Bible Studies

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Part 4 continues where Part 3 ended.

I'll also quote part of what G. R. Lewis said in his article on "Paradise" ("Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible," Vol. 4 [Zondervan, 1975], pages 598, 599). First I'll give an excerpt from what he said under the heading "In later Jewish thought." "Stewart D. F. Salmond helpfully summarizes this material. 'In the Rabbinical literature the term [Paradise] has various senses.... Sometimes it is the general abode of the righteous dead; sometimes the happy side of sheol; sometimes the home of the specially privileged few, the abode of those who have never seen death, the place where Messiah Himself waits for the time of His manifestation."

Now I'll quote part of what Lewis said under the heading, "In the NT." He is speaking regarding Luke 23:43. "What meaning of 'Paradise' did Jesus intend the thief to understand? Alford, following Grotius, suggested that Jesus spoke to the thief in terms of the Jewish belief in a portion of Hades for the righteous dead, but spoke with a fuller meaning knowing that the same day he would open paradise at God's right hand. ...and some little time after on the same day was with the thief in the presence of God." I don't believe we should think of the believers being taken from Hades/Sheol/Paradise to heaven before Jesus was resurrected on the third day. Matthew 27:53 shows that a select number of saints were resurrected bodily after Jesus was. (Surely Jesus was resurrected first [cf. 1 Cor. 15:20-23; Col. 1:18: Rev. 1:5; and Rom. 8:29]). Most of the believers dwelling in Hades/Paradise were not resurrected bodily at that time (they're still waiting, along with the Christians who have died the past two thousand years, for the resurrection at the time of Christ's return), but I believe (in agreement with many) that they were taken to Paradise in a higher sense. They were taken to heaven, to the place where true Christians go at death (cf. 2 Cor. 5:1-8; Phil. 1:21, 23; and 1 Thess. 4:13, 14). Hebrews 11:39, 40; 12:23 are important verses that help confirm that the believers from Old Testament days have now been taken to heaven through the victory gained by Christ Jesus. On these verses from Hebrews, see pages 166, 167 of my book, "Holiness and Victory Over Sin."

I'll also quote from Lewis' last heading, "Doctrinal significance." "In defense of the view that paradise was originally a portion of Hades, Louis Sperry Chafer argued that 'An illustration of this belief is given by Christ in the account of the rich man and Lazarus' (Luke 16:19-31). That it [Paradise] was removed from Hades to the presence of God, he taught was indicated by Ephesians 4:8-10 ("Systematic Theology" VII, 247, 248). The note on Hades at Luke 16 in the original Scofield Bible distinguished between Hades before the ascension of Christ (which had a compartment called paradise, or Abraham's bosom) and Hades after the ascension. ... ...paradise has been removed from Hades and 'is now in the immediate presence of God.' It is believed that Ephesians 4:8-10 indicates the time of the change." I have already commented on Eph. 4:8-10 in this paper.


EPHESIANS 4:17-32. These verses, especially when coupled with Ephesians chapters 5 and 6, constitute one of the more significant passages in the New Testament exhorting Christians with the enablement and requirement (which is a great privilege!) to walk in righteousness and holiness with the victory over sin through salvation in Christ Jesus.

"So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk [The apostle Paul was writing this epistle to Gentiles who had now become Christians (cf. Eph. 1:11-13; 2:11-3:8). The non-Christian Gentiles were, of course, walking (living) in sin.], in the futility [or, "emptiness, vanity

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