I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. – 2 Corinthians 12:2
I have let the scripture speak for the most part in this series of posts. In one brief summary from an earlier post:
Worship requires the creature to bow down to it’s Creator. The Apostle John records the worship of the living creatures. Man must also bow down to the Lord our God.
Man ‘adam is that creature.
Man: created by God in His own Image, the very Image of the Son of Man sent to us in Christ Jesus, the very Spirit given to whom He does choose created by Him, the One God Who sits on the Highest Throne of Heaven — man, you and I, must WORSHIP GOD.
The Heavens are Telling the Glory of God – Joseph Hayden
Psalm 19:
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
What is the point of worship?
God created.
He created the heavens and the earth and the creatures of the earth.
God created man ‘adam.
Man must bow down to God.
He created us to worship Him and love one another.
Again, look to the true meaning of worship – shachah –
to bow down to God or before superior in homage
Jesus also speaks of worship – proskyneō – in the NT by kneeling or prostration to do homage (to one) or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication used of homage shown to men and beings of superior rank
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to the Jewish high priests
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to God
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to Christ
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to heavenly beings
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to demons
Jesus said: John 4:23
But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
Are you willing to bow down to God Almighty as a true worshiper?
NOTHING you can do is worthy of ANY relationship with God.
Yet the Cross of Christ is sufficient for you to be called into the Higher Place and eternal relationship of Perfect Love with God our Father in Heaven.
Daniel and Ezekiel also gave words to the wordless and imagery to the indescribable place of Heaven and the Almighty God of creation. The Apostle John reveals an experience of being brought up to the Throne of the Living God, where the Apostle is given revelation of the completion of the days and the fulfillment of all scripture.
It is a fearful place and awesome Revelation of what is to come!
If you can image beyond the imagery of the describable, Paul’s attempt to describe the third heaven is something like this:
- We see through the first heaven of the blue atmosphere of this earth.
- We look into the endless and timeless black heavens at the stars and galaxies of creation.
- Higher than even this, God IS in a Third Heaven, a dimension beyond time and space and the created mind of man. He IS and was and will always be.
God can and does show certain created men what man cannot know or comprehend.
We are dust. We are a speck of sand on a vast sea of an incomprehensible creation.
Whether from true Prophet or true Apostle, description of our lowly position, requiring worship of God and description of heaven is worth noting.
What does it mean to ‘bow down?’ Paul describes it in relation to other men of God and to God our Father.
2 Corinthians 10
I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!
7 Look at what is before your eyes. If anyone is confident that he is Christ’s, let him remind himself that just as he is Christ’s, so also are we. 8 For even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed.
13 But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you.
17 “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
2 Corinthians 11: 30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.
2 Corinthians 12
ESVEnglish Standard Version (ESV)
Paul’s Visions and His Thorn
12 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. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—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—4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. 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.
11 I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you…
And I will not be a burden, for I seek not what is yours but you. For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 15 I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less?
It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and all for your upbuilding, beloved.
2 Corinthians 13
He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. 4 For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God.
5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
No, Paul’s description is not of the Higher third heaven, but of the lower self. The Apostle describes a Power in Christ to which we have claim, and a humility of the Cross to which our Lord submitted even Himself, as He sacrificed His mortal life for the Immortality from which He descended to those He loved.
The love of God our Father in the Place of the Highest Heaven is high above and well beyond the heights of our imagination and the depths of the understanding of our created mind.
That God would die on a lowly cross for His created ones is a grace well worthy of our worship.
Worship and bow down to Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
