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I'm confused because Jesus stated otherwise when He told the thief dying beside Him on the cross, "Today you will be with Me in Paradise."
Two important principles of Bible study are to read a difficult-to-understand verse in its context and then in the broader context of the entire Bible. The meaning of this verse must agree with the rest of the Bible, for "the Scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35).
So let's look at the context in which Christ made this statement. He was replying to the thief's plea, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom" (Luke 23:42). This man clearly understood that Christ would be resurrected to life again and would inherit His Kingdom.
The broader context of the entire Bible tells us that Jesus' Kingdom referred to here is the rule of God's government over the entire earth, with Christ as its King. Who will enter that Kingdom? The "sheep" of His flock, or Christians, will inherit the Kingdom at the return of Christ (Matthew 25:31-34; Daniel 7:27). Human beings, "flesh and blood," cannot inherit that Kingdom but must be transformed into spirit (1 Corinthians 15:51-53).
It is unreasonable to think that the thief was instantly converted with no opportunity to grow in God's way of life. He may have been sorrowful for his mistakes, but he had no opportunity to live a life of obedience to God-all aspects of the biblically revealed process of conversion. Contrary to stories people tell of "deathbed repentance," conversion does not occur instantaneously. The thief merely made a positive comment about Jesus Christ, and Christ spoke comforting words to him in return.
We also need to answer this question: Did Jesus Himself enter "paradise" that day? By His own mouth, He was in the grave for the next three days and three nights (Matthew 12:40). This, in itself, tells you that the thief did not join Christ anywhere that day-certainly not in heaven. During this time He "was dead" (Revelation 1:9), not in some disembodied afterlife with the thief. Several days later, when Jesus revealed Himself to Mary after He had been resurrected, He plainly told her that He had "not yet ascended to [His] Father" in heaven (John 20:17).
What, then, is the accurate way to understand what Christ said to the thief? The New King James Version reads, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." However, the Greek text of the Scriptures has no punctuation. Translators added it to make the reading easier. In this instance, however, the misplaced punctuation leads to misunderstanding.
If we remove the comma after "you" and instead place it after "today," the meaning changes significantly-and agrees with the rest of the Bible. It correctly reads, "Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with me in Paradise." Christ gave the thief the promise on the day they were dying that he would (eventually, but not that same day) be with Christ when He rules over the earth.
Our free study guides The Gospel of the Kingdom , Transforming Your Life-The Process of Conversion and What Happens After Death? (from which these answers are adapted) add more information about these topics.
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