“I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the Third Heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2)”
“And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, ... “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus … “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need … If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God (Ephesians 1:19-20, 2:6, Hebrews 4:16, Colossians 3:1)”
All of mankind lives on the earth in the “first heaven.” The second heaven is the demonic realm. The Third Heaven is God’s heaven, which is far above the second heaven, and this is where the Throne of God is. This is also where we are seated--“in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6)!
To speak, decree, and proclaim with the authority of Jesus, we must be seated with Him “at his own right hand in the heavenly places.” We must live our lives from this place. We must preach, teach, sing and even “work” from this place. We must also worship and pray seated with Him on His Throne. This is a place of deep intimacy with God, and a place where prayers get answered. Let’s see what others have to say about this awesome truth.
We must learn how to ascend into the Third Heaven.
“If you get anything from God, you will have to pray right into heaven--for all you want is there… Smith Wigglesworth.”
Kenneth Hagin, Sr., states that the door to our exercising our God-give authoritiy rests on two prhaes Paul prayed for the Ephesians: “… and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places” Ephesians1:20), and “ . . . “hath raised us up together (Ephesians 2:6).
Rev. Hagin says to feed on these truths … “ … until you get the revelation of them in your spirit. … As we do this he continues, “There is going to be a whole body of believers who will rise up with the authority that is theirs (The Believer’s Authority, Foreword).” He states we must meditate on these truths until they become revelation knowledge and that believing them mentally is not enough.
Gloria Copeland states, “God has raised us up to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6)! That's what the Word of God says. Very few of us have actually dared to believe this.”
“When … I begin to praise Him, I must be conscious I’m ascending the hill of the Lord (Psalms 24:3). I’m coming into the high place of the Lord … Don’t stop praising until you get to the Holy Place (Ruth Heflin, “Glory … Experiencing the Atmosphere of Heaven).”
Bill Johnson on page 100 in his life-changing book, “Dreaming with God,” says this, “ . . . Heaven has what we are looking for. And you will have to go there to get it (my emphasis). The best novels and plays have yet to be written. The most beautiful melodies to ever grace the human ear are yet to be discovered. Those with an ear for God, discovering the experience of “being seated together in heavenly places” will have access to things no other generation has ever seen before.”
From Page 12B “Angels that Gather” by Paul Keith Davis, “ … When the heavens are opened another world comes into view, a dimension in God where believers in Christ are seated. … He continues, “Only from this place can the ultimate commission originally stated in Genesis 1:26 be fulfilled. …”
Billye Brim
“It is right there.” states Billy Brim, “that we do business with God, the Judge of all. Heaven's resources are ours ... We are not to refuse His offer to work with him. We are to take our place as a kingdom of priests.”
“It was not until 2006 that I understood that this should not be a rare experience—ministering from the Third Heaven, but one should by faith come there every day and even learn to remain there.
She learned this by reading John MacMillan's and Kenneth Hagin's books. Now she intercedes daily from the Third Heaven and as a result is experiencing a whole new dimension of answered prayer. In faith she begins her day by “Seating herself in Heavenly Places in Christ.”
Chuck Pierce
“God is establishing a new authority in His church,” states Chuck Pierce, “to break through to the third heaven, gain the heart of God and carry that revelation back to Earth . . . We will change the very atmosphere around us—God’s will being done on Earth as it is in heaven. This is what we pray for every time we pray the Lord’s prayer! . . . “He is releasing a gift of faith to break the generational iniquitous patterns that have stopped families from experiencing the blessings of God. . . . and to see His Glory spread throughout cities, regions and states (Chuck Pierce, P. 85, 132, “The Future War of the Church).”
Alan Vincent
In my decades long journey with the Lord (June 24, 1967), I have read at least one hundred excellent books on faith, and probably the best is, “Fight the Fight of Faith by Rev. Alan Vincent.
On pages 20-21 in this second book, he describes the place in the Third Heaven God has for each of us . . . a place in which we are seated with Christ!
“Within a few days of being baptized in the Holy Spirit, Rev. Vincent states, “ . . . I experienced a powerful revelation of God’s word in my heart … that literally changed my life … The Spirit showed me the great triumph and victory that Jesus had already accomplished through the cross, the power of His glorious resurrection, and the present authority of His throne.”
Rev. Vincent continued, “Just as importantly, I saw that I too was already raised and seated together with Him on His throne sharing in His risen power and authority . . . (and this is for all of us!).
