Paul means he was caught up into the third heaven — the very abode of God, beyond the atmosphere and space — where he heard words not lawful for a man to utter.
Les Feldick shows that Scripture speaks of three heavens: the first is the atmosphere where birds fly, the second is space with its stars and planets, and the third is God's own dwelling place, called the heaven of the heavens. In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul says he was caught up into this third heaven, which is also called paradise, and heard unspeakable words. Paul himself could not tell whether he was in the body or out of the body — only God knew.
2 Corinthians 12:2 — This is the verse where Paul himself speaks of being caught up to the third heaven, which is the very question being asked.
2 Corinthians 12:4 — Identifies the third heaven as paradise, where Paul heard unspeakable words that man is not permitted to utter.
In 2 Corinthians 12:2 Paul writes, "I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven." In verse 4 he continues, "How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter." Scripture uses the word "heaven" for more than one realm. Genesis 1:8 records, "And God called the firmament Heaven." In Ephesians 4:9-10 Paul writes of Christ who "descended first into the lower parts of the earth" and then "ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things."
Les Feldick teaches that the Scriptures lay out three heavens. The first heaven is the atmosphere of the earth, the heaven where the birds fly. The second heaven is the area of the stars and the planets, which we call space. The third heaven is the very abode of God, the heaven of the heavens — what we normally think of as heaven. When Paul was caught up to the third heaven, he entered God's own dwelling place (Clip 1, Clip 2, Clip 7). Les notes that Paul speaks of "a man in Christ," but he is speaking of himself. In that third heaven, Paul heard unspeakable words — the language of heaven, the angelic conversations — and saw the very throne room of God. It was so thrilling that Paul would have liked to share it with the world, but God did not permit it (Clip 2, Clip 3). Les also points to Acts 14, where Paul was stoned at Lystra and drawn out of the city, supposing he had been dead. Les says he feels that for all practical purposes Paul was put to death as a result of this stoning — the backdrop to the 2 Corinthians 12 experience (Clip 0). Les further explains that paradise was once in the lower parts of the earth, on the paradise side of Sheol and Hades. But after Christ descended there and then ascended far above all heavens, He emptied paradise, and it is no longer down — it is now in glory in the third heaven. This is what Paul's experience confirms, and it means that for the present-day believer, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (Clip 4, Clip 6).
Les Feldick explains that Scripture mentions three heavens. The first heaven is the atmosphere of the earth — the heaven that the birds fly in. The second heaven is the area of the stars and the planets, which we understand as space. The third heaven is the very abode of God, the heaven of the heavens. It is mentioned in 2 Corinthians when Paul speaks of his own experience of entering it — heaven as we normally think of it.
Paul says he was caught up into paradise, and in 2 Corinthians 12 the third heaven and paradise are the same place. Les explains that paradise was once in the lower parts of the earth — the paradise side of Sheol, Hades, and hell — where the thief on the cross went with Christ. But after Christ descended and then ascended up far above all heavens, He emptied paradise, and it is no longer down. It is now in glory, which is why Paul's experience of paradise took him up into the third heaven.
Paul says he heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Les explains that Paul actually heard the angelic conversations and saw the very throne room of heaven. He heard the language of heaven. It was such a thrilling experience that Paul says "of such a one I will glory" — he would have liked to tell the world what he saw and heard, but God did not permit it.
Les sets the background in Acts 14, where Paul was stoned at Lystra. After stoning him, the Jews drew him out of the city, supposing that he had been dead. Les says he has to feel that for all practical purposes Paul was put to death as a result of this stoning. This is the setting Les presents for the experience Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 12, where Paul says he could not tell whether he was in the body or out of the body — only God knew.
Because paradise is no longer down in the lower parts of the earth but is now in glory in the third heaven, that is where the present-day believer goes at death. Les says this has been true ever since Christ ascended. As Paul teaches, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
Paul's Stoning at Lystra
Les describes Paul being stoned at Lystra and drawn out of the city with the supposition that he was dead; Les feels that for all practical purposes Paul was put to death — the background for the caught-up experience of 2 Corinthians 12.
The Three Heavens Laid Out
Les explains that Scripture lays out the first heaven as the atmosphere where birds fly, the second heaven as the area of the stars or space, and the third heaven as the place Paul was caught up to.
The Third Heaven Is God's Abode
Les identifies the third heaven as the very abode of God, the heaven of the heavens, where Paul was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words.
Paul Heard Unspeakable Words
Les says Paul actually heard the angelic conversations and saw the very throne room of heaven — a thrilling experience he would have loved to share but was not permitted to disclose.
Paradise Is Now in Glory
Les teaches that when Paul went up to paradise, it confirms that paradise is no longer down as it was, but it is now in glory — the destination of the present-day believer at death since Christ ascended.
Why Only Paul Uses the Term 'Body of Christ' — Bible Study
Now let's start down at verse 20 where Paul writes, "...which he wrought in Christ, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenlies." That's our position, when He's in heaven, we're in heaven. Now verse 21, "...far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named." That's where Christ is.
Christ Emptied Paradise
Les explains that Christ descended into the lower parts of the earth, into the paradise side of Sheol and Hades, and then ascended up far above all heavens — and it is here that Les believes Christ emptied paradise, which is now in heaven.
Three Heavens in the Word of God
Les shows from Genesis that the firmament was called heaven — the first heaven being the atmosphere, the second being space, and the third being the very abode of God that Paul entered.
2 Corinthians 12:2: I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
Paul's testimony about being caught up to the third heaven — the verse that defines the question.
2 Corinthians 12:4: How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
Shows that the third heaven is paradise and that Paul heard words he was not allowed to repeat.
Genesis 1:8: And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
The scriptural basis for the first heaven as the atmosphere that surrounds the earth.
Ephesians 4:9-10: Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
Shows Christ descending into the lower parts of the earth and ascending far above all heavens — central to Les's teaching on where paradise moved.
2 Corinthians 5:8: We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
Paul's teaching that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, which Les applies to believers going to paradise in glory.
The third heaven is the very abode of God, what Les Feldick calls the heaven of the heavens. It is distinct from the first heaven (the atmosphere where birds fly) and the second heaven (space, the area of the stars and planets). Paul was caught up into this third heaven and heard unspeakable words.
Yes. In 2 Corinthians 12:4 Paul says he was caught up into paradise, and Les identifies this paradise with the third heaven. The same account connects the third heaven and paradise, showing they are the same place.
Paul himself said he could not tell whether he was in the body or out of the body — only God knew. Les emphasizes that Paul was not sure how it all happened, but he knew it happened.
Les teaches that because Christ emptied paradise from the lower parts of the earth and ascended far above all heavens, paradise is now in glory in the third heaven. So when a believer dies, they are absent from the body and present with the Lord.
Watch the Teaching: Caught Up to the Third Heaven — 2 Corinthians 12 Explained