THE FOUR HEAVENS

2 Corinthians 12:1-4 It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord: 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—4 how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Sylvia, Hope and Linda asked me a question regarding the third heaven. I told them I would do some digging and get back with them. Today, we are not only going to talk about the third heaven but the four heavens; that’s right, four heavens.

Before getting into the four heavens, you must understand a little background. There is some important information revealed by Paul in these verses.

First, 2 Corinthians was written in 55 or 56 AD. 14 years before he wrote the letter Paul had a vision or experience in which the glorified Christ revealed something to Paul. What was revealed to Paul? I believe the details concerning the Rapture and end time events. The vision or revelation was so astonishing to Paul that he did not know if he was having a bodily experience or an out-of-body experience.

Second, the phrase caught up in 2 Corinthians is the same used in 1 Thessalonians 4 describing the Rapture.

1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.”

The Greek word translated “caught up” is harpzo which means to be snatched away with force quickly. Evidently, Paul had a rapture-style experience.

Third, whatever the entire experience entailed, Paul was not allowed to write about it or talk about it. I believe that Paul, Daniel, and John were shown the same things. Daniel was allowed to write about future events pertaining to Israel. John was allowed to write about the complete revelation of Jesus Christ, and Paul was allowed to write about things pertaining to the Rapture of the church. None of the three were allowed to write entirely what they saw.

You must understand the background. IN the Bible, especially the Old Testament writings, it was accepted that the first heaven was the earth and its atmosphere, the second heaven was the stars and the planets, and the third heaven is where God ruled and reigned. While this is true, there is a deeper meaning. Each of the heavens are physical locations, but more importantly, each has a spiritual significance.

I. The First Heaven

The First Heaven was created by God to be the domain of man. Now, if you read Genesis 1 and 2, you will discover that God prepared the earth for man’s existence before He created man. He had to create a domain in which man could live before He could create man. Let me give you some examples of what I mean.

Before God created man, He created the planet, sunlight, water, plant life, oxygen, animals, and the earth’s processes before He placed man in what He created. He created a perfect environment and home for man. The whole earth and the atmosphere were created to be the domain of man, and God gave man dominion over that domain.

Genesis 1:26–27 “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

God created a perfect environment, a perfect heaven and earth, the first heaven if you will, that was created to sustain man forever, and God gave man dominion over it. Now, you know what man did with that perfect domain. He gave it to Satan. Adam gave what God gave him to the Devil. The First Heaven so created for God’s perfect creation was marred by man and given to Satan.

II. THE SECOND HEAVEN

Physically, the second heaven refers to those things above or outside of our atmosphere.

Psalm 8:3 “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,”

Isaiah 13:10 “For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.”

The second heaven, physically, refers to the heavenly bodies of which our solar system consists, but the second heaven also has a spiritual meaning.

Ephesians 2:2 “in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—”

Who is the prince of the air? Satan is the prince of the air. Literally, it is Satan who has been given authority in this realm. It is he that works in the sons of disobedience.

Do you remember what the Bible says about Satan being the prince of the power of the air?

Ephesians 6:10–12 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Many of us fail to realize the significance of the spiritual struggle that takes place in the second heaven. It is a struggle that infiltrates the first heaven. Daniel gave us an insight into it.

Daniel 10:13 “The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia,”

Daniel 10:20 “Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come.”

Behind every government on this planet, there is a demon spirit sent by the prince of the air in order to control the governments of man, but the good thing about it is this.

MIchael, the Protecting Prince of Israel, came to stop the demon spirit of Persia who was attempting to keep Daniel’s prayer from being answered.

Some of you may doubt that demon spirits are behind the governments on this planet, but if you doubt that, you are forgetting what the Bible says.

We said earlier that man had been given dominion over the first heaven by God, but man gave that dominion to whom? Satan, and it still belongs to Satan, and not even Jesus Christ protested his ownership.

Matthew 4:8–10 “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ””

I promise you would be shocked at what is going on and around us at this very minute.

2 Kings 6:15–17 “When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

2 Kings 19:35 “And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.”

All of this happens in the second heaven but filters to the first heaven. It is the great spiritual struggle of the ages, and Satan has no authority to act on his own even though he is the prince of the power of the air.

The thing to remember is this. Satan led 1/3 of the angels in rebellion. That leaves 2/3 of the angels to fight for you in the 1st and 2nd heavens.

