About Heaven: What Happened to the Thief on the Cross? A Biblical Examination

About Heaven: What Happened to the Thief on the Cross? A Biblical Examination

Introduction

Jesus made a very special, but often misunderstood, promise to a thief who was on a cross next to His. This promise is used by some who study the Bible to prove that entrance into heaven awaits good people right after they die. Near death, a convicted thief asks Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom" (Luke 23:42). Jesus answered, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise" (verse 43). But what do these Bible verses actually mean? Did Jesus give someone who stole eternal life on the spot?

Further still, if the thief on the cross did not go to paradise or heaven when he died, then where did he go? Did Jesus receive His Kingdom and appear before God right after death? If not, what happened to him? Does the Bible support heaven as the reward given to the righteous when they are resurrected, and does it tell us where it is located?

This article will answer these questions about heaven directly from your Bible. These answers will help us understand some of the truth behind God's great plan for man and the true reward in store for those who love Him. We will briefly take a look at four facts that will aid us in finding what Jesus' answer actually means: the length of time Jesus was dead after the cross, the time when Jesus is prophesied to receive His kingdom, the location of heaven and paradise, and the correct translation of what Jesus said to the thief.

Three Days and Three Nights

Since Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, the Jews demanded a sign to prove His claim. Jesus could give them no better proof than the literal fulfillment of the well‑known sign of Jonah. This sign was the only one Jesus gave in the Bible that is a direct response to those who questioned who He really was and demanded He prove it. Jesus declared, "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matthew 12:39–40). Jesus was speaking of being dead and buried.

Note that Jonah was in the belly of a fish for three days and three nights. Since we know there are twenty‑four hours in a complete day, once we know how long Jesus meant by a day, we will know how long He was dead as the sign of His Messiahship. We have our answer about the length of a day from Jesus Himself: "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world" (John 11:9). Twelve hours in a day means a night must be twelve hours long as well, for a total of twenty‑four hours.

Jonah's sign was three days and three nights long. Three days is equal to thirty‑six hours; three nights are also thirty‑six hours. Adding them together we get seventy‑two hours, or three complete days. Jesus could not have been in paradise after His death on the cross because He was dead—unconscious—and according to His own prophecy He would stay in this state for seventy‑two hours. If Jesus was not in paradise or heaven, neither was the thief.

But if Jesus did not enter heaven right after death, then when did He? In the very early hours of daylight on April 9, A.D. 30, Jesus told Mary Magdalene directly that He had not yet ascended to heaven (John 20:17). In fulfillment of His own prophecy, Jesus was dead for three complete days, resurrected, and then sometime afterward He ascended. The thief who died was still dead and unconscious when Jesus ascended to God.

The Time When Jesus Receives His Kingdom

To understand what Jesus meant by "today you will be with Me in Paradise," we must also consider when Jesus was to receive His kingdom. The prophecy in Daniel 7:13–14 speaks of the Son of Man coming to the Ancient of Days to receive dominion and glory and a kingdom. This reception happens in heaven, before the throne of God, not on earth. Jesus had not yet ascended to the Father at the time of His crucifixion; He had not yet received the kingdom. The thief's request was, "Remember me when You come into Your kingdom"—a future event. Jesus' reply, "today you will be with Me in Paradise," must be understood in light of that future kingdom, not as a promise of immediate entry into heaven.

The Scriptures teach that the righteous will be resurrected at the last day (John 6:39–40, 44, 54). Paul writes that the dead in Christ will rise first, and then together with the living they will be caught up to meet the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17). The reward of eternal life is given at the resurrection, not at the moment of death. The thief on the cross, therefore, is still awaiting that resurrection.

The Location of Heaven and Paradise

Paradise is often equated with heaven, but the Bible uses the term in different ways. In the New Testament, paradise appears only three times: in Luke 23:43, in 2 Corinthians 12:4 (where Paul speaks of being caught up to paradise), and in Revelation 2:7 (where the tree of life is in the paradise of God). These references point to a heavenly realm, but they do not teach that the dead immediately go there. Rather, paradise is the abode of God and the angels, a place that will be fully realized after the resurrection and the new creation.