“But, when this revelation of the risen Christ came into my spirit, everything changed. Instead of seeing how strong the devil was, I began to see how strong and
mighty Jesus was!” And we too must meditate and review scriptures on our awesome authority given to us by Jesus.
Throughout the day Alan Vincent carries that consciousness of being seated with Christ in the Third Heaven. He does almost everything from that place and so should each of us. Miracles and the supernatural walk in the Spirit are normal for him (and his lovely wife) and should also be “normal” for us!
Rev. Thurman Scrivner’s Third Heaven Intercession
In tears, Jane said, “Rev. Scrivner, my husband wants nothing to do with Jesus. He calls it ‘my religion.’” Rev. Thurman Scrivner replied, “Jane, stop crying. We will take him before the Throne of Grace now—The Third Heaven, and intercede for him.” Soon after that her husband’s life was transformed and they are now powerfully serving the Lord.
To a mother, whose son had not been heard from for three years, Thurman said, “We will go to the Third Heaven now … Moments later, Rev. Scrivner continued, “Your son will call you in a few days and will be home soon.” And this is exactly what happened in response to the transforming power of Third Heaven intercession.
Rev. Scrivner now intercedes from that position in the Third Heaven as a way of life. “The Lord gave me a burden for a tough sinner who had no desire for salvation. The Lord had me by faith to ascend—up, up, up until I was before the Throne of God everyday for two weeks, interceding a few minutes each day for him. At the end of that time that sinner was marvelously saved.”
So let’s find out what authority is ours and use it. I am doing this and I am excited at the results.
We are “sitting far above all principalities and power and might and dominion …” (Ephesians 1:21). The enemy is under our feet. We are seated with Christ on the right hand of God. God is releasing a gift of faith in this heavenly place. Let’s go there and use this faith for His kingdom purposes.
Jesus is risen. He is no longer on the cross and has been given authority by the Father over the entire universe. Jesus said in Matthew 28:18, “All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” He then delegated that authority on the earth to us—to you and me. Jesus said, “… The works that I do ye shall do also … Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever ye loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (John 14:12, Mathew 18:18)” That’s using His/our authority upon the earth while being seated with Christ in heavenly places.
The Authority of the Believer by John MacMillan P. 27-28
“Do we believe that God “hath quickened us together with Christ and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:5-6)? If we do, our reaction to it will be a fervent, “Lord, I accept Thy gracious word. . . In humble faith I do now take my seat in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus at Thy right hand. Teach me how to fulfill this sacred ministry, how to exercise the authority which Thou hast entrusted to me. Train me day by day that I may attain to the full stature of the perfect man in Christ, so that in me Thy purpose of the ages may be fulfilled. Amen.”
MacMillan continues, “If we are walking in the Spirit, our normal Life is in the heavenlies. To secure the consciousness of this, there must be the daily acceptance of the fact. Let us, morning by morning,as one of our first acts of worship, take our seat with Christ and return thanks to God for all that it implies.”
“Let us often remind ourselves that we are seated far above all the powers of the air, and that they are in subjection to us. As our faith learns to use the Name and Authority of Jesus, we shall find the spiritual forces yielding obedience in ways that will surprise us.”
He emphasizes again, “We need to sit reverently and long before these mighty truths, that their tremendous meaning may grasp our hearts. In this attitude, the Spirit of Truth can lift us unto the comprehension, which the human mind alone will always fail to compass.”
These truths, and the authority that comes from them is for every believer. They are for you and they are for me. You will move into a whole new realm of miracles—healing, financial, protection, relationships, and even new open doors of ministry.
Intercession from the Third Heaven brings us into a new dimension of power, and even more so as we combine it with a passion for His Word! All of us can do it.
Through the Name of His Son, Jesus, God has delegated to us His unlimited power to accomplish His purposes on the earth. Jesus is the head and we are the Body. If His will on the earth is to be done, we must do it, and through His mighty Name, we have access to His power. In John 14:12, this is God's promise and command to each of us, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”
To exercise this authority in the fullness, we must praise, worship, minister and intercede from The Third Heaven. We need to increasingly “live” there—throughout the day. We must have an increasing awareness that we are always there—high above this earthly realm, seated with Christ. How awesome!
As a foundation for this type of intercession, we should meditate day and night on the Word of God (Joshua 1:8, Psalms 1:1-2). This will cause our faith to rise to a high level.
