When Jesus said "today you will be with me in paradise" he was speaking about the man's spirit/soul. We know this because his body was buried in the earth. He will be resurrected later.
When a believer dies, their spirit/soul departs from the body and goes to be in the presence of the Lord. Their bodies are decaying in the earth. When the resurrection takes place, Jesus will bring with him all of those spirits/souls who have died in him and their bodies will resurrect and they will be reunited with those resurrected bodies. Then immediately after that, the living in Christ will be changed into their immortal and glorified bodies and will be caught up with them.
When a believer dies, their spirit/soul departs from the body and goes to be in the presence of the Lord. Their bodies are decaying in the earth. When the resurrection takes place, Jesus will bring with him all of those spirits/souls who have died in him and their bodies will resurrect and they will be reunited with those resurrected bodies. Then immediately after that, the living in Christ will be changed into their immortal and glorified bodies and will be caught up with them.
I am growing weary of talking to brick walls, aren't you?
Here is how I try to open the eyes of those who refuse to See or Hear the Truth.
Luke 23:42-43 (HCSB)
[SUP]42 [/SUP] Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!”
[SUP]43 [/SUP] And He said to him, “I assure you: Today you will be with Me in paradise.”
2 Corinthians 12:2-4 (HCSB)
[SUP]2 [/SUP] I know a man in Christ who was caught up {the same Greek word, "Harpazô", is where we get our word Rapture from, because of the Latin Translation of that word is: “Rapturo”} into the third heaven 14 years ago. Whether he was in the body or out of the body, I don’t know, God knows.
[SUP]3 [/SUP] I know that this man—whether in the body or out of the body I don’t know, God knows—
[SUP]4 [/SUP] was caught up into paradise. He heard inexpressible words, which a man is not allowed to speak.
The Bible Discribes THREE HEAVENS:
FIRST HEAVEN: = ATMOSPHERE
Genesis 1:26 (ASV)
[SUP]26 [/SUP] And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
2 Samuel 21:10 (NRSV)
[SUP]10 [/SUP] Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it on a rock for herself, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell on them from the heavens; she did not allow the birds of the air to come on the bodies by day, or the wild animals by night.
SECOND HEAVEN: = THE UNIVERSE, THAT CONTAINS THE STARS, AND GALAXIES.
Genesis 22:17-18 (ESV)
[SUP]17 [/SUP] I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies,
[SUP]18 [/SUP] and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
Nahum 3:16 (NKJV)
[SUP]16 [/SUP] You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars of heaven. The locust plunders and flies away.
Philippians 2:15 (NIV)
[SUP]15 [/SUP] so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe
THIRD HEAVEN: = THE ETERNAL DWELLING PLACE OF GOD ABOVE THE STARS.
Job 22:12 (NIV)
[SUP]12 [/SUP] "Is not God in the heights of heaven? And see how lofty are the highest stars!
Isaiah 14:12-13 (NKJV)
[SUP]12 [/SUP] "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations![SUP]13 [/SUP] For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north;
1 Kings 22:19 (GW)
[SUP]19 [/SUP] Micaiah added, “Then hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and the entire army of heaven was standing near him on his right and his left.
Hebrews 8:1 (NCV)
[SUP]1[/SUP] Here is the point of what we are saying: We have a high priest who sits on the right side of God’s throne in heaven.
PARADISE: = THE THIRD HEAVEN
Revelation 2:7 (ASV)
[SUP]7 [/SUP] He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.
Revelation 22:1-2 (NRSV)
[SUP]1 [/SUP]Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
[SUP]2 [/SUP] through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
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