“I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” - Lk. 23:43.
Lots of believers are thinking that Paradise and Heaven are same words. Nevertheless, they are different words. Heaven is not the synonym of Paradise.
Paradise is a Parisian word. It means a beautiful Garden. Paradise is a temporary place where the spirits of the righteous dwell until the judgement day.
Abraham’s sprit is in Paradise, so are the spirits of the righteous {including believers} who have died so far.
The unrighteous spirits dwell faraway from Paradise. The place is called Shoel
You will not abandon me to the grave, {Hebrew: Sheol} nor will you let your Holy One see decay - Ps. 16:10.
In the old testament Shoel is used for the place. In the new testament, Hades, a Greek word, is written. Hades is equal to the word to Shoel. The old testament was written in Hebrew language. The new testament was written in Greek language. Hence the two words sound different, but they both stand for one place.
I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades - Re. 1:18.
In paradise, the spirits of the righteous are being at peace, where as in Hades, the spirits of the unrighteous are being tormented with fire.
There is a huge gap between the two parts.
In hell, [Greek: Hades] where he{the rich man} was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away*, with Lazarus by his side - Lk. 16:23.
* between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us - Lk. 16:26.
The great chasm is called Tartarus. God has confined wicked Angles there.
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, [Greek: Tartarus] putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment- 2Pe. 2:4.
God won’t send the wicked angles and the spirits of the unrighteous to hell unless they are judged. Until the judgement day, the wicked angels remain in Tartarus, and spirits of the unrighteous in Hades.
Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death - Re. 20:13-14.
After the judgement day, they will be thrown into hell. It is the second death.
While Jesus was about to die on the cross, he said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
Jesus committed his spirit to God, who sent it to Paradise until resurrection. This happened for the sake of fulfillment of scriptures.
You will not abandon me to the grave, {Hebrew: Sheol} nor will you let your Holy One see decay - Ps. 16:10.
After Jesus was raised from the dead, he ascended into Heaven and has sat on the right hand of the father, almighty.
