12 March 2026 - Kenny wrote:
Hello, Pr Lau, in the
bible study last Wed. You mentioned that Paradise was an intermediate state
where the Lord Jesus was absent. As you
are aware, the Greek word for Paradise is used 3 times - Luke 23:43 – As He hung
upon the cross, Jesus assured the repentant criminal, “Truly I tell you, today
you will be with Me in Paradise.” The promise locates Paradise in the immediate
presence of Christ, accessible at the moment of death for the believer.
2 Corinthians 12:4
– Paul speaks of being “caught up to Paradise and heard inexpressible words,
things that man is not permitted to tell.” His vision authenticates Paradise as
a real, conscious realm beyond earthly experience.
John Gill - heaven
is called paradise, because as the garden of Eden, which bears that name, was
of God's planting, so is this made and prepared by him; as that was a
delightful place, so is this; also because of Christ the tree of life, which is
in the midst of it, besides an innumerable company of angels, and spirits of
just men made perfect. Revelation 2:7 – The risen Lord promises the overcomer
“the right to eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God. Paradise is
where God and our Lord Jesus Christ are present.
[13/03, 12:49] Sing
Brother Kenny, thank you for the
opportunity to meet up for fellowship.
Thanks for your
thoughts on "paradise."
I will leave some
thoughts on the subject.
[13/03, 14:49] Sing
F Lau:
Brother Kenny,
Thanks for your
thoughts on the bible study.
Paradise (para-deisos) does indeed occur 3 times,
as you have indicated.
Let me express some
thoughts for your kind consideration.
It’s very common to
equate paradise (para-deisos) with heaven (ouranos).
The same people are
as certain that “hell” (geenna) is synonymous with the “lake of fire” (limnē pyr), even though they are reminded of the plain statement in Rev 20:14 endless times.
I had been taught those same things and parroted them for 20+ years. I didn’t know better. But our gracious Lord has been merciful to me, and has given me a little bit more light on the matter.
1 . Here are some
word facts:
a. Paradise
(para-deisos) occurs 3 times in 3 verses in the NT
b. Hell (geenna)
occurs 23 times in 23 verses in the NT; no less than 15 times are used by
Christ Himself, many of them in the context of His solemn warnings to His own
disciples.
c. Heaven (ouranos) occurs 255 times in 237 verses in the NT. Not all refer to that eternal abode of God and the final residence of the resurrected and glorified saints.
d. Lake of fire (limnē pyr) - occurs 4 times in 4 verses (Rev 20,21) - all in the context of the general resurrection and the great judgment at the end of time.
Check the above facts with the helpful BlueLetterBible app.
2. A careful reading of these relevant texts
makes a few things self-evident:
a. Hell and paradise
are spoken of in the context of the intermediate/disembodied state: the state
between physical death and the resurrection at Christ's second coming.
b. Hell and paradise are in the context/realm of time between physical death and the general resurrection (which marks the end of time, and the dawn of eternity).
c. Hell and paradise are the realms/spheres of the spirits of the dead. Their physical bodies are under the power of ,death.
d. The redeemed may
end up in hell but NONE in the lake of fire.- Read all those
solemn warnings of Christ addressed specifically to His own disciples. Mt
5:22,29,30. Mt 10:28; 18:9; Mk 9:43.45.47;
- Disciples must
take drastic measures to deal with personal sins to avoid hell.
- There is not one
instant of Christ warning His disciples against the lake of fire. Why is that?
e. At the end of time, BOTH death (that holds captive the bodies) and hell (that holds captive the spirits) shall be EMPTIED; death and hell shall surrender all their captives to Him who holds the keys of hell and of death (Rev 1:18) for the general resurrection. Rev 20:13.
The emptied death and hell shall be cast into the lake of fire. Rev
20:14.
- The spirits that
had been ushered into paradise (after the judgment at death) shall accompany
Christ in His second coming. 1Th 4:14. These shall be united with their
resurrected bodies.
f. Heaven is the abode of the resurrected glorified saints.
- Those who have
part in the first resurrection (Mt 27:52,53) are now in heaven
(Rev 20:4-6, a
3-verse paragraph that speaks of those who have part in the first resurrection
seen in heaven.
- The redeemed dead
do not enter heaven at death; their spirit either go to paradise or hell.
