II Corinthians 12: 1-6
Boasting is necessary, though it is not profitable; but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.
Paul wanted only to boast of his weaknesses, but these people needed to know about how God honored him; so he puts this part into the third person.
I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago--whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows--such a man was caught up to the third Heaven.
And I know how such a man--whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows--
was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.
This could have been when he was stoned and left for dead at Lystra, recorded in Acts 15:19.
He found himself in Glory, the "third Heaven," God's own home, where Jesus had carried Paradise out of Sheol with the saints who were there, in Abraham's bosom, after He had washed them clean with His blood.
(Note: the first Heaven is the atmosphere around our earth, the air we breathe. The second Heaven is the Universe, the environment, the neighborhood where our Earth lives. The third Heaven is the actual place where God lives.)
Paul can't figure out if he was actually in his body or not, but he was there. He'd died and gone to Heaven. And what he heard there cannot be pronounced by our mouths here on Earth.
Then God sent him back, and he was resuscitated and healed, because he got up, went back into the city, and was fit to travel the next day. God wasn't finished with him yet, He had a lot more work for him to do.
On behalf of such a man I will boast; but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in regard to my weaknesses.
So Paul will speak of this experience in the third person.
For if I do wish to boast I will not be foolish, for I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me.
Even if Paul owned up to personally experiencing this event, he would be telling the truth, without stretching it or minimizing it.
But Paul doesn't want anyone to think that he is any more important or valuable than any other child of God. We all will enter Heaven upon death, because Jesus' Blood has washed us clean. But I daresay that God doesn't bring many back after seeing Heaven. When we go, we'll stay there.
Paul doesn't say he had a choice of whether he wanted to stay or go back to life here, he just found himself there, then back here again, God's doing.
O my Father, You allowed Paul to die and go to Heaven, then come back to finish the work You planned for him to do, so now we have proof that Heaven really does exist!
Not only do we have the Old Testament prophets who were given visions of Heaven, now we have a contemporary, a New Testament saint, giving a personal eye-witness account of Heaven.
This is incredible! Father, You are an incredible God! Everything You do is good, and comes from Your Love! Every detail of every letter and missive and parchment and scroll and story is important, and lends more color and perspective to this Story of Mankind.
Today we have people who are denying that there is anything beyond this life, and that all those old stories were just their imaginations and dreams. Now we have also Paul's account, to give veracity to all the other stories.
Then You gave John the whole Revelation of Jesus Christ, describing everything that we need to expect and be ready for, and it ends with two whole chapters describing so many of the details of our next Realm after this Earth is no more.
Father God, You have told us our whole story, from before we were, until after we will be gone, as a guideline to teach us who we are, and who You are, and how You have taken care of everything for us, ahead of time.
Father, teach us how to hear Your still, quiet voice behind us, in our spirits, telling us, "This is the way, walk here." And strengthen us to obey You instantly, even when we don't understand why right away. Continue to grow us up in Your family, in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, molding us into His very image, His sterling character.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will proclaim in every Heavenly and Earthly language, that Jesus is our Christ and Lord God Almighty and King of the Universe, to the glory of Almighty God the Father!
Even so, come soon, Lord Jesus!
