And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:42-43)
We know the problem. It sounds as if the Lord Jesus was promising the thief a place in paradise on that very day. Although our purpose is to discuss possible ways of dealing with this problem, we ought not to forget that the great purpose of this wonderful story is to teach us about the love of God through Christ, and the efficacy of real faith.
There are several objections to the popular view. The obvious one is expressed by asking: “Where was Jesus that day: And the next day? And the day after that?” It was several weeks later when he ascended to heaven; and any interpretation that requires us to believe that he went to heaven immediately must be wrong.
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Author: Peter Watkins
Keywords: semeron, Paradise, paradis today, In Hades, thief on the cross, comma, punctuate, today I say unto you, today you will be with me in Paradise, Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise, Be with me in paradise, This day you shall be with me in paradise, Thief paradise, immortality of the soul, immortal soul, soul is immortal, afterlife, intermediate state
Bible reference(s): Luke 23:42-43
Source: Some Difficult Passages, Book 1 (CIL).
Page indexed by: inWORD Bible Software.