HEAVEN, PARADISE; LAKE OF FIRE, HELL,

****SUNDAY, 13TH/OCT/13...ANSWER TO THE QUESTION DISCUSSED ON Friday, 11th/10/13****

ANSWER: Paradise is not the same as Heaven. And obviously it's not the same as Hell. When a person dies, he goes to the realm/place of the departed souls (the dead), which is located at ''the heart or lower part of the earth.'' (Read Matthew 12:40 and Ephesians 4:9-10). That place or realm is called SHEOL in Hebrew or ''HADES'' in Greek. It is a place where the souls of the dead are TEMPORARILY kept as they await the final resurrection and judgment. Could all the souls of the dead be kept at one place? Certainly NOT. Don' forget this: It's a TEMPORARY PLACE/ABODE/REALM.

There Are two divisions/parts of Sheol/Hades. They Are;

1. PARADISE: the part of Sheol/Hades (the realm of the Dead) where the RIGHTEOUS/SAVED dead are kept. That is, Paradise is the part of Sheol/Hades where those who died in Christ (those who were saved before they died) are kept. It is also called ''Abraham's Bossom'' (Luke 16:22). It is a place of extraordinary blessedness, joy and comfort for Righteous people who died in Christ. That was where the poor man (Lazarus) in the parable f Jesus, went. And clearly, that was the place where Jesus promised the thief to be with; for the thief got saved on the cross by expressing faith in Jesus Christ on the cross.

2. SUFFERING SIDE. Many a time called ''Hell.'' This is the part of Sheol/Hades (the realm of the Dead) where the LOST/UNSAVED dead are kept. That is, anyone who dies as a sinner is sent to this part. It is a place of torment, agony, regret, pain and what have U. That was where the rich man in Jesus' parable, went.

There is a great gulf/valley/chasm that separates Paradise from Hell. In other words, there is a great gulf/valley/chasm that divides where the Righteous Dead are, from where the Lost Dead are. Those in Paradise cannot go to Hell and vice-versa (Luke 16:26).

Now, let me hasting to add that, in my studies, I came across something that needs to be brought to the fore; Some Translators referred to Sheol/Hades (the realm/abode/place of the dead) as Hell. They used it interchangeably. The Apostles' Creed recited by some churches has a stanza/line which reads ''He descended into hell.'' Meaning, Jesus, descended into Hell when He died. By extension, Jesus went to hell with the thief. Well, the basic TRUTH I learned, and I believe God wants us to know, is this:

The realm of the departed souls (the dead) that the Hebrews call Sheol and the Greeks call Hades, even if it is inter-changeably used as HELL, are divided into by a gulf/valley/chasm:

One part (which is) called PARADISE is the part where those who died in Christ are Temporary kept, awaiting resurrection and Final Judgement. It is a resting place for the Righteous Dead. Those here (whilst waiting for resurrection and the New Heaven & New Earth) experience joy, peace and blessings from God.

And the other part is the SUFFERING SIDE where those who died without salvation are also Temporary kept, awaiting resurrection and Final Judgement. Those here (whilst waiting for resurrection and the Lake of Fire) go through torment, agony and pain beyond description.

Therefore, when Jesus died, He sent the thief with him to THAT PART of Sheol/Hades/Hell (lower part of earth/heart of earth/realm of the dead) WHERE THE RIGHTEOUS DEAD ARE TEMPORARY KEPT. THAT PART IS CALLED PARADISE. That was why Jesus said to the thief ''Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 23:43.

And not only that, Jesus also went to THAT PART of Sheol/Hades/Hell (lower part of earth/heart of earth/realm of the dead) WHERE THE UNRIGHTEOUS DEAD ARE TEMPORARY KEPT. THIS PART IS A PLACE FOR THOSE WHO ARE LOST, THOSE WHO DIED WITHOUT SALVATION. WHAT DID JESUS CHRIST GO TO THAT PART TO DO? According to 1 Peter 3:18–20, Jesus ''went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.'' This clearly also flaws (defeats) the false teaching which says Jesus went to hell for the devil to torment Him. Jesus had a mental picture of what He was to experience in the Garden of Gethsemane. He faced the actual torment, agony and pain for carrying our sins right on the cross. When He was about to die, He said ''IT IS FINISHED.'' He needn't, and He didn't, have to go to hell for the Devil to torment Him. It was the death of Jesus on the cross and His suffering in our place that sufficiently provided for our redemption. It was His shed blood that effected our own cleansing from sin (1 John 1:7-9).

There is an important TRUTH we must know: Until Jesus ascended into Heaven, PARADISE WAS ONE OF THE TWO PARTS/DIVISIONS OF SHEOL/HADES and it was located at the lower part or the heart of earth. But upon his death, resurrection and on His ASCENSION, JESUS TRANSPORTED PARADISE WITH HIM TO HEAVEN. Thus, He transported the righteous saints (including the thief) along with the region of paradise from the "lower parts of the earth" to Heaven; its current location (2 Cor. 12:2-4; Rev. 2:7). So, as the Suffering part of sheol/hades is still located at the heart/lower part of earth, the Blessing part of Sheol/Hades, which is called Paradise, IS NO MORE located at the heart/lower part of earth...ON THE DAY OF ASCENSION, JESUS TRANSPORTED IT (i.e. PARADISE) WITH HIM TO HEAVEN.

----Samuel Kwasi Forkuo
ALL GLORY TO GOD

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