"Paradise" means "with Him"

The Word for today:
John 11:28-44

mark this: John 11:43-44 --
Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"

{"Stand in the Rain" has received many questions concerning the afterlife. So in John chapter 11, as Jesus commands Lazarus to come forth from the grave, we thought we'd try to provide some answers. Yesterday we looked in general at what life and death mean in scripture. Today we will look at questions concerning what awaits the particular person who is facing death.}

Q. Jesus, in Luke 23, said to the thief on the cross, "Today you will be with me in paradise."
What, specifically, does 'paradise' mean? Can you provide some insights? At my small group tonight this was a topic of discussion, so I am doing some follow-up research on the topic.

A. Well, I can give you the Official Bible Teacher's Answer--all about Sheol and Hades and the Place of Torment and Abraham's Bosom. That answer is sure to impress many.

But, instead, I'll give you my answer. It isn't half as impressive-sounding, but it's the answer to your question...

Jesus in Luke 23:43 was using the term "paradise" in a broader sense, communicating reassurance to the thief that he would be saved--that he'd be going to what we think of as heaven. No need to get more technical than that.

The key to answering the question is: what did the thief 'hear' when Jesus said "paradise." It was the thief He was communicating with. So He would, of course, speak in terms the thief could understand. And because the thief was probably not highly trained in the technical specifications of the afterlife, Jesus used the broad understanding of the term "paradise."

Therefore all discussions of Gehenna, Hades, Sheol, Place of Torment, Abraham's bosom, etc., are probably not included in Jesus' assurance to the dying thief. Jesus' was communicating assurance of salvation: "You will be with me..."

When discussing the life after death, we can get hung up on time and place. Both are misleading. Heaven is a relationship with Jesus. So "with me," more than "paradise," is the definitive answer.

In the same way, "hell" can be technically confusing, especially since so many different biblical terms are used to describe "hell." But the only satisfactory definition I know of "hell" is "without Jesus." Hell is the lack of that Person who is Heaven.

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Q. My Aunt Audrey, a sincere believer, died just a week ago. Where is she right now?

A. Audrey--the essential Audrey, her soul--is with Jesus right now! (See 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23). But her body awaits glorification and reunion with her soul. This will occur at an event known as the "Rapture" of the church:

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

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As with Aunt Audrey, so too with the thief. He is with Jesus as we speak. But his body will not reunify with his soul until a future time. Remember that resurrection is never about the soul. Resurrection is always about the body.