Katie Souza’s Visits to the Third Heaven
Katie Souza worships, prays in tongues, repents deeply for any roots of sin in her life, and as the Presence of God increases, she focuses on Jesus and continues to worship. She then goes to a high level of the Third Heaven, a realm of His Glory, and brings back to the earth miracles for others and for her own needs.
Praise, worship, including praying and singing in tongues throughout the day, and a life of purity and holiness are keys to ascending into higher and higher realms of the heavenlies and from that place having the anointing to be able to do the works of Jesus. From that place of Glory in the Third Heaven, we will:
1) Obtain wisdom 2) Solve problems 3) Obtain financial miracles, healing, and protection for others 4) And get instructions from the Lord. She does this two to four times per day.
You can view and listen to two of her awesome testimonies on Sid Roth’s podcast at sidroth.org/1274 and sidroth.org/1275. I have listened to them two or three times.
“And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth (Rev. 5:10).” We are called not only as priests but as kings, through whom Christ will rule the world. You and I, through His all powerful Name and His finished work on the cross of Calvary, have that much authority! This is called “kingly intercession.” And as we seek God for what is on His heart, on His agenda, we are moving into the highest realm of kingly intercession, known as prophetic intercession.
Through this type of intercession mountains are moved, hardened sinners are saved, finances are released, and other desires of our King are released on the earth. But we must learn to do it by interceding from the Third Heaven.
There are three heavens! The first heaven is our atmospheric heaven, including the earth, planets and stars. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. ... And God called the firmament [the sky] Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day (Genesis 1:1, 1:8).”
The second heaven is “above” us and is the demonic heaven, where the principalities, powers and rulers of darkness reside. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (The Second Heaven) ... (Ephesians 6:12).”
“And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6)” If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God (Colossians 3:1)”
The Third Heaven is well above the second heaven and is God's heaven. This is where the Throne of God is. It is where we are seated “in heavenly places in Christ.” St. Paul referred to one being “caught up to the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2).” St. Paul was caught up into a very high realm of the Third Heaven. More about those higher realms later!
Legally we are all positioned or put there (See Ephesians 2:6), but to appropriate this position and thus to have greatly increased power from God, we must by faith see ourselves seated there, and thank Him for the privilege. We need to continually be aware of this awesome truth.
Thanksgiving and praise is a key to ascending into the heavenlies—into the Third Heaven. Any form of grumbling and complaining keeps us earthbound. Singing in tongues is a language of Glory, a language of ascending into “heaven”—into the Third Heaven. Singing and praying in tongues should be a lifestyle. We should be doing it throughout the day—in the car, in the kitchen, under our breath at work, in the grocery store, at the bank—everywhere we go. It is a powerful key of living in His Presence, of living in the Third Heaven.
We should begin each morning repenting for all known and unknown sins, and then through faith “take our seat in heavenly places in Christ!” Thank our Father God at least three times for this awesome privilege. From that place in the Third Heaven, we can spend our “morning quiet time” studying the word and in prayer—much of it in tongues.
Then throughout the day we should meditate on this truth of Ephesians 2:6 until this revelation becomes deeply implanted within us. We will see increasingly powerful answers to prayers. We will also enter new realms of intimacy with our King Jesus and our Father God. We need to daily live our lives in this heavenly place in the Third Heaven. Our effectiveness in the earthly realm will greatly increase—as a parent, married partner, a church member, and in our work.
The place of safety from counter-attack by the enemy is to stay seated in that heavenly place with Christ. To do that we must walk in love, forgiveness, purity and holiness, and live a faith-filled life—and to be dynamically aware that we are indeed seated there (Ephesians 2.6). It is in this place, securely seated with Christ, that the enemy is helpless to attack us and an immense amount of protection is extended to those under our “covering,” such as our family members living in our household and those whom we are mentoring. For pastors this protection would extend to their congregations.
Let’s do it now! Let’s raise our heads high, and picture our King Jesus on the Throne seated on the right hand of God. Begin at this moment praying or singing in tongues, praising and worshiping the Lord until you know you are before the throne. See yourself seated with Jesus Christ in Heavenly Places.
From that place spend time worshipping God, and then intercede for others, and then worship God again. Come to know God, to express your love to Him, and receive His expressions of love to you. Then do more interceding. Expect amazing new results.
When we pray from the “earth,” we are looking up toward the evil “second heaven.” From our “position” in the heavenlies, we are now looking down toward the “Second Heaven” where the demonic principalities and powers rule. They are under His feet, and we are seated with Him in heavenly places. “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church (Ephesians 1:22). He is the “head.” We are his body—his arms, legs, His feet, His entire body. They are therefore “under our feet.”
