RE: [TruthTalk] Sounds of Hell

[ShieldsFamily]

From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Caroline Wong Sent: Tuesday, April 12, 2005 8:35 AM To: TruthTalk@mail.innglory.org Subject: Re: [TruthTalk] Sounds of Hell   So, was Paul translated into another time-space within our universe? Did he enter an alternate reality/universe bodily? Or was he describing a spiritual space that he visited spiritually?   The Medievals read that scripture and theorized that things become more perfect the higher up (in space) you go. They could look up at the night sky and believe they were looking at the unchanging perfect realm of God. Then astronomers noted stars coming into existence or disappearing or having erratic orbits.   Then the Modern age began and we reworked that verse to mean something else. We can't locate heaven/hell in physical realms because there are less and less physical realms we haven't visited or looked at with our instruments. First heaven is where we are. Second heaven is the realm of the angels/demons. Third heaven is where God dwells. Then we added that we can visit the second and third heaven in prayer, worship or warfare. Then we say apparently angels and demons can visit the other two heavens as well. Satan appeared before God in Job. And, of course, God can do whatever He wants.   So now the thinking is that the three heavens are separate but interpenetrated. Anyone else want to get in on the super expansion of that one story? :-) C.S. Lewis says hell is locked on the inside and wrote an entire book on heaven and hell that I think is the best. It's called the Great Divorce. I always imagine people picking it up thinking it'll help them through a divorce and saying, what the....? as they start reading it.   Love,  Caroline   Caroline, you always have such thoughtful questions—I enjoy thinking thru them!  St. Paul did not know himself whether he visited the 3rd heaven in body or spirit, so how can we? And I think there may be more than just 3 layers to the spiritual universe.  The 2nd heaven seems to be the immediate atmosphere around us, but I’m not sure—what do you think?  The 3rd heaven could mean the very lower edges of God’s heaven.  I’m sure DM has interesting opinions on all of this, as well as others.  C.S. Lewis was right in his Great Divorce in that heaven and hell are within us, depending upon whom we have chosen to serve while on this earth—and which is why we know exactly where to go when we die.  We will be drawn to that which is already living within us—the pure to the Pure, the rebellious to the Rebellious. Izzy