The first heaven is the realm we live in now. This realm includes sky, the stars, the plants, the moon, the planets, and the universe. This was one of the realms mentioned in the creation story. God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place.” Then, God commanded, “Let the dry land appear.” And it was so. (Gen. 1:9).
What about the second heaven? Colossians 1:16 reminds us that God created the visible realm and the invisible. Colossians 1:16 says, “For by Him all things were created that are in on earth. This includes the visible and invisible. It includes whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.” God hid things from your eyes. The second heaven is also called the invisible realm. It overlays the first heaven. You can’t see it without spiritual eyes, but it’s here. If your spiritual eyes were suddenly opened now, you’d see angels. You’d probably see some demons too. And see whatever else God shows you.
The second heaven is described in Ephesians 6:12. It states, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood. We wrestle against principalities and against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Notice that this verse uses the plural, heavenly places, again. The second heaven is the realm of angels and demons; it is the battleground where the angels and archangels operate. It’s a huge world in itself with high places, and it contain the demonic hierarchy.
Some Believers have the idea that the first heaven is ours. They believe the devil owns the second heaven. God is thought to dwell in the third heaven or Paradise. But the second heaven is actually owned by God, and He allows the devil to operate there. Scripture tells us that the LORD owns the heavens. He has given the earth to the children of men. “(Ps. 115:16). It’s clear-God has given the earth to people but the second and third heaven belong to Him.
PARADISE is another name for heaven or the third heaven . . . it’s the same thing. It is the dwelling place of God. In Greek, Paradise means Eden, park, a place of future, happiness, a state of ecstasy. (Strong’s Concordance #3857 (Greek) paradesios, par-ad’-i-sos of Oriental origin (compare 6308); a park, i.e. (specially), and Eden (place of future happiness, “paradise”)- paradise.) The Garden of Eden was an earthly Paradise. And Jesus said to Him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43). In 2 Corinthians 12:4 the apostle Paul describes how he was caught up into Paradise. He heard inexpressible words. It is not lawful for man to utter these words. Revelation 2:7 says, ” He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life. This tree is in the midst of the Paradise of God.
The third Heaven is the abode or dwelling place of God. It is translated as “PARADISE”. The third Heaven is not an experience. . . it is a place or realm. It is like the other heavens. You can have a dream or a vision there while being caught up in the spirit. Let’s examine Paul’s statement about being caught up into the third heaven. He states, “It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast.” He continues, “I come to visions and revelations of the LORD. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago . . . was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
All spiritual experiences originate in the third heaven. Usually, they come to us, and we experience them on earth. This happens during times we suddenly fall into a trance or have a quick vision. Those earthly revelations are just as profound, and we need to get rid of the supposed hierarchy. Any revelation from God comes from the third heaven. All experiences no matter which kind of encounter, are all tested the same way. It comes down to knowing the character of the person sharing the revelation. You must confirm it aligns with Scripture, God’s character, and nature. In a future post I will discuss the third heaven in more detail.
CONSIDER THIS: The Paradise of God might be the HEAVENLY model. It could be the blueprint God used in creating the Garden of Eden. In some ways, the heavenly temples were used as patterns for the earthly ones in the Old Testament. Hebrew 8:5 states, “Who serve the copy and shadow of heavenly things.” Moses received divine instructions when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” The Bible tells us, “To everyone who conquers, I will give permission to eat from the Tree of Life.” The Tree of Life is in the Paradise of God. (Rev. 2:7). Who wouldn’t want to eat from the Tree of Life?
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