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What is?

What is

TheHope of His Calling?

Acts 28,20, The hope of israel cp The hope of Gentiles,
Eph. 2 Strangers without hope,
Col. 2.27 Christ in you the hope of glory,

What is

TheBible all About?
John 5.39. “search the scriptures . . . they are they which testify of me”,
He Comes, He Dies, He Lives, He Saves,He Reigns

What is?

The Millennium Reign of Christ
Rev. 20.1, Isa. 11.5, Zac. 14.4
Satan bound 1000 yrs.
The Lord jesus sits on the throne of his father David.

What is?

The Soul
Gen. 2.7 Man became a living soul.
Heb. Nephesh, life, body, soul,
The breath of life,
Not a seperate entity – the entire being

What is?

The Mystery
Eph. 3. 1-10/ Col. 1.21
The dispensation of the Mystery
The church which is His body
Jew and gentile made equal

What is?

The Gospel
Gospel – Good News
Christ died for our sins
By grace, through faith, Not of works.
Jesus – The ONLY way

What is?

The Sccond Coming
One stage coming or two?,
1 Thes. 4 and 2 Thes. 1,
Tribulation is not Wrath,

What is?

Hell
Sheol, Gehenna, Hades, The Grave, The Pit,
Luke ch. 16, Never mentioned by the apostle Paul, the state of death.

What is?

The Great White Throne
The Appointed Day when God will judge the world,
The Dead small and great stnd before God,
Whoever’s name is not writtenin the Lamb’s Book of Life is cast into the lake of fire – The Second death

What is?

The Meaning of the Tabernacle
What was its purpose?
Why so ferfect in layout?
What did it point to?

What is?

The Purpose of The OT Sacrifices
Shadows and types of a greater sacrifice
Never meant to take away sin
No remission without shed blood
Pointers to the greatest event in history – Calvary

What is?

The New Covenant
Exclusive to Jews
Gentiles not involved
Old Covenant – conditional – failed
New Covenant – unconditional

Luke 23.43 “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee
“To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise”.

The question which is asked is this, did the thief go to “paradise” that day to be with Christ? Almost without a moments hesitation many Christians would answer “yes” but is that indeed what happened? Let us look carefully at the facts.

The thief’s request was “Lord remember me when thou comest into Thy kingdom”. The thief was no doubt an Israelite and as such knew well the promises of the Old Testament regarding the Messiah and the kingdom He would reign over. He had read the superscription written over the Saviour’s head “This is Jesus of Nazareth the king of the Jews”. He had watched the Lord and listened to His words and realized He was indeed the King. The thief did not ask to be taken to heaven to be with the Lord when he died that day but for Christ to remember him when he came into His kingdom.

Our Lord’s answer to him was regarding that day when His kingdom will be set up on earth otherwise it had no relevance. He promised the thief that he would be part of it when it would come. Later, after His resurrection the Lord told Mary “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”. Surely these plain words of scripture are clear, Jesus had not at that point ascended into heaven.

The problem lies with the comma and where the translators have placed it in the verse. Greek scholars inform us that in the original greek there are no punctuation marks so it was at the discretion of the translators where they placed it. The words of Christ to the thief are easily understood when we recognize this important fact, He simply told him “I tell you today you will be with me in paradise”. The word “paradise” has the definite article and should read “The paradise“, not referring to heaven at all but the paradise of the kingdom set up on earth.

S omeone is sure to say that’s what the Jehovah Witnesses teach about this verse. We are not interested in what JW’S say and indeed recognize them as a false cult but we cannot change the true meaning of the verse just to get one over on them. The readers will see as we deal with other texts that it would have been scripturally impossible for the thief to go to heaven that day anyhow, but more on that later.