To the Thief on the cross Jesus said,
Luke 23:42-43
42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Is paradise heaven? On the 3rd day after this event, the resurrected Jesus tells Mary the following:
John 20: 11-17
11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,
12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
Here Jesus tells Mary on the 3rd day that he had not yet ascended to the Father. What this tells us is that Jesus had not yet ascended into heaven where the Father is. So the thief could not have gone to heaven with Christ on that day that Jesus told him that today you shall be with me in paradise. Paradise is not heaven. Paradise is not heaven in this case. Upon Jesus' death and before he was resurrected, Jesus went among the spirits that were dead and preached his gospel.
1 Peter 3:18-20
18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
1 Peter 4:6
6 For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
Doctrine and Covenants 138
Upon Jesus' death he went among the dead spirits and preached his gospel. Those who accepted Jesus and his gospel were in a state of paradise where those who rejected or had not yet accepted Jesus were in spirit prison. Not until after Jesus was resurrected on the 3rd day did Jesus ascend into heaven. If on that very day that Jesus was crucified the thief on the cross was to be with him in paradise, then paradise could not be heaven. Paradise was among the spirits of the dead who accepted Jesus and his gospel among all the spirits of the dead.
Cougarbear is correct that for one enter the kingdom of God, one must first be baptized. This what Jesus taught:
John 3:5
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
For this reason it has always been a doctrine of the true church of Jesus Christ that there be baptism for the dead. Paul even used the doctrine of baptism for the dead to bolster his argument for the resurrection to the Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 15:29
29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?
By the end of the Millennium or the 7th seal, by the grace of Jesus Christ, all mankind will have had the opportunity to hear the gospel whether in this life or among the spirits of the dead and all will have received baptism either while living or by proxy by the living for the dead. All the dead will have the choice of receiving their proxy baptism or not and whether they receive Jesus as the Christ and his gospel or not. God truly is a fair God and will allow all his children the opportunity to be saved.
Luke 23:42-43
42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Is paradise heaven? On the 3rd day after this event, the resurrected Jesus tells Mary the following:
John 20: 11-17
11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,
12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
Here Jesus tells Mary on the 3rd day that he had not yet ascended to the Father. What this tells us is that Jesus had not yet ascended into heaven where the Father is. So the thief could not have gone to heaven with Christ on that day that Jesus told him that today you shall be with me in paradise. Paradise is not heaven. Paradise is not heaven in this case. Upon Jesus' death and before he was resurrected, Jesus went among the spirits that were dead and preached his gospel.
1 Peter 3:18-20
18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
1 Peter 4:6
6 For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
Doctrine and Covenants 138
Upon Jesus' death he went among the dead spirits and preached his gospel. Those who accepted Jesus and his gospel were in a state of paradise where those who rejected or had not yet accepted Jesus were in spirit prison. Not until after Jesus was resurrected on the 3rd day did Jesus ascend into heaven. If on that very day that Jesus was crucified the thief on the cross was to be with him in paradise, then paradise could not be heaven. Paradise was among the spirits of the dead who accepted Jesus and his gospel among all the spirits of the dead.
Cougarbear is correct that for one enter the kingdom of God, one must first be baptized. This what Jesus taught:
John 3:5
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
For this reason it has always been a doctrine of the true church of Jesus Christ that there be baptism for the dead. Paul even used the doctrine of baptism for the dead to bolster his argument for the resurrection to the Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 15:29
29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?
By the end of the Millennium or the 7th seal, by the grace of Jesus Christ, all mankind will have had the opportunity to hear the gospel whether in this life or among the spirits of the dead and all will have received baptism either while living or by proxy by the living for the dead. All the dead will have the choice of receiving their proxy baptism or not and whether they receive Jesus as the Christ and his gospel or not. God truly is a fair God and will allow all his children the opportunity to be saved.
