Passage
I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I don’t know, or whether out of the body, I don’t know; God knows), such a one caught up into the third heaven.
2 Corinthians 12:2 (WEB)
Nearby Context
2 Corinthians 12:1 It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. For I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
2 Corinthians 12:2 I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I don’t know, or whether out of the body, I don’t know; God knows), such a one caught up into the third heaven.
2 Corinthians 12:3 I know such a man (whether in the body, or outside of the body, I don’t know; God knows),
2 Corinthians 12:4 how he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "christ", "fourteen", "years", "whether", "body", and "knows". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "christ" and "fourteen", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 1's "It is doubtless not profitable for me..." into verse 3's "I know such a man whether in...", so "christ" and "fourteen" belong inside that flow. In 2 Corinthians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "christ" and "fourteen" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.