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NASB | Luke 23:43 And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Luke 23:43 Jesus said to him, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." [2 Cor 12:4; Rev 2:7] |
Bible Question: Is "Paradise" the same as heaven? |
Bible Answer: Paradise is not the same as heaven. Paradise was an underground compartment that was a place of comfort called Abraham's bosom (Luke 16:22) where all the Old Testament saints who had accepted the Lord were kept after death, awaiting the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Across from paradise was a place of agony, and between the two, God placed a chasm that was fixed so one could not pass over to the other. The good news is that when Jesus Christ died and was buried in the heart of the earth, he wasn't just lying there. He was conqueroring sin and death so that you and I may live with him in heaven for eternity. And when it was finished, I can just imagine Jesus handing the saints the keys to the kingdom of heaven just as he described to Peter in Matt. 16:19. I suppose the theif on the cross didn't have a very long stay in paradise. Revelation 1:18 says that Jesus Christ still holds the keys of death and Hades. Eventually, these people will be thrown into the lake of fire. Say yes to Jesus Christ. He is a free gift. God is a God of love, but he is also just. |