Bible Question: Do we go directly to Heaven? Cuz in Luke we hear about the prisoner who asks Jesus to remember him and Jesus said he would be with him in Paradise today...but then John 5:29 says "and come out of their graves: those who have done good will rise and live, and those who have done evil will rise and be condemned" So is there a period of rest? Or do we go directly to Heaven? |
Bible Answer: continued from previous post... What about the promise Jesus gave to the thief on the cross? "Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." Jesus never lied yet three things show that He did not see that thief in heaven: (1) the Bible definition of death is eternal sleep; (2) after His resurrection (three days after He died) Jesus told Mary Magdalene that He had not yet gone to heaven but that He was going now. John 20:17; (3) That thief did not even die on that day. Note in John 19:31-33 that the thieves were taken down from their crosses while they were still alive and would have been put back on them after the Sabbath was over. What then did Jesus mean when He said, “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise”? The words have been translated accurately enough to make no difference, but notice that the original languages of the Bible have no punctuation. All the periods, commas, question marks, colons, etc. (as well as chapter and verse separation) were supplied by humans as they translated the originals into English. Could it be that the punctuation could change the meaning if put in the wrong place? Note again: "Verily I say unto thee, (comma) today shalt thou be with me in paradise". What if the comma has been misplaced and belongs after the word today and not before? "Verily I say unto thee today, thou shalt be with me in paradise". Instead of Jesus promising the thief that they would be in paradise THAT DAY, which was obviously a lie, He said, "I tell you this today (right now), that you will be with me in paradise". This was not a promise to be with Jesus that day in heaven but rather a promise given that day that at some later date the thief would be with Jesus in paradise. So Jesus did not lie and the Bible is still in harmony with itself. A human error was the cause of this confusion." Anyway, I hope this helps. I know I have only scratched the surface here. I have more information on this subject if you're interested. Just ask. David |