“And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”” Luke 23:42-43 ESV

A few years ago I asked a local Pastor about what happens when we die. The only verse that he referenced was Luke 23:43, referring to Jesus’s answer to a criminal hanging next to him on a cross.

The Pastor said that as believers when we die, we go immediately to heaven to be with God and Jesus. I thought to myself if that were true, I would want to be next in line. But, is that really what the Bible clearly teaches?

I asked Copilot where the Mainstream Christian teaching of “when you die you go to heaven” comes from? Here is the response:

“Mainstream Christianity’s teaching that “when you die you go immediately to heaven” does not come from the Bible. It developed gradually through the influence of Greek philosophy — especially Plato’s doctrine of the immortal soul — and was later absorbed into Christian theology by early church fathers and then solidified through medieval Roman Catholic teaching.

The Real Origin: Greek Philosophy, Not Scripture.

Plato’s Immortal Soul:

• Plato taught that humans consist of a mortal body and an immortal soul.

• At death, the soul is released from the body and continues consciously.

• This idea became foundational for Western thought.

Luke 23:43 is the verse most often cited to defend the idea that people go straight to heaven when they die. But when you slow down and let Scripture interpret Scripture, the verse actually supports the biblical resurrection hope, not the Greek�’philosophical “immortal soul” idea.” [Copilot]

A closer look at the word “paradise” in the Bible reveals that it is always a place on earth. The Greek word translated paradise (paradeisos) only occurs 3 times in the New Testament: Luke 23:43, 2 Corinthians 12:4 and Revelation 2:7. Paradeisos occurs 28 times in the LXX. (Septuagint- Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament), starting with Genesis 2:8 translated “garden” in English. If you study these 28 occurrences you will find that the word always refers to an earthly garden, either past (Eden) or a future paradise on the new earth. It never refers to a permanent heavenly realm.

According to Copilot, “2 Corinthians 12:1-4: Paul is describing a vision of the future kingdom and restored Eden, not a location where people currently go when they die.”

We know Revelation 2:7 is the future, and the tree of life is in the paradise of God. We also know from Revelation 21:1-2 and Revelation 22:1-2 that the tree of life will be on the new earth.

Most Christians have not been taught that the Greek manuscripts of Luke 23:43 contain no commas or punctuation. Every comma in any English translation is an interpretive decision by the translators.

So the real question here is, where should the comma go so that Jesus’ statement agrees with everything He and the rest of Scripture teach about death, resurrection, the kingdom, and paradise?

Jesus taught that:

• He would die and be in the grave for three days and three nights (Matt 12:40)

• He had not yet ascended to the Father on the morning after he was raised (John 20:17)

• The righteous receive their reward at the resurrection (Luke 14:14)

• The kingdom arrives when Jesus returns in glory (Matt 25:31)

• Future paradise is in the new creation (Rev 2:7; 22:1-2)

• The meek will inherit the earth(Matt 5:5)

Nothing Jesus taught allows for Him or the thief to be in paradise that day.

So the comma in Luke 23:43, erroneously inserted BEFORE “today” to fit with Plato’s philosophy, has misled pastors and Christians for centuries. But with the comma AFTER “today”, it renders a clear understanding that fits with the whole of Scripture and gives us the truth Jesus spoke:

“….’Truly, I say to you today, you will be with me in paradise.’ ”

With this understanding, we can have true hope in the resurrection of the dead and eternal life in the coming kingdom of our risen Lord and Savior.

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Mark Rohde can be reached at marklrohde@icloud.com.