III. THE THIRD HEAVEN

The third heaven which Paul described is beyond the scope of man. It is where God rules and dwells.

Isaiah 66:1 “Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?”

Isaiah 40:22 “It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;”

Hebrews 7:26 “For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.”

The third heaven is where God rules. Make no mistake about it. It is God who rules in the first, second, and third heavens. He has allowed Satan to have some authority, but Satan is not sovereign. He cannot do anything without God allowing it.

As we read, Paul was caught up to the third heaven in a type of Rapture, but the interesting thing is that Satan has access to the third heaven.

Job 1:6–7 “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.””

Revelation 12:10 “And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.”

There will be a time when Satan is completely kicked out of heaven, but today, for some reason, he has access to all three heavens. In the third heaven where God rules and dwells, he accuses you and me when we sin. That is why we need an advocate in the third heaven.

Hebrews 7:25 “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

Accuse you as he will, you have an advocate who will advocate on your behalf. Why does Satan have this ability to come into the third heaven to accuse the brethren?

I cannot answer definitively except to say this. It has to be connected to the way in which he was created.

Ezekiel 28:14–19 “You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you. By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries; so I brought fire out from your midst; it consumed you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever…”

As a guardian cherub, Lucifer had authority that the other angels did not have. There are some, and I tend to agree, who believe that Satan was the supreme angel, and even though he sinned and fell, and even though he is going to meet a dreadful end, he maintains some of that access and authority he once held, but he is going to lose that access.

When Satan is kicked out of the third heaven in Revelation 12:10 he will no longer have access, and eventually he will be consigned to his permanent dwelling place.

Revelation 20:10 “and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

Now, Satan ruined the first heaven. Satan has ruined the second heaven, and Satan has marked the third heaven, but there is coming a new heaven that he will not have any access to.

IV. THE FOURTH HEAVEN

Revelation 21:1 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.”

The fourth heaven is the eternal home for all the saints. It is the place Jesus promised that He was going to prepare.

John 14:3 “If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also.”

Now, we said that the third heaven was where God, but the first three heavens have something in common that make them unworthy to be our eternal home. Do you know what it is? I will show you by sharing what the Bible says:

Genesis 3:1 “Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?””

The Serpent, Satan, left his slimy finger prints on the first heaven as he slithered his way onto the stage of history in the Garden of Eden.

What about the second heaven? We have already said in Ephesians 2:2 that the second heaven is where Satan is the prince of the air, so the second heaven bears the mark of Satan.

What about the third heaven? The third heaven has been marred by Satan too.

Job 1:6-7 “One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord asked Satan, “Where have you come from?” “From roaming through the earth,” Satan answered him, “and walking around on it.”” “The Lord asked Satan, “Where have you come from?”

Revelation 12:10 “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have now come, because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been thrown down.”

Isaiah 14:12-15 “Shining morning star, how you have fallen from the heavens! You destroyer of nations, you have been cut down to the ground. You said to yourself, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will set up my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of the gods’ assembly, in the remotest parts of the North. I will ascend above the highest clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you will be brought down to Sheol into the deepest regions of the Pit.”

Satan has been cast out of the third heaven. He sinned in the third heaven, but he still access to the third heaven, and that is where he accuses you and me, but he will not have any access to what and where Jesus is preparing for you and me in the future because as the Bible says there will be no more curse, the curse of sin, in the New Heaven and the New Earth.

This earth was created perfectly, just as Adam and Eve were created perfectly. Adam and Eve had to be restored to perfection by a covering provided by God. You and I are restored to perfection by a sacrifice offered by God. The original heaven and original earth will be judged in much the same way but be restored by the fires of God’s judgement. Two passages describe it.

Revelation 20:9-10 “They came up across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the encampment of the saints, the beloved city. Then fire came down from heaven and consumed them. The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

2 Peter 3:9-10 “The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed.”

The planet and the heavens will be purified by God’s holy fire, and sin will no more be in an issue in our eternal home. When we get to glory, the fourth heaven, as I have described it, we will be where Jesus wants us to be, and we will be like Jesus.

1 John 3:2-3 “Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him as he is. And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure.”

In conclusion, friends Satan is having a field day now, but his time of celebration is going to end. Sin will be no more when I go to the place that Christ is preparing for me, and the only reason I can go there is because I have placed my faith in trust in the One who can take me there. Have you placed your faith and trust in Jesus? Have your sins been washed by His blood? If not, dear friend, come to Jesus now before it is too late.