Questions, Answers, and Comments

Vijay, 

Our greetings to you from The Gospel For Today. We appreciate the inquiry you sent to us, regarding the question of
where is Paradise. My apology for the three week delay in giving you a response, I hope that I haven’t inconvenienced
you by the delay.

The subject of Paradise from a biblical view, is certainly a subject that is worth our time to look into. Many people have
differing views as to what is meant in the Bible when the term Paradise is used.

Thayer gives the following definition of this word from his Greek lexicon:

G3857paradesios

Thayer Definition:1) among the Persians a grand enclosure or preserve, hunting ground, park, shady and well watered, in which wild
animals, were kept for the hunt; it was enclosed by walls and furnished with towers for the hunters

2) a garden, pleasure ground

2a) grove, park

3) the part of Hades which was thought by the later Jews to be the abode of the souls of pious until the resurrection:
but some understand this to be a heavenly paradise

4) the upper regions of the heavens. According to the early church Fathers, the paradise in which our first parents
dwelt before the fall still exists, neither on the earth or in the heavens, but above and beyond the world

5) heaven

Part of Speech: noun masculine.

In the KJV Bible, this English word is used in the New Testament three different times, (Luke 23:43; II Cor 12:14; Rev
2: 7). All these references use the word as a noun referring to a place. Two directly refer to a place for departed
spirits and in Rev 2: 7 the word refers to the eternal heaven place where the righteous spirits conjoined with their
spiritual bodies will dwell forever with God in the holy city or in the paradise of God.

Obviously, Paradise is not a place here on earth, but is a place somewhere beyond this earth.   Some say this world
itself is the paradise of God, or that God will reform this earth someday into a new earth.  The Bible teaches no such
doctrine.  Peter plainly relates the future of this earth as being a reformed Paradise in,

2Pe 3:7-13 — But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved
unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this
one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord
is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not
willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 10 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 earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11 Seeing then
that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation
and godliness, 12 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? 13 Nevertheless we, according
to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.The clear picture is that this earth will eventually be destroyed someday, and the new heavens and new earth we look
for wherein dwelleth righteousnes, where ever it is,  is NOT here on this earth, it is a different place.  We conclude that
Paradise must be in a place different from our present world, and is a place to experience after the death of our mortal
body.  One might ask, “What constitutes death of our mortal bodies?”

James wrote in

James 2:26, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”This teaches that the result of death is when the human spirit within the fleshly human body is separated from that
body, and thus the body becomes inactive or not alive.   Thus when someone dies,  the result is the spirit departs
from the body and is transported to another place after this separation occurs.So, ” What happens to the spirit of man after this separation occurs??”

Ecc 12:7 says —  Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who
gave it.

At the point of death,  the body begins to decay and eventually returns to dust, and the spirit thus returns back unto
God who gave it…..”What then does God do with our spirit once it returns unto Him, through the result of death?”In Luke 16: 20-31,  Jesus pulls back a curtain and gives us a picture of what takes place after death, by relating the
story of the Rich Man and Lazarus and what happened to them.

Please read it carefully…

Luk 16:20-31 — And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21
And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and
licked his sores.22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into
Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in
torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried and said, Father
Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my
tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime
receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art
tormented. 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would
pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 27 Then he
said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: 28 For I have five
brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29 Abraham saith
unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham:
but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses
and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.Interestingly, some have speculated as to this just being some allegory, revealed in conjecture by Jesus.  Yet notice
verse 31 when he states, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose
from the dead.Obviously, understanding this as an allegory or a real occurrence, changes nothing as to what lesson Jesus was
teaching by revealing it. The picture Jesus unveils is that death had came upon these two individuals, and the one
who was the beggar who had received evil things in this life, after death his spirit was transported to the comfort of
Abrahams bosom and the rich man who had done evil and received the abundant carnal things had his spirit
transported to a place of torment.  The phrase, in hell (vs 23), translates more accurately as the word Hades, NOT
Gehenna Hell as some assume by the KJV translation. The original word Hades refers to the place of the unseen, or
the place of departed spirits. As this place of departed spirits was fixed, notice in the story that a great gulf was also
fixed between the righteous and the unrighteous spirits.   It was fixed in such a manner across this place of departed
spirits so that one side could not go to the other side, one area or side was in comfort and peace, while the other was
in merciless torment and pain.

One might ask, “Why were these departed spirits in this place separated with a great gulf dividing them?”

Lets look at some Bible passages and see if we can draw some reasonable conclusions,

Heb 9:27 says, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”In Act 17:30-31, the Bible says — And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all
men every where to repent: 31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in
righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that
he hath raised him from the dead.1Co 15:51-57 — Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 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. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this
mortal must put on immortality. 54 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. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin;
and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ.

In 2Co 5:10 it says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive
the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”

Notice that it is after the appointment of death, that judgment is to come.  When is the judgment going to happen? In
these passages  it is after death that the appointed day of the Father will come, when Jesus will judge the whole world
by righteousness, after the Lords second coming and after the resurrection of the dead!Who will be there to receive their sentences whether good or bad at the Judgment?

Mat 25:31-32, the Bible says, When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him,
then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: Mat 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and
he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:In John 5: 26-29, the Bible says,

26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; 27 And hath
given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. 28 Marvel not at this: for the
hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, :29 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.You see those at the Judgment scene will be all people from all nations from all periods of time!  Righteous and
Unrighteous alike!!  Those who have died from years gone by to those who are alive and remain at the coming of
Jesus Christ….and they will be there on this day separated by the Lord as sheep from goats.Obviously,  the place of departed spirits has a great divide or separation made before the day of Judgment, because
of the separation made by God between the righteous and the unrighteous in view of the coming Judgment when all
men will be sentenced in this great scene.  

