BACK PARADISE
Study notes on life after death.
 Enquiries 


Quotations are mainly based on the King James text. Readers are advised to look up each quotation in good translations of the Bible and examine them in context to satisfy themselves that they are not misapplied. Paraphrased bibles and dynamic interpretive translations (such as the Good News Bible) are not suitable for this kind of study.
Even though Adam's Paradise was on earth, the Paradise of the faithful is in heaven:

"I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter."  2.Corinthians.12:2-4

But Job expected to meet the Lord, in his body, on the earth:

"Even if it slays me, yet I will confidently wait for Him. I can definitely acquit myself before Him (That is - before the "LORD" , see Job 12:9) ... " Job 13:15,16 26
"Because I personally know that my redeemer lives, and that at the end (i.e. the end of the Mosaic era - EDITOR) He will stand upon the earth ... So after my skin is destroyed, yet in my body I will behold God. Whom I, me-myself, will behold for myself. That is - my own eyes will see and not someone else's, ... My yearning for this engrosses me." Job 19:25-27 [direct translation]

This most likely happened after the Lord's resurrection when many (but not all) @ Old Testament saints came out of their graves:

"And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many."  Matthew 27:51-53

 BACK

Could this have been in anticipation of this that Joseph was insistent on his bones being taken back to Canaan?

"And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence." Genesis 50:25

"And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you." Exodus 13:19

"And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph." Joshua 24:32

"By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones." Hebrews 11:22.

The LORD promised Daniel that he would have his portion at the end of the Mosaic age. [Daniel 12:13 "lot"]
See the "Study in Daniel"

Only Matthew records this information about the tombs being opened and many saints being seen in the city after the Lord Jesus's resurrection. Early Christians believed that Matthew directed his "gospel" account to the Jewish Christians and wrote it in Hebrew *

Jews, familiar with the scriptures, would appreciate the significance of this event, whereas it might be lost on non-Jews. Could it be that Job and Daniel were amongst the saints that came out of the tombs after the Lord's resurrection and that they then went directly to where the thief had gone - to Paradise?  Jesus said to the thief  "I am telling you emphatically, you shall be with me in paradise today" Luke 23:43. The same day that Christ died on the cross, they both went to the Paradise in heaven. So even though the Lord's body was in a tomb, he himself was in Paradise, likewise the thief. Maybe the saints bodies returned to the tombs their souls going directly to Paradise.

So there was a resurrection of many saints at the end of the Mosaic Era.

THE HOPE OF THE FAITHFUL - OUR ETERNAL HOME

There is going to be a general and final resurrection of all mankind.
Both of the faithful and the unfaithful, at the end of the Christian Era.

" ... there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust." Acts 24:15

"Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." John 5:28-29

"And these shall go away into eternal (Greek: aiwnion) punishment: but the righteous into eternal life (Greek: aiwnion)."   Matthew.25:46

Everybody who ever lived will see the Lord Jesus coming in the clouds.

Behold, he comes with the clouds; and every eye will see him, and even those who pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth will wail because of him. Even so, Amen. Revelation 1:7

[The wicked will be shut out:-
"And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Matthew.25:30  (and Matthew.22:13)
"... the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels ... taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;"  2.Thessalonians.1:7-9 ]

Evidently King David was not amongst those who came out of their graves after the Lord's ressurection:

" ... the patriarch David ... is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us until this day"  Acts 2:29.

However he looked beyond the cross in anticipation of the general resurrection on the Judement day:

"My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?"  Psalms 42:2
"As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness*."  Psalms 17:15. [* that is in the LORD's likeness (refer to v.14)]

A NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH

All of the "heaven and the earth" that the LORD God made at the beginning [Exodus 20:11, 31:17 etc. Acts 2:24, 14:15] will cease to exist:

"Heaven and earth will pass away*, but my words could never ever pass away*."
" 'o ouranoV kai h gh pareleusontai* oi de logoi mou ou mh parelqwsin*." Matthew 24:35, Mark 13.31, Luke 21:33

[*both from parercomai]

This earth will be annihilated (note the distinction between "world" and "earth"):

"Whereby the worldT that then was [i.e. in Noah's time. EDITOR], being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earthT, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." 2 Peter 3:6-7

TNOTE: "the world" (Greek: kosmoV - kosmos) refers to the inhabited world of Noah's time. "the earth" (Greek: gh - gae) refers to the present physical earth.

"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earthT also and the works that are therein shall be burned up [Greek: katakaiw - katakaio - consumed by fire]. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." 2 Peter 3:10-13

This will be a spiritual realm:

"As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly." 1.Corinthians.15:48

We will not have physical bodies:

"Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption." 1.Corinthians.15:50

"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life." 2.Corinthians.5:1-4.

We will have spiritual bodies:

"But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?" 1.Corinthians.15:36
"So also is the resurrection of the dead. ... " 1.Corinthians.15:42

"It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." 1.Corinthians.15:44

"And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." 1.Corinthians.15:49

There will be no male or female. There will be no marriage. The faithful will be like the angels:

"For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven." Matthew.22:30

Those alive at the Lord's return will be a totally changed and the dead will be raised totally changed:

"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." 1.Corinthians.15:51-52

Death will be done away with:

"So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1.Corinthians.15:54-57

The faithful have the wonderful assurance that then they will be like the LORD JESUS:

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." 1.John 3:2

The faithful will be with the Lord Jesus eternally - without end. That is what the LORD always had in mind for them.

" Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted by him." 2.Corinthians.5:5-9

"Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1.Thessalonians 4:17

In the abiding place prepared by Him for them:

"In my Father’s house are many abodes: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14:2-3.

PRAISE THE LORD !

"He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour." John 12:25-26

THEREFORE:

"... lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor dust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matthew.6:20-21

" If ye then be risen with Christ #, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." Colossians.3:1-4


NOTES:
@

The word "many" in Daniel 12:2 means "a lot" but it does not mean "everybody"

"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." Daniel 12:2

At the last day everybody will be raised (John 5:27-29). So Daniel 12:2 does not seem to be referring to the last day. He would be referring to the "end" of the Mosaic era which terminated at the cross.

In Matthew 27:52 it says that "many" of the saints were raised - but not all. Those saints are now in "Paradise".

BACK
*

Ante-Nicene Fathers, Peabody reprint 1994: v.1 p.155 Eusebius quoting Papias (c.120), v.1 p.414 Ireniaeus (c.180), v.9.p.299 & p.366 Origen (c.228).

BACK
#

Believers in the Christ who are buried in the waters of baptism rise with Christ to live a new life. "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead". Colossians.2:12 [See also Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38 and Romans 6:1-4]

Return to Study in Daniel BACK


  BACK  Enquiries