5) In the body or out? Whose vision was it?

There is another experience like that recorded by Paul, that of being caught up to experience a vision,

And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looks toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy. (Ezekiel 8:3)

Ezekiel is above the earth, but below the second heaven (the sky). We may ask; did Ezekiel stay in his body, seeing a vision? Or was he transported? This is exactly Paul's question. He did not know.

Paul witnessed Stephen seeing a vision.

But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. (Act 7:55-56)

Luke the author of Acts sees no reason to doubt this was a vision “in the body”. Stephen's vision, therefore, does not fit Paul's description. Also 2nd Corinthians is dated about 57AD. The stoning of Stephen in 36AD is then too far back in time to be 'about' 14 years, as it was 21 years.

However, there is one vision that Paul could glory in, the one vision that laid the basis for his whole ministry. That of Peter.

On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city (Joppa), Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God has cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven. (Acts 10:9-16)

We may think that Peter saw a little sheet, that could fit on a housetop- but how then were there so many animals in it? And how could Peter even think he could rise and kill an animal?

Let is think instead of Pardes. What if the “great sheet” was pairidaêza, a Persian hunting garden? While on this house top this “vessel”, like a great sheet was let down on the earth. How could it be on the earth if it was on a small roof top? What if Peter, in vision, first sees the sheet, which then becomes laid out before him on the earth as a great square garden divided four ways – just as the Persian pairidaêza often was, and like these gardens, full of animals- and then he is transported to be in this garden. This is the hunting garden of the kings full of 'game' (no animal of which was kosher). He is then told to rise and kill. To kill an animal that was roaming around he would need to hunt it. Just as the kings did in pairidaêza.

So we, like Paul, now ask did Peter experience this, in the body, or out of it? Paul did know Peter, but not intimately. Therefore Paul may never have asked Peter. Paul tells the following to the Galatians, who seem to be very in touch with what is happening in Jerusalem,

Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother. (Galations 1:18-19)

Luke tells us,

And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem. And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him. Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus. (Acts 9:26-30)

Therefore about the time Peter was travelling to Joppa, Paul was passing through to go to Caesarea. This seems more than co-incidence seeing Paul had been staying with Peter. Luke says specifically that “they brought him down to Caesarea”. The Centurian convert was at Ceasarea.

Paul says to the Galatians,

Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also. And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately .. But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:) And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision. (Galatians 2:1-9)

It seems soon after this Peter came up to Antioch where Paul was,

But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. (Galatians 2:11-12)

The letter to the Galatians was written soon after the events here, as the issue of uncircumcised believers is the central theme. The Galatians would include many Jews, being not far from Judea. The second letter to the Corinthians was written shortly after the first and shortly after the letter to the Galatians. Paul, therefore, in speaking of a person he knew above 14 years ago was speaking of an event shortly after his first visit to Jerusalem, as there was 14 years gap between his two visits to Jerusalem.

But why did he not mention Peter by name? We can note that the letter to the Galatians is full of references to names, as if the people knew them or of them, but whereas the Corinthians knew Paul well but they would not have known Peter personally at all. In fact Paul does not mention any of the apostles. He only mentions locals such as Timothy, Apollos and those in Macedonia. Remembering that this was the early days and Peter had not yet written his letter and the Gospels were not all written, it is not surprising Paul names Peter to the Galatians who knew him, but to the Corinthians he called him a “man in Christ”.

If this is the vision Paul was speaking of then Paradise is a garden laid out on a sheet with animals for hunting. And where the man heard unlawful words. Peter was asked to rise up and kill and eat. To Peter this was unlawful. He said,

Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. (Acts 10:14)

To Paul, a Pharisee, these words were also, “unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” No human could have said this and it be right or “lawful”. These were words “unspeakable”. These words taught all Jews such as Peter and Paul that the uncircumcised were made clean,

And the voice spoke unto him again the second time, What God has cleansed, that call not thou common. (Act 10:15)

It would be appropriate that the people of the nations would be likened in vision to wild animals in an enclosed Persian park.The apostles did not go to the wilds of the remote world but to the Greek-Roman world, the civilised world of that day.

Why does he equate paradise to the third heaven?

And if this was the vision Paul meant, then Paul calls the park of wild animals, paradeisos, 'the third heaven'. This makes sense as animals were a symbol to the prophets of the nations.

Daniel saw bears, leopards, wild goats and rams. Peter's was not a vision of God or of the throne, that is of the first heaven, but one of the earth and things on the earth in relation to God, which could very appropriately be called the third heaven.

The result of the vision, in Paul's eyes, was his ministry to the Nations on earth of the things relating to the Heavens. The vision though on earth and about things under the second heaven,was not earthly but of rulership and heaven (Ephesians 2:6) making it of the third heaven.

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