Whether a Vision or Not

 DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

WHETHER A VISION OR NOT

2 Cor 12:1-6

12:1 I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know — God knows. 3 And I know that this man — whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— 4 was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. 5 I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. 6 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say.

NIV

There is and has been discussion and debate as to what Paul means here when He said that he knew a man who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Some say Paul was speaking of himself in the third person, others say no one can know for certain and it is unwise to conjecture. The most agreed time of Paul writing this letter is 56AD, so then, counting backward fourteen years we would need to know where Paul was in 42AD. This certainly was not the time of his conversion when he had that vision of Jesus. Where he was exactly at the time that he refers to is not known and any guess would be once again conjecture. What we do know is that something extraordinary happened to Paul sometime after his conversion and while he was on one of his missionary journeys. It is interesting that what he saw, he is not permitted to tell. Would that interfere with a person’s ability to believe without seeing? Still, God has performed so many miraculous things in the presence of His people, how could anyone not believe and still the Israelites struggled with being obedient and believing. We have experienced miracles from the hand of God and for that reason, we have absolutely no doubt in our mind whatsoever that God is who he says he is. We have heard the voice of God, whether in our ear, or in our heart, we cannot say, for that would be boasting, but nevertheless, we have heard God on three occasions. It would be wonderful to be caught up to the third heaven and shown what is inexpressible, but that is not our lot in life, at least up to now. We are not saying it would be impossible that God would give us that kind of vision, for nothing is impossible with God. We are only saying we have not had that kind of vision yet. However, that does not, and will not, stop us from our firm belief in God Almighty, the giver of life. We can also boast in our weakness, for we are also sure that in this current form we live in, we are weak, we are susceptible to sin. We also will endure the aches and pains this body will give us, unless, of course, God in his infinite mercy keeps those aches and pains from us. But that is the course of this life, and we should not allow even those things that age brings upon this body to influence our hope, our belief, our faith. That is in the end all we can boast is about Jesus and how he has and is doing and will bring completion the work in us. In the meantime, we will continue to run the race, press toward the mark, whether we have a vision or not.