Question:
Where is Paradise and does the Bible ever mention a 'Paradise Earth'?
2010-08-05 06:22:48 UTC
There are only three places in the entire Bible where Paradise is mentioned: Luke 23:43, 2 Corinthians 12:14 and Revelation 2:7/

Where is this Paradise? Is it on earth? Is it in heaven? Or is it somewhere else?
Six answers:
Annsan_In_Him
2010-08-05 09:43:04 UTC
The word 'paradise' was originally a Persian word for a garden of pleasure. It would be fair to say that the Garden of Eden, mentioned in Genesis, could be called Paradise. That link is confirmed by Rev. 2:7 which mentions "the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God". We know that Eden was on earth and contained a tree of life, so that seems to be the closest we can get to the Bible speaking of paradise ON earth.



The other two references are really interesting. Paul spoke of someone being caught up to the third heaven - Paradise. He didn't know whether that happened in the body or out of the body. That proves that Paul acknowledged the possibility of the spirit or soul of a human existing in a conscious state apart from the body. Certainly the Paradise he spoke of was not on earth!



Now, Luke 23:43 - "Today you will be with me in Paradise". The thief could never have gone to heaven the same day he and Jesus died because Jesus did not return to heaven till 40 days later! So did the thief die and become extinct? Was he unconscious and dead from the day of death and will remain so until the future resurrection of the dead? No, because Acts 2:24-36 shows that a person does not become extinct, ceasing to exist, at death. The physical body remains mouldering in the grave - like King David's body - but the spirit awaits being 'clothed' with a resurrected body on the Day of Judgement. As Jesus did not become extinct at the point of His death, but went to preach to the spirits in hades, then received a glorified, resurrected body, so it is with the thief. He went to hades as well, but to the paradise section of hades, not the hell part.



Luke 16 shows that the spirits of those who die go either to hell, or to 'Abraham's bosom', the two sections of hades. All people who die find themselves (in spirit) in either one or the other sections of hades. There they stay until the Day of Judgement when bodies are resurrected and reunited with the spirits of those who have died. Then they can stand before Jesus' judgement throne for the final verdict. After that, those who are condemned will go into the everlasting lake of fire, the second death, and death and hades will be thrown in there also. The lake of fire is eternal because death ceases to exist once it is hurled into this lake.



This is a long-winded way of getting round to the point of your question. Thank-you for bearing with me! The Bible only connects the long-gone Garden of Eden with a paradise ON earth. Thereafter it speaks of Paradise as being a place of joy for those who die and who are blessed (as was the thief on the cross). Paradise is the lovely part of hades. Those in it can expect to then go to heaven after the Day of Judgement.
Mommy of 3
2010-08-09 08:34:17 UTC
As already mentioned the word “Paradise” only appears in the scriptures 3 times (in reference to an actual place).



The first instance was a Luke 23:43 when Jesus told the man impaled next to him that he would be with him in “Paradise”. Some people believe this refers to heaven and others (mainly Jehovah’s Witnesses) believe that this is reference to a futuristic “Paradise Earth” (the “new earth” spoken of in the scriptures)



Growing up as a JW I had adopted the latter view until a few months ago when a question prompted me to research the subject.



Based on my research MY PERSONAL OPINION BASED ON SCRIPTURE is that NO ONE CAN KNOW FOR SURE WHERE PARADISE IS.



For one thing, Jesus did not ascend to heaven immediately upon his death, so if indeed the scripture at Luke 23:43 is saying that the man would be in Paradise “Today”, then that paradise could not have been heaven.



This is confirmed by the second instance of the word paradise, which is at 2 Corinthians 12:4, here Paul spoke of a man who was "caught away into paradise'. Paul was obviously unfamiliar with this place as you can tell from the wording that he had a difficult time even describing what it was------------ he said is was AS a "third heaven". He didn't even know whether the man was in body or not during this experience.



The last instance is at Revelation 2:7 which simply speaks of the “Paradise of God”, but gives no hint as to where it is.



Based on these scriptures as a whole, and especially 2 Corinthians 12:4, I am inclined to believe that Paradise is a very special place, one that has existed for a long time, and not futuristic as the JW view of it. I also feel that its location is unknown probably because God wants it to be that way.
Capt Mathew
2010-08-09 07:40:23 UTC
Well, a question of great value! I went through the multifaceted answers and reviews and praise be to His Holy Name who opened up the keys of wisdom to those who seek him after!



Although the word "Paradise" is rightly said as used only thrice in The Bible, but there are few more mentions of the same in different places in different occasions. Hopefully and for sure the mention of 2 Corinthians 12:14, would have meant for "12:04".