“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on [with our “feet”] serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you (Luke 10:19).”
Through His Name, His Word, and the power of the Holy Spirit, let's enforce the victory that Jesus has won for us through His crucifixion and resurrection. From this position before the Throne of God, seated with Christ, we will have greatly magnified power to decree, declare and call forth Christ's will on the earth. Let’s do it!
In the Third Heaven there are different levels of authority, and intimacy with God. We need to live a holy, separated life from the world, spend much time praying in tongues, and in the Word. Repentance--change—dying to self and rising into new dimensions in God’s character and wisdom must become a way of life. We must seek God with all of our hearts, becoming “God chasers.” As we do these things daily, we will move into higher and higher realms of authority and intimacy with God. Living in His Presence is living in the Third Heaven.
When we intercede from the Third heaven, we are in a place that will bring great harm to the devil and his demons and monumental victory to us and others for whom we are interceding. Yes, the enemy will fight us so we do need to be protected. There is particularly one type of activity in the Third Heaven that requires diligence on our part. This is territorial warfare.
And in engaging in territorial warfare, our warfare must be an assignment from the Holy Spirit. His agenda, not ours.
There are three different levels in which Spiritual warfare is engaged:
1) The level of personal ministry … delivering individuals from evil spirits. This is the least dangerous level.
2) Coming against (non-territorial) occultic or witchcraft forces attacking individuals, churches, or other groups. For example, “In Jesus Name I break the power of every witchcraft or occultic force coming against my wife, my ministry, and my church.” There is more danger at this level. Safety comes from living in forgiveness, purity, humility, and holiness.
3) Territorial warfare … At this level we are coming against high level principalities over cities, states, nations and other geographical areas. Humility is essential at this level. See my teaching on territorial warfare.
Incredibly great things can be accomplished at this level. Even two of us can change the spiritual atmosphere over large areas, including cities, through third level territorial warfare. God used Alan Vincent and his wife, Eileen, through such warfare, to change the entire city of Mumbai (Bombay), India. It is that powerful. His book, “Fight the Good Fight of Faith,” is the best book on faith I have ever read.
God is looking for those who will pay the price to intercede at this level. However, we must have an assignment, a word from the Lord, to do this type of warfare. Also we need deep levels of deliverance, inner healing, and sanctification. We need to be trained and prepared by the Lord. It is not for everyone. It is only for specially chosen ones.
How to Live in the Third Heaven and to Stay Protected from Satanic Counter-Attack in Territorial Level Warfare
Our protection is in staying sin-free, humble, and living throughout each day in an attitude of thanksgiving and love in all of our relationships. Praying and singing in tongues should be a way of life. We should have a lifestyle of fasting and of meditating and studying the Word of God. We are called to a life of joy, peace, excitement but also one of separation from sinners and lukewarm Christians. It is a wonderful, fulfilling, but “narrow” walk. If we try to save our lives, we will lose them. It is a surrendered life to our King Jesus. In this way we can live throughout the day and night seated in heavenly places (the Third Heaven) in Christ.
All of us called to live in the Third Heaven, but warfare from that place is not for everyone. Even if we have the office of an intercessor, apostle, prophet, and are being used in a powerful way by God, this is not a place for emotionally wounded people. A high percentage of dynamic Christians are deeply wounded people, and must first seek deep inner healing and deliverance before engaging in this type of intercession.
Seek God for deep inner healing and deliverance. There also must be a love relationship in our homes between the married partners and with their children. One’s home must be in order. There also must be a unity in the group of intercessors—a group of loving, non-critical, emotionally healed individuals.
There must be a continual abiding in God, our lives totally surrendered to God, spending time with the Lord, and daily feeding much on the Word of God. We must maintain an attitude of praise and walk in love. Daily repentance must become a way of life. As intercessors we must always spend time cleansing our hearts and lives before we enter into intercession. See below in the importance of “identificational repentance.”
This type of warfare and its timing must be under complete direction of the Holy Spirit. Satan is looking for open doors through which to attack us. We need to seek deep inner healing, and where needed, deliverance. Each of us must search our hearts and repent of every sin the Holy Spirit brings to our mind, particularly the ones below. God spoke to Paul Keith Davis, and said, “Go deeper in order to go higher.” That is for all of us. We must cooperate fully with the Lord to allow him to increasingly conform us to his image, in the process removing many layers of sinful structures and various strongholds such as control, pride, fear, and lust.