One might well ask, “Has the Judgment Day come and gone or passed over us yet?

I don’t believe so!

Again….2Pe 3:9-10 says — The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but
is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 10
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 earth also and the works that are therein
shall be burned up.In 1Th 4:13-17 it says — But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are
asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and
rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by
the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent
them which are asleep.16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of
the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 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.

Since the earth is still here and is not burned up, and the Resurrection of the Dead has not taken place yet, we can
know that the final Judgment has not come.  And so as we continue on in this study, we now can ask, “What does God
do with those who have experienced death before the Resurrection and the Judgment Day?”  The answer??

Their spirit at the point of death is transported to the Hadean realm (the place of departed spirits), and they like the
beggar who have lived righteously, are laid or separated unto the comfort place of Paradise in Hades, while the
unrighteous are placed or separated into the fires of torments which we understand to be a place the Bible refers to
as Tartarus in Hades, along with the angels who lost their first estate(Jude 6).  I believe it was this place of peace and
rest in Hades,  that Jesus promised to the thief on the cross, when he said in Luke 23: 43, “Today, thou shalt be with
me in Paradise!”

One might wonder, “Is Paradise the same as Heaven???

Well, I believe that the answer to that question could be answered yes and no.

1. No…. It is not exactly the same because, the Bible teaches that Heaven eternal awaits those who hear the words at
the Judgment well done thou good and faithful servant enter thou into the joys of thy Lord (Mt 24:35-46).  Yet Jesus
did promise a place of comfort and waiting to the dying thief and that place he called Paradise.  Knowing that this
happened before the Resurrection and the Judgment we must conclude that this must be a place that is not the same
place as Heaven, yet is a place likened unto Heaven until the Resurrection and the Judgment comes.   As to where
this place is located???  As far I can tell the Bible is silent as to where it is,  only that it does exist and it is a place of
peace and comfort for departed righteous spirits after death.  It is a place likened unto Heaven, but not exactly the
same.

2.  Yes it is the same…in the fact that it does represent everything that Heaven is about and what we long for by way
of our final reward of spiritual peace and eternal rest.

We might say that the difference between Paradise in Hades, and Heaven is this.  Paradise in Hades is made up of
departed righteous spirits with no immortal bodies, as they await the Resurrection and the Judgment.  It is a place of
rest and comfort as Heaven is, but is not the FINAL eternal place of reward for the saved.  Because those who are
righteous in Hades have not been changed yet by the Resurrection, they still await to receive their spiritual body as
they will receive it on the Resurrection Day (I Cor 15: 50-57 Mt 5: 26-29).  Until that day arrives and the Judgment
comes,  they as departed spirits after experiencing death simply wait in peace and comfort for that great day to arrive.  
With that said, I believe the Bible does reveal that the place of peace and comfort in the Hadean realm that Jesus
called Paradise must be the same in nature and characteristic as Heaven, because it is a place of spiritual rest and
comfort…..And notice what is being promised in Rev 2:7, when Jesus through the angel refers to Heaven as the
paradise of God….  Heaven obviously is a place of FINAL reward for those who have overcome the wicked one and
Jesus does refer to the heavenly realm as being a place of peace comfort and is the paradise of God.

We might look at it like this to extend our explanation…..To those who are prepared and have lived acceptably in the
sight of God, they at the point of death, will have their spirit transported fo comfort of  paradise in the place of
departed spirits(Hades) prepared by God, before the Judgment.  After the Judgment, those same righteous spirits, as
they are now formed into their new spiritual body by the resurrection will experience the Judgment along with those
who are alive and remain at the Second Coming of Christ and then all together who are righteous will be ushered in to
the eternal place of God’s eternal paradise called New Jerusalem, which the Bible teaches us is Heaven itself(Rev 21).

I don’t know about you Vijay, but I want to experience the Paradise of God, prepared for those who are faithful and
obedient to Jesus Christ. It can only happen though, if we overcome the tempter as we live here on this earth until the
coming day of the Lords return, the Resurrection and the Judgment.

Consider the following passages in closing:

Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they
loved not their lives unto the death.Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father
which is in heaven.

Mat 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect(complete), even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Mat 7:13-21 — Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to
destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,
which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in
sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men
gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a
corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree
bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall
enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Rev 22:17-19 — And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that
is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. 18 For I testify unto every man
that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add
unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the
book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and
from the things which are written in this book.

In summary, to comprehend the question of where is Paradise, is to answer it by saying paradise is the eternal eden
or garden prepared by God for those who love him and obey the laws and teachings of His Son Jesus Christ.   We can
eat freely of the tree of life that dwells in the paradise of God, and drink from the river of life that flows by the throne of
God,  but only if we through the blood of Jesus have been washed, sanctified and justifed in the sight of the One and
Only True and Living God.  What a wonderful God we serve, may ever long to be with Him in Paradise, and enjoy the eternal blessing of the city
where the Lamb is the light and the roses never fade.

I hope this explanation helps you in your spiritual life.

Again thank you for you inquiry, and for contacting us through our website.

If we can be of further assistance let us know.

Best Regards,

Wyn R. Baker — Preacher of the church of Christ —– On behalf of The Gospel for Today