Understanding the Promise Made to the Thief on the Cross, and to Many

Greetings to all who have diligently search the word of truth. I would like to say one thing of importance before we get started. Please, have your bibles out and going over the scriptures we are about to present to you. The reason being is, we are about to show you what some pastors and preachers use to put the dead in heaven. I must inform you my opinion means nothing. We will give you straight bible and leave it open for you to read and decide for yourself. 1 Timothy 2:15 tells us to “rightly dividing the word of truth.” Let’s show you what is not righty divided and what is rightly divided.

Let’s look at the crucifixion of Jesus in Luke 23. In verse 39-43 the two thieves was crucified with Jesus. Read the dialog Jesus had with the thief in v. 42-43. Jesus answered the thief and said, “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Did Jesus mean the thief will go to heaven that day or did Jesus make a promise that day? Look at the punctuation in verse 43. It sounds like today you will go to paradise. Consider the punctuation in the wrong place and place the comma behind the word [today,].

What do you believe? That day the Lord made a promise or that day the thief went to paradise. According to the whole chapter of Luke 24, the thief was not with Jesus. Why should we think the thief went to paradise without Jesus and Jesus said in John 20: 17, He has not ascended to His Father? This conversation with Mary took place three days later. Somebody should have made there homecoming by now. The thief could not have gone to heaven because John 3: 13 tells us no man ascended to heaven. In 1 Timothy 6:13-15, it states that Jesus is the ONLY one who has immortality at this time. Therefore, where are our forefathers Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the prophets, the thief and especially your love ones?

Many people believe when you die it is your spirit that returns to Heaven. Pastors use 2 Corinthians 5: 8 to justify died people in heaven, but it must be rightly divided. That spirit is the breath of life which we all receive that same spirit to live and when it is taken away, we die. But if the thief spirit went to heaven, then it should be more than three that bare witness in heaven (1 John 5:7). If would be a whole lot of dead folks baring witness in heaven. Let’s read a few places where the thief is, and many others that gave up the breath of life, or gave up the ghost. That “long home” for the body is explained in Ecclesiastes 12: 1-5 and where the spirit goes, it tells us in verse 7. Job explains his spirit in chapter 27: 1-3. Genesis 2: 7 tell us with the breath of life your body became a living soul. This tells us also, that the soul is not in you; you are the soul, which is the body.

What about when the breath leaves the soul as it left the thief and everybody else that has died? Psalms 104: 29-30 explains every living thing and person that has lived and died. We also know that our dead relatives are not looking down on us from heaven smiling, because they have made it to glory. Psalms 146: 4 states that “his thoughts perish.” The dead don’t know anything. In the faith chapter of Hebrews 11, these folks in verse 4, 7, 8, 11, all died in faith and have not receive the promise (Heb. 11: 13). What promise you ask? The promise to be changed to an incorruptible seed, a new grain (1 Cor. 15: 37/Phil.3:21). People may say the body will reunite with the spirit when the Lord return, but God will not reunite a vile body with the breath of life. Corruption can not inherit incorruption (1 Cor. 15: 50).

It says in Hebrews 11: 39-40, they received not the promise…that they without us should not be made perfect. Look and see what Job said about WHEN he will be made perfect. Job understood the timing of “when,” just like the thief understood the timing of “when” Jesus will come into His kingdom. In Job 14: 10, giving up the ghost simply means a man died and gave up the breath of life. Job 14: 12-14 is dealing with a “when” factor or a set time, so how can the thief beat Job and Jesus to paradise. On that note, all the rest of the faithful that died in Christ. According to the bible, let’s see where David is today. Acts 2: 29 said, David is dead and buried and his grave is with us this day. Verse 34 says, David had not ascended to heaven. How is it that the thief or your dead love ones made it to heaven? 1 Corinthians 15: 22 and 23 told us in Christ shall all be made alive at His coming. When we rightly divide 1 Corinthians 15: 22-23, we see that His coming is at the last trump of God in 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-16. Remember Jesus is the ONLY one immortal at this time but we also shall put on immortality with Him at the last trump (1 Cor. 15: 51-53). The last day is that “when” factor we mentioned earlier. The last day is the timing Jōb and the thief understood.

According to John 6: 39-40, 44, and 54; we have read at the last day the Lord will raise up who the Father have given Him. We know the thief will be in the kingdom because he humbled himself, acknowledged his sins and believed, and Jesus granted him what he asked for, to be in paradise. As for the other thief, he rejected the faith and believed not. At the last day he that has no belief in Jesus as well as the unbelieving thief will be judged according to John 12: 48 and Ecclesiastes 12: 14. Furthermore, the thief also understood by his statement… “Remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” We know that Jesus kingdom will reign on earth for a thousand years and then Jesus will deliver His kingdom to the Father (Matt 25: 31-34/1Cor. 15:24-25). Thank You for reading.