What Is Paradise in the Bible — In Biblical Context

The Biblical Context

Paradise is one of the most comforting words in Scripture — a term that evokes the restoration of Eden's beauty and the promise of blessed rest for those who die in Christ. The word comes from the Greek paradeisos, which was borrowed from the Persian word for a walled garden or park. It was used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament to describe the Garden of Eden, and in the New Testament it becomes the name for the place where the righteous dead dwell in the presence of God. Jesus used the word in His most precious promise to the dying thief: 'Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.' This indicates that paradise is a present reality for believers who die — not merely a future hope but a present experience of conscious fellowship with Christ. The thief, who had done nothing to earn salvation except believe in the crucified King, was promised immediate paradise. This promise also clarifies the location of paradise. Jesus told Mary after His resurrection, 'Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father.' Yet He had told the thief they would be together in paradise that very day. The resolution is that paradise was located in Sheol (Hades) before the ascension — in the compartment of comfort variously called Abraham's bosom or paradise. When Jesus ascended, He took paradise with Him into the third heaven, the immediate presence of God. Paul spoke of being 'caught up to the third heaven... into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.' This confirms that paradise is now in heaven, in the direct presence of God. Paradise is described in Revelation 2:7 as the reward for the overcomer: 'To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.' The tree of life, lost in Eden through sin, is restored in paradise through Christ. This is not the final new heaven and new earth but the intermediate state of blessedness that believers enjoy between death and resurrection. The ultimate paradise is the New Jerusalem described in Revelation 21-22 — a city where God dwells with His people, where the tree of life bears fruit every month, where the river of the water of life flows from God's throne, and where 'there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.' Paradise, in all its forms — the intermediate state, the restored garden, and the eternal city — is the work of Christ. He is the way to paradise, the gardener of paradise, and the glory of paradise. For the believer, death is not a journey into the unknown but a homecoming to paradise, where Christ has prepared a place and where every longing will be satisfied in His presence.

Where It Sits in Scripture

Supporting Passages