ABOUT HEAVEN (1)

1. Introduction

a) 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?

b) Further still, if the thief on the cross did not go to paradise / 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?

c) This article will answer the above questions about heaven right 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.

i) The length of time Jesus was dead after the cross

ii) The time when Jesus is prophesied to receive his kingdom

iii) The location of heaven / paradise

iv) The correct translation of what Jesus said to the thief

2. Three days and three nights

a) 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.

i) "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 (dead and buried)." (Matthew 12:39-40)

b) 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 means by a DAY we'll known how long he was dead as the sign of his Messiahship. We have our answer about the length of day from Jesus himself:

i) " . . . 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)

c) Twelve hours in a day means a night must be twelve hours long as well (for 24 hours total). Jonah's sign was three days AND three nights long. Three days is equal to 3 times 12 or 36 hours. Three nights are also 36 hours long (3 * 12). Adding them together we get 72 hours, or three complete days!

d) Jesus could NOT have been in paradise after his death on the cross because he was DEAD - unconscious - and according to his own prophecy would stay in this state for 72 hours. If Jesus was not in paradise / heaven, neither was the thief! But, if Jesus didn't enter it right after death, then when did he? In the very early hours of daylight on April 9, 30 A.D. Jesus told Mary Magdalene directly that he had NOT ascended to heaven yet (John 20:17)!

e) In fulfillment of his own prophecy Jesus was dead for three complete days, resurrected, then sometime afterward he ascended. The thief who died was still dead and unconscious when Jesus ascended to God.