Per God's written Word, there exists only two different dimensions of existence, this earthly dimension we live in, and the heavenly dimension where God and the angels dwell, which is also the dimension where Hell (Hades) is located, a holding place for the wicked. Satan's pit prison is also in that heavenly dimension.
But if you study eastern religions, you'll find they claim there exists multiple heavenly 'planes' of existence in Heaven. Yet God's Word only speaks of TWO heavens, and one use of the word points to our earthly heaven (sky) atomosphere around the earth, which is made up of earthly material matter.
1. earthly dimension = made of material matter which God created when He laid the foundations of the universe, planets, stars, moon, etc.
2. heavenly dimension = a realm of Spirit, and not material matter at all. This Spirit manifesting is not defined by Hollywood movies, so forget all that mess, which is used to steer one off track from understanding God's Word about it.
There is no third heaven dimension, or heavenly plane.
Where Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12 said the one was "caught up" to was Paradise in the heavenly dimension. In the Greek the word for Paradise refers to God's Garden of Eden.
Lord Jesus said the following to the malefactor crucified with Him that believed on Him...
Luke 23:42-43
42 And he said unto Jesus, "Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom."
43 And Jesus said unto him, "Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with Me in paradise."
KJV
That "paradise" is the same place that Lazarus was taken to in Abraham's bosom per Christ's parable in Luke 16. Across from Paradise, with a great fixed gulf was located the abode of the wicked called hell (Greek Hades). And that is where the rich man was carried to after he had died. The rich man could see Lazarus and Abraham, and even spoke with Abraham. The pagan Greeks called that fixed gulf a river, the river Styx.
The following Old Testament prophesy was about the event of Lord Jesus' death and resurrection, with His body being 'quickened' by The Spirit so that He went to the "spirits in prison" and preached The Gospel to those who had died back to the time of Noah. The prophecy included Jesus leading those prisoners who believed The Gospel out of the darkness of the heavenly prison house...
Isa 42:6-7
6 I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;
7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.
KJV
The following Isaiah 61:1 verse contains the same 1 Peter 3:18-20 prophecy...
Isa 61:1
61 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
KJV
This is why Apostle Peter said the following in the next 1 Peter 4 Chapter...
1 Peter 4:5-6
5 Who shall give account to Him That is ready to judge the quick and the dead.
6 For, for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
KJV
What does that mean, to "live according to God in the spirit."? It means dwelling in the Heavenly dimension in our spirit body, and not in a flesh body. Jesus at His resurrection went to those spirits in prison and preached The Gospel to them, because those spirits lived in times past upon the earth before Jesus fulfilled His Mission to be crucified and be raised from the dead by The Father, and offer Salvation to all those who would believe.
What could have Apostle Paul meant when he spoke of being caught up to the "third heaven" in 2 Corinthians 12:4?
Because many brethren are 'willingly ignorant' that there are 3 world earth ages written of in God's Word, and Peter covered them in 2 Peter 3 along with Old Testament pointers, these brethren miss that Paul was pointing to the future Paradise of God's New Heavens and a New earth time with that "third heaven" descriptor.
The 1st heavenly world age was when Lucifer served God and was perfect in his ways, like God said how He created him per the parable in Ezekiel 28. God uses the "king of Tyrus" as type for Lucifer in that portion of Ezekiel 28. That was the world earth age when Lucifer first rebelled in coveting God's Throne for himself, and drawing a third of the angels into rebellion with him.
The 2nd heavenly world earth age is this one we are still in now, which began at Genesis 1:2 after Lucifer had caused God to destroy that 1st one.
Then the 3rd heavenly earth age will be God's new heavens, and a new earth, which only will occur after all wickedness is destroyed, along with Satan and his angels, and the abode of hell (Hades), and the concept of death, all going into the future "lake of fire". This was the heavenly earth age that Paul's spirit was "caught up" to in God's Paradise, and heard unspeakable words not lawful to utter.
The Genesis 1:1 "Heaven" (KJV) is plural in the Hebrew. That verse is about God's 'original' PERFECT creation before Lucifer rebelled. One heaven is about the sky atmosphere around the earth. The other Heaven is about God's Abode in the realm of Spirit, which after Lucifer rebelled God created the abode of the wicked called hell (Hades), in a place of separation also in the Heavenly. It serves as a type of prison, but in the Heavenly dimension, just like how on earth we have prisons in places of separation away from the main part of society.
