About Heaven: The Misplaced Comma and the Promise to the Thief

About Heaven: The Misplaced Comma and the Promise to the Thief

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?

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.

An Error in Punctuation

The account of the thief on the cross is found in Luke 23:39–43. The passage reads: "Then one of the malefactors who was hanging there railed at Him, saying, 'If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.' But the other one answered and rebuked him, saying, 'Do not even you fear God, you who are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving due payment for what we did; but this man did nothing wrong.' Then he said to Jesus, 'Remember me, Lord, when You come into Your kingdom.' And Jesus said to him, 'Truly, I tell you today, you shall be with Me in paradise'" (Luke 23:39–43, HBFV).

The New King James Version renders the last part of verse 43 as: "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43, NKJV). It is hard to believe that a simple misplaced punctuation mark—a little comma—would be the catalyst for a major false teaching. Yet this is exactly what has occurred in Luke 23:43. Not only does the NKJV translation have a comma before the word "today," but so do the KJV, NIV, NASB, NRSV, NLT, and other Bibles as well. The HCSB places a colon before the word "today."

Look again at the above NKJV translation of Luke 23:43. The original Greek did not have punctuation marks as we do today. Translators placed a comma before the word "today" in the sentence in an attempt to clarify the sentence's meaning. Instead, their punctuation placement gives the false impression that Jesus entered heaven or paradise on the day He died. As we have seen, after the cross Jesus was completely dead and unconscious for three days and three nights in the grave. Based on the Bible and the prophecy given by Jesus Himself that He would be dead for seventy‑two hours (Matthew 12:39–40), it was not possible that He was taken anywhere after His death except the grave—and therefore He did not take the thief into heaven.

What Should Be the Correct Punctuation?

The correct translation of Luke 23:43 is found in the Holy Bible in Its Original Order – A Faithful Version (HBFV) translation: "Truly, I tell you today, you shall be with Me in paradise." The correct punctuation of this verse shows that Jesus was stressing the time His promise was made, not the time He would be in paradise or heaven. He was making a solemn declaration on that very day about a future event.

Other verses also stress the time something is said or done and not the time the event is to occur. For example, in Deuteronomy 4:25–26, Moses declares: "When you beget children and grandchildren and have grown old in the land, and act corruptly and do evil in the sight of the Lord your God to provoke Him to anger, I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that you will soon utterly perish from the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess." God is emphasizing the day He warned the children of Israel that there would be consequences if they sinned. Putting a comma before the words "this day" would imply the Israelites were going to die right after God spoke to them—which obviously makes no sense, since the Israelites did travel through the Jordan with Joshua and began to take possession of their inheritance.

Similarly, when Jesus said, "I tell you today," He was using a common Hebrew idiom for making an emphatic statement. The emphasis is on the solemnity of the promise, not on the timing of its fulfillment.

The Length of Time Jesus Was Dead

Jesus gave the sign of Jonah as the only proof of His Messiahship: "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 dead and buried for seventy‑two hours. During that time, He was unconscious, not in paradise. The Bible describes death as a state of unconsciousness: "The living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing" (Ecclesiastes 9:5). If Jesus was dead and unconscious, He could not have been in paradise with the thief. The thief, likewise, was dead and unconscious, awaiting the resurrection.

The Time When Jesus Receives His Kingdom

The thief asked Jesus to remember him when He came into His kingdom. But when does Jesus receive His kingdom? According to prophecy, the kingdom will be established at His Second Coming. Daniel wrote: "And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed" (Daniel 2:44). The kingdom is a future reality, not something that was inaugurated at the cross. Jesus had not yet received His kingdom at the time of His crucifixion. Therefore, the thief could not have entered the kingdom immediately upon death. He must await the establishment of the kingdom at Christ's return.

The Location of Paradise

Jesus promised the thief that he would be with Him in paradise. But where is paradise located? The book of Revelation reveals that the tree of life is "in the midst of the Paradise of God" (Revelation 2:7). The tree of life is later described as being in the New Jerusalem, which comes down from heaven to the new earth (Revelation 21:1–3, 22:1–2). This means that paradise is not a place believers go to when they die; it is a future place that comes to the earth at the culmination of God's plan. The New Jerusalem had not yet been created at the time of the crucifixion, and it will not be created until after the thousand‑year reign of Christ. The thief could not have entered paradise immediately upon death because paradise itself was still future.

The State of the Dead

The Bible consistently teaches that the dead are unconscious, awaiting the resurrection. 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. Paul writes that the dead in Christ will rise first at the Second Coming (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17), and that the resurrection is the appointed time for believers to receive eternal life (1 Corinthians 15:51–52).

In Conclusion

Jesus did not promise the thief on the cross immediate entrance into heaven or paradise—a reward that the Bible states even King David had not yet received (Acts 2:29). Jesus did see, however, the beginning of repentance that the thief had. He knew that the man would be resurrected in the resurrection of the dead and given a full chance at salvation. From his attitude, Jesus knew that the man would fully repent, receive God's Spirit, and eventually be given the gift of eternal life.

The promise to the thief 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 paradise of God. 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. Paradise is located in the New Jerusalem, which comes down from heaven to the new earth. The thief, like all the faithful who have died, remains asleep in death, awaiting the resurrection at the last day.

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 Luke 23:39–43, Matthew 12:39–40, Deuteronomy 4:25–26, Ecclesiastes 9:5, Acts 2:29, Revelation 2:7, Revelation 21:1–3, Revelation 22:1–2, and 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17. 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 correct reading is "I tell you today, you will be with Me in paradise." The emphasis is on the time the promise was made, not the time of its fulfillment. Jesus was making a solemn declaration on that day about a future event.

Q: Why do most Bible translations place the comma before "today"?

A: Translators placed the comma before "today" in an attempt to clarify the sentence, but this punctuation placement gives a false impression. The original Greek had no punctuation marks, and the context of the rest of Scripture shows that Jesus could not have entered paradise on the day of His death.

Q: Where is paradise located?

A: Paradise is located in the New Jerusalem, which comes down from heaven to the new earth. The tree of life is in the midst of paradise, and the redeemed will dwell there with God forever.

Q: When does Jesus receive His kingdom?

A: According to prophecy, Jesus receives His kingdom at His Second Coming. The kingdom is not fully established until that time, when Christ returns to reign on the earth.

Q: What happens to believers when they die?

A: Believers who die rest in the grave, unconscious, until the resurrection. Their hope is not in going to heaven at death, but in being raised to eternal life at the last day.

Q: If we don't go to heaven when we die, what is the hope of the Gospel?

A: The hope of the Gospel is the resurrection of the dead and the establishment of God's kingdom on the earth, culminating in the New Jerusalem. Believers will be raised from the dead and will dwell with God forever in the restored paradise. This is the true hope that sustains us.