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Did the Thief on the Cross Go to Heaven with Jesus Christ (Luke 23:43)?

Bible Questions & Answers

Jesus said He would be in the grave 3 days and 3 nights after His crucifixion. Given that, could the thief have been with Christ in Paradise that very day?

Pope Francis Questions Hell

Commentary by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

In an interview with a longtime friend and atheist, Pope Francis said that hell does not exist, explaining that condemned souls just disappear.

Is There a Hell?

Herbert W. Armstrong Booklet

If hell exists, where is it? Can people leave it? Will those in hell leave hell at the time of the resurrection, or are they confined eternally to hell?

Heaven Must Wait

Sermon/Bible Study by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Going to heaven is not scriptural. The soul is not immortal; it is equivalent to life. Mankind does not have a soul; he is a soul, subject to death.

God's Plan and the False Immortal Soul Doctrine

'Ready Answer' by Craig Sablich

Worldly Christianity's Doctrine of the Immortal Soul, unsupported in Scripture, fails the litmus test of God's Plan, in which eternal life is God's gift.

Basic Doctrines: The Fate of the Wicked

Bible Study by Earl L. Henn

For centuries, preachers have scared churchgoers with the image of a fiery hell where sinners spend eternity. But is such a place or state biblical?

Disproving Hell

Sermon/Bible Study by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Most of Protestant and Catholic theology is immersed in pagan concepts of hell, reinforced by Dante's Inferno. Here is what the Bible says, without tradition.

God's Wrath and Hell

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Oblivion, not eternal torment in hell fire, is the merciful end for the wicked. God is both good and severe, but His mercy endures forever.

Basic Doctrines: The Reward of the Saved

Bible Study by Earl L. Henn

Just where do true Christians go after they die? What is their reward? Where is their reward? The Bible reveals some surprising truths.

Does Doctrine Really Matter? (Part Nine)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The cosmology of ancient Greece, saturated with astrology and Gnostic dualism, filtered into the doctrines of the early church, creating corrupt doctrines.

Was Enoch Translated to Heaven (Hebrews 11:5)?

Bible Questions & Answers

Enoch was transferred or conveyed from one place on earth to another to escape violence against him. In this other earthly place, he died like all men.

Death Is Not the End (Part Seven)

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

There is life after death; there is an age to come in which all who have not been called to salvation will be raised to new life to hear what God offers.

What Happened to the Thief on the Cross? (Part Two)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

Because of the widespread belief in an immortal soul, many assume that the thief and Jesus were together after their deaths. The Bible says this cannot be.

God of the Living (2019)

Sermonette by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Christ's comment in Matthew 22:32 about "the God ... of the living" gives absolutely no mention about a place of the afterlife, but only a condition.

What Happened to the Thief on the Cross? (Part One)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

Did the criminal crucified next to Christ go to heaven? That is commonly believed—yet even Jesus was not in heaven that day! Digging deeper shows the truth.

What Happened to the Thief on the Cross? (Part Three)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

If the thief on the cross went to heaven the day that he was crucified, He would he have gone there without Jesus Christ, who was not in Paradise that day!

Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man (Part One)

Bible Study by Martin G. Collins

The Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man illustrates the resurrections from the dead and the Second Death. Knowing the hidden time element is key.

Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man (Part Two)

Bible Study by Martin G. Collins

Jesus' parable preaches the gospel of the Kingdom by revealing salvation, the resurrection to eternal life, and inheritance of His Kingdom on the earth.

Lazarus and the Rich Man

Sermon/Bible Study by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man is often held up as proof of the torments of an ever-burning hell. However, the rest of Scripture gives a clearer picture.

What Is the Second Death?

'Prophecy Watch' by David C. Grabbe

The second death is an event beyond physical death. It disproves the traditional heaven-hell and immortal soul doctrines, yet demonstrates God's perfect justice.

Is Your Soul Immortal?

Sermon/Bible Study by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The prevailing idea is that the soul is the indestructible part of a human being that lives on after death. The Bible reveals a different reality of life and death.

We Shall Be God

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Though it may sound pretentious or even blasphemous, God's Word shows that we will become literal offspring of the Eternal God, sharing His name and nature.

Christ's Death and the Immortality of the Soul

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The dangerous false belief of inherent immortal life has led to an acceleration of sin and the danger of eternal oblivion. Only God can give eternal life.

Jesus and 'the Spirits in Prison'

'Ready Answer' by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Peter's statement that Jesus 'preached to the spirits in prison' has baffled many a Bible student. The traditional interpretation is woefully off-base.

Thy Kingdom Come

Sermonette by Ronny H. Graham

Most professing Christians hold to the pagan belief that heaven is the reward of the saved, imagining that they will waft off to heaven at death.

Is the Christian Required To Do Works? (Part Five)

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Jesus came with a message of salvation, called 'the gospel of the Kingdom of God.' Here is the relationship between the gospel and Christian works.

Where Are Enoch and Elijah?

Herbert W. Armstrong Booklet

Enoch was translated that he should not see death. Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. Yet the Bible shows they are not in heaven now! Here is what happened.

What Do You Mean . . . Salvation?

Herbert W. Armstrong Booklet

Not one in a hundred knows what salvation is—how to get it or when you will receive it. Don't be too sure you do! Here is the truth, made plain.

The Final Harvest

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Are millions lost because they never heard the name of Christ? What about infants who died? Are the doors forever shut on those born into false religion?

1 Peter 3:19

Sermonette by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The idea of purgatory, Hades, or Hell has a long history, predating Christianity by centuries. Roman Catholicism adopted the whole framework into its theology.

Lamentations (Part Three; 1989)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

As Lamentations opens, Jerusalem is personified as a widow who has had to endure the destruction of her family as well as the mocking scorn from the captors.

Do You Recognize This Man? (Part Seven)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The prevailing view is that at the end time, God will judge between the righteous and unrighteous, consigning each to heaven or hell, an idea from paganism.

The Judgments

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Multiple billions of people have lived and died without even hearing the name of Jesus Christ. But God has distinct periods of judgment and resurrection.