Answer
Paradise is a blessed place where the righteous go after death. The term paradise is commonly used interchangeably with “heaven” «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. », (Revelation 2:7).
When Jesus was crucified and one of the thieves being crucified with Him asked for mercy, Jesus responded, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” «And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. », (Luke 23:43). Jesus knew His death was near and that He would soon be in heaven with His Father. Therefore, Jesus used “paradise” to mean “heaven.” The apostle Paul mentioned someone (likely himself) who “was caught up to paradise” «And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) », (2 Corinthians 12:3). In this context, paradise clearly refers to heaven.
There has always been a division between believers and unbelievers after death (Luke 16:19-31). The righteous have consistently entered paradise, while the wicked have gone to hell. Currently, both paradise and hell serve as “temporary holding places” until the day when Jesus Christ returns to judge the world based on individuals’ belief in Him. The first resurrection involves believers who will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ to receive rewards for their faithful service to Him. The second resurrection will be…
That of unbelievers who will stand before the Great White Throne Judgment of God. At that point, all will be sent to their eternal destination—the wicked to the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15), and the righteous to a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21—22).
There are cases in which paradise can refer to the Garden of Eden, such as in the Douay-Rheims translation of Genesis 3:8, which speaks of Adam and Eve hiding “amidst the trees of paradise.” The context of the word will determine whether it refers to heaven or Eden.
Answer Although the Bible provides limited information about the nature of heaven, it suggests that…
Answer A near-death experience (NDE) occurs when a person is on the verge of death…
Answer Isaiah 65:17 states, “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and…
Response In Luke 23:43, Jesus stated, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with…
Answer The Bible tells us that “all the days ordained for me were written in…
Response To reincarnate is, literally, to “incarnate again”; that is, reincarnation is a “rebirth” into…