Please explain 2 Corinthians 12:2. Does the first, second and third heavens really exist according to the bible?
Yes, there are three heavens spoken of in the Bible. Let’s begin by going all the way back to Genesis 1:1 which says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (NKJV) Notice the word ‘heavens’? Certainly that implies that there is more than one heaven. Let’s see if we can identify these different heavens.
Psalm 8:8 speaks of, “The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.” “The fowl of the air” speaks of the birds living in a place where there is ‘breathable air’. This is the ‘first heaven’, the realm where birds can fly and breathe. Of course, man can also fly in the first heaven by airplane.
Now, let’s consider God as our creator speaking in Genesis 1:14-15, “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.” This speaks of the sun, moon, and stars in the ‘firmament of the heaven.’ This is the ‘second heaven’. There is no oxygen in the second heaven, so there is no life there. Of course, man can also fly in the second heaven by rockets that are able to propel man into space and sustain his life there. It was on July 20, 1969 that man first landed on the moon. There are also space stations that have orbited the earth, able to sustain man for long periods. Some have stayed in these space stations for a year, or more.
To learn about the ‘third heaven’, let’s read 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, “I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” The Apostle Paul is speaking of himself here and how he had been “caught up to the third heaven.” Notice how he interchanges ‘third heaven’ with ‘paradise’ in these verses. It is obvious, then, that these two terms are describing the same location. Let’s consider the words of the Lord to the repentant thief who hung beside Him on the cross. We read in Luke 23:43, “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Paradise, or the third heaven, is the abode of God and His heavenly hosts. This is not a place that man can reach by plane or rocket ship.
In fact, there is only one way for us to enter into this third heaven, and that is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s read John 14:1-6, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” In the Father’s house, there are many mansions, or rooms. The Lord has prepared a place there for us by sacrificing Himself on the cross to pay our sin debt. There is only one way to the Father, one way into this glorious ‘third heaven’, and that is through believing on the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior. The Lord Jesus was quite emphatic in His words, “no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” There is only ONE WAY to God. There is only ONE WAY of salvation. There is only ONE WAY to have the forgiveness of our sins. That ONE WAY is Jesus Christ, Himself. We learn in Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Only ONE WAY! Have you trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior? I pray that if you have not, that you would put your trust in Him today, before it is eternally too late. (200.10)