Auto generated transcript:
Hello and welcome to another Five Good Minutes, where I answer your theological questions in five minutes or less. Today’s question is this: when Paul refers to the third heaven and paradise, what is he exactly referring to, and why doesn’t he just say “heaven”? Are they different?
Well, this question comes from 2 Corinthians 12, in which Paul says this in verse one: “I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows.”
So in 2 Corinthians 12, he refers to this place called the third heaven, where apparently—whether in the body or out of the body—he was caught up to, and of course, could not describe the things he saw, for they were so wonderful before him. However, what does he mean by the third heaven?
In Jewish cosmology, the first heaven would be the sky—the atmosphere. The second heaven would be the stars, the cosmos, outer space. The third heaven is the dwelling place of God. So, to say the “third heaven” is not necessarily different from saying “heaven,” but it’s a more specific term that reflects that he was not just in the clouds or in the stars, but he was in the very presence of God—paradise. The word “paradise” is often used interchangeably with heaven, but it also denotes a lush, beautiful, and peaceful place. In some cases, it’s considered a waiting place for the righteous dead.
Jesus, for example, told the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with me in paradise,” and so paradise and the third heaven seem to be synonymous in Paul’s usage here. He’s using them both to describe where he went, not two separate places. So, no, they are not necessarily different in this context; it’s just a different terminology to describe the same reality—being in the presence of God.