Blackrook
Diamond Member
- Jun 20, 2014
- 21,798
- 11,558
- 1,255
...went to heaven.
The Catholic Church tells us all the Apostles but Judas went to heaven, but looking only at the Bible, the only person we know for sure went to heaven was the "good thief."
But he wasn't a thief, he was a revolutionary, crucified by the Romans for violently resisting the occupation of Israel.
And he did not go to heaven for a life of good deeds. On the contrary, he was a soldier in a war that could never be won, and in that war, he might have committed terrible atrocities to further his cause.
In the modern era, he might even have qualified as a terrorist, for certainly he was a terrorist in the eyes of the Roman occupation army.
And he did not ask to go to heaven. All he asked of Jesus was that he remember him, when he "entered into his Kingdom."
But in that one profession of faith, all of this man's sins were wiped out, and not only did he go to heaven, he went immediately to heaven, not even spending time in purgatory, where the Catholic Church tells us sinners go to be purified of their sins.
The story tells us a few simple truths.
That faith is so important to God, that even one profession of faith will wipe out a lifetime of sin.
That there is no such thing as a sinner who cannot be redeemed.
That God does not keep a balance sheet of sins and good deeds, the slate can be wiped clean in the moment before death simply by acknowledging Jesus as Lord.
The Catholic Church tells us all the Apostles but Judas went to heaven, but looking only at the Bible, the only person we know for sure went to heaven was the "good thief."
But he wasn't a thief, he was a revolutionary, crucified by the Romans for violently resisting the occupation of Israel.
And he did not go to heaven for a life of good deeds. On the contrary, he was a soldier in a war that could never be won, and in that war, he might have committed terrible atrocities to further his cause.
In the modern era, he might even have qualified as a terrorist, for certainly he was a terrorist in the eyes of the Roman occupation army.
And he did not ask to go to heaven. All he asked of Jesus was that he remember him, when he "entered into his Kingdom."
But in that one profession of faith, all of this man's sins were wiped out, and not only did he go to heaven, he went immediately to heaven, not even spending time in purgatory, where the Catholic Church tells us sinners go to be purified of their sins.
The story tells us a few simple truths.
That faith is so important to God, that even one profession of faith will wipe out a lifetime of sin.
That there is no such thing as a sinner who cannot be redeemed.
That God does not keep a balance sheet of sins and good deeds, the slate can be wiped clean in the moment before death simply by acknowledging Jesus as Lord.