Is the third heaven and paradise Speaking of the same thing?

To be "rightly dividing" (2 Timothy 2:15) this passage  (2 Corinthians 12:1-4), we must begin with understanding a larger, overarching premise. Time is but a slice cut out "from everlasting to everlasting" (Psalm 90:2). Prior to time was eternity, or "from everlasting" (eternity past), and subsequent to time is "to everlasting" (eternity future). Also, eternity runs parallel to time, for there are those who have passed off of the stage of action and inhabit eternity. We see a clear example of this with Moses and Elijah appearing with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-4; Mark 9:2-5; Luke 9:28-31). All three synoptic Gospel writers were inspired to record this account which brought two of those who inhabit eternity, Moses and Elijah, into view. 

Christ allowed us to glimpse a view of eternity when He spoke of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). This is a not parable, for there is not a single parable where Christ used an individual's name as He did in Luke, Chapter 16. This premise of understanding, that there are two concurrent realms (time and eternity), is essential because there are many realities which span both realms. For instance, in Ephesians 3:15 the Apostle Paul spoke of "the whole family" (singular); yet, he spoke of it "in heaven and earth." Although there is only one "family," it spans two realms—eternity and time. So it is with "the kingdom." 

In Luke 16:16, Jesus taught that "the kingdom of God" is a present reality and that "every man presseth into it." Romans 14:17 tells us that "the kingdom of God IS" (a present-tense reality) and that it is a spiritual entity or experience: "righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." Yet, in the Apostle Paul's final Epistle, he wrote, "The Lord ...  will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom" (2 Timothy 4:18). This reveals "the kingdom" also spans the two realms—time and eternity. So it is with "paradise." 

Certainly, there is an eternal aspect that lies beyond this veil of flesh. Jesus proclaimed to the dying thief, "To day shalt thou be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43). This is the same place Jesus referred to in Luke 16:22 that Lazarus occupied and is referred to commonly as "Abraham's bosom." However, "paradise" spans these two realms as well. 

When God placed man in the Garden of Eden, it was a paradise; yet, it was a place in time, not eternity. Thus, there is an aspect of "paradise" that currently occupies time. The earthly paradise of "Eden" was lost because of man's sin, but everything that was lost through Adam has been restored by "the last Adam" (1 Corinthians 15:45), Jesus Christ. 

Christ spoke to the congregation in Ephesus and encouraged them, "To him that overcometh [not speaking of an experience subsequent to death, but a victory obtained during life] will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God" (Revelation 2:7).

When we are "rightly dividing" Revelation, Chapter 22, we see a portrayal of paradise restored. It is a symbolic portrayal of the realities we enjoy currently in the church. (For a more detailed treatment, see Volume 6, Chapter 22, of The Book of Revelation Explained.) Therefore,  "paradise" is a spiritual reality that spans the two realms of time and eternity as well. One day, when time is no more and it reels into eternity, these spiritual realities (which in truth are one—one family, one kingdom, and one paradise—but spanning two realms) will be one in one realm.

In 2 Corinthians, Chapter 12, the Apostle was speaking of "the third heaven" (verse 2), or "paradise" (verse 4), as a spiritual position where one is able to "come to visions and revelations of the Lord" (verse 1). In Ephesians 2:6, he referred to this ecclesiastical heaven as "heavenly places in Christ Jesus," and this verse indicates the Lord "hath [a reality during time] raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places," a present spiritual reality we are privileged to enjoy now.​

Earl R. Borders

From the  June 2023 issue of The Gospel Trumpeter