“You will be with me in paradise” Luke 23:43

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: There are some that wrongly teach that we are judged immediately after death and go straight to heaven, to hell or to purgatory. They claim that, right now, there are saints, good, or assumed holy people already in heaven. We do not teach nor believe that to be true in the Church Of Christ, let’s find out why. 

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The Bible: the basis of our faith in the Church Of Christ, which answers questions about proper worship, the right relationship with God, and most importantly salvation. That’s in the Bible. 

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: I’m Bob Pellien, and welcome to the program, That’s in the Bible. Why are there preachers that believe and teach that people are judged immediately after death and go to the kingdom of heaven if they have done good? The answer primarily rests upon the famous statement of our Lord Jesus Christ recorded in Luke 23:43 when he spoke to the thief that was crucified next to him on the cross, but there is a false belief that has been embraced by many which is rooted in their misunderstanding and in fact misrepresenting of what our Lord Jesus Christ said as recorded in Luke 23:43. Here’s a quote from an article written by various Bible scholars on this website describing such a false belief. Here’s what they wrote: 

The narrative of the thief on the cross is found in the Gospel of Luke, specifically in chapter 23, verses 39-43. As Jesus was crucified, two criminals were also executed alongside Him, one on His right and the other on His left. …The promise, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise,” is a testament to the immediacy and certainty of salvation. The use of the word “today” emphasizes that the thief’s entry into paradise is not a distant hope but an imminent reality.

 The Thief on the Cross: Faith, Repentance, and Salvation; DivineNarratives.org 

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: We can see here dear friends how others make the conclusion based on Luke 23:43 that our Lord Jesus Christ and the thief went directly to heaven that very day. But we are certain that is not so.  So to help us in our discussion let’s break it all down and answer these questions today:

1. What did the Lord Jesus Christ promise to the thief as recorded in Luke 23:43?
2. Did Jesus and that repentant thief both go to paradise or the kingdom of heaven on that very day?
3. If Jesus and the thief did not enter paradise on that very day, does that mean that the promise of our Lord Jesus Christ was not fulfilled?
4. What is the correct translation of Luke 23:43?

Dear friends, let’s get to it. What did Jesus promise to the thief? Let’s take a look once again at His promise which is recorded, as I said, in Luke 23:43 again I quote: 

And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Luke 23:43 New King James Version

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: It is not hard to see, right, why some are convinced that this promise of our Lord Jesus Christ to the thief was that on that very day, they would be together in paradise. However, did Jesus and that repentant thief both go to the kingdom of heaven on that very day? That’s what we must check. First, what happened to Jesus on that day? If we just continue in that Luke chapter 23, let’s go ahead and read verses 52 and 53 where it says this: 

This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before.

Luke 23:52-53 New King James Version

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: Christ died and was buried in the tomb prepared for him by Joseph of Arimathea on that day. Did he immediately ascend into heaven along with the thief? No! But what happened to Jesus in the immediate days after his death? Luke 24:1-7 continues by saying this: 

Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ”

Luke 24:1-7 New King James Version 

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: Dear friends, Christ remained in his grave and it was not until three days later that he was resurrected from the dead and came out of his tomb. When did he ascend into heaven though? And, did he ascend together with the thief to whom he issued the promise on the cross? For that let’s turn to the book of Acts chapter 1, we’ll read verses 3 as well as 9 which reads this way: 

to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

Acts 1: 3 & 9 New King James Version

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: So the Bible teaches to us here dear friends that it was not until 40 days later that Jesus ascended into heaven. Another thing we can notice here is that he was alone when he ascended and was not accompanied by the thief on the cross to whom he issued his promise. Does this mean then that the promise of Jesus was not fulfilled? No! His promise in Luke 23:43 has been misunderstood by false preachers and has led many to believe in a false doctrine. The promise of Jesus was true, but we need to understand what he meant. Didn’t Jesus say “today you will be with me in paradise”? How could these both be true? Consider that he was dead for 3 days and lay in the tomb, then resurrected, but was also in paradise with the thief–it doesn’t add up, right? The answer becomes clear, many have simply misunderstood the meaning of this promise to the thief. If we look at the punctuation used in Luke 23:43 in other translations of the Bible we get a clearer understanding. One example is the New World Translation, and it records the following in Luke 23:43, it reads this way: 

And he said to him: “Truly I tell you today, you will be with me in Paradise.” 

Luke 23:43 New World Translation 

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: Did you notice the difference between what we just read versus what we read earlier from the New King James Version? There is a difference in punctuation and that changes the meaning of the sentence and it’s based on the placement of the comma after the word “today”. We just read that Jesus said “Truly I tell you today,”.

Dear friends, here is another translation of the Bible that uses the clear and correct punctuation or the correct placement of the comma in Luke 23:43 here in the Concordant Literal New Testament, I quote:  

And Jesus said to him, “Verily, to you am I saying today, with me shall you be in Paradise.” 

Luke 23:43 Concordant Literal New Testament 1978

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: We can clearly see here then dear friends in these two translations where the comma is placed after the word “today” instead of before it, it now renders the promise of our Lord Jesus Christ made to the thief very clear. His promise was a promise made on that very day to the thief that he would be with Jesus in paradise–at another time. 

What is the correct translation then of Luke 23:43? Dear friends, there is an important difference between the translation renderings of Luke 23:43. One way of punctuating the sentence implies that Jesus and the thief would be in paradise that very day, the other way of punctuating the sentence indicates Jesus’ emphasis that he was making the promise “today”.  

So one should not be confused by the misplacement of the comma in Luke 23:43. 

Today was the day Jesus issued his promise to the thief, however the fulfillment of the promise was to be at another time. Why do we believe that, and when would that be? Consider dear friends what is also recorded here in the Holy Scriptures, this time from the Apostle John in chapter 5 verse 28-29:  

Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

John 5:28-29 New King James Version 

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: So the promise of Jesus to the thief will be fulfilled on the day when all of the dead will be resurrected to be judged, and of course that will be on Judgement Day.  Until then, the Bible teaches the dead remain in their graves. That is why the Church Of Christ does not teach that when our loved ones have passed away that they go straight to heaven, straight to hell or to purgatory, which by the way, purgatory isn’t even a place described in the Bible. We believe that they will remain, just like the thief, in their graves, and we hold onto the promise of Jesus that we will be in paradise together on the upcoming Day of Judgement. 

So, let’s review the questions that we began with and let’s see what the Bible has revealed to us: 

1. What did Jesus promise to the thief as recorded in Luke 23:43?
   
   Jesus promised the thief that he would be with Jesus in paradise.

2. Did Our Lord Jesus and that repentant thief both go to paradise or the kingdom of heaven on that very day?

   No, Jesus ascended into heaven many days later and the thief will join him on Judgement Day as the Lord Jesus promised.

3. If Jesus and the thief did not enter paradise on that very day does that mean that the promise of our Lord Jesus Christ was not fulfilled?We learn that It will be fulfilled when the thief joins him in paradise on Judgement Day.
4. What is the correct translation of Luke 23:43?

   Jesus promised the thief on the day they were being crucified that he would be in paradise, but the promise was not to be fulfilled on that very day but later. Any translation that upholds that truth, is correct – and That’s in the Bible.
   

We’d like you to continue learning about the teachings of the Bible taught here inside  the Iglesia Ni Cristo, Church Of Christ. To do so, please visit us online and browse the different topics or set up an appointment to meet with a minister of the gospel. If you have any questions about the Bible or salvation, please email them to us. I’m Bob Pellien. Thanks for watching. See you next time on That’s in the Bible!