According to Gospel of St. Luke, Ch:16, Vs: 22, The mention of "Abraham's bosom" is the peaceful and happy place of rest to the meek and true which is another "Paradise". When we refer the verse under reference, Luke 23: 43, "today shalt thou be with me in "paradise" and that particular "paradise" is the one Jesus after his crusifixtion went into, the very first day taking along the repented thief. rather we can say "Abraham's bossom" The Gospel of St Luke Ch: 16 clarifies the presence of place of "torment" where the rich man after availing all worldly pleasures and lust of the world and even after doing "rightious deeds" according to the law of human kind, but ended up at last!

When we refer The Gospel of St. John, Ch: 14, Vs:2, "Multitude of Mansions" at "my Father's Hose clarifies two factors, one the claim of Trinity as one is not factual and the phynominon "Paradise" is not the plalce where our Lord Jesus had been or will be. Also the mention of "heavenly places" in

Ephesians Ch: 3: Vs 10 once again clarifies the truth that there ARE PLACES and NOT PLACE.
showurlove
2010-08-05 15:17:09 UTC
God promises a new heaven and a new earth.for true believers.However this does not happen until 5 months after the great;the day of judgment when the earth is destroyed.Its impractical for me to rewrite all of Rev.21.bur it is well worth you're reading and gives a very clear description for your very good Question.
Nina, BaC
2010-08-05 13:28:28 UTC
Very good question. All I know that Jesus is preparing for us the place and the Bible talks about new heaven and new earth. I do not really care where it is because it is going to be perfect. But what I know is that the paradise earth which Jehovah's Witnesses teach about is not Biblical.
thomas_tutoring2002
2010-08-05 14:15:03 UTC
THERE ARE REFERENCES in the Bible about "new earth" as in:



(2 Peter 3:13) “13 But there are new heavens and  a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell. .”



Reference to the "new earth" or paradise is made to Nicodemus when discussing the idea of being "born again" of which he had very little knowledge along with earthly blessings . Please note the distinction of "earthly & heavenly things"



(John 3:12-13) “12 If I have told YOU EARTHLY things and yet YOU do not believe, how will YOU believe if I tell YOU HEAVENLY things? 13 Moreover, no man has ascended into heaven but he that descended from heaven, the Son of man.”



NOTE please the idea of "paradise" concerning the earth & how it will be a total garden experience with Jehovah God's blessing by Christs ruldership as:



"........thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven........" (Matthew 6:9)



(Isaiah 45:18)

“18 For this is what Jehovah has said, the Creator of the heavens, He the [true] God, the Former of the earth and the Maker of it, He the One who firmly established it, who did not create it simply for nothing, who formed it even to be inhabited: “I am Jehovah, and there is no one else.”



OF INTEREST should not the "ideas" of paradise earth be the doctrine rather than just words to support the concept & ideas of paradise earth by Christs rulership?



(Isaiah 11:3-5) “. . .And he will not judge by any mere appearance to his eyes, nor reprove simply according to the thing heard by his ears. 4 And with righteousness he must judge the lowly ones, and with uprightness he must give reproof in behalf of the meek ones of the earth. And he must strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the spirit of his lips he will put the wicked one to death. 5 And righteousness must prove to be the belt of his hips, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.”



=======UPDATED=======



*** gt The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived

The historian H. G. Wells said that a man’s greatness can be measured by ‘what he leaves to grow, and whether he started others to think along fresh lines with a vigor that persisted after him.’ Wells, although not claiming to be a Christian, acknowledged: “By this test Jesus stands first.”



Would it not be wise to responde in like maner to the counsel of the "Greatest Man Who Ever lived"



============UPDATE 1=========



--The comment is not on a numbered page but on the forward after the chapter lists just before heading "A Historical Person"



--Be back soon, thanks for your reply!



=======UPDATE 2=======



--AS TO THE trinity--is that idea in sync. with the entire Bible?

--Do illustrations about the trinity like the 3 parts of an egg & or the three forms of H20 explain the Almighty God Jehovah & his relationship with his Mighty Son , Christ Jesus?

--Where is the holy spirit clearly seen as part of the idea of trinity?



-(1 Corinthians 14:7-8) “7 As it is, the inanimate things give off sound, whether a flute or a harp; unless it makes an interval to the tones, how will it be known what is being played on the flute or on the harp? 8 For truly, if the trumpet sounds an indistinct call, who will get ready for battle"?



It seems to be the idea of holy spirit is very indistinct for or does not fit the role it said to play for the trinity!



As to Thomas' exclamation, could Jesus had recognized what Thomas was expressing in amazement. There is no way from the context , we can know absolutly sure either way!



( NIV) JOHN 20:28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"



Please note that the lower case on "Lord" still distinguises from "God" or Jehovah



(John 20:27-29) “. . .Next he said to Thomas: “Put your finger here, and see my hands, and take your hand and stick it into my side, and STOP UNBELIEVING but become believing.” 28 In answer Thomas said to him: “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him: “Because you have seen me have you believed? Happy are those who do not see and yet believe.””



