The NWT and Luke 23:43

[Ironmaw1776]

Originally Posted by Thy Kingdom Come

Not sure that being "in paradise" that day would necessarily imply immortal soulism if the passage is understood inwardly instead of literally.

2 Corinthians 12:4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter

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.

Isaiah 51:3 For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.

Actually though i do agree that the argument concerning punctuation has merit on both sides, i have to say i understand what Christ said to the penitent thief as being figurative and even poetic. The return to the paradisical state is what will be ultimately achieved by Christ atonement for sin. "This day" represents the day of atonement which will finally be accomplished at his return. I understand Christ making reference to the apocatastasis or the process of renewal which had begun its work at the cross. The thief was there and then at Christ death renewed in the spirit by his faith.

Obviously Christ did not at that instance(at his death) ascend unto the father, that didn't occur until three days later after his resurrection. We are told he preached to the spirits in prison during those three days ... That idea would lead some to believe that man has some sort of consciousness after death, but that is a logical fallacy, knowing by scripture that Christ preexisted his incarnation and is truly immortal by virtue of his deity, the same virtue by which he is ultimately resurrected ...



It is a deep mystery for certain ...

[ResLight]

Originally Posted by antredd

According to the first century Judah (based upon the Older Testament), when one died, the body was to be buried in a grave but the soul went ‘down’ to ‘Sheol’ and waited for the end of time and final judgment.

While it is true that many of the Jewish leaders in the first century had indeed adopted and adapted much of the imaginations of the Greek mythological philosophies and blended such into the OT part of the Bible, we are not to follow such mythological fables to attain the truth. -- Titus 1:14.

In the Bible itself, it is true that when one dies, the soul is depicted as in the oblivious condition of sheol. (Ecclesiastes 9:10; Psalm 16:10) The soul is not depicted as being alive in sheol, but rather as dead, and in need of being brought back to life. The righteous in sheol, rather than enjoying a "paradise", are depicted as not being able to praise or give thanks to Yahweh. -- Psalm 6:5; Isaiah 38:18.

In the Bible, the body is a component of the soul. -- Genesis 2:7.

“Yahweh God formed the man, dust from the ground, and blew into his nostrils the breath (Hebrew, neshâmâh, Strong’s No. 5397, wind, vital breath) of life, and man became a living soul.”

In service of Jesus and His God,
Ronald

[bluescityleon]

Grammar and punctuation are good but sound Psychological advice is priceless ....remove and you will.........see clearly..........more than priceless.

[ResLight]

Originally Posted by antredd

Another tradition based upon the OT prophecy, was that the righteous of Israel would be Resurrected when the Messiah came, and would live in peace and prosperity for a long period of time–at the end of which would come the Final Judgment. We know this from reading the story of ‘the rich man and the beggar named Lazarus’ (See: Lk 16:19-31). Note in the story that Abraham is in charge of the ‘Paradise’ side of Sheol. This is not the dwelling place of God or Heaven. Again, I never said that Paradise was a place in heaven for believers.

When we look at the parable of Luke 16:19-31, we do not find anything at all about paradise as a compartment of hades. Note that in the parable, there is nothing about a "paradise" side of hades at all. Nor did Jesus go in hades to redeem anyone from "paradise", but he did go there to redeem all who are in hades.

While evidently, in dealing the Pharisees according to their false belief, Jesus did base the parable on their false belief, he did not express the parable in the terms of Jewish belief, but rather adapted their false belief to express that the Law and the Prophets were until John the Baptist. -- Luke 16:16.

I have prepared a study on this at:
Hope of Life After Death Part 9 | Life Now and Hereafter

In service of Jesus and his God,
Ronald