n 2 Corinthians 12, Paul told about him being allowed to see and hear things in heaven. He said that he could not tell what he was told. God does not allow any man to tell others the secrets of heaven.
It is interesting that no one in the Bible who died and came back to life told anything about heaven. You would think that they would go around telling everyone what they had seen and heard. John was only allowed to tell certain things in the Revelation that he saw.
Today, there are individuals who say they have been to heaven and were told certain things. Some write books and boast about the special information they were chosen to reveal. It would be easy to brag and even get a bloated image of oneself if one had really been shown and told the secret things of heaven. Yet, Paul in 2 Corinthians 12 told why he did not get a bloated image of himself.
In verse seven, he said God gave him a thorn in the flesh so that he would not be exalted above measure. The first thing to notice is the word “given.” In the Greek, it is the word for “gift.” God gave Paul the thorn as a gift. We normally think of gifts as something to aid us or to show our love and respect for others. God believed this gift was necessary for Paul and gave it to him in love.
The second thing to notice is the word “thorn.” This word in the Greek was used for an impaling, which caused much pain. This was not just an irritant. This was not just a small thorn that could be plucked out of the skin. This was something that caused Paul great discomfort. The verb tense shows it was something that probably did not go away for any length of time.
Paul says this problem was given to him to keep him from thinking too highly of himself. If only those today who claim to have seen heaven had such a thorn. One wonders how many of them actually want to suffer like Paul did from his thorn.
Do not think too highly of yourself. If Paul, who had been told things that no man should hear, was reminded continually to be humble, so should each of us be humble, too. We have the Gospel that is meant for every person on earth to hear. We should give it to others in a humble spirit.
Study your Bible. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.
