INTRODUCTION

2 Timothy 2:12
if we endure, we will also reign with him.

Revelation 20:6
Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

No other event in history is as controversial as the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Can such a thing even be possible?  Dead on Friday.  Alive on Sunday!

Lazarus was dead for several days.  It was even reported that there would be a foul odor because of his decaying corpse.  However, Jesus fully assured of the power of God and convinced of the resurrection called Lazarus out of the tomb.  From death to life.  From the cave to the light of day.

THE THIEF ON THE CROSS 

I remember a conversation I had with a relative.  We were both over our uncle's home in California enjoying a small family "get together" where we shared light conversation, barbeque and several desserts. 

I knew he was a believer in God and a professed Christian since from our fiirst family reunion over 9 years ago.  However, I did not know that he was not a baptized believer.  I mentioned it casually in our conversation and was completely surprised that it was to become a hot button issue for him.

"I respect the work I see teleevangelist doing on their televised programs, however I believe they are not preparing these believers for judgement because they do not emphasis the importance of baptism."

My cousin politely disagreed and further explained how he has studied the issue for several years and holds the position that God will not comdemn him if he, "doesn't let some men dunk him in water."

To say the least I was quite surprised at the level of offense he took against my belief regarding baptism.  I tried to reassure him I was not trying to make this into an argument and would rather focus on where we are similiar rather than where we disagree.  I believe the path toward unity and growing in our understanding of the gospel message rest in keeping the doors of communication open.  Some of us may find ourselves on the wrong side of "right," but with humility on both sides we can maintain a relationship long enough to discover these conclusions.

As a result of this minor debate I began to think about the arguments he presented.  "What about the theif on the cross?"  Now, I have several arguments against this defense regarding the "faith alone" stance regarding salvation.  The most obvious to me is we don't know if the thief wasn't baptized during Jesus' ministry.  It is not a far stretch to conceive a follower of Jesus turning from his life of crime (stealing) getting baptized and later facing trial as a result of his past.  He could have had a moment of anger toward God and Jesus on the cross for having "done the right thing" and yet ending up on a cross for his crimes.  It might have dawned on him that Jesus had done no crime to deserve the very same fate he found himself in even though his past saw fit for punishment.  As a result, he realized that Jesus was suffering worse than him, as God's son, and yet was without sin (cursing his lot).  This act could have brought the thief to repentance again.  We don't know and the Bible doesn't say.

The second is that baptism "now saves you."  We can talk about the now versus the then, but I would rather focus on the baptism aspect.  We are baptized because we are sharing in his death.  This is what being baptized means.  It is not the water that saves, which is what I believe most anabaptist believe.  However, it is baptism that "now saves."  The thief on the cross was the only disciple to uniquely and literally share in the death of Jesus.  He was on the cross next to Jesus!  He didn't need water to symbolize baptism, he was actually undergoing baptism that same as Jesus.  "Can you drink the cup or the baptism?"  Not my right or my left.  Who was at the right and left of Jesus?  The thieves on the cross!

The thief on the cross was the only person to be baptized with the literal death of Jesus.  The theif on the cross did not need to be baptized.

HEAVEN vs. PARADISE? 

My third point leads me to the premise for this entire article.  What is paradise?  We may have wrongly associated "paradise" with salvation.  We assume when Jesus says, "today you will be with me in paradise" is the same as the promise of eternal life or salvation.  The question becomes, are they the same?  And if not why are they different?

Some have wrongly assumed that Paradise is simply death.  I strongly disagree with this theory.  Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 12:2, "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven."  He goes on to say in that same passage, "And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— was caught up to paradise." 

So here Paul makes a clear connection between the Third Heaven and Paradise.  The only question remains, "Is the Third Heaven our traditional view and understanding of Heaven?"  My first impression is the heavens we know are the clouds and the sky.  The other heaven consists of the stars and other "heavenly" bodies including our sun.  Therefore the first heaven would be the sky that occupies earth and the second heaven would be what we consider space or outer space.  Lastly, the third heaven would seem to be the unseen realm where God and the angels exists.  This would therefore be the Heaven we have come to know as the traditional Heaven where we go when we die.

TO BE CONTINUED...