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…How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
2 Corinthians 12:2,4
According to Talmudic Judaism, there are seven heavens. Islam and Hinduism likewise speak of a seven-layered heaven. These traditions, however, are not supported by Scripture. The mythological concept of seven heavens appears to trace back to Babylonia. Heathen nations like Babylon and Sumer deified the host of heaven, and in their estimation, the chief celestial bodies numbered seven. These were the sun, the moon, and the five wandering stars that they observed: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
In contrast to this pagan idea, the inspired apostle Paul testified of three heavens. Paul’s mention of the third heaven is unique in Scripture, yet this passing reference demonstrates that the threefold nature of heaven was established fact among those who believed the truth in his day. Furthermore, it is not difficult for us to define each division using the Scriptures.
The Third Heaven
Let us order our study from the top tier down, as Paul clearly defines this third heaven for us. Speaking of himself in the third person, the apostle declares that he was ‘caught up to the third heaven’. Expanding upon the celestial voyage he embarked upon, Paul then states that ‘he was caught up into paradise’, where he heard ‘unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter’. There is no mistaking that Paul was taken in vision to the divine dwelling – the estate of angels and God. Moses used a similar expression to ‘the third heaven' when he referred to the abode of God as ‘the heaven of heavens’ (Deuteronomy 10:14).
Some have speculated that the heavenly sanctuary is located millions of light years away in a purported ‘nebula’. But the Bible banishes such superstitions. Pointing out the vertical orientation of the highest heaven in respect to earth, the psalmist writes that God ‘hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth’ (Psalm 102:19). Other verse such as Isaiah 40:22 likewise speak of God’s throne being situated directly above ‘the circle of the earth’.
In summary, the abode of God is called the third heaven because of its elevated position, being literally situated above the other two. While the Bible does not use the terms ‘first heaven’ or ‘second heaven’, Paul’s mention of the third establishes the fact that there are three heavens in total. Moreover, the Scriptures provide details regarding the other two heavens, and each bear distinct characteristics.
The Second Heaven
In order to identify the first and second heaven, we must go back to the creation account. ‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth’ (Genesis 1:1). These words declare the first mysterious act of the Genesis creation. The next verse goes on to describe the heaven and the earth after its initial creation: ‘and the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep’ (Genesis 1:2). While it was a dark and watery abyss, the heaven and earth did exist in an unrecognisable form. In this initial obscurity, our home lacked distinguishable features, being dark and uninhabitable. Yet from this enshrouded chaotic substance, God would order the world that we are familiar with. While the first day shed light on this aqueous solution, it was not until the second day that the heaven and earth began to take form:
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. Genesis 1:6-7
On the second day of creation, the waters were divided into two parts by the solid barrier of the firmament. This marvel of God’s handiwork is the second heaven. While it was still devoid of inhabitants, heaven and earth could no longer be said to be entirely without form by the close of the second day. With His structural component installed, ‘God called the firmament Heaven’ (Genesis 1:8).
Since it is established that there are three heavens, it cannot be said that whenever we read the word ‘heaven’ in the Bible, we are to define this strictly as the firmament. The third heaven is the abode of God, and the first heaven is something distinct again. So why is it written that God called the firmament heaven? Jehovah’s defining of the firmament as heaven accomplishes an important purpose. As we shall soon see, the firmament plays a pivotal role in the other two heavens.
The First Heaven
By the close of the second day, the earth could no longer be said to be without form. Yet since water still filled the cavity below the firmament, it was yet uninhabitable, or void. The earth’s foundations were laid, yet they were covered ‘with the deep as with a garment…the waters stood above the mountains’ (Psalm 104:6). Since the earth lay submerged within the deep, God does not speak it into existence on the third day. He simply commands the waters under the firmament to be gathered together, which ‘let[s] the dry land appear’:
And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:9-10
When these waters gathered together, an expanse between the firmament and the earth’s surface naturally appeared. Within this expanse, ‘the fowl…fly above the earth in face of the firmament of heaven’ (Genesis 1:20 KJV Margin). This gaseous void between the earth and the face of the firmament is the first heaven.
The Body of Heaven
It is for good reason that ‘God called the firmament heaven’. The firmament is the second heaven, a structure that serves as a divider between heaven and earth. Looking through the second heaven to the third, Ezekiel saw Jehovah seated upon His throne (Ezekiel 1:26). The firmament was also beheld by Moses and Aaron when they approached Mount Sinai. Like Ezekiel, they saw the glory of Jehovah stationed upon the paved structure of the firmament, which they called ‘the body of heaven’:
And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. Exodus 24:10
The first heaven, or the expanse, cannot be called a body, as it is merely a gaseous void that only exists by virtue of the firmament. And as we observe from the passage above, the firmament forms the very pavement of Jehovah’s throne room. This marvellous structure not only divides, but links the heaven of heavens with the earth. What a wonder it is that the pavement of Jehovah’s throne room is the ceiling of man’s habitation! Given that it is ‘the body of heaven’ situated between the other two heavens, and performing a vital function in both, it is no wonder why ‘God called the firmament heaven’.
Christopher Sparks