The name of the Messiah is Yeshua, short for Yehoshua (יהושע), which means ‘Yah is salvation’. The forms Yahshua and Yahoshua are the names of the Messiah in Aramaic
Luke 23:42-43 [KJV] 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. [Yeshua’s words in purple]
The request of the thief is in complete accordance with the teachings of the Nazarene. By saying this the thief is showing that he believes in Yeshua and that he is familiar with the Nazarene’s teachings:
Luke 19:11-13 11 And as they were hearing this, He spoke another parable, because He was near Yerushalayim and they thought the reign of Elohim was about to be manifested straightaway. 12 He therefore said, “A certain nobleman went to a distant country to receive for himself a reign and to return. 13 “And calling ten of his servants, He gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Trade until I come.’
Matthew 25:31 31 “And when the Son of Adam comes in His esteem{glory}, and all the set-apart messengers with Him, then He shall sit on the throne of His esteem .
Yeshua and the thief were not together in paradise on that day. The Nazarene himself said where he would be after his death:
Matthew 12:40 40 For as Yonah {Jonas} was three days and three nights in the stomach of the great fish, so shall the Son of Adam be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Isaiah speaking about Messiah’s death tells us:
Isaiah 53:12
12…because He poured out His being unto death
And Paul writes:
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 3…that Messiah died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised the third day, according to the Scriptures
Yeshua died, was buried and raised by the Father on the third day.
But what do the Scriptures say about paradise or the Kingdom of the Eternal and His Messiah?
Isaiah 51:3 3 “For יהוה shall comfort Tsiyon, He shall comfort all her waste places. For He makes her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of יהוה. Joy and gladness are found in it, thanksgiving and the voice of song.
Revelation 11:15 15 And the seventh messenger sounded, and there came to be loud voices in the heaven, saying, “The reign of this world has become the reign of our Master, and of His Messiah, and He shall reign forever and ever!
Revelation 12:10
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in the heaven, “Now have come the deliverance and the power and the reign of our Elohim,1 and the authority of His Messiah, for the accuser of our brothers, who accused them before our Elohim day and night, has been thrown down.
Daniel 2:44 44 “And in the days of these sovereigns the Elah {the Eternal} of the heavens shall set up a reign which shall never be destroyed, nor the reign pass on to other people – it crushes and puts to an end all these reigns, and it shall stand forever
So what did Yeshua really tell the thief?
Luke 23:43 [Aramaic English New Testament] 43 Y’shua said to him, Truly I say to you today: You will be with me in paradise.
In modern speech it would be equivalent to saying:
“I’m telling you now, you shall be with Me in Paradise”.
Yeshua assured the thief that he would be with him when his Kingdom is established on earth when He comes again.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture was taken from The Scriptures,
Copyright by Institute for Scripture Research.
Used by permission.