At the cross, Jesus is surrounded by two thieves, one on each side of him. One mocks him, asking why he doesn’t set them all free if he’s the son of God. The other berates the first, reminding him that they were being crucified for their own sins, yet Jesus was blameless. He asks the Jesus remember him when His kingdom comes - a plea of faith - to which Jesus responds “today you will join me in paradise.”
What is paradise? Why didn’t he say heaven?
At the time, sheol was effectively the underworld, though literally “the grave.” Paradise was considered to be a part of this underworld where the good souls were held until the coming of Messiah and his kingdom, at which time they would be resurrected into their new bodies. Heaven, conversely, was always considered the realm of God and angels only. While a human may visit, no human remains in heaven.
In my personal belief, I hold that Jesus, upon death, went to sheol along with the likes of Abraham, Moses, Abel, and others. The story of Lazarus (the parable), we hear of a “great gulf” that separated the two, yet they are near enough each other to see one another. I believe that was a description of sheol and paradise. When he took death captive and rose, we know that a first fruits offering of the souls of the saints was given to God. We see this in Matthew where graves are opened in the Saturday night of Jesus’s resurrection. I believe he brought paradise with him and presented them as first fruits to God. At the return of Messiah, they will be a part of the army that he rides with (Rev 19).
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