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The
Thief
on the
Cross
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This study is a difficult one. To understand it,
you really should read the previous lesson
Does Anyone Go Directly to
Heaven? The story of the thief on the cross
is more complicated that you would expect. If you
are really and truly interested in what the bible
says about what happens when we die, you should
carefully
consider the scriptures in this
study.
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If you would rather remain simplistic in your beliefs and
stick to preconceived notions, then this website is not
meant for you. If you want believe the status quo, then
leave now. On the other hand, you can stick around and
consider what the Word really says.
Here is the starting point. One of the "arguments" that
people use to prove that the dead go directly to heaven (or
hell) when they die is the experience of the thief on the
cross. There are two major points to consider when looking
at the thief on the cross.
Point
# 1
The thief went to
paradise which is
not
the same as heaven!
The story of the thief pertains to the day that Jesus
died on the cross. There were two thieves who were crucified
on that day with Jesus. One criminal hurled insults at Jesus
while the other recognized his own wrong doing.
Let's read the story...
Luke 23:39 And one of the
malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If
thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other
answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God,
seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed
justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but
this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus,
Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And
Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today
shalt thou be with me in paradise.
What did Jesus mean,. "...today you will be with me in
paradise"?
Did he mean to say that the thief would join him in
"heaven" on that very day? In the previous lesson on
Does Anyone Go Directly to
Heaven, we saw that while Jesus body lay in the tomb,
he went to a place to preach to spirits of the dead.
Jesus went to Hades -
the unseen world of the dead. On the day that Jesus died, he
went to Hades, he did NOT go to heaven on that day!
After the resurrection,
Jesus ascended into
heaven. Let's examine it
from another angle.
To know for sure, we
must define the word
PARADISE and then compare it to the definition of
HEAVEN.
Definition of Paradise
The word paradise the original language, Greek, is
"paradeisos" which is defined
as "a park, an eden, or place of
future happiness." Is this the same as "heaven?"
In the previous lesson, we discussed the fact that Jesus
was caught up in the sky and taken to heaven. He was taken
to a place called "heaven" and the Greek word for heaven is
"ouranos" which means elevation to air, sky, the
abode of God. Heaven (THE heaven) is
the abode of God.
Remember that Jesus said that NO man
has ascended into heaven, except himself: John 3:13
And
no
man hath ascended up to
heaven, but he that came down
from heaven, even the Son of man which is in
heaven.
The two words, "paradise" and "heaven" are different AND
their definitions are different. Don't you think that IF the
thief's spirit had gone to heaven, Jesus would have used the
word "Ouranos" rather than "Paradeisos" or paradise. One is
the abode of God, the other is a park. Since Jesus said
"NO man has entered
heaven" then it seems obvious that paradise and
heaven are not
exactly in the
same
place.
What if I could show you that paradise is
the third
level of
heaven?
Stay with me on this!
Let's look at a scripture that says just that:
2 Corinthians 12: 2-4 I
knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether
in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I
cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the
third
heaven. And I knew such
a man... How that he was caught up into
paradise,
and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a
man to utter.
I made the following diagram to
help you visualize this. It combines the Hebrew teachings
about the seven levels
of heaven, how the levels go
from
matter
to
heat
to
light
and then to pure
thought, and I combined
that with hades, and Heaven (the abode of God).
According to this scripture, the thief went to the third
level, called paradise. It says, he went to the
third heaven and in the
same verse this place is called
paradise! It is a
wonderful park, but it is not as close to God (the same
place that Jesus went) the abode of God! Two different words
are used: One is "Paradeisios" and the other is "Ouranos".
The terms are different and the definitions are different.
Therefore, we must conclude that it is not the same
place.
What is in this paradise, this park? All I know is that
the tree of life exists there.
Revelations 2:7 He that
hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of
the tree of life, which is in the midst of the
paradise
of God.
According to ancient Jews, the "third heaven" seems to
have been a common stopping-point in the spirit's journey,
and it is mentioned in historic Jewish works. The Talmud
relates how a group of Rabbis discoursed so impressively
about Ezekiel's mysterious vision of the heavenly chariot,
that a heavenly voice was prompted to announce: "A place is
prepared to you, and a table is set for you--you and your
students are admitted to the third level."
As far as I can tell from the scriptures, paradise is a
wonderful place of God, in which eternal life exists, but it
is not place as close to God as where Jesus exists.
Paradise and heaven are
not
exactly the
same place.
In a previous lesson, we also discussed Lazarus. His
spirit exists in a realm called
hades, a place of comfort. It
seems reasonable that it is the same place that thief went
to - a place called
paradise - the
third level of
heaven.
