why did the theif on the cross end up going to heaven that day while we have to wait till the second coming? or how about when Stephen was being martyred and he saw a vision of heaven, did God show himself to stephen just to have him go into some coma until the second coming?
2007-05-11 13:17:48 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
thief*....
2007-05-11 13:19:40 · update #1
If you accept Jesus as your Savior, you go to heaven. I think you go right away, others believe you go to a "staging area" also known as Purgatory.
2007-05-11 13:22:00 · answer #1 · answered by Michael W 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The thief did not go to heaven , he went to paradise. Big difference.
Paradise is where all spirits go while they wait final judgement. That is why Christ told the thief on the cross that he would be in paradise that day. After judgement, then you go to heaven or hell. In other words "paradise" is "purgatory", a holding place.
The thief was saved while the Old Testament was still in effect. He is not an example of salvation under the gospel at all.
The truth is that the thief was saved under a different law and dispensation than we are under. That is why it does not matter whether or not he believed what we must believe, and for the same reason it does not matter whether or not he was baptized. How he was saved is irrelevant to how we are saved.
Col. 2:14 - Jesus removed the first ordinances nailing them to His cross. Until Jesus died, the Jews lived under the laws given at Mt. Sinai through Moses. When He died, those laws ceased to be in effect.
Eph. 2:13-16 - He abolished the old law through His blood shed on the cross (v13,16).
Heb. 10:9,10; 9:16,17 - Jesus removed the first testament and replaced it with His new covenant the gospel. It is under this new testament that we are saved by Jesus' death. As with any will or testament, Jesus had to die to bring His testament into force. The old law was in effect until Jesus died, then it was replaced by the New Covenant. [Cf. Gal. 3:13; Rom. 7:4]
But the thief was forgiven before Jesus died and therefore while the first covenant was in effect. The conditions he had to meet to be forgiven prove nothing about the conditions under which we are forgiven. He proves no more about how we should be saved than does David, Moses, Noah, or Abraham. They did not have to believe what we do nor did they have to be baptized because they did not live under the same law we do.
2007-05-11 13:54:43 · answer #2 · answered by tebone0315 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Bible states that Jesus is the FIRST one to go to heaven.
Colossians 1:18 "He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that he might become the one who is first in all things."
Jesus stayed around the earth for 40 days after his resurrection.
Are you saying the theif was waiting for Jesus to show up in heaven for 40 days?
Jesus said to that theif: "You will be with me in paradise."
The theif was Jewish. What came to his mind when he thought 'paradise'?
The answer is: a return to edenic, earthly paradise.
Stephen saw a vision to take his mind off the pain of dying.
Kind of nice on God's part to distract him, don't you think?
2007-05-11 13:29:00 · answer #3 · answered by Uncle Thesis 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
no longer all... in elementary terms a chosen few... (Revelation 7:4) and that i heard the style of people who have been sealed, a hundred and 40-4 thousand, sealed out of each and every tribe of the sons of Israel: (Revelation 14:a million) and that i observed, and, look! the Lamb status upon the Mount Zion, and with him a hundred and 40-4 thousand having his call and the call of his Father written on their foreheads. ALL chosen because of the fact the days of Jesus... This selection is composed of Paul and the 1st ' Christians', the a hundred and twenty from the better room that have been granted holy spirit. It would not comprise Abraham or Moses...who weren't toldabout the holy spirit... they have the possibility of being resurrected returned to the earth and in no way dying... (Revelation 21:4) And he will wipe out each and every tear from their eyes, and dying would be not extra, neither will mourning nor outcry nor discomfort be anymore. the former issues have exceeded directly to the finished beyond.” This promise can in elementary terms be conscious to residing human beings...
2016-11-27 19:47:58 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
We go on up to Planet Heaven, where the Father is.
Now, in the New Testament, we get our spirits Recreated, that let's us go on up to Heaven, we can Handle the Power of GOD now.
Jesus took the theif to Paradise, which WAS in the middle of the Earth next to Hell.
After Jesus Preached the Word of GOD concerning getting Born-Again, Everybody (old Testament Saints) got their spirits Recreated (Saved, Born-Again) and Jesus took them AND Paradise up to Planet Heaven.
Paradise is around the Throne now.
It is BIG.
O.K.
Next Question!
Hope this helps!
Ditto...............
2007-05-11 13:25:49 · answer #5 · answered by maguyver727 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't care if a person goes to heaven after the death right or after a while.
But Jesus showed the heaven to that thief in that moment and then he backed to death.
I asked a similar question before, you can check the link below.
2007-05-11 13:32:53 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Lord did not say to the thief that he'd be in heaven; he said he would be in Paradise, or what is better known as the spirit world.
2007-05-11 13:21:21 · answer #7 · answered by Guitarpicker 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The thief went to paradise which is where we go to await final judgment.
Paradise is not heaven. God is not in Paradise he is in heaven.
2007-05-11 13:21:25 · answer #8 · answered by Mariah 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Jesus said the thief would go to paradise, Jesus did not say heaven. You may be assuming that paradise is heaven.
2007-05-11 13:21:32 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The Bible says : "to be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord." 2 Corinthians 5:8
There is no waiting.
2007-05-11 13:30:40 · answer #10 · answered by Not perfect, just forgiven 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
So, regarding the thief; what was said?
As Greek and Hebrew at the time had no punctuation, let's try that in English.
Truly I say unto thee this day thou wilt be with me in heaven. (
If you put the comma after 'thee', you get: Truly I say unto thee, this day thou shalt be with me in paradise. Then the thief gets there immediately.
If you put it after 'day', you get: Truly I say unto thee this day, thou shalt be with me in Paraise. Then Christ is saying "I'm telling you now, you'll get to heaven", but not necessarily saying when.
So, tell me then, how does one know where, exactly, to put that comma? That's the job of translators, who had to rely in intuition or inspiration. To glean fom that sentence, that you get to heaven immediately after you die, then you MUST place faith in translators; i.e. men. The clear reading, if you remove the punctuation that man added, could lead you to two different conclusions.
Just one more reason for not following that particular book.
2007-05-11 13:28:42 · answer #11 · answered by Deirdre H 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