People may then ask how we can explain 2 Corinthians 12. In verses 1 through 4 Paul says, “To boast is necessary, though indeed not expedient; yet I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body I do not know, or outside the body I do not know; God knows) such a one was caught away to the third heaven. And I know such a man (whether in the body or outside the body, I do not know; God knows), that he was caught away into Paradise and heard unspeakable words, which it is not allowed for a man to speak.” Many people say that since these verses mention the third heaven as well as Paradise, Paradise must be the third heaven. However, the word and at the beginning of verse 3 before the phrase I know such a man indicates that to be caught away to the third heaven in the preceding verse is one thing, and to be caught away into Paradise in the following verse is another.
In short, this man was brought to the third heaven as well as to Paradise. The third heaven and Paradise are two different places. Therefore, these verses do not prove that Paradise is in the third heaven. Rather, they prove that Paradise in Hades and the third heaven in the heavens are two different places. Paul said that God had given him the greatest revelations for him to understand all kinds of mysteries. He was a man on the earth and knew about almost everything on the earth. Therefore, God brought him to the third heaven to see the things in the third heaven, and he saw them. Yet in the universe there are not only the heavens and the earth but also Hades under the earth. Philippians 2 says that the Lord was exalted to the heavens that in the name of Jesus every knee would bow, “of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should openly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (vv. 9-11). Hence, God also brought Paul to Paradise under the earth. In this way, Paul’s revelation was completed. He was a man on the earth but had also been to the third heaven and to Paradise under the earth. Therefore, Paul had seen all the things in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. This is what Paul meant.
Some may then ask why some translations of 2 Corinthians 12:4, including the Chinese Union Version, say “caught up into Paradise” if Paradise is under the earth. According to the Greek text, the literal translation should be caught away. To be caught up implies to go up from a place that is below, whereas to be caught away is to be brought away. Paul was caught away, brought away, and brought into Paradise. Thus, there is no problem in this case. These verses also do not prove that Paradise has been transferred to the third heaven. On the contrary, they prove that Paradise and the third heaven are two distinct places.
Some people may point to another portion of the Bible, Hebrews 12:18, which says, “For you have not come forward to a mountain which could be touched and which was set on fire.” We all know that this mountain is Mount Sinai where the Israelites received the law in the Old Testament. Most Bible readers acknowledge that Mount Sinai represents Judaism, which is of the law. The Hebrew believers were previously in the Old Testament religion of Judaism and in a spiritual sense were at Mount Sinai. One day, they believed in the Lord and came out of the Old Testament age, out of Judaism. The apostle therefore wrote to them, saying that they had not come to Mount Sinai but “to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem” (v. 22).
Mount Zion denotes God’s habitation in the heavens, that is, the center of the holy city Jerusalem. Most Bible readers acknowledge that in a spiritual sense Mount Sinai, which was mentioned earlier, represents the law and Judaism, and that Mount Zion represents the new covenant and grace. This means that the Hebrew believers had come under the new covenant, that is, into grace. This Mount Zion is the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.
Verses 22b to 24 continue, “And to myriads of angels, to the universal gathering; and to the church of the firstborn, who have been enrolled in the heavens; and to God, the Judge of all; and to the spirits of righteous men who have been made perfect; and to Jesus, the Mediator of a new covenant; and to the blood of sprinkling.” The word and is used seven times in verses 22 through 24 where eight items are mentioned. The first item is Mount Zion. The word and after Mount Zion indicates that “the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem” is the second item. The “myriads of angels” is the third item, and “the church of the firstborn, who have been enrolled in the heavens” is the fourth item. However, do not think that this means that the church is in the heavens. The verse says that they have been enrolled in the heavens; it does not say that the church went to the heavens. The fifth item is “God, the Judge of all,” and the sixth item is “the spirits of righteous men who have been made perfect.” “Jesus, the Mediator of a new covenant” is the seventh item, and “the blood of sprinkling” is the eighth item.
First, there is Mount Zion; second, there is the city of the living God, that is, the heavenly Jerusalem; third, there are the angels; fourth, there is the church of the firstborn; fifth, there is God, the Judge of all; sixth, there are the spirits of righteous men who have been made perfect; seventh, there is the Mediator of a new covenant; and eighth, there is the blood of sprinkling. Thus, in these verses there are eight items with seven and s. One of the items is the spirits of the righteous men who have been made perfect. This refers to the spirits of the saved ones in the Old Testament. It may appear to some that the spirits of the righteous men are included in Mount Zion, that is, in the heavens. Apparently this is true, but actually it is not, because the church is also listed here and is included in these eight items. If the spirits of the righteous men who have been made perfect have gone to the heavens or to a heavenly mansion, then the church must have also gone to the heavens, to a heavenly mansion.
The book of Hebrews indicates that all the Hebrew believers had once been under the Old Testament law but had now come under grace in the New Testament. There are eight items with regard to grace, but although these eight items are heavenly, this does not mean that they are in the heavens. Concerning grace, Paul listed items such as Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, the myriads of angels, the church, and so forth. We all realize that the church is not something in the heavens. The church has not gone to the heavens. When Paul wrote the book of Hebrews, the church had not gone to the heavens. Similarly, the blood sprinkled by the Lord Jesus is not in the heavens in a physical sense; only its efficacy has reached the heavens. Therefore, in terms of their significance, these items are all heavenly, but physically speaking, they are not in the heavens. Therefore, how can one say that the spirits of those saved in the Old Testament are in the heavens?