Building on the Foundation

As the title of this post would imply, we’re going to answer the question: What is paradise? The reason this is even a question is that some hold a view that paradise is a holding area that’s not in heaven or God’s presence for the righteous dead. Mainly, this is based on the account in which Jesus tells the thief on the cross that today he would be with Jesus in paradise.  Luke 23:42 NKJV - Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." Luke 23:43 NKJV - And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." However, even those who advocate for heaven as a literal destination immediately upon death recognize the problems in reading this as a literal, immediate entrance into paradise present. Number one: Jesus did not enter heaven for at least three days, and He did not see His Father’s face during that time either (John 20:17).  Thus, to take this statement from Jesus literally instead of as a future pr...

Hebrews 11, "the faith chapter," reminds us about some of the many faithful acts done by our forefathers in the Old Testament. It also, in league with other Scriptures, reminds us again that the righteous do not go to heaven when they die, but are asleep in their graves awaiting the resurrection. At the end of Heb. 11, in verses 39-40, we are told, "And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us." The promise and being made perfect are linked together: the promise of perfection. What is this promise of perfection? Heb. 5:9 tells us: "And having been perfected, He [Jesus] became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him." It's the promise of salvation, of eternal life, to all who choose to obey God and walk in His ways! If the faithful from past generations do not inherit eternal life apart from us, then ...

Long ago, King Solomon wrote that we must take death to heart (Eccl. 7:2). His father King David expressed a similar thought (Psa. 39:4), and so did Moses (Deut. 32:29). Every one of us will die one day (Heb. 9:27), no one can escape death (Psa. 89:48), and not one of us knows the day of his or her own death (Eccl. 9:12). Let us, as Solomon advised, take it to heart while we have opportunity! What happens when we die? Do good people go to heaven, floating among the clouds, playing harps, and watching over their loved ones? Do bad people go to hell to be tormented forever and ever, writhing and screaming in the flames, being stabbed over and over again by pitchfork-wielding demons? Do we simply cease to exist? God’s Word tells us plainly that all go to one place: the grave (Eccl. 6:6). Wise, foolish, rich, poor, kings, beggars — all will end up in basically the same place: lowered into a hole and covered with earth (Eccl. 2:14-16). Everyone’s body will return to dust, and everyone’s spi...