The Third Heaven and Satan's Thorn

 

The Third Heaven and Satan's Thorn

 

2 Corinthians 12:1-4 "But I must boast, though it is useless, to tell of visions and revelations from the Lord: I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—was caught up to the third heaven. I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—was caught up into paradise and heard inexpressible words, things that it is not lawful for a man to utter." Paul experienced the third heaven, which he called paradise. He had a mystical experience that cannot be expressed in words.

2 Corinthians 12:7-9 『And to keep me from becoming conceited through the abundance of the revelations (apokalypseon), there was given me a thorn (skollos the sarchi) in the flesh (sarchi), a messenger of Satan to buffet me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to have it removed from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.』 Paul continues his story about the thorn in the flesh to the third heaven.

After talking about the third heaven, the Apostle Paul spoke about the thorn in the flesh. Therefore, the third heaven and the thorn in the flesh are connected. Paul had the amazing experience of being lifted up to the third heaven, and God prepared the thorn through Satan to keep him from becoming conceited.

Romans 7:21-23 "Therefore I find it to be a law: When I want to do good, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inward being, but I see another law at work in my members, warring against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members."

For the saints, there is the old temple (the old man) and the new temple (the new man). In the old temple, there is Jesus Christ who died on the cross, and in the new temple, there is the resurrected Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, who died on the cross, was judged by God. And the resurrected Jesus Christ, as the Son of God, grants resurrection and eternal life to those who enter into Christ.

Jesus Christ, judged in the old temple, went to hell. He died and went to hell to send those who repent to heaven. This means that those who live without Jesus Christ are spiritually in hell.

However, Jesus, who went to hell, was resurrected three days later and ascended to heaven, entering the hearts of the saints. This signifies the new temple within the heart.

Jesus Christ, who resides in the new temple, resides in heaven within the hearts of the saints. Likewise, it says that those who are in Christ are also seated in heaven. Ephesians 2:6, "And raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." This heaven is the kingdom of God within the soul, the third heaven, and heaven itself.

A saint has a physical body and a spiritual body. The physical body (physical mind) is the body of the old self, while the spiritual body (spiritual mind) is the body of resurrection life. Thus, there are two bodies and two minds, and one's identity must be placed in the spiritual body (spiritual mind).

Because the spiritual body is seated in heaven, Satan cannot approach it. It has nothing to do with sin. 1 John 3:9, "No one born of God practices sin, because His seed remains in him. And he cannot sin, because he has been born of God." 1 John 5:18, "We know that no one born of God sins. He who has been born of God keeps himself safe, and the evil one cannot touch him."

God says that he will not hold those born with a spiritual body accountable for their sins through the law. Romans 8:1-2, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death."

However, sometimes believers fall into the fleshly mind. When a believer recognizes the fleshly body as their own, everything that originated from that body comes back to life. Fleshly emotions, past memories, bloodlust, anger—these things resurface, turning the mind upside down. At these moments, Satan's thorn strikes.

Skolós the Sarkis (σκόλοψ τῇ σαρκί) means a thorn in the flesh. The fleshly body is also called the body of sin, and even those who are born again always appear unstable because of the fleshly body.

Saints must place their identity in the heart guided by the Holy Spirit. This happens even to those who are born again. Saints must not engage in the foolish act of seeking the blood of Jesus again for forgiveness of sins. They must remember the death of their old self and pray daily for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, refusing to allow their flesh to function. For those who persist in evil despite being stung by Satan's thorns, this can even lead to death.

However, if a believer continues to act in a way that succumbs to the flesh, tribulation will come upon him. God gives Satan a thorn to prick him. The thorn that pricked the Apostle Paul is not recorded, so we cannot know for sure, but it could be something in his flesh. He was known to be easily angered. Consequently, he and Barnabas had a quarrel over Mark's case and parted ways.

Jesus repeatedly told his disciples that he would die and rise again after three days. When Peter protested against this, we see Satan attempting to take control of him. Matthew 16:22-23 says, “But Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you.’ But Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.’”

This scene isn't about Peter being Satan, but Jesus defeating Satan at the very moment he attempts to take control of Peter. Jesus then rebukes Peter. He scolds him for thinking about human affairs rather than God's. God's work concerns the death and resurrection of the cross, which God intends to accomplish, and the salvation of humanity. However, human affairs become matters of the world.