Luke 23:41-44 - "Today You Will Be With Me in Paradise"

Welcometo Pastor's Chat as we continue to look at Luke 23. Jesus is on the cross inthe passages we've been reading and discussing. Today, in verse 43, Jesus spoketo the thief on the cross next to Him who had repented, who had recognized thatJesus Christ is the Son of God, sinless, stainless, blameless and who believedthat Jesus was dying not for any guilt of His own, but for the sins of theworld. It is apparent that the thief believed Jesus was the Messiah because hesaid, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."  Hereis a man who didn't have a chance to go to church, get baptized, or do anythingfor Jesus. Yet, he received God's full pardon for the guilt of his sins and receivedsalvation. Jesus responded to his request in verse 43, saying, "AssuredlyI say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise." Then, in verse44, Luke points out that it was about the sixth hour (noon), and there wasdarkness over all the earth until the ninth hour (3pm). Midway through the sixhours of Christ on the cross, right before that sixth hour, this thief receivesChrist and the assurance that he will be with Him in paradise.  Letme explain something about Paradise. I believe the Old Testament and NewTestament together teach that when people died in the Old Testament and up tothe resurrection of Christ, they went to a place called Sheol, which had twocompartments and was located somewhere in the heart of the earth. Jesusexplained this in Luke 16:19-31. When the rich man died, he went to hell, “andin hell, he lifted up his eyes in flames of fire, being in torment, saying,"I'm tormented in this flame." The poor man, Lazarus, went toa place called Abraham's bosom (Paradise), where he was comforted. The man inhell could see across to Paradise and saw Lazarus being comforted. He cried outfor relief for himself and asked for Lazarus to be sent to dip his finger in waterand cool his tongue. He also wanted someone to warn his brothers not to come tothis terrible place.  Jesusresponded that there is a great gulf fixed between them. So, it appears that inthe heart of the earth, there is a place called Sheol with a hell side, a flameside, a great gulf, and a paradise side. I believe Scripture shows the same dayafter Jesus death on the cross and He was buried in the grave, Jesus went tothe Paradise side and took everyone from there to what is called the “thirdheaven”. Why do we believe this? Because we believe paradise was emptiedout. That day, Jesus went to paradise because He said to the repenting criminal,"Today you'll be with Me in paradise."  Whilethe body of Jesus was in the grave, Jesus met this thief in Paradise, who hadgone there when he died. From there, Jesus then took everyone to the thirdheaven, where the throne of God is. Paul, in 2 Corinthians 12:3, said,"I knew a man who was caught up to the third heaven." Rememberthat Jesus also said in John 14:2-3, “ I go to prepare a place foryou.  Jesuspromised the disciples a new place which He called “My Father’s house”,which we believe is the “third heaven”, where today He is seated at theright hand of God. Interestingly, also we might note that when Stephen wasbeing stoned to death in Acts 7:54-56, that it says that, "he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standingat the right hand of God"  2Corinthians 5:8 says, "To be absent from the body is to be present withthe Lord." Why? Because the Lord is in the third heaven, where He tookthose from Paradise. But today, people who die without Christ still go to aterrible place called hell located in “Sheol”. And one day in the future,according to Revelation 20:13-14, those in hell will stand before the greatwhite throne judgment and be cast into the lake of fire, a place of outerdarkness where the beast, the false prophet, and Satan will be for eternity.