- Their judgment at
death is according to works. Rom 2:6; 2Cor 5:10;
- Their judgment at
the resurrection is according to their name in the book of life, i.e. redeemed
by Christ. Heb 9:28, Rev 20:15
3. You quoted John
Gill. Let’s listen to him then on this point:
Commenting on Heb
9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the
judgment.”
He said: "...
There is a particular judgment which is immediately after death; by virtue of
which, the souls of men are condemned to their proper state of happiness or
woe; and there is an universal judgment, which will be after the resurrection
of the dead, and is called eternal judgment, and to come..."
- The particular
(and temporal) judgment which is immediately after death determines the proper
state of happiness (paradise) or woe (hell) during the intermediate state.
- The universal (and
eternal) judgment which follows the general resurrection determines the proper
state during the eternal state.
4 . I leave you with
a few related questions:
a. Why do some
preachers preach hell?
- What do they want
to achieve by it?
- To whom did Christ
preach hell? For what purpose?
5 . Christ’s words:
John 14:2-3
2 In my Father's
house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to
prepare a place for you. 3 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.
What are some
obvious conclusions from these words of Christ?
- Is the Father's
house a reference to paradise or heaven?
- Why must the
disciples WAIT till Christ COME AGAIN to be with Him if at death they are
ALREADY with Him in heaven after they died?
- What shall happen
when Christ come again?
- When shall the
redeemed be received unto the Father’s house where Christ is?
Feel free to ask any
further questions.
I’m still learning.
May our Lord bless us to learn and grow together Amen.
2Ti 2:7 Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.
=========
[14/03/2026 09:15]
Alive:
Thanks, pastor, for sharing the exchanges.
Just a quick
comment:
K mentioned 3 main
points:
Due to time
constraints, I will just comment on the first
1. He heard pastor Lau say Jesus Christ was absent in Paradise. Did Kenny hear or understand
wrongly?
Pastor, please help clarify this first point, first. Thanks.
[14/03/2026 09:49] Sing Lau
There may be various
reasons why he perceived what he heard I said that way...
- His basic
presupposition is that paradise is synonymous with the eternal heaven.
- Therefore, if
Jesus is not in paradise, then He is not in heaven!
- If Jesus is not in
heaven, then where can He be? What a nightmarish question!
Wrong presuppositions have their necessary implications and create unnecessary and false problems.
After death, Jesus' spirit went to paradise. Then His spirit returned and was united to his glorified body at resurrection at dawn of the first day of the week (our Sunday 6am-6pm, first night of the week is Sat 6pm-Sun 6am. Jewish week starts on Sat 6pm.... )
Genesis 1:5 KJV —
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening
(6pm- 6am) and the morning (6am-6pm) were the first day.
After His
resurrection, He was with the disciples for 40 days, Acts 1:3.
Then He ascended to
His Father in heaven. Acts 1:9ff
The words of the
resurrected Lord to Mary...
John 20:17 KJT —
Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but
go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father;
and to my God, and your God.
The spirit of Jesus,
as real and true a human as anyone who is reading these words, went to the
paradise in His disembodied state.
The resurrected Jesus has been received up into heaven.
Rejoice, He shall return one day... He said these words to His disciples.
John 14
1 ¶Let not your
heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's
house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to
prepare a place for you.
3 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.
4 And whither I go
ye know, and the way ye know.
[14/03/2026 13:29] Sunny
Sing, Enoch & prophet Elijah who did not seek death. Were
they in Paradise? Or are they already in heaven with our Lord?
[14/03/2026 17:41]
Sing Lau
You are right, neither of them sought death.
Neither Enoch nor Elijah saw or experienced death.
Genesis 5:24 KJT —
And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
God took him - body and spirit, the whole person. It necessarily implies that God changed/ transformed/glorified him, making him fit for habitation in heaven.
Similarly for
Elijah.
2 Kings 2:11 KJT —
And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there
appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder;
and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
This earthy body of flesh is completely unfit for heaven; it must be transformed/changed/glorified by God first, made fit to inhabit heaven.
The same will happen to those who are still living at Christ's second coming.
1 Corinthians 15 KJT
51 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.
Since they didn't
see death (the spirit did not separate from the body), they must have been
changed/transformed/ glorified, i.e. made fit to dwell in heaven.
========================
Take a look at these related articles.
https://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/2023/12/of-mans-state-after-death-and.html
https://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/2023/07/paradise-paradeisos-and-heaven-ouranos.html
https://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/2024/09/paradise-and-heaven.html
