Where is Paradise located?

Earth was created as a paradise for Adam and Eve. They were perfect and had all of their needs fulfilled. When they sinned and ate the fruit from the tree of which they were forbidden, they lost perfection for themselves and their offspring.

Genesis 3:15 talks of a seed and the kingdom seed is mentioned throughout the whole Bible. That "seed" is none other than Jesus Christ. He came to earth and while here he preached about his future kingdom which would restore the earth to the paradise in which it had originally been created.

He shared the Lord's prayer (a model of things to pray for) with his disciples and it spoke of this kingdom. It said "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

A kingdom is a government. A government has a ruling class and also subjects. So Jesus and some co-rulers "bought from the earth" will rule over the restored earth. Revelation 21:3,4 says that sickness, death, mourning, pain and outcry will be done away with. Scriptures in Isaiah say that there will be no more hunger and that people will build their own houses and we will be at peace with the animals.

Psalm 37:9-11; 29 says that the "meek shall inherit the earth" and "reside forever upon it" and the wicked will be cut off from it.

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The Greek Word for paradise is "paradeisos" Strong's #3857 and means a park. Some think this comes from the Hebrew/Aramaic "pardec" Strong's #6508 and means a "park, forest, or orchard."

The Garden of Eden is considered the first paradise. In fact, as already stated, the whole earth was considered a paradise for Adam and Eve. As such it is considered a place of rest, a place of comfort, and a place where the soul has fellowship with God. This indicates there can be several places referred to as paradise which includes heaven. But it is important not to confuse them.

For instance: Jesus said to the thief: "today shalt thou be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43). But paradise is not heaven or in heaven because Jesus did not go to heaven that day. At his resurrection (John 20:17) he told Mary not to touch him because he had not yet ascended to heaven. So the thief did not go to a heaven paradise because Jesus did not go to heaven that day.

Where is this paradise Jesus spoke about? Was paradise here mistranslated and it should say instead "park or garden"? Because Jesus was buried in a tomb in a garden or park (John 19:41). The thief was not buried in the same tomb with Jesus but he could have been buried in the same "park or garden" of tombs. There is nothing in the statement to the thief that he was being saved or that he was saved by asking to be remembered when Jesus came into his Kingdom. Many think because Jesus said he would be with him in paradise, this means Jesus saved him and would take him to heaven. But we know Jesus did not go to heaven that day. Jesus could have simply said to the thief: today you are going with me to the graveyard with no reference or hint he was going to a place of bliss saved.

Paradise is often thought to also be the bosom of Abraham, where the souls of all righteous Jews went upon death. Unrighteous souls of Jews when to hell fire torments as we see in the case of the rich man and Lazarus. If paradise or park or garden is the bosom of Abraham, we may conclude the thief would find mercy not under the New Testament, but under the Old Testament. This is possible if the thief was a Jew (which we do not know), and his sins that day would be atoned by the last sacrifice of the evening lamb at the temple before Jesus and the thief died. The thief died on the other side of Calvary. This we know.

We know this also: the thief did not die in the New Testament. He was not in the body of Christ Church. He died under the Law and will be judged under the Law. He did not believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. He was not baptized and did not need this under the Law dispensation. But he would have needed baptism if he died under the New Covenant. We conclude that whatever salvation the thief may have received, is not the plan of salvation in the New Testament.

The plan of salvation in the New Testament comes not from the cross of the thief, but from the Cross of Jesus Christ. This is why the Apostle Peter preached Acts 2:38 to the day of Pentecost Jews. Salvation would be by faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, and by grace alone. This was the whole intent of Acts 2:38. The thief never heard the Gospel preached. He never believed upon Jesus as his Savior. There is no confession of his lips to indicate this. So, where ever paradise was, it was not in heaven it was upon the earth.

It is totally improper to take the other two verses that mention paradise and backward apply these to the thief. Because the other two imply the paradise in heaven in which no man has yet gone. The paradise of the thief was right here on the earth.

We will not judge the thief. But we will say he did not go to heaven the day he died because even Jesus did not go to heaven that day.