After three-year-old Colton Burpo miraculously survived a life-threatening burst appendix, he told his parents about time spent in heaven, as reported by the New York Times. This became the basis for the best-selling book "Heaven Is for Real." But long before the blond toddler started talking about Jesus, Paul the Apostle told his own story of traveling to heaven.
How did he describe the experience? As reported by The Conversation, Paul told the church in Corinth in his letter that in his visit to the "third heaven," which he also referred to as "Paradise," he heard "things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to speak." Clearly, he had a transformative experience.
According to Got Questions, despite this vision, he suffered from a "thorn in the flesh." In his writings, he describes this "thorn" as a "messenger of Satan" with the sole purpose of "torment." Scholars still debate what this might have been. Theories have included epilepsy, migraines, malaria, speech disability, eye problems, or temptation. But the bottom line is this: He suffered with an affliction throughout his ministry.
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