But if you study eastern religions, you'll find they claim there exists multiple heavenly 'planes' of existence in Heaven. Yet God's Word only speaks of TWO heavens, and one use of the word points to our earthly heaven (sky) atomosphere around the earth, which is made up of earthly material matter.
1. earthly dimension = made of material matter which God created when He laid the foundations of the universe, planets, stars, moon, etc.
2. heavenly dimension = a realm of Spirit, and not material matter at all. This Spirit manifesting is not defined by Hollywood movies, so forget all that mess, which is used to steer one off track from understanding God's Word about it.
There is no third heaven dimension, or heavenly plane.
Where Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12 said the one was "caught up" to was Paradise in the heavenly dimension. In the Greek the word for Paradise refers to God's Garden of Eden.
Lord Jesus said the following to the malefactor crucified with Him that believed on Him...
Luke 23:42-43
42 And he said unto Jesus, "Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom."
43 And Jesus said unto him, "Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with Me in paradise."
KJV
That "paradise" is the same place that Lazarus was taken to in Abraham's bosom per Christ's parable in Luke 16. Across from Paradise, with a great fixed gulf was located the abode of the wicked called hell (Greek Hades). And that is where the rich man was carried to after he had died. The rich man could see Lazarus and Abraham, and even spoke with Abraham. The pagan Greeks called that fixed gulf a river, the river Styx.
The following Old Testament prophesy was about the event of Lord Jesus' death and resurrection, with His body being 'quickened' by The Spirit so that He went to the "spirits in prison" and preached The Gospel to those who had died back to the time of Noah. The prophecy included Jesus leading those prisoners who believed The Gospel out of the darkness of the heavenly prison house...
Isa 42:6-7
6 I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;
7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.
KJV
The following Isaiah 61:1 verse contains the same 1 Peter 3:18-20 prophecy...
Isa 61:1
61 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
KJV
This is why Apostle Peter said the following in the next 1 Peter 4 Chapter...
1 Peter 4:5-6
5 Who shall give account to Him That is ready to judge the quick and the dead.
6 For, for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
KJV
What does that mean, to "live according to God in the spirit."? It means dwelling in the Heavenly dimension in our spirit body, and not in a flesh body. Jesus at His resurrection went to those spirits in prison and preached The Gospel to them, because those spirits lived in times past upon the earth before Jesus fulfilled His Mission to be crucified and be raised from the dead by The Father, and offer Salvation to all those who would believe.
What could have Apostle Paul meant when he spoke of being caught up to the "third heaven" in 2 Corinthians 12:4?
Because many brethren are 'willingly ignorant' that there are 3 world earth ages written of in God's Word, and Peter covered them in 2 Peter 3 along with Old Testament pointers, these brethren miss that Paul was pointing to the future Paradise of God's New Heavens and a New earth time with that "third heaven" descriptor.
The 1st heavenly world age was when Lucifer served God and was perfect in his ways, like God said how He created him per the parable in Ezekiel 28. God uses the "king of Tyrus" as type for Lucifer in that portion of Ezekiel 28. That was the world earth age when Lucifer first rebelled in coveting God's Throne for himself, and drawing a third of the angels into rebellion with him.
The 2nd heavenly world earth age is this one we are still in now, which began at Genesis 1:2 after Lucifer had caused God to destroy that 1st one.
Then the 3rd heavenly earth age will be God's new heavens, and a new earth, which only will occur after all wickedness is destroyed, along with Satan and his angels, and the abode of hell (Hades), and the concept of death, all going into the future "lake of fire". This was the heavenly earth age that Paul's spirit was "caught up" to in God's Paradise, and heard unspeakable words not lawful to utter.
The Genesis 1:1 "Heaven" (KJV) is plural in the Hebrew. That verse is about God's 'original' PERFECT creation before Lucifer rebelled. One heaven is about the sky atmosphere around the earth. The other Heaven is about God's Abode in the realm of Spirit, which after Lucifer rebelled God created the abode of the wicked called hell (Hades), in a place of separation also in the Heavenly. It serves as a type of prison, but in the Heavenly dimension, just like how on earth we have prisons in places of separation away from the main part of society.
