How could the thief be with Jesus when he was dead for three days?
Question:
Hello,
I find your Question and Answer web site very helpful in one seeking more about the truth of God. I have two questions that I hope you can and will answer for me.
The day Jesus was crucified on the cross, he turned to the thief on the other cross and told him that today you will be with me in paradise after the thief asked Jesus to remember him in his kingdom. My question is was that really true since Jesus was dead for three days and did not rise until the third day?
Thank you for your time and kindness and I hope to hear back from you soon!
Answer:
Let's start with a basic premise that ought to be something you would assume all Christians accept: "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth" (John 17:17). If you and I accept that statement, then when I run to something that doesn't make sense, my first reaction should be to look at myself to see if something I've always assumed to be true really does, in fact, match what God has taught.
When we read, "And Jesus said to him, 'Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise'" (Luke 23:43) and Peter's statement, "Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption" (Acts 2:30-31); then we must conclude that Paradise is a name for at least a part of the Hadean realm, the realm of the dead. Jesus' story of the rich man and Lazarus gives further light to this in Luke 16:19-31. Rather than repeat what has already been written, I would like you to read "When you die, do you go straight to heaven or hell?" and "The Rich Man and Lazarus: The Gospel Accounts: A Chronological Harmony."
