In the bible you hear of being caught up into the third heaven, which SUGGESTS that there must be a 1st and a 2nd heaven for a 3rd to exsist.
What are your thoughts and do you have scripture and reference to back up your opinion?
Three Heavens:
The Scripture mentions three heavens (
2 Corinthians 12:2), and not just one.
The First Heaven:
The first heaven is earth's atmosphere where birds fly (
Genesis 1:20,
Jeremiah 4:25;
34:20,
Lamentations 4:19,
Zephaniah 1:3). One of the Hebrew words for 'heaven' is shamayim. This same word is translated as 'sky' in the Scripture, as can be seen by comparing
Genesis 7:3, "fowls also of the air," with
Genesis 7:23, "fowl of the heaven." The word 'sky' and 'heaven' are used interchangeably from the same Hebrew word (
Psalm 8:8). So the first heaven is synonymous with 'heights' or 'elevations.'
Here are other examples to illustrate the first heaven.
Exodus 19:20 says the Lord was on top of Mount Sinai when he called Moses up there, and God describes Mount Sinai as 'heaven' (
Exodus 20:22,
Deuteronomy 4:36). Here, everything above the ground is called 'heaven'.
Another example of the first heaven is in
Amos 9:1-3, where God states that at the time of this judgment, nobody will be able to flee away (verse 1), even "though they climb up to heaven" (verse 2). This "heaven" is defined in the next verse, verse 3, as climbing to the top of Mount Carmel.
Another example is where the Scripture speaks of the "dew of heaven" (
Genesis 27:28,
39,
Deuteronomy 33:28,
Daniel 4:15-33;
5:21). The first heaven, from which dew comes, means the atmosphere, where the clouds and the wind roam. Therefore, everything above the ground is called 'heaven."
Another Hebrew word for the first heaven is 'shachaq.' This same word for heaven (
Psalm 89:6,
37) is also translated as 'sky' or 'skies' (
Deuteronomy 33:26;
Job 37:18;
Psalm 18:11), and as 'clouds' (
Job 35:5;
36:28;
Psalm 36:5;
68:34,
Pro. 3:20;
8:28).
The Second Heaven:
The second heaven is outer space where the planets and stars exist (
Genesis 1:14-17;
15:5;
22:17;
26:4,
Deuteronomy 1:10;
17:3;
Psalm 8:3,
Jeremiah 8:2;
Matthew 24:29). Usually the term "host of heaven" or "firmament of the heaven" is used to describe this second heaven.
The Third Heaven:
The third heaven is literally called "the third heaven" in
2 Corinthians 12:2. This third heaven is what Christ calls his "Father's house" (
John 14:2), and both Christ and the Apostle Paul calls it "paradise" (
Luke 23:43,
2 Corinthians 12:2-4,
Revelation 2:7). This is where God and the heavenly sanctuary exist (
1 Peter 3:22). This third heaven is also known as the "heaven of heavens" (
Deuteronomy 10:14;
1 Kings 8:27,
2 Chronicles 2:6;
6:18,
Nehemiah 9:6,
Psalms 148:4), "The heavenly Jerusalem" (
Galatians 4: 26;
Hebrews 12:22;
Revelation 3:12), the "kingdom of heaven" (
Matthew 25:1,
James 2:5), the "eternal kingdom" (
2 Peter 1:11), the "eternal inheritance" (
1 Peter. 1:4,
Hebrews 9:15), and the "better country" (
Hebrews 11:14,
16). The fact that there are more than one 'heaven' can be shown by
Psalm 115:16, "The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD'S." There are obviously two different 'heavens' being addressed in this one verse.
Since Elijah could not have gone to the heaven of God's throne, then to which heaven did he go? He was not taken to God's heavenly throne (as some imagine). He was actually taken into this earth's atmosphere, the first heaven. There could be no whirlwind in any other place but in the atmosphere surrounding this earth.
Source Used:
Elijah, Enoch, and Moses
Important Note: Although I quoted part of this article to help explain the three heavens, I do not agree with their interpretation of on Enoch. I believe Enoch was translated or spiritually taken by God and did not see death (as the Scriptures say). So not all the views expressed at this website reflect my views on the Scriptures.
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