Bible Question:
wHAT DOES pAUL MEAN WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT THE tHIRD hEAVEN IN 2 cORINTHIANS 12 V 2 ? THANKS BAZ |
Bible Answer: Third Heaven. At 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 the apostle Paul describes one who was “caught away . . . to the third heaven” and “into paradise.” Since there is no mention in the Scriptures of any other person having had such an experience, it seems likely that this was the apostle’s own experience. Whereas some have endeavored to relate Paul’s reference to the third heaven to the early rabbinic view that there were stages of heaven, even a total of “seven heavens,” this view finds no support in the Scriptures. As we have seen, the heavens are not referred to specifically as if divided into platforms or stages, but, rather, the context must be relied upon to determine whether reference is to the heavens within earth’s atmospheric expanse, the heavens of outer space, the spiritual heavens, or something else. It therefore appears that the reference to “the third heaven” indicates the superlative degree of the rapture in which this vision was seen. Note the way words and expressions are repeated three times at Isaiah 6:3; Ezekiel 21:27; John 21:15-17; Revelation 4:8, evidently for the purpose of expressing an intensification of the quality or idea. DBR |
Up | Down View Branch | ID# 127166 | ||
Questions and/or Subjects for Bible general Archive 2 | Author | ||
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LSmith | ||
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BAZ | ||
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Emmaus | ||
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DBR | ||
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justme | ||
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justme | ||
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Ancient | ||
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FytRobert | ||
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djc | ||
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sjpeach | ||
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GODS GIRL | ||
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LSmith |