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Quoted from our Bible study “How to understand the Bible”
Download available on E book: http://www.therealgoodnews.org/Pages/understand%20bible.html

Consider a second example now.
Luke 23:43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

With this punctuation which is located in our Bibles, we think that in that same day when Jesus speaks, He said that the thief will be with Him in paradise.
Yet once again this doesn't "match".
Why?

Because we know that before going to heaven, Jesus must go for three days in hell, not to suffer there as a prisoner of satan, but to submit satan and all his
demons. But also to be able to control access to the gates of hell, so that all those who will validate the sacrifice of Jesus in their lives will never come in.
So how this thief can could be, that same day, with Jesus in heaven?
Do you think that Jesus would do an express round‐trip to heaven, for after saying to this thief. “Ok I let you here now, I have to quickly go to hell!

This is ridiculous!

Let's look at this same passage with another punctuation.

Luke 23:43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you {no comma} today {comma} you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Here in this example I've simply moved the comma who was after the word “you” and I put it right after the word "today".

That changes everything, because now we understand that Jesus said to him:
"Assuredly, I say to you today (or I tell you now), you'll be in paradise with me”

Now it has not notion of time anymore as to when this thief will be in heaven
with Jesus, this can be in a few days or a few years.

Things are now much clearer, because we know that as long as Jesus has not returned, there is no one in hell or in paradise, each will take the place that has
been prepare, during the judgment for some, and during the rewards for the other.

This is here another view that it is good to take into account, to better understand the Bible.

Bye for now...

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