qualification. This dying malefactor saw more clearly than the apostles themselves did,

before Pentecost, that here, crucified at his side was the Messiah, the King of Israel.

The reader will be aware that the orthodox interpretation of these gracious words, is

that the soul of the malefactor, fully conscious after death, entered into the intermediate

state on the very day of the crucifixion, and as far as we know, he is there still

"unclothed" and will remain so until the day of resurrection. Let us examine these words

Paradise. This is evidently the well-known paradise of Scripture for the Greek has the

article "The Paradise". The word "paradise" occurs in three passages in the Hebrew

O.T., "forest" (Neh. 2: 8), "orchard" (Eccles. 2: 5; Song of Sol. 4: 13).

The word is not strictly a Hebrew word, but is rather a term borrowed from the

Persian, where it signified a pleasure garden. The word is found in the Sanscrit as

paradeesha.

The word paradise is found in the Septuagint Version of the O.T., five times in

Gen. 2: and eight times in Gen. 3:, where it translates the Hebrew word for "garden".

Apart from the reference in Luke 23: 43, the word paradise occurs but twice more in

the Greek N.T., namely at II Cor. 12: 4 and Rev. 2: 7.

It is extremely difficult to interpret Rev. 2: 7 as of the intermediate state, for the

reference to the tree of life implies a garden and the reference is made so evidently to

what is described in  Rev. 22: 1-5,  as to make any reference to Hades and the

intermediate state impossible.

II Cor. 12: 2 and 4 speaks of Paul being "caught up to the third heaven" and "caught

up to paradise", harpazo. This word which is translated "caught up" is incorrectly

invested by such a rendering with a sense of direction. There is nothing in the word itself

to show whether the catching is "up" or "away". Its primary meaning is that of the action

of a beast prey as in John 10: 12. This idea underlies the variants of the word, as for

example harpage extortion, spoiling (Matt. 23: 24; Heb. 10: 34);  harpax ravening

(Matt. 7: 15); harpagmos robbery (Phil. 2: 6).  Wild beasts, spoilers, robbers, do not

necessarily catch or snatch up. Philip was "caught away" by the Spirit of the Lord and

transferred to a desert (Acts 8: 39), even as the wicked one "catcheth away" the word of

the kingdom (Matt. 13: 19). Where the context demands an upward direction, that can

be included as in I Thess. 4: 17.  Paul therefore could have been caught away to the

future Paradise which, as Rev. 22: shows, is on the earth. This paradise comes after

the mention of the new heaven and new earth of Rev. 21:  In Gen. 1: 1 we have the

first heaven and earth, in Gen. 1: 3, Rev. 20: 15 we have the second heaven and earth,

and in Rev. 21:-22: we have the third heaven and earth. To this period Paul was

caught away. There is no Scripture that gives the slightest warrant for transferring

paradise from earth, either to hades beneath or to heaven above.