradise."
Luke 23:43
Some would read this with the comma
after the word “truth” meaning…
“Today you will be with me in paradise".
Others would put the comma after
the word “today” meaning…
"I tell you the truth today,
you will be with me in paradise.
Jesus said it today but at some point
you will be with me in Paradise.
Why do we ask this question because
Mary Magdalene went to the tomb of Jesus
3 days after Jesus died and he said to her…
"Do not hold on to me, for I have
not yet returned to the Father.
Go instead to my brothers and tell them,
'I am returning to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God.'"
John 20:17
Some believe Paradise is where Jesus went after
He died, before going to be with the Father in
heaven as we read in Ephesians 4:9-10.
(What does "he ascended" mean except
that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions?
He who descended is the very one who ascended
higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)
Some believe Paradise was the place where
Abraham and the believers who had died
up till the death of Christ went.
See Luke 16: 19-ff
So what is the take away from
Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 12?
1. Paul is not writing to teach us
about the third heaven or Paradise.
2. Visions and Revelations will leave us
with more questions and answers because…
“For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.
1 Corinthians 13:9-11
What is important “But I refrain, so no one will think more of me
than is warranted by what I do or say.”
2 Corinthians 12:6
3. The sufficiency of God’s Grace "My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is made perfect in weakness."
2 Corinthians 12:9
Paul’s message is not about visions and revelation…
It is not about the third heaven and Paradise…
Paul’s message is being known for what we
do and say, not w\that we know all mysteries.
Like Paul, you and I with all our dreams and visions
of Paradise and heaven, will still have questions.
We will find thorns in our flesh that keep us
from the glories we see in the visions of our future.
It was a good thing for Paul to see what he saw…
But the better thing is a daily testimony
of humility in what we do and say.
Fools follow pride and boasting.
But the wise recognize their weakness
and live in a way that what they do and
say is more important than what
they can boast in their knowledge.
Heaven and Paradise are wonderful things
to dream and envision, but like the saying goes…
“You can be so heavenly minded
you are not earthly good.”
Scripture Reading
2 Corinthians 12:1-10 NIV
12:1 I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know — God knows. 3 And I know that this man — whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— 4 was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. 5 I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. 6 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say.
7 To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
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