does this mean when we die we are all in Paradise until the second coming and then we all are to stand before God and see if our name is in the Book of Life? Heaven or hell decided then?
2006-12-23 08:45:49 · 13 answers · asked by lucysmom 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
About three hours before Jesus dies on a torture stake, he talks about Paradise to a man on a stake next to him. The man is being put to death for crimes he has committed. But as this criminal watches Jesus and hears what is said about Him, he begins to believe in Jesus. So the criminal says: “Remember me when you get into your kingdom.” Jesus answers: “Truly I tell you today, You will be with me in Paradise.”—Luke 23:42, 43.
What does Jesus mean when he says this? Where is Paradise?— Think about it. Where was Paradise to begin with?— Remember, God gave the first man, Adam, and his wife a paradise to live in right here on this earth. It was called the garden of Eden. There were animals in that garden, but they didn’t hurt anyone. And there were trees with lots of delicious fruit on them, as well as a big river. It was a wonderful place to live!—Genesis 2:8-10.
So when we read of that criminal being in Paradise, we should picture in our minds this earth made into a beautiful place to live. Will Jesus be right here on earth with the former criminal in Paradise?— No. Do you know why he won’t be here?—
It is because Jesus will be in heaven ruling as King over the Paradise on earth. So Jesus will be with that man in the sense that Jesus will raise him from the dead and care for his needs.
2006-12-23 09:10:18 · answer #1 · answered by Just So 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
What is the Paradise that Jesus promised to the evildoer who died alongside him?
Luke’s account shows that an evildoer, being executed alongside Jesus Christ, spoke words in Jesus’ defense and requested that Jesus remember him when he ‘got into his kingdom.’ Jesus’ reply was: “Truly I tell you today, You will be with me in Paradise.” (Lu 23:39-43) The punctuation shown in the rendering of these words must, of course, depend on the translator’s understanding of the sense of Jesus’ words, since no punctuation was used in the original Greek text. Punctuation in the modern style did not become common until about the ninth century C.E. Whereas many translations place a comma before the word “today” and thereby give the impression that the evildoer entered Paradise that same day, there is nothing in the rest of the Scriptures to support this. Jesus himself was dead and in the tomb until the third day and was then resurrected as “the firstfruits” of the resurrection.
The evidence is, therefore, that Jesus’ use of the word “today” was not to give the time of the evildoer’s being in Paradise but, rather, to call attention to the time in which the promise was being made and during which the evildoer had shown a measure of faith in Jesus.
As to the identification of the Paradise of which Jesus spoke, it is clearly not synonymous with the heavenly Kingdom of Christ. Earlier that day entry into that heavenly Kingdom had been held out as a prospect for Jesus’ faithful disciples but on the basis of their having ‘stuck with him in his trials,’ something the evildoer had never done, his dying on a stake alongside Jesus being purely for his own criminal acts. The evildoer obviously had not been “born again,” of water and spirit, which Jesus showed was a prerequisite to entry into the Kingdom of the heavens. (Joh 3:3-6) Nor was the evildoer one of the ‘conquerors’ that the glorified Christ Jesus stated would be with him on his heavenly throne and that have a share in “the first resurrection.” Re 20:4-6.
The Scriptural teaching of the resurrection, however, is not compatible with the doctrine of the immortality of the soul. If an immortal soul survived death, no one would need to be resurrected, or brought back to life. Indeed, Martha expressed no thought about an immortal soul that was living on elsewhere after death. She did not believe that Lazarus had already gone to some spirit realm to continue his existence. On the contrary, she showed her faith in God’s purpose to reverse the effects of death. She said: “I know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.” (John 11:23, 24) Likewise, Lazarus himself related no experiences of some afterlife. There was nothing to report.
Clearly, according to the Bible, the soul dies and the remedy for death is the resurrection. You enjoy the best sleep ever, until Jesus resurrects you, sometime in the future.
2006-12-23 10:02:38 · answer #2 · answered by BJ 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Think logically about this.
Most translations of the Bible word it as:
Luke 23:43 and Jesus said to him, `Verily I say to thee, To-day with me thou shalt be in the paradise.' (Young's Literal Translation)
Luke 23:43And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. (King James Version)
However, Jesus was about to die and was not to be resurrected for three days. Therefore the correct translation would clearly be:
Luke 23:43 And he said to him: “Truly I tell you today, You will be with me in Paradise.” (New World Translation)
Note also that Jesus DID NOT tell the thief that he would be with
him in Heaven, but rather in paradise. That paradise will be here on Earth after Armegeddon when the Earth is restored to the paradise God created it to be. The thief will be there due to being resurrected. Jesus was telling him, that day, that he would, on a future day, be resurrected to live in and be a part of that paradise world.
2006-12-23 11:44:29 · answer #3 · answered by sixfoothigh 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
See Luke 16. Lazarus is with Abraham, but not in heaven, yet. The rich man seem to be stewing in his own juices, but where he's at is not hell. Paradise in the holding pen and believe you me people in this holding pen KNOW exactly where they're going!
2006-12-23 08:50:51 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Please notice the commas in the verses....
Truly I tell you today, You will be with me in Paradise. (Luke 23:40-43)
Truly I tell you, today You will be with me in Paradise. (Luke
23:40-43)
The first one means, Jesus was telling the (thief) on that day that he will be with Jesus in paradise, but did not say when.
The second means Jesus was telling him that on that very same day they were talking, he will be with Jesus in Paradise.
Yes, there was a big error in placing the comma that makes us confused. Jesus died and was 3 days dead before resurrected so he didnt went to Paradise the very same day he was speaking with the thief right?
Clearly, the correct placing of comma is the first one where Jesus promised the thief on that day...
2006-12-23 08:54:09 · answer #5 · answered by Tomoyo K 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have a great article that you can read that talks about "Paradise" and what we can expect from it.
Luke 23:43 “Truly I tell you today, You will be with me in Paradise."
Here is the article...... http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/2003/11/15/article_02.htm
Enjoy!!
Learn More!
www.watchtower.org
2006-12-23 12:06:32 · answer #6 · answered by Learn about the one true God 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not sure. Jesus said, "Today, you shall be with me in Paradise". However, Jesus didn't ascend to Heaven for three more days.
2006-12-23 08:49:03 · answer #7 · answered by Nowhere Man 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Christ told this to a thief, not a beggar.This is a link that proves that Christ died between two thieves.
http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/two-thieves-crucified-faq.htm
Yes we will stand before GOD to see if we are in the book of life and learn our fate. Even if we have accepted Christ as our savior, we must still live a good life as a testimony of our faith.
2006-12-23 08:50:33 · answer #8 · answered by Sparkles 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No, it does not. The reson Jesus told the beggar that was becuase the guy believed.
2006-12-23 08:49:39 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
salvation is recieved on earth, it's reviewed in heaven. We spend eternity in paradise, not just until the second coming.
In other words, people can only be saved while on earth. (alive)
2006-12-23 08:50:00 · answer #10 · answered by Doug 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