Then you believe you have it all figured out, no other possibilities at all?
It is the simplest explanation of the events as they are recorded in the Bible.
The thief on the cross, like Jesus, would have had a trial, would have most likely been beaten, or at the very least shoved around, had to carry his cross uphill, been nailed to it, and was hanging there. Yet you are so certain during all of this, he had no inclination to reconsider the events of his life and repent (have a complete change of heart).
Kind of like what happens to a person today when they fall before the Lord and accept His gift of salvation. It's not recorded that the thief verbally confessed and repented of any sin. What is recorded is his simple faith that Jesus honored. And don't you remember all that Scripture that talks about God not holding sin against people because of their faith?
Next, is the certainty that Paradise is synonymous with heaven, and both Jesus and the thief entered heaven, not the garden outside the gates of heaven, and while there what was said to one another.
The bottom line is, he was with Jesus. That's all that matters, because where Jesus is, there's peace, there's love, there's perfection. It's where I want to be, whether that's in official heaven, in the New Earth, Paradise, it doesn't matter.
Recall Jesus' ascension into heaven and his Father wouldn't occur until later, so perhaps you also know that the thief entered heaven before Jesus?
And here I thought you were all about heaven running on a completely different time scale so you can maintain that Mary is hearing and fulfilling millions of prayers on a daily basis and still has time to appear to people here and there to tell them things the Holy Spirit and the angels have always done.
He didn't go to Purgatory as Catholics keep telling us everyone must, a place of pain and suffering where you have to work on yourself and make yourself acceptable to God. The point is, as I keep saying, He went with Jesus, no further self-work necessary, because Jesus did it all. And, if He can do it for the thief, He can do it for me.
There are so many unknowns...it's awesome to reflect on all of them. Ever try to tie moonbeams in a neat little package? Often it best to reflect and leave it at that.
It is a vital theological point, however, whether Jesus' sacrifice was everything, the complete and total package, all i's dotted and t's crossed, nothing further needed to be done for salvation. I say yes, it was all that was needed. I can't move the needle further into green by my good works. I repent of sin out of sorrow for doing something that hurts the Father's heart, not out of terror that God is going to throw me away because I messed up. I do good works because of two things. One, He put within me His Spirit who nudges me to do them, and two, I want to please him. I don't do them thinking that God is keeping a giant spreadsheet of my deeds and going, "Just two more, just two more, then I can throw that sin into the sea of my forgetfulness".
