Paul’s Heavenly Experience
2 Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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My Time in Heaven by Richard Sigmund
90 Minutes in Heaven is a 2004 Christian book written by Don Piper with Cecil Murphey. The book documents the author's death and resurrection experience in 1989. 90 Minutes in Heaven remained on the New York Times Bestseller List for more than five years and has sold over six million copies.
7 Lessons from Heaven. NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In this inspired follow-up to the million-copy bestseller To Heaven and Back, Dr. Mary Neal (featured in the Netflix original series Surviving Death) shares untold stories about her encounters with Jesus and powerful insights about how the reality of heaven can make each day magnificent.
Heaven Is for Real is written by an evangelical pastor, Todd Burpo, and tells of his then four-year-old son Colton, who survived emergency surgery.
1. It’s Nothing to Boast About
1. It’s Nothing to Boast About
1 I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.
This boasting was not profitable, but for the Corinthians it was necessary.
What is profitable?
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
Other visions that Paul had seen:
3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him.
4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”
7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.
8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.
9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”
11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying,
12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.”
9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
10 And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
9 And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent,
10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”
17 “When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance
18 and saw him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’
19 And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you.
20 And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.’
21 And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”
11 The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”
23 For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship,
24 and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’
2. There Is a Third Heaven
2. There Is a Third Heaven
2 I know a man in Christ who…was caught up to the third heaven
1st heaven = atmosphere
2nd heaven = outer space
3rd heaven - unseen spiritual realm where God and the angels dwell.
There were many theories of how many heavens there are, some thought even up to 10! The Bible only tells us of 3. Beyond that is guesswork.
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Eleven: A Preacher in Paradise (2 Corinthians 12:1–10)
Some of Paul’s good friends may have tried to encourage him by saying, “Cheer up, Paul. One day you’ll be in heaven!” Paul could have replied, “That’s why I have this thorn—I went to heaven!”
3. It Was Unverifiable
3. It Was Unverifiable
2 whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows.
3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—
How could he not know? Apparently no one was with him to say, “you went into this trance and I was watching you the whole time, what happened?” or “you disappeared for a while and then all of a sudden you came back, what happened?”
4. Paradise Is in the Third Heaven
4. Paradise Is in the Third Heaven
3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—
Paradise = Persian word for a walled garden.
43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’
5. It Was Indescribable
5. It Was Indescribable
4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.
Paul did not detail his supernatural experience even when he mentions it here. Wouldn’t you like to know what heaven was like through Paul’s eyes? Don’t you want to know the details of our future home? None of those details are given in the Scripture. Why? We don’t need to know them! It did not help the church to know these things.
We do have some details from John in Revelation because John was told to write them.
19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.
6. It Doesn’t Trump Weakness
6. It Doesn’t Trump Weakness
5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses—
6 though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me.
Foolish = unintelligent, without reason, senseless
speaking the truth - To deny that he had this experience would be a false humility.
Paul stops himself from boasting about his mystical experience because he doesn’t want that to distract from his actions or the message that he preached.
2 Corinthians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary God Uses Suffering to Reveal Believers’ Spiritual Condition
The most startling, spectacular vision or supernatural revelation is not as significant as the least righteous act.
Working at NutTree furniture with a young man in seminary who boasted about bodily seeing and talking with Jesus each morning, all while smoking a cigarette. I asked him why he smoked. He said because God had not told him to stop. So, based on 1 cor 6:19-20 I told him, “well the Holy Spirit told me to tell you to quit.” He soon quit working at the furniture shop.
Nine Days in Heaven. Dennis Prince, Nolene PrinceRCM Publications, Feb 20, 2020 - Body, Mind & Spirit - 236 pages. A vivid portrayal of Heaven and Hell. Just over one hundred fifty years ago, in Berlin, New York, twenty-five-year-old Marietta Davis suddenly fell into an unconscious state, from which neither family nor physician could arouse her. When she finally regained consciousness, she described with almost supernatural perception how angels had escorted her spirit to Heaven and hell. Her vision made her the talk of the community and a legend for generations to come. Nine Days in Heaven brings the story of Marietta Davis to a new generation of readers. The nineteenth-century language of the original has been updated for readability, but the detailed portrayal of her vision remains intact.
Journey with Marietta to the shimmering reaches of PARADISE, where the redeemed enjoy the beauties of the new creation.
Observe children who died on earth as they are taught the MYSTERIES of God in infants' Heaven.
Grieve at the PLIGHT of the lost as they suffer the wages of sin.
