This, of course, would have brought chaos to Eden for eternity, so, the Father considered it better to place them outside its gates in a realm of their own, which they could trash if such was their will. Clearly, the Father doesn't dwell in Sheol.Īt the beginning of the biblical narrative, in Genesis, we are told that the "Tree of Life" was in the garden of Eden from which Adam and Eve were expelled, having chosen their own will over the Father's. Sheol is the place of the dead, which is part of this realm. There is no doubt that heaven is the realm in which the Father dwells, where its citizens prefer to do His will, and that earth is the realm in which the Father does not dwell, and where its citizens prefer to do their own will. Finally, the overcoming, faithful believers in Christ are also promised to be in this future kingdom – the heavenly resurrection of the righteous.Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. Paul saw the future heavenly and earthly kingdom. The condemned man is promised the resurrection of the unjust (Acts 24:15) – a resurrection here on Earth in Christ’s kingdom (Isaiah 35). How do we reconcile the fact that paradise was promised to a condemned man, seen in a vision by Paul, and promised as a heavenly reward to the Church? Simply put, paradise is referring to Christ’s kingdom. The Bible promises that faithful believers in Christ will have a heavenly reward, and the heavenly reward includes reigning with Christ (1 Peter 1:4 Revelation 2:10 & 20:6). To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.” This is a promise to those who are part of the body of Christ. In Revelation 2:7 the verse says, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Again, paradise here is referring to Christ’s future kingdom, and the man was given a vision or prophecy of this future age of paradise. In 2 Corinthians 12:4, Paul states that a man “was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.” Was this man really taken to heaven? We would answer – no. Jesus was probably saying, “Truly I say to you today, you shall be with me in paradise.” We think this makes the most sense for Jesus was dead in the grave for parts of three days before he was resurrected. The second prisoner defends Jesus and afterwards says, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus responds, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with me in paradise.” The original New Testament did not have any punctuation therefore, all punctuation has been added by the translators. In Luke 23:42-43, Jesus is hanging on the cross being insulted by one of the two prisoners hanging next to him.
This helps us equate the word paradise with the state of perfection.
The Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament, uses the same word for paradise when describing the Garden of Eden.
According to Strong’s Greek concordance, Paradise is translated from the Greek word “paradeisos" meaning enclosure, garden, or park. There are three verses in the New Testament that use the word “paradise” – Luke 23:43, 2 Corinthians 12:4, and Revelation 2:7.
#A DIFFERENT HEAVEN FULL#
This future kingdom will be full of perfection and peace – it will restore the perfect paradise Adam had lost. That is why Jesus taught us to pray “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in Earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matt 6:10). Christ’s kingdom will be a kingdom in heaven and on Earth. The promise of a future paradise applies not just to heaven but also to Earth.
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