Dear Explorer,
Read Luke 23:39-43
When one of the criminals began mocking Jesus, what did the other criminal say?
What was Jesus' reply?
There are four very important points that I want you to see in Jesus' answer.
1) It confirms that our SELF and Spirit separate from the BODY immediately upon death. Many followers of Jesus believe that the SELF goes into a long sleep with the BODY until Jesus' 2nd coming and the resurrection of the BODY. But Jesus said, “today!”
2) A right relationship with God is dependent only upon inviting Jesus into your life, not on works or good deeds. The thief on the cross had no time for works!
3) A right relationship with God is not dependent on baptism. The thief didn't have time for that, either.
4) Here, again, we see Jesus referring to a place that possibly is not Heaven – but a place of waiting. In our earlier study (Day 197) about Lazarus and the Rich Man we talked about this place of waiting called Abraham's Bosom or Abraham side. Here Jesus referred to it as Paradise.
For us today, because Jesus has already died and risen from the grave and returned to Heaven, the destination for a follower of Jesus is Heaven and I believe that we arrive there immediately upon death.
My Daddy had slipped into a coma and was only a few hours from dying when a young nurse asked him if he knew where he was going. And even though he had not responded to anything for a couple of days, he opened his eyes and said, “I know where I'm going, but do you know where you are going?” She was rather startled by his question. I assured her that my Daddy cared about her future and whether she was spiritually ready to die. She wasn't willing to talk about it, and she left rather quickly. But I hope that it made her think. Everyone needs to make their decision regarding Jesus before they die.
Write down what you would say to someone who wants to know how to get to Heaven.