Probably more than any others, these verses in Luke are used to uphold the belief that those who die go to heaven immediately, fully aware and fully conscious. This is the LITV version:
Luk 23:42 And he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when You come in Your kingdom.
Luk 23:43 And Jesus said to him, Truly I say to you, Today you will be with Me in Paradise.
This dialog between Jesus and the thief on the cross is only recorded in the gospel of Luke so we have no other account with which to compare it.
As Greek has no punctuation some who claim the spirits of the departed are resting or sleeping would move the comma, placing it after the word “today” so it reads “…verily I say unto you today, you shall be with me in paradise.”
I reject this as contrived and artificial. Not only that, it make the word “today” superfluous. You could then remove that word and the statement by Christ would read the same. The word “today” is essential in the statement or Christ would not have spoken it. It must be considered. I have checked over two dozen translations from the Geneva Bible to the New King James. There is only one translation that moves the comma, The Scriptures.
The word “today” is a key ingredient to our understanding of Luke 23:42-43.
Another argument is that, although in Paradise with Christ, both are sleeping. This too I reject for the account gives no indication that they are sleeping or resting. If they are in Paradise or in God’s Kingdom they wouldn’t be continually sleeping.
Christ died on the cross the very day He made that statement. Further, He committed His spirit to God (in verse 46) just before He breathed His last.
These verses are not only a problem for those of us that believe the spirit that returns to God on death is in a state of rest awaiting the resurrection on Christ’s return, but they are somewhat of a mystery to all Christians for how could the thief be with Christ in Paradise, or in His kingdom, on the very day that Christ was laid in the tomb and remained there for three days. Also when Christ arose He walked the earth for 40 days before He ascended into heaven and even said to Mary Magdalene shortly after His resurrection that He not yet ascended to His Father, John 20:17.
Indeed, many unusual beliefs of Christians have their origination in these two verses of Luke. Some think Paradise is a temporary holding place of the righteous dead. Some equate Paradise with Heaven, others with Hell and some with Purgatory. Some even equate Paradise with a prison based on 1 Peter 3:18-20. It shows the folly of letting one verse dominate your understanding of scripture.
An Analysis
There are three important things to consider in verses 42 and 43 of Luke before we can arrive at a solution:
First. The thief’s statement and request, “remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Second, the promise of Paradise.
Third, the use of the word “today” by Christ.
First, the thief’s request:
The thief had acknowledged his guilt, confessed his sin and admitted he was receiving a just punishment. He had recognized and believed in the divinity of Christ and called Him Lord. And finally he asked to be remembered when Christ entered His Kingdom. The thief looked for Jesus to rule as King. There is no mystery about the thief’s request. It is straight forward. It is simple, to the point and easy to fathom, and it is extremely important to our understating of these two verses. The thief evidently knew and believed what some Christians today minimize, ignore or have forgotten; that Christ will return, raise the dead and establish His Kingdom on this earth.
Second, the promise of Paradise:
“Paradise” appears only three times in the New Testament. This statement by Christ in Luke is one of them. The second is in II Corinthians 12:2-4 where Paul tells of his being called up to the third heaven which he calls Paradise. This was the time of his conversion as related by Luke in Acts 9. The last is in Revelation 2:7 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.”
If you have not already done so you may read about Paradise here.
Third, the word "Today":
If the coming Kingdom is the same as Paradise why did Christ just not say to the thief, "You will be with me in My Kingdom"? But if He had, then how could He have inserted the word “today” as He certainly didn’t enter His Kingdom on the day of His crucifixion? The word “today” is the enigma and the key to understanding these verses.
Christ said this would happen “today.” Surely He was mistaken? Or could it be that we don’t quite understand what He meant by “today?”
The word in Greek is sémeron it is an adverb. It appears 63 times in KJV New Testament. 39 times as “day” and 23 times as “this day” and once as “this day’s.” It means this very day. It has the meaning of immediacy. It is comparable to “right now” or “this present day.” For Christ to have used this particular word rather than the Greek hēméra which could mean “on that day” or “on the occasion of” or “in that day” is another problem.
One possible explanation is that Christ meant that on the day He enters His Kingdom the thief would be there with him. However, as mentioned above, if this is what He meant, it is the wrong Greek word. Hēméra would have been more correct.
A possible solution:
Christ spoke directly to the thief, “…Truly I say to you, Today you will be with Me in Paradise.” The thief then died. The NT would say, as it said of Stephen, “…he fell asleep.”
When the thief awakes, when Christ returns, raises the dead and enters His Kingdom it will appear to the thief as though it is the same day.
Isa 26:19 Your dead will live; Their corpses will rise
You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy,
For your dew is as the dew of the dawn,
And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.
But I know this has not convinced you, nor is it a satisfactory argument - and correctly so...
THE solution:
The thief and Christ would be together. ...you will be with Me...
Look at what Paul tells the Corinthians:
2Co 4:14 Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.
Paul expects to be presented to Christ at the resurrection of the dead, when Christ returns. That is when Paul, the Corinthian saints and the thief will be with Christ.
Rather than disproving that the dead do not rest or sleep Christ's conversation with the thief proves it.
In the Gospel of Luke Jesus speaks to Zacchaeus in chapter 19, verses 9-10. "And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."
The words "...This day.." in verse 9 is the same Greek word sémeron used by Christ in speaking to the thief on the cross.
The thief had admitted his guilt, confessed his sin, acknowledged Jesus as the Savior and looked forward to being with Jesus in His kingdom. Because of what the thief said; that very day - today - sémeron, he was assured of being with Christ in Paradise.
"And Jesus said unto him, sémeron is salvation come to this house." Zacchaeus was assured of his salvation because of what he said on that day but will receive it when Christ returns."And Jesus said to him, Truly I say to you, sémeron you will be with Me in Paradise. " The thief was assured of his salvation because of what he said on that day but will receive it when Christ returns.
Paul quotes Isaiah 49:8 in 2 Corinthians 6:2, "(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)"
Salvation came to Zacchaeus that very day (Christ said, "...this day (has) come...") while to the thief is was a future promise, "...will be..." But salvation, although assured when we believe, will not be finally delivered until Christ returns.
We same the same idea in Psalm 95:7, For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
To day if ye will hear his voice.
And in 2 Cor. 6:2, ...now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
To both Zacchaeus and the thief salvation was assured. To Zacchaeus "has come" to the thief "will be".
It is the same promise.Because of the thief's statement and request on that day, on that very day (sémeron) the thief was assured of his salvation.
He would be with Christ in Paradise, in Christ's Kingdom when Christ returns, but the thief's salvation was assured ON THAT VERY DAY!1Pet. 1:4-5 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.One last Point:
Some would like to interpret these verses and completely ignore the request of the thief, "Remember me when you come into your kingdom."
Let's suppose the following conversation:
Boy to his father, "Take me with you when you go to Disneyland."
Father to his boy, "Today you will be with me in the parking garage."
Absolutely senseless!
Christ, on the cross, answered the thief and sent a message to us.
He equated Paradise with His Kingdom.
He satisfied and assured the thief of his request.
He told us that NOW - TODAY - we can be assured of our salvation.