Three heavens and paradise?
My sister told me that John 3:13 means that the Old Testament believers' souls could not go to heaven before Jesus. So paradise is a place where the souls waited for Jesus to get them when he went to heaven. She told me there are three heavens and paradise is one of the three heavens. This is a little beyond my knowledge. I need some help to explain this one. Thank you.
The first half of John chapter three tells us about a conversation between a Pharisee named Nicodemus and Jesus. In his part of the conversation Nicodemus demonstrated a woeful ignorance of the converting work of the Holy Spirit.
In verse eleven Jesus described what often happened during his ministry when he taught people the truths of God’s word: people stumbled over his words in unbelief and rejected them. In verse twelve Jesus inquired as to how Nicodemus was going to believe the “heavenly things” Jesus might discuss, since Nicodemus had not believed the “earthly things” of which the Lord had spoken. Then follows the verse you cited.
With the context of the preceding verses, it is clear that in verse thirteen Jesus is saying that he alone has firsthand knowledge of “heavenly things.” Other teachers of the word of God, like Nicodemus, do not have that firsthand knowledge. Jesus came from heaven to this earth as a little child to teach people the will of God and to fulfill all the prophecies of the Messiah. He alone can speak truthfully of “heavenly things.” No other person “has ever gone into heaven” (John 3:13) in the way, and with the authority, that Jesus “came from heaven” (John 3:13).
When we keep verse thirteen in its context, we will see the verse speaking of Jesus as an authoritative teacher and not the barring of heaven’s gate until Jesus’ death.
In 2 Corinthians 12 the apostle Paul does speak of being “caught up to the third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:2), to “paradise” (2 Corinthians 12:4). This was an experience that baffled even the apostle. He wrote: “Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows (2 Corinthians 12:2). “The third heaven” and “paradise” are synonymous with “heaven.” The adjective “third” can denote the glory of heaven, or it can reference the place where God reveals himself in all his glory (with the “first” heaven being the sky and the “second” heaven being the farther regions of the sun, moon and stars). While this particular biblical reference to heaven challenges our understanding, the Bible consistently speaks of one heaven and one hell. Of utmost importance is knowing how one enters heaven and avoids hell. That is through God-given faith in Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God.