1 Repent for the sins of unforgiveness, unbelief, grumbling, complaining, criticizing or judging others, dishonoring your parents or marriage partner. Do you deeply resent, even hate someone or do you still feel deeply wounded by someone who has hurt you, disappointed you, or rejected you? Most of us do! Make a list of them now and start forgiving them. Forgiveness does not mean you have to trust them, like them, or be with them. Forgiveness is giving up the right to hurt back, and it shows strength, not weakness.
2 The Sin of not putting God first (Lukewarmness). This is the root of many of these other listed sins, and is often a form of passive or even active rebellion. Let's search our hearts, repent (change) and ask God to forgive us. We need to pray blessings from our hearts over those who have hurt us, rejected us or deeply disappointed us. … Signs of lukewarmness: a) Not meditating on the Word day and night (Joshua 1:8, Psalms 1:1-3). b) No daily quiet time with the Lord c) Wrong priorities d) Poor stewardship of time, energy and finances e) Rebellion or disobedience to God's Word.
3 The sin of sexual lust. Impure sexual thoughts, words, and/or actions are counterfeits of the holiness of marital sex, and are major sins in the Body of Christ.The marriage bed is holy. It is anointed and godly to have a fulfilling passionate sexual oneness in marriage, but outside of marriage sex (including in our thought-life) opens a door through which Satan can bring immense harm into our life.
4 The Sin of Pride. Most of us are free of arrogant, boastful pride, but all of us are guilty in varying dimensions of the pride of selfish independence, of desiring to be in control, and of refusing accountability. We need to be humble, teachable and accountable to others. If we don’t recognize areas of need in our lives, this is a sign of pride. And repentance from pride is a lifetime project of the Holy Spirit. There are deeper and deeper levels of humility He desires to bring into our lives—ever increasing the image of Jesus within us. It is up to us to diligently cooperate with the Lord for this to be accomplished.
. Rarely ever will God direct a single person to do such warfare for territorial warfare should almost always be done corporately. But, as I previously stated, the timing and direction must be 100% from the Lord. He will only lead a small percentage of Christians to do such warfare. And you are probably not one of them. Focus on level one and sometimes level two, not the third level of attacking high level principalities and powers.
A Principle of Great Importance … Identificational Repentance
We need to identify with the sins in the territory for which we are interceding, and repent for such sins—as if they were ours! Repenting in travail is of particular importance. We must not skip this step! Otherwise even if we are able to dislodge a high level principality, he will have the legal right to come back even more strongly than ever! See the teaching of mine on “Spiritual Warfare against Territorial Spirits.”
Declare that Satan is defeated through the Blood of Jesus, and the finished work on the cross. Then, ask God to release His angels to fight the battle. Then, "Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord--" as we worship and praise God, the almighty King.
Corporately, if the Holy Spirit definitely leads us, we will come directly against the principalities and powers in the Name of Jesus. We will then declare, proclaim and decree as the Holy Spirit directs. We are decreeing His decrees! But remember we must be spoken to by the Holy Spirit to engage in this type of warfare. Only a small percentage of Christians have prepared themselves for this type of warfare. Even in the natural realm, a soldier doesn’t go into battle untrained and unprepared.
An Amazing New Dimension of Power in Prayer and Intercession
So let's stay humble, pure, forgiving, and spending much time with the Lord. Praying and singing in tongues should be a way of life. Let's live our lives from the Third Heaven. Then we can engage in powerful warfare. We will live in a new realm of miracles for ourselves and for those for whom we intercede. Everything in our lives will take on a new dimension of excellence.
Two outstanding books on the believer’s authority are Kenneth Hagin's “The Believer's Authority” and John MacMillan’s, “The Authority of the Believer.” Also see my teaching on my website (Laughcry.org) called “Spiritual Warfare against Territorial Spirits—Powerful but with Dangers.”
God has delegated to us His unlimited power to accomplish His purposes on the earth. Jesus is the head and we are the Body. If His will on the earth is to be done, we must do it. And through His mighty Name, and the Holy Spirit, we have access to His power. He has commanded us, in John 14:12, “. . . He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do . . .”
To exercise this authority in the fullness, we must praise, worship, minister and intercede from The Third Heaven—much of it in tongues. We need to increasingly “live” there—throughout the day. We must have an increasing awareness that we are always there—high above this earthly realm, seated with Christ—in the presence of God. What an awesome privilege we have as children of God! Review this teaching over and over and over. It will change your life.