So, there you have a picture of Hades. And where did one go to be by Abraham’s side? Only where Abraham was.
Paradise.
Jesus was crucified between two criminals. One turned to Jesus, even in his final moment, in faith. The other did not. To the one who did, Jesus said these words: “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43, NIV).
As mentioned, in the Old Testament, the word Sheol – meaning the place of the dead – was used to encompass both, and that it would either be Paradise or Hades depending on your life choices.
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But Heaven itself, as well as Hell, comes later when the places of the dead are emptied, and the Great Judgment takes place of all who have lived.
As Jesus taught:
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats…. Then they [the goats] will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous [the sheep] to eternal life. (Matthew 25:31-32,46, NIV)
It’s not that the teaching is disturbing as much as it is confusing, or new. We talk of people going to Heaven or Hell and that people who die in Christ are in Heaven. That is true. But between now and the events that will occur at the end of time – particularly the Great Judgment – the dead go to a place that reflects their choice, but which precedes the final judgment that will declare their final resting place.
Only for some, sadly, it will not involve rest.
If this weren’t a blog, but rather a tweet, I would here add a hashtag:
#EvangelismMatters
This article on heaven vs paradise originally appeared here, and is used by permission.
