Heaven Is Real – Greg Laurie Devotion – May 25, 2026

Biblical Context

The book of 2 Corinthians is a letter written by the apostle Paul to the church in Corinth. It’s his second letter to them, probably written around 55 A.D. from Macedonia. Paul had a pretty deep and complicated relationship with the Corinthian believers. He founded the church during his second missionary journey, but after he left, problems popped up.

This letter shows Paul defending his apostleship against some false teachers who had come into the church. These teachers questioned his authority and tried to lead the Corinthians away from the true Gospel. Paul writes to clear things up, to help the church deal with discipline issues, and to talk about his own suffering for Christ. He wasn’t trying to boast, but he had to prove his genuine connection to God and his calling. He tells them about his own experiences, including this amazing vision, not to show off, but to give proof of God’s power working through him, even in weakness. He really cared about these people and wanted them to stay true to Jesus.

Key Word Study

Let’s look at the word paradise. In 2 Corinthians 12:4, Paul says he was “caught up to paradise.” The Greek word here is paradeisos (παράδεισος). This word has a really interesting background. It comes from an Old Persian word meaning a ‘walled garden’ or ‘park.’ It was often used to describe the beautiful gardens of Persian kings.

In the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint), paradeisos is used to translate the Hebrew word gan, which means ‘garden,’ especially in Genesis when talking about the Garden of Eden. So, when Paul uses it, it brings to mind a place of beauty, peace, and God’s presence, like Eden before the fall.

In the New Testament, paradeisos only shows up three times, and each use points to a special, blessed place. We’ll see more about that as we go on, but for now, know that when Paul talks about paradise, he’s talking about a truly wonderful, God-connected place.

A Glimpse of Heaven’s Reality

This week, we’re really going to focus on passages from the apostle Paul’s second letter to the believers in Corinth. We’re starting with a passage we touched on just last week in our devotions. We’re going to dive into Paul’s story of his vision of Heaven in 2 Corinthians 12.

So many books and stories have been written about Heaven. You find many of them from people who say they went to the afterlife and then came back to tell us all about it. We know that most of these stories, you’ve got to take them with a little doubt. But there are a few accounts that we should really pay attention to because you find them in God’s Word. That’s our best source of truth.

One thing these special passages share is how hard it is for the authors to describe what they see. Just look at some of the things the apostle John wrote about his own experience:

“Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.’ And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it. The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow” (Revelation 4:1–3 nlt).

It just seems like human words aren’t enough to really get across what heavenly reality is like. And let’s be very clear about this: Heaven is a reality. It’s not some kind of idea or a symbol. It’s not just a feeling or a state of mind. Heaven is a real place.

Paul’s Experience: Caught Up to Paradise

Just like John, Paul got a glimpse of Heaven and lived to write about it. He tells us: “I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows. Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell” (2 Corinthians 12:2–4 nlt).

Think about what Paul says here. He isn’t sure if he was physically there or if it was a spiritual experience, but he is absolutely sure that he was there, in paradise. He heard things so amazing, so incredible, that he couldn’t even put them into human words. He even says no human is allowed to tell these things. This isn’t just a beautiful dream; it’s a real encounter that changes him deeply, even if he can’t share all the details.

The word paradise that Paul uses to describe Heaven also shows up in two other places in the New Testament. One time is in Jesus’ own words to the criminal on the cross next to Him:

“I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43 nlt).

Think about that. The criminal, in his last moments, gets this incredible promise from Jesus. Jesus tells him that he will be in paradise today. This is not some future, distant hope; it’s an immediate, certain reality. Jesus uses the same word, paradise, to describe where they’re going.

The other place you’ll find it is in Revelation 2:7, and that verse describes the future home for all believers. It says: “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7 nlt).

Here, again, we see paradise as the ultimate reward, a place connected to the tree of life, bringing us back to that idea of Eden, but even better. It’s a promise of eternal life and blessings for those who stay strong in their faith.

Both of these passages, along with Paul’s account, point to an actual place. Heaven is real. It’s not just a nice thought to comfort us; it’s a solid truth from God’s Word. When Paul says he heard things he couldn’t express, it really just makes us want to be there even more. It tells us that what waits for us goes beyond anything we can imagine or describe right now. This should bring us so much comfort and hope, knowing that a real, good, and beautiful place is waiting for us with God.