This is a common belief in modern Christianity — that the thief on the cross went to heaven that same day with Jesus. What does the Bible say? Some people say this is a pagan belief rooted in Greek philosophy. The most important thing in determining whether the thief on the cross went to heaven that day is to find out what the Bible actually says. Here is the verse:
Luke 23:42–43 — “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.”
Did the Thief on the Cross Go to Heaven? — Punctuation
Did the original Greek text have commas? No. Placing a comma in the wrong position makes all the difference. In the original language of the Bible — Greek — there were no commas. So let us ask: if we put the comma after the word “today,” will the meaning change? Let us see:
Luke 23:42–43 — “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee today, shalt thou be with me in paradise.”
Putting the comma before the word “today” would mean: “I tell you today, and in a few minutes you will be with me in heaven.” But that interpretation would cause this text to disagree with the whole Bible, which teaches that the dead know not anything, and that the soul that sins shall die.
But what happens if we put the comma after the word “today”? Then it means: “I tell you today — today that we are on the cross, today that we are suffering — one day you will be with Me in paradise.” Where we place the comma makes a significant difference.
Did the thief on the cross go to heaven? No — because Jesus Himself did not ascend to heaven that day.
I will now repeat this for better understanding. The original Greek did not have commas. Placing the comma in the correct position means that Jesus was saying: “I tell you today, while we are on the cross, that one day you will be in heaven with Me.”
Does this agree with the rest of the Bible? Yes. Did the thief on the cross go to heaven? No — because Jesus Himself did not go to heaven that day. As He said to Mary after His resurrection:
John 20:17 — “Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.”
Did the Thief on the Cross Go to Heaven? — Greek Philosophy
This belief of people going directly to heaven at death is Greek philosophy — it is not based on the Bible. The Greeks believed that at death, people would go to heaven or hell. But the Bible teaches that the dead do not know anything. Lazarus was sleeping in the grave. The Bible does not say Lazarus went to heaven. It says Jesus will raise the dead. If they were living in heaven, why would the Bible say they are dead?
Did the thief on the cross go to heaven? No.
When the Bible says the person that sins shall die, if the person were not truly dead, the Bible would not say they are dead. What does it mean when sinners who die are said to be dead? It means they are not living, they are not conscious — they are waiting for the resurrection of the righteous, and the fire of hell for the others.
Did the Thief on the Cross Go to Heaven? — Difficult Verses
There are difficult verses, such as the one about the thief on the cross examined above. There is also the parable of the rich man and Lazarus — how can we explain that one? It is a parable, a story that existed in Jesus’ time. Would Jesus begin to deny the whole Bible and Torah, and start teaching Greek philosophy? No. It means the parable is a story we cannot take literally.
Does the parable of the sower mean that seeds are literally the Bible? Does it mean the fruitful ground is literally a brain or a mind? No. When we look at the cursed fig tree, does it mean that fig trees literally represent the country of Israel? No.
Luke 16:19–31 — “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”
This parable is the same in nature. Can a beggar send a drop of water from heaven to hell? No. Can one drop of water take away the pain of hell? No. Is Abraham’s bosom large enough to be an entire world? No — that would require a very large stomach. Can people in heaven see people in hell? No — that would be a nightmare, and people in heaven would not be at peace looking all day at their relatives burning in hell.
It is simply a parable, told to teach that when people are in unbelief, even if prophets were resurrected, they would still not believe. Did the thief on the cross go to heaven? He did not go that day. He will be in heaven when Jesus comes again, at the resurrection.
Did the Thief on the Cross Go to Heaven? — Forever and Ever
This is a very important point, as many people are deceived and held in Babylonian beliefs because they understand “forever and ever” to mean eternity. As we have seen in other articles, words change in meaning over time. The Bible was written in 1611, and we need to use the meaning of the words as they were understood when the Bible was written. In the Bible, “forever” often meant “until the person died” or “until the matter was completed.” For example:
Exodus 13:14 — “And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.” “Forever” here does not mean for eternity, or that this feast would be kept in heaven throughout eternity. It means this feast would be kept until Jesus died.
Exodus 21:6 — “Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.” Here too, we cannot take this verse to mean the servant will serve the master forever — even in heaven throughout eternity — as we know there will be no slaves in heaven, for it would not truly be heaven.
So we know that “forever and ever” in Bible times did not mean for eternity. It means until the thing that needs to be done is finished. Today we might say a soccer game “lasts forever and ever,” yet we mean only until the game ends. Did the thief on the cross go to heaven? No — Jesus will only resurrect people when He returns again. Until then, people remain in the grave, waiting for the resurrection.
Did the Thief on the Cross Go to Heaven? — For Ages
We also see that when the Bible says something will burn “forever,” it does not mean the burning itself is eternal — it means that the effect of the punishment is permanent. If I say a book is burned forever, does it mean the book will burn endlessly? No. It means the effect of the burning will last forever. The book will not exist forever — forever it will be destroyed, forever it will be reduced to ashes and will not return. It does not mean the book will continue burning forever.
Matthew 13:40–42 — “As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” Here it says that people will be cast into the fires of destruction at the end of the age. The Bible teaches in Revelation 20 that at the end of the millennium, the wicked will be raised and God will send fire and destroy them. Hell is not forever — at the end of the millennium, people will be destroyed. Those who sinned more will burn longer.
John 5:28–29 — “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” Those who are in the graves — the Bible says they cannot be in the grave and in hell at the same time. They will receive their recompense at the end of the millennium.
Revelation 20:9 — “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” Here we see that this hellfire comes down at the end of the millennium upon the wicked who are resurrected, and it plainly says they are devoured — destroyed.
Malachi 4:1–3 — “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.”
Here is yet another witness that the wicked and the proud are destroyed literally to ashes.
I hope this article has helped clarify the truth about hell and death. Father God, bless, heal, and prosper us. Give us the desires of our hearts. Give us Your righteousness. Thank you for Your Word, the truth, the Holy Spirit, and the blessings we enjoy every day — in the name of Jesus, amen.
I highly counsel reading The Great Controversy by Ellen G. White.
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