Bro. Sonnie:

Sorry I took so long to get back to you on the lengthy post. The only thing I got from it was that Leupold and Lenski disagreed on what captivity meant. The lecturer finishes I believe stating that captivity is the power of sin. My understanding is simply it was where righteous remained until the power was destroyed by the blood and now the gates of hades could not keep the Lord's church in hades but that captivity as it was seen, was now taken to heaven as we see in Eph.4:8; Heb.12:22ff and Rev.20:4-6. Saints in heaven.

The article on third heaven concludes it was the presence of God, I disagree with some who say Paul was saying third heaven and paradise were in two separate places, they are now in the same location. Paradise was created by God as a dwelling place for His special people Gen.2,3; It was taken from man because of sin, lost in the flood, turns up in hades, Lk.23:43; the special place for God's people, Abraham's bosom, and now with Paul we find paradise in the third heaven, 2Cor.12:2-4 the presence of God, Heaven, where God's people are today. Unless you may want that there are more than one paradise at any one time?

Thanks for the articles.

RJ Mac