=============update 3==========



Here is a breakdown of Christ & the evil doer on paradise earth in commentary form:

*** it-2 p. 575 Paradise ***



***What is the Paradise that Jesus promised to the evildoer who died alongside him?



"Luke’s account shows that an evildoer, being executed alongside Jesus Christ, spoke words in Jesus’ defense and requested that Jesus remember him when he ‘got into his kingdom.’ Jesus’ reply was: “Truly I tell you today, You will be with me in Paradise.” (Lu 23:39-43) The punctuation shown in the rendering of these words must, of course, depend on the translator’s understanding of the sense of Jesus’ words, since no punctuation was used in the original Greek text.

--Punctuation in the modern style did not become common until about the ninth century C.E. Whereas many translations place a comma before the word “today” and thereby give the impression that the evildoer entered Paradise that same day, there is nothing in the rest of the Scriptures to support this. Jesus himself was dead and in the tomb until the third day and was then resurrected as “the firstfruits” of the resurrection. (Ac 10:40; 1Co 15:20; Col 1:18) He ascended to heaven 40 days later.—Joh 20:17; Ac 1:1-3, 9.

--The evidence is, therefore, that Jesus’ use of the word “today” was not to give the time of the evildoer’s being in Paradise but, rather, to call attention to the time in which the promise was being made and during which the evildoer had shown a measure of faith in Jesus. It was a day when Jesus had been rejected and condemned by the highest-ranking religious leaders of his own people and was thereafter sentenced to die by Roman authority. He had become an object of scorn and ridicule. So the wrongdoer alongside him had shown a notable quality and commendable heart attitude in not going along with the crowd but, rather, speaking out in Jesus’ behalf and expressing belief in his coming Kingship.

-- Recognizing that the emphasis is correctly placed on the time of the promise’s being made rather than on the time of its fulfillment, other translations, such as those in English by Rotherham and Lamsa, those in German by Reinhardt and W. Michaelis, as well as the Curetonian Syriac of the fifth century C.E., rendered the text in a form similar to the reading of the New World Translation, quoted herein.

--As to the identification of the Paradise of which Jesus spoke, it is clearly not synonymous with the heavenly Kingdom of Christ. Earlier that day entry into that heavenly Kingdom had been held out as a prospect for Jesus’ faithful disciples but on the basis of their having ‘stuck with him in his trials,’ something the evildoer had never done, his dying on a stake alongside Jesus being purely for his own criminal acts. (Lu 22:28-30; 23:40, 41) The evildoer obviously had not been “born again,” of water and spirit, which Jesus showed was a prerequisite to entry into the Kingdom of the heavens. (Joh 3:3-6) Nor was the evildoer one of the ‘conquerors’ that the glorified Christ Jesus stated would be with him on his heavenly throne and that have a share in “the first resurrection.”—Re 3:11, 12, 21; 12:10, 11; 14:1-4; 20:4-6.

--Some reference works present the view that Jesus was referring to a paradise location in Hades or Sheol, supposedly a compartment or division thereof for those approved by God. The claim is made that the Jewish rabbis of that time taught the existence of such a paradise for those who had died and were awaiting a resurrection. Regarding the teachings of the rabbis, Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible states:

-- “The Rabbinical theology as it has come down to us exhibits an extraordinary medley of ideas on these questions, and in the case of many of them it is difficult to determine the dates to which they should be assigned. . . .

... Taking the literature as it is, it might appear that Paradise was regarded by some as on earth itself, by others as forming part of Sheol, by others still as neither on earth nor under earth, but in heaven . . . But there is some doubt as respects, at least, part of this. These various conceptions are found indeed in later Judaism. They appear most precisely and most in detail in the mediaeval Cabbalistic Judaism . . 

.... But it is uncertain how far back these things can be carried. The older Jewish theology at least . . . seems to give little or no place to the idea of an intermediate Paradise. It speaks of a Gehinnom for the wicked, and a Gan Eden, or garden of Eden, for the just. It is questionable whether it goes beyond these conceptions and affirms a Paradise in Sheol.”—1905, Vol. III, pp. 669, 670.

--Even if they did teach such a thing, it would be most unreasonable to believe that Jesus would propagate such a concept, in view of his condemnation of the non-Biblical religious traditions of the Jewish religious leaders. (Mt 15:3-9) Likely the paradise truly familiar to the Jewish malefactor to whom Jesus spoke was the earthly Paradise described in the first book of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Paradise of Eden. That being so, Jesus’ promise would reasonably point to a restoration of such earthly paradisaic condition. His promise to the wrongdoer would therefore give assured hope of a resurrection of such an unrighteous one to an opportunity to life in that restored Paradise.—Compare Ac 24:15; Re 20:12, 13; 21:1-5; Mt 6:10.


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