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Take your pick. Upper or lower? "It is certain that the belief in a lower Paradise prevailed among the Jews, as well as the belief in an upper or heavenly Paradise." A Dictionary of the Bible, Hastings, Volume 3, page 671. The word "Paradise" is only used three times in the Bible. Jesus told the thief that he would be with Him in paradise (Luke 23:43), the Apostle Paul speaks of a man who was "caught up into paradise" (2 Corinthians 12:4), and in Revelation 2:7, Jesus is quoted, "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." Regardless of the location of Paradise, one of the great themes of the Bible is contained in the phrase, "Paradise lost, Paradise regained." In the Garden of Eden, God gave the command, "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it . . ." The account of what happened is found in Genesis 3:6, "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." The rest is history. Their symbolic act of tasting the fruit (these people were obviously not hungry) was an act of disbelieving God. Sin entered--- man and God were separated, Paradise was lost. It would be many centuries later before a way would be made for man to return to Paradise. The return was through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. The Apostle Paul states, "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."1Corinthians 15:22. Paul further adds, "And so it is written, The first man Adam, was made a living soul, the last Adam was made a quickening spirit." 1 Corinthians15:45. It is noteworthy that Jesus is referred to as the "last Adam," and not the "second Adam." The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross was a once and for all act. There is no need for a "third" or "fourth" Adam. In his letter to the Roman church, the Apostle Paul writes, "So then, as the one sin condemned all mankind, in the same way the one righteous act sets all mankind free and gives them life. And just as all people were made sinners as the result of disobedience of one man, in the same way they will all be put right with God as the result of the obedience of one man." Romans 5:18, 19 TEV. As I see it, the issue is not where Paradise is, but what
it is. Paul writes, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which
God hath prepared for them that love him." 1 Corinthians
2:9. By the way, the word Paradise means "royal park."
As I understand this passage, regardless of how beautiful a
Paradise you can imagine, God has prepared something much much
better for you. Blessings in your study of God's Word! Marvin Hunt There is never a charge for my articles, and if you have a good reason, there is no limit to how many you may request. However, if you find them valuable you may want to order my latest book, History, Mystery and Facts About the Bible. Order at 1-800-845-7618 (ext. 301). You may also order from Amazon.com. Proceeds from the book go to support this ministry. Blessings! Http://www.biblehistory.com p.s. A new column is posted weekly. Be sure and bookmark the site or put it on your favorites list. |