The answer to this question depends on whom we are campaigning for, God or Satan. Who do we believe, God’s letter to the human race, the bible, or Satan’s endless efforts to lock us out of heaven? For me, if it is in the bible I believe it; if it is not in the bible it’s not for me. Let’s first identify this death; because the bible does speak of a second death. This is defined as the departure of the spirit from the body 2 Tim. 4:6, Ecl. 12:7; a state in which God is not seen Isa. 38:11, Job 35:14; nor praised Ps. 6:5, Isa. 38:18. It is the result of sin Gen. 2:17; and all have sinned says the bible so all is subject to this death.
Then comes a resurrection from this death; and in conformity with the first death, all will rise; but not at the same time. The righteous will rise first, when Jesus return to gather and take them to heaven to live with Him 1000 years; at the end of which, the wicked will rise to receive their just reward for disobeying God’s commandments, a complete and final destruction with the devil. This is what the bible defined as the second death. Rev. 21:8. According to Eccl. 12:7; 3:21 when we die our soul or spirit return to God who gave it. But does it go straight to paradise as some would have you to believe? What or where is paradise from a biblical perspective? God through His spirit defines it as the comfort of the garden of Eden, Rev. 2:7; Gen. 2:9; Rev. 22:2-5 and verse 14. Eden represents to the believer a place of physical and spiritual bliss. Paul identifies it with the third heaven, 2 Cor. 12:2-4. Lot associated it with the Garden of God, (Eden) Gen. 13:10.
What did Jesus mean by the statement “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” Lk. 23:43. Some point to this verse as proof that on death we go straight to heaven, by ignoring some important facts about Jesus and the gospel He preached for 3 1/2 years. The biblical records showed that when Jesus was taken from the cross, he was buried in a tomb (body and soul, Ps. 89:48) just before the beginning of a Sabbath, (sunset to sunset Lev. 23:32). That, exactly three days later He rose from the dead, Matt. 28:1-2. So we can account for His physical body during those three days. Now, listen to 1 Pet. 3:18-20: “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but quickened by the Spirit; by which also He went and preached to the spirits in prison; which sometimes were disobedient while God patiently waited for them to repent in the days of Noah while the ark was being built in which only eight people were saved”. Two questions here: Is Noah in paradise? Not according to scripture. Read Rev. 6:9-10 and 20:1-5. Second question: Who are these spirits in prison? Read 1 Pet. 3:19 again and 1 Pet. 4:6 and note that prison refers to a place of confinement. Nor should we forget that Jesus spent some forty days with His disciples before they watched Him airborne to heaven; and did He not ask Mary not to touch Him for He was not yet ascended to His father Jn. 20:17. These passages show that Jesus did not go to heaven on the day He died. Therefore, the interpretation of His statement to the thief conflicts with actuality; so we must look for another understanding of His statement.
Consider the agony Jesus and that thief had to endure on their respective cross; consider too the request by the thief, ‘Lord, remember me when thou goest into thy kingdom’. He must have recognized Jesus as the Saviour. These words of Jesus were comfort to a dying thief, typical of a sympathizing Jesus, suggesting that death was soon to relieve them of their pain and suffering, a kind of paradise in comparison to their present situation. That the thief appears to have repented of his sins, Jesus’ assuring words certainly was comforting. How strange it would be for Jesus to offer him a ride to heaven when He was not going that way as the bible clearly showed; and God doesn’t lie, Num. 23:19. So the word ‘Today’ as used by Jesus could be wrongly placed by modern translators, since it does not correlate with His activities on that day. Moreover, we are told in Malachi 2:16 that the Lord hates broken promises. As for His kingdom, did Jesus’ death and resurrection usher in His kingdom? No! Check out Matt. 12:28, Jn. 18:37.
Listen to Rev. 6:9-11, John talking: “I saw under the altar (in heaven) the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held; and they cried with a loud voice saying, ‘How long O Lord holy and true dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth’? And white robes were given to every one of them and told they should rest for a little season until their fellow servants and brethren were killed as they were”. This scenario has the aura of a rest area on our way to paradise; and why not? Says 1 Thes. 4:15-16. John, in the vision, was looking into heaven and saw nothing like a paradise for these souls. Now follow the fulfillment of their request in Rev. 11:18, It is no secret that Satan would party, if he was able to have one of God’s children believe that death results in an automatic and instant transfer to the heavenly paradise.
This would suggest that Paul was wrong about the living, waiting for the dead to join Christ on His return to heaven as stated in 1 Thes. 4:15-18. Furthermore, there would be no need for Christ to return to earth, since the purpose of His second coming will be to take His followers back with Him Jn. 14:2, 1 Thes. 4:16-17, Matt. 16:27. If we all will die one day and go straight to heaven, then why not wait until we all die?
Jesus told the story of a rich man who enjoyed life to the fullest; and a beggar who stood by this rich man’s gate and begged; both died. The rich man was buried but the beggar was carried by angels into Abraham’s bosom, (where to? we know not.). In hell, the rich man saw the beggar in Abraham’s bosom and implored Abraham to have mercy on him and send the beggar with a tip of water on his finger to cool his tongue because the flame made him so tormented. Abraham reminded him, as father to son, that in his lifetime he had good things while the beggar had bad; but now the beggar was consoled and he was tormented. This conversation between Abraham and the rich man ended when he asked Abraham to send the beggar to preach to his 5 brothers and Abraham told him that if they refuse to hear Moses and the Prophets neither will they hear though one rose from the dead; read it all in Lk. 16:20-31.
This story remains a strong argument to those who maintain the ‘death to paradise’ highway with no stopping area. We must first consider the context under which Jesus told the story. The whole chapter dealt with the kingdom of God and this story is not excepted. In fact, it presented a perfect illustration of those who chose the world and all its pleasures versus those who chose the character of Christ. True, Abraham represents God in the story, the rich man represents those who refused to live according to His will; and the beggar, typifies the humble and God fearing. True, Abraham’s bosom represents a place of rest and comfort from all the hazards of life; but note that the story made no mention of a heavenly bliss or paradise as the bible would have it. On the contrary, from a biblical viewpoint Abraham’s bosom appears to be a holding place for the righteous and hell may well be the rest area for the unrighteous. This, most probably, is the reason Jesus used the Greek word ‘Hades’ for hell here; but in Lk. 12:5, addressing the same multitude, on fearing God, who alone is able to destroy their souls in hell, He used a different Greek word for hell, ‘Gehenna’ signifying complete. Remember Peter using the phrase ‘spirits in prison’ to illustrate the souls of unrighteous dead above noted? Compare that with the rich man who died and was buried. He went down to a place of torment (a prison, Hades, the grave), to await Gehenna, final destruction’.
Finally, God is not partial. Think about the days from Noah till now; was there ever an eternal destruction of the wicked of which there is no record? Why then should we assume that there are some righteous people who have been enjoying the heavenly bliss while we are still here suffering? I hope that you will garner some understanding of this subject in your expedition for truth.
