Question: 2Corinthians 12:2 says, “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.” What does this mean? Are there three heavens?
Here’s my take on it. It’s a little bit lengthy, but since I don’t think it’s an easy question, I don’t think there’s a short answer. Some commentators argue the Israelites/Jews believed in three levels of Heaven–the air or atmosphere (Genesis 2:1, 19), the sun, moon, and stars (Deuteronomy 18:3, Matthew 24:29), and the place where God resides (Matthew 5:12, 16, 45, 48). We can debate the three-tiered belief among the Israelites, but one thing is clear, Paul wasn’t very clear about what happened, where this acquaintance went, or what the structure of the universe was really like.
The Bible provides a couple of similar examples to 2Corinthians 12:2. Ezekiel 8:3 says, “He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. The Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and in visions of God he took me to Jerusalem, to the entrance to the north gate of the inner court, where the idol that provokes to jealousy stood.” While Ezekiel recounts an experience somewhat similar to the one in 2Corinthians 12:2, it adds little to our understanding of the structure of the universe. Acts 8:39 says, “When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.” Once again someone is caught up or taken away and we’re left with scant description of what actually happened other than they disappeared.
Rather than thinking of the universe in terms of a pancake with layers stacked on top of each other, I think of the spiritual and physical realm as occupying the same “space.” While we’re living, we normally only see the physical realm. However, sometimes God reveals the spiritual realm to those living in the physical world, just as we read about in 2Corinthians 12:2, Ezekiel 8:3, and Acts 8:39. I’m not sure we’ll really understand things here until we’re there, wherever there is.
