Many believe they will go to heaven the same day they die. Why? Because Jesus said this to the thief crucified beside Him:
■ “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43, King James Version)
Was Jesus in paradise the same day? Or, was He in His tomb for three days and nights, just as He said He would be?
■ “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:40 KJV)
And after His resurrection Jesus told Mary He had still not ascended to the Father. (re: John 20:17)
What’s going on? There were no commas in the original texts. *All the commas were added by translators.* In other translations the placement of commas fixes the problem. For example:
■ And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you today, you shall be with Me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43, The Bible In Its Original Order)
As Jesus said, the dead in Christ will wait for their promised resurrection “at the last day” —at His return (John 6:39, 40, 44, 54; 11:24).
