The first heaven is our atmosphere, the air we breathe, where the birds fly, where the clouds float, and where we will meet Jesus at His second coming. The second heaven is space where the moon, sun, planets, and all the stars. The third heaven is where the throne of God and Jesus, angelic beings, and much more that we cannot even comprehend.
My understanding is that the third heaven is the same heaven John is caught up to in Revelation 4:1-2.
The other two heavens are the earth's atmosphere (the first heaven) and outer space (the second heaven). Paul appears to be giving the order of these heavens from an earthbound perspective rather than from an order of creation perspective, since the order of these heavens would be reversed if they were numbered from the oldest to the newest.
Genesis 1:14,15,17 says "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven ..." but in Genesis 1:20 it says God created "...fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven." The addition of the word "open" to the firmament of heaven the birds could fly in means there was a different firmament of heaven that was not open to birds where the lights were.
(Note, I believe Genesis 1:14-19 describes objects in outer space as being "in" the firmament of heaven created on the second day to portray them specifically as they appear to earthbound observers within that firmament who use them to measure earthbound time).
The first heaven is our atmosphere, the air we breathe, where the birds fly, where the clouds float, and where we will meet Jesus at His second coming. The second heaven is space where the moon, sun, planets, and all the stars. The third heaven is where the throne of God and Jesus, angelic beings, and much more that we cannot even comprehend.
God bless,
RLW
The other two heavens are the earth's atmosphere (the first heaven) and outer space (the second heaven). Paul appears to be giving the order of these heavens from an earthbound perspective rather than from an order of creation perspective, since the order of these heavens would be reversed if they were numbered from the oldest to the newest.
Genesis 1:14,15,17 says "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven ..." but in Genesis 1:20 it says God created "...fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven." The addition of the word "open" to the firmament of heaven the birds could fly in means there was a different firmament of heaven that was not open to birds where the lights were.
(Note, I believe Genesis 1:14-19 describes objects in outer space as being "in" the firmament of heaven created on the second day to portray them specifically as they appear to earthbound observers within that firmament who use them to measure earthbound time).
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