The Strand Study Bible
LUKE
LUKE
1698
of the Great Tribulation (Rev 6:15-17, Isa 2:19 and Hos 10:7-8). 23:31 According to the context of the passage, “ they ” refers to the Jewish nation (vs 29-30). Thus, what Jesus meant was, “ If they (the Jewish nation) do these things (condemn the innocent) in a green tree (in a time of peace) , what shall be done in the dry (what kind of injustices and atrocities will they commit when things aren’t so peaceful)? 23:34 God wants to forgive sin. He said so (II Pet 3:9). However, until people truly repent (change their mind concerning two areas: - who they are - Lk 13:1-5 & 23:39-41, Mt 3:2 and Acts 2:38 a - who Christ is - Lk 23:42), they cannot receive forgiveness for sins. Once a person acknowledges these two truths, they can then act upon that information by asking Christ to forgive them of their sins and to save their souls ( Job 19:25 and Rom 10:9-13). 23:40 This thief ( the other ) and the story of his salvation has been a source of contention in every religion that promotes salvation by works, because this thief was promised salvation without ever being baptized, without ever having lived right, without ever having gone to church, without ever having taken communion, or without ever having joined a certain religion or denomination. This thief was promised everlasting life ( To day shalt thou be with me in paradise – vs 43) because he changed his mind (repented) concerning two things: 1. Who he was – he was a sinner in need of a savior ( for we receive the due reward of our deeds – vs 41) 2. Who CHRIST was – He’s God ( Lord , remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom – Mt 4:13-17 & 11:20-24, Mk 1:15, Jn 8:58-59, Acts 3:12-19 and Acts 2:38), and thus our only Savior from sin (Acts 4:10-12). NOTE – Salvation is all about trusting His WORK ( Exo 14:13,30-31 ), not our works ( Jn 5:29 ). THE ADAGE IS TRUE: However dark your today, tomorrow’s prospects are unspeakably bright 23:42 This is the true meaning of Lordship salvation ( Rom 10:9 ). This verse is not teaching us that we must make Jesus our “Lord” in order to be saved; it is teaching us that Jesus is “ Lord ,” and if we are to be saved, we must accept the fact that He was “God in flesh” on Earth (Jn 5:17-18 & 8:24 & 10:30-33). 23:43 The wonderful thing about today is that your past doesn’t have to equal your future. NOTE –This word ( paradise ) is the Greek word παραδε L σω ( paradeiso ). Paradeiso is found only three times in the NewTestament: * Luke 23:43 * II Corinthians 12:2-4 * Revelation 2:7 In all three cases the word paradise refers to Heaven, not some “side compartment” connected to Hell (as some would suggest). Philosophically speaking , if it were necessary to set aside a separate compartment in Hades, called paradise , in order to hold the OT saints until Jesus’ resurrection, then there must have been some measure of doubt as to whether Jesus would accomplish what was promised (Gen 3:15), else the OT saints would have gone straight to Heaven. Biblically speaking , however, CHRIST did not go to Hell for three days after his death. He went straight to be with the FATHER in Heaven ( paradise ). Jesus said in Luke 23:46, “ Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit .” Were the Father’s hands in a “side compartment” of Hell when Jesus made this statement right before He died? I think not. Matthew Henry in Matthew Henry’s Commentary never mentions a “side compartment” of Hell. He only mentions paradise (Heaven) and Hell, not paradise in Hell. He notes: According to the Bible (Lk 23:43, II Cor 12:2-4 and Rev 2:7), Matthew Henry, and Jewish thought, paradise is simply another name for Heaven, not some side compartment in Hell. Although two of the three ancient creeds ( The Apostles Creed and The Athanasian Creed - 8th century) state that Jesus descended into Hell sometime between His death on Good Friday and His resurrection on Easter Sunday, the Nicene Creed (c. AD 390) did not. Question: Where did The Apostles Creed and The Athanasian Creed get the idea for a “side compartment” in Hell called paradise to which they say Jesus descended? Answer: Three passages – Lk 16:19-23-26, Eph 4:7-10 and I Pet 3:18-19. 23:44 There have been several secular historians who have validated this supernatural darkness that covered the earth while Christ hung on the cross. One such observer, Thallus, in the third book of his History (AD 52), recorded for us what he thought was an eclipse of the sun at the time of the Passover in AD 32. 2 Another, Phlegon, also confirmed the fact that a darkness did indeed cover the earth for precisely three hours during the reign of Tiberius Caesar, but argued that it could not have been an eclipse of the sun, since there was a full moon at the time. 3 A third, Julius Africanus (c. AD 220), confirmed both reports. 4 The Jewish Rabbis have a saying, that there were seven things which God created before the world, by which they only mean to express the excellency of these things: –The law, repentance, paradise, hell, the throne of glory, the house of the sanctuary, and the name of the Messiah. 1
1 Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Commentary (Vol 1), Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Co. 1983. Print. 2 Thallus. "Thallus Historian". N.d.
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