Luke 23:39-43 “Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us." (40) But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? (41) And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong." (42) Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." (43) And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Our Lord Jesus referred to the saints’ place of rest as Paradise. At our Lord’s crucifixion, as quoted in the above passage, He made the statement to the man who was crucified with Him and had acknowledged Him as Lord that he would be in Paradise on that day. The word translated “Paradise” refers specifically to Eden, the Garden of God. And so we see from these passages that currently all saints who have fallen asleep, are resting in Eden the Paradise of God and they are being comforted there. Our Lord Jesus has taught us that they are carried there by the angels of God when they die (Luke 16:22), and they receive the comfort of God in heaven.
Matthew 12:43 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.”
Contrast the picture of the saints’ rest with what Satan’s demons are experiencing currently in their realm, for the scripture quoted above tells us that their realm is a dry place in which there is no rest. No wonder they do their best to take up residence in men on the earth, so that they can escape their world of dry places where there is no rest. Contrary to popular belief, the saints in heaven are not yet dwelling in the New Jerusalem, for that city is part of our inheritance and none have received their inheritance from the Lord yet.
Michael E.B. Maher
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