“This is paradise!” We’ve all said it, usually when we’ve entered a posh hotel or arrived on a lush tropical island. Millions of people refer to the Hawaiian islands, the Maldives, and the Virgin Islands - as paradise. Why? Because of their warm temperatures, beautiful beaches, and crystal-clear blue waters!
The word ‘paradise’ comes from the Old Persian word ‘Paradeizos’, meaning ‘enclosed garden.’ If you ever visit one of the World’s renowned gardens, like Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island, Canada, as I have - it might make you wonder what the ‘Garden of Eden’ was like. Over the centuries, many have equated the ‘Garden of Eden’ with ‘paradise,’ because of its peaceful, tranquil setting, and because it had everything Adam and Even needed to survive and thrive.
When Jesus told the thief on the cross that he would be with Christ in paradise, did He mean that He would take the thief back to the original ‘Garden of Eden?’ Not according to Scripture! The word ‘paradise’ only appears in your Bible 3 times and is never connected with the ‘Garden of Eden.’
The apostle Paul relates how he was once taken to paradise, saying, “I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord: I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— how he was caught up into Paradise.” (II CORINTHIANS 12:1-4). Here, the apostle Paul equates paradise with ‘the third heaven.,’ which is where God’s Himself resides.
The Apostle John echoes this connection, writing the words of Jesus Himself: “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” (REVELATION 2:7)
We read in the Gospels: “Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, ‘If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.’ But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.'“ (LUKE 23:39-43)
The Greek words of the New Testament contained no punctuation, so the translators put it in where they thought best, to make it more readable to us. But the comma in the text above should have been placed after the word ‘today’ instead of before it - because Jesus did not go to paradise ‘that day’ according to this next text: “Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, For I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ ” (JOHN 20:17) When Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, it had been 3 days & 3 nights since He had died, and yet He had still not ascended into heaven - where paradise is!
Jesus said to His disciples: “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.” (JOHN 3:13) According to Paul, the Saints do not go to heaven until the 1st resurrection: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” (I THESSALONIANS 4:16,17)
The Apostle John tells us where the Saints are taken at this resurrection of the dead: “And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb…” (REVELATION 15:2,3)
So when Christ returns, the thief who honored Him will rise up in the air to meet Jesus - and then be taken to the paradise of God - the 3rd heaven - along with all the rest of us who remain faithful to God.
Men have pursued paradise in many ways, establishing colonies and communes they thought would be an Eden like experience - but all such attempts have ultimately failed. But Jesus will succeed where other men have failed - by changing the nature of both men and animals, and chaining Satan the Devil for a thousand years, so that he can deceive the nations no more (REVELATION 20:1-3)
To learn more - watch our T.V. program at our Youtube site called ‘ORIGINAL CHRISTIANITY’ - and click on the video called ‘PARADISE RESTORED.’