Jesus told Mary that He had not yet ascended to the Father (John 20:17). If Jesus had not yet gone to heaven after His resurrection, how could He have been in paradise with the thief on the very day of His death? The answer is that He could not have been. Therefore, the common interpretation that the thief went to heaven immediately is not supported by the full testimony of Scripture.

The Correct Translation of What Jesus Said

The key to understanding Luke 23:43 lies in the placement of the comma. In the original Greek, there were no punctuation marks. The verse reads, "Amen, I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise." Many translations place the comma after "you," giving the impression that Jesus was saying, "I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." However, the punctuation could just as easily be placed after "today," so that the verse reads, "I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise"—that is, Jesus was making a solemn declaration on that very day about a future event. The phrase "I say to you today" is a common Hebrew idiom for making an emphatic statement. In Deuteronomy 4:26, for example, Moses says, "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today," meaning "on this day I declare." Similarly, Jesus was giving a solemn promise to the thief that he would indeed be with Him in paradise, but not necessarily on that same day.

This understanding harmonizes perfectly with the rest of Scripture. Jesus was dead for three days and three nights, He had not yet ascended to the Father, and the resurrection of the righteous occurs at the last day. The thief will be with Jesus in paradise at the resurrection, not at the moment of death.

The Clear Conclusion

The promise to the thief on the cross is not a proof text for the immediate entrance of the soul into heaven at death. Rather, it is a guarantee that the thief would share in the future kingdom of Christ. Jesus was dead for three full days, unconscious, and after His resurrection He had not yet ascended to the Father. The kingdom is received at a future time, and the resurrection of the dead is the appointed time when believers will receive eternal life.

The Bible consistently teaches that the dead are unconscious, awaiting the resurrection. Solomon wrote, "The living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing" (Ecclesiastes 9:5). Peter declared that David is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day (Acts 2:29). David did not ascend to heaven, and neither have the faithful who have died. Their hope is the resurrection, when Christ will call them forth from the grave.

Jesus' words to the thief were a powerful assurance of salvation—a promise of eternal life in the coming kingdom. That is the true hope of the Gospel. It is not a ticket to heaven immediately after death, but a confident expectation of the resurrection and the life of the age to come. As Jesus Himself said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live" (John 11:25). That life is yet future, but it is certain for all who trust in Him.

This article is based on a careful examination of Scripture, including Matthew 12:39–40, John 11:9, John 20:17, Luke 23:42–43, Daniel 7:13–14, 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17, and Ecclesiastes 9:5. For further study, consider reading the full accounts of the resurrection and the prophecies concerning the kingdom.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Did the thief go to heaven immediately after he died?

A: No. Scripture teaches that the dead are unconscious and await the resurrection. Jesus was dead for three days and had not yet ascended to the Father after His resurrection. The thief will be with Christ in paradise at the resurrection, not at the moment of death.

Q: What did Jesus mean by "today you will be with Me in Paradise"?

A: The punctuation in the Greek is not inspired. The phrase can be read as "I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise," meaning Jesus made a solemn declaration on that day about a future event. It is an emphatic promise of salvation, not a timetable for immediate entry into heaven.

Q: Where is paradise located?

A: Paradise is the heavenly realm where God dwells. However, it is not a place the dead enter immediately upon death. The full realization of paradise comes after the resurrection and the new creation, when God's people will be with Him forever.

Q: Doesn't Paul say that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord?

A: Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 5:8 express his desire to be with the Lord, but they do not teach that death brings immediate presence with the Lord. Paul also taught that the dead are raised at the last day (1 Corinthians 15). His statement expresses confidence that the believer's destiny is secure, not that the intermediate state is conscious awareness in heaven.

Q: Why is the resurrection so important?

A: The resurrection is the cornerstone of Christian hope. Without it, our faith is futile (1 Corinthians 15:17). The resurrection is the time when the dead in Christ are raised to immortal life, and it is then that they receive the fullness of the kingdom. Until that day, they rest in the grave, awaiting the voice of the Son of God.

Q: Should we still hope to go to heaven when we die?

A: Our ultimate hope is not to go to heaven at death, but to be raised to eternal life at the resurrection of the just. Jesus promised that those who believe in Him will live, even though they die (John 11:25). That life is a future resurrection, and that is the blessed hope of every believer.