Paradise - Heaven or Hades?

 "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise." (Luke 23:43)

Jesus said these words to the thief that was crucified next to Him. These were comforting words to a criminal who was in the middle of a painful, prolonged execution. Ironically, the religious people were the ones mocking Jesus and incurring God's judgment while this thief was being promised "paradise."

But what is paradise?

While many equate paradise with heaven, there is another way to interpret this term.

In Luke 16:19-26, we find the story of the rich man and Lazarus. In this story, both men die and go to a place called "Hades." 

The Greek word here is hades and is defined as "the place of departed souls." The word in the Old Testament is sheol and is defined similarly as "hades or the world of the dead (as if a subterranean retreat)." While both words can be translated as "grave," they seem to refer less to the physical state of the dead, and more to the spiritual state of the dead. 

Here in Luke 16, the hadean realm is explained in greater detail.

• It is a spiritual, not a physical realm (vs. 22).
• It's a place of conscious existence (vs. 22-26).
• There are two divisions of Hades - a place of rest (i.e. "Abraham's bosom") on one side and a place of torment and flame on the other side (vs. 22-23).
• There is a "great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us" (vs. 26).
• Each side is visible from the other (vs. 23).
• There is remembrance of the former, earthly life (vs. 25, 27-31).

Jesus describes this realm in Luke 16 and implies that this was the destination of departed souls. It follows, therefore, that when Jesus said to the thief, "today you will be with me in paradise," that He was alluding to the hadean realm. What Jesus describes in Luke 16 as "Abraham's bosom" - a place of rest and comfort - fits the description of "paradise."

Many argue that the story in Luke 16 is actually a parable, and that Jesus wasn't describing a real place. First of all, there's no reason to believe that this was a parable. But even if it was, Jesus' parables were stories rooted in terms and concepts that the common people understood. In other words, even if the rich man and Lazarus weren't real people, the hadean realm was and is a real place. Besides, Jesus wouldn't have used pagan concepts to convey spiritual truth to the Jewish people (who despised the pagans).

Others contend that while the hadean realm did exist, it no longer does. It is believed that the people of the Old Testament couldn't access heaven because their sins were not truly redeemed. Hebrews 9:15 says, "And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance." After all, "it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins" (Heb. 10:4). In other words, a "waiting place" had to exist until the cross; but when Jesus shed His blood and provided total redemption, the need for Hades ended. Now, it is believed, we go straight to our eternal destination - heaven or hell - when we die.

I understand this viewpoint and why it is held by so many, but I cannot bring myself to accept it for the following reasons:

1. In Acts 2:34-35, Peter said on the day of Pentecost (after Jesus' death and resurrection), "For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: 'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.'" So even after Jesus' death, David hadn't ascended to heaven. Now, was this only true of David before the cross; did his status change after the cross? I don't believe so. Notice how David's failure to ascend to heaven is contrasted with Jesus' ascension into heaven to sit at the right hand of God. So it appears that, even after the cross, the saints of the Old Testament still were in the hadean realm.
2. One of my main reasons for believing that Hades still exists is the resurrection. The Scriptures speak repeatedly of the resurrection of the dead that will take place when Jesus returns. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:52 that "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet...for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." Later, Paul adds that when the Lord descends from heaven, "the dead in Christ will rise first" (1 Thess. 4:16). This makes perfect sense if the hadean realm still exists. The souls of the righteous which presently reside in paradise will be reunited with their physical bodies, dramatically transformed (1 Cor. 15) and raised up to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:16-17). But if Hades no longer exists, and if the souls of the righteous are already in heaven, they will have to return to the earth and be resurrected again, only to return to heaven.
3. Along these same lines, the New Testament affirms a future day of judgment. Read Matthew 25:31-46; John 5:26-30; Romans 2:5-11; 2 Corinthians 5:10, et al. Acts 17:30 says, "Truly these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." So there will come a DAY of judgment when all will stand before Christ (2 Cor. 5:10). Again, this makes sense in light of the hadean realm, but less sense if all the deceased have already been given over to their eternal fate.
4. Finally, in Revelation 20:11-15, we find a symbolic description of the coming Judgment Day. In verse 12, John says, "I saw the dead, small and great standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books." Then, in verse 13, "The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works." So it appears that the hadean realm will continue to exist until Judgment Day. When Jesus returns, the hadean realm will be emptied and ALL will stand before Christ to be judged.

For these reasons, I believe that the hadean realm is not only a real place, but that it continues to exist, even today. So when Jesus said to the thief, "Today you will be with me in paradise," I believe that He was speaking, not of heaven, but of the part of Hades - the realm of the dead - that is described as a place of rest and comfort.

I know that there is more to this subject than what I have written in this article. My goal has not been to exhaustively deal with this issue, but to provide a simple, concise explanation of paradise and the hadean realm. 

I also want to add that this is nothing more than my interpretation of the New Testament text. I know that many good, sincere brethren disagree on this. This is certainly an issue I'm willing to discuss and debate, but not one that I am willing to debate to the point of division. In the end, it really doesn't matter to me whether I go to Paradise in Hades or Paradise in Heaven when I pass from this life. I know that whatever God has in store for me will be more than I deserve.