I found a scripture that is interesting.
What do you think of this?
Zechariah 13: 8-9 And it
shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD,
two parts therein shall be cut off and
die; but the
third
shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part
through the fire, and will refine them as silver is
refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall
call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is
my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.
This is
my
Theory
In my opinion, based on allot of study (not included in this
website) we are on level 1 right now. We are matter. When
our spirit separates from our body then we will go to
another level. If your spirit is dark, it will stay in level
2 in darkness. If your spirit is light, it will pass through
level 2 and go to the third level called
paradise. My spirit cannot possibly get stuck in
level 2 in darkness because I have been "enlightened." My
soul is not in darkness, but in the light. So, I think that
I will go to paradise, level 3, and I will meet Abraham,
Lazarus, and the thief who died on the cross. And we all
will stay there until the day of judgment. On the day of
judgement, level one and two will be cut off and all the
souls/spirits therein will die. The saints will become
higher than the angels and will be in the presence of God -
level seven. I know there is a
scripture that says we (Christians) will be
higher
than the
angels,
but I cannot find it. If you know where it is, please email
it to me! I would like to include it here.
So, a "simplistic" view of heaven and hell just won't do for
me! The scriptures tell the story, but it does take some
study to examine all the details. Argument number one is
that the thief did not go to heaven, per se'.
It is not the typical place that we call "Heaven." He did
not go to
the same place that
Jesus resides, the abode of God.
No,
he went to place by a
different name,
paradise, which is the
third level of
heaven.
Point
#2
We should not compare
ourselves to the thief on the cross, because he lived under
the old law. Many people say, "No way! We do not need to be
baptized for forgiveness because the thief on the
cross was not baptized!" To understand how and when we get
forgiven, you need to read the section on
The Truth About How to Get Into
Jesus.
Many people use the story of the thief on the cross to
"prove" that water baptism, or being baptized into Christ,
is unnecessary for salvation. After all, the thief was not
baptized. He made a "death bed confession" so to say. In
order to understand, we must consider that the thief lived
under the old law.
While Jesus was alive, John the Baptist baptized for the
purpose of repentance, to prepare the way for the coming of
the Savior. AFTER the death and
resurrection, however, the apostles baptized people for a
different reason. In fact many people
were re-baptized. A passage in Romans chapter 6 explains the
purpose of baptism...
Romans 6:3-5 Know ye not,
that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus
Christ were baptized
into his
death?
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into
death: that like as Christ was raised up from the
dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should
walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted
together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also
in the likeness of his resurrection...
The thief on the cross died
BEFORE the death and
resurrection of Christ. Like Abraham, he was justified by
the fact that he believed in God and it was credited to him
as righteousness.
Romans 4:3 Abraham
believed God, and it was counted unto him for
righteousness.
Like Abraham, the thief on the cross was under the old
covenant. You and I are living
AFTER
the death and resurrection, therefore
baptism
into Christ's death and resurrection
IS relevant for us now!
How could the thief be baptized
into the death and resurrection of Jesus if he died BEFORE
the death and resurrection of Jesus? Baptism into the
death and resurrection was irrelevant for the thief on the
cross. Neither Abraham, Moses, or any of the prophets were
baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus, for they
all lived before that time. They were under the old law. So
too, the thief was under the old law.
Before Jesus died and was resurrected, many people were
baptized by John the Baptist for repentance. However, John
baptized BEFORE the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, his baptism was only for repentance. See for
yourself, in the book of Acts, there are stories of all
conversions. After the resurrection of Christ,
people were baptized AGAIN into
the death and resurrection of Jesus for
forgiveness of sins.
You and I live
AFTER
the death and resurrection,
therefore, being baptized into the death and resurrection of
Christ
IS
relevant now!
Summary
You and I are living in a different time than
that of the thief on the cross. He died BEFORE the
resurrection took place. Therefore, when
people make the assumption that water baptism is not an
essential part of salvation because the thief on the cross
was not baptized, you
need to realize that argument is irrelevant! You are
under the New Law, the blood of Christ, and you should be
baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus so that
you may share in the resurrection someday.
Romans 6: 3 + 5 Know ye
not, that so many of us as were baptized into
Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? For
if
we have been planted together in the likeness
of his death, we shall be also in the
likeness of his
resurrection...
There you have
it!
If
you
want to share in the likeness of the
resurrection,
then you need to be baptized into Christ's death and
resurrection. If you are still not sure of this fact, please
read What
Must I Do to be Saved? The Best Kept
Secret.
The next study is on the Resurrection
and the
Rapture.
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