How many heavens are there? What does the apostle Paul mean when
he writes about "the third heaven"? The Bible speaks of three
different heavens. Genesis 1:1 says that God created "the
heavens"—plural. The first heaven is the atmosphere around the
earth. In describing the rain that brought on the Flood of
Noah’s time, Genesis 7:11 says "the windows of heaven were
opened." Commenting on the extent of the water, verse 19 says
"all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered." The
second heaven is commonly referred to as "outer space." Exodus
32:13 is one of many references to "the stars of heaven." Stars
are not in the skies from which the rain falls, but in the space
beyond our atmosphere. Nehemiah 9:6 also refers to space as
heaven: "You alone are the Lord; you have made heaven, the
heaven of heavens, with all their host [the planets and stars]."
A "third heaven" is mentioned in 2 Corinthians 12:1-4. Paul also
called it "Paradise" in verse 4. That word is from the Greek
word for park or garden—not just