“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:24, KJV)

ABSTRACT

This article examines Jesus’s promise to the penitent thief on the cross, addressing misunderstandings about immediate entry into paradise and affirming the scriptural view of death as a state of unconscious rest until the bodily resurrection at Christ’s return, underscoring salvation through faith alone as a demonstration of God’s profound love, while outlining our duties toward God and fellow community members in light of this truth.

ITHE CROSS, THE COMMA, AND THE TRUTH! OR, WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO THE THIEF?

t’s a scene etched into the consciousness of the world, but the senses of it—the sounds, the smells—are what we often miss. Imagine the “clang, clink, bang” of the hammer on the spikes. The smell of sweat, blood, and the acrid dust of a sun-baked Judean hill. Above all, the noise: a roiling sea of mockery, the rhythmic, guttural sobs of the women kept at a distance, the callous laughter of the soldiers gambling for a blood-stained robe. It is here, in this vortex of human failure and divine agony, that the greatest transaction in history takes place. Scripture reveals this agony in Isaiah 53:5, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” Matthew 27:46 further declares, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” In The Desire of Ages we read, “The spotless Son of God hung upon the cross, His flesh lacerated with stripes; those hands so often reached out in blessing, nailed to the wooden bars; those feet so tireless on ministries of love, spiked to the tree; that royal head pierced by the crown of thorns; those quivering lips shaped to the cry of woe” (The Desire of Ages, p. 755, 1898). A prophetic voice once wrote, “Amid the awful darkness, apparently forsaken of God, Christ had drained the last dregs in the cup of human woe. In those dreadful hours He had relied upon the evidence of His Father’s acceptance heretofore given Him” (The Desire of Ages, p. 756, 1898). This isn’t just a theological problem; it’s the epicenter of our salvation. It is Golgotha, “the place of a skull.” And in this place, three men are dying. But what plea pierced the darkness in this moment of rejection?

In the midst of this universal, agonizing rejection, one voice, cracked with pain, managed to pierce the darkness. This man, a “malefactor,” a thief, was dying justly, by his own admission. Yet in the central figure, a man so broken He no longer looked human, this thief saw something the priests, the rulers, and even the disciples could not: a King. His plea was an act of audacious, desperate faith. The scripture records it with profound simplicity: “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” (Luke 23:42, KJV). The thief heard the religious leaders, the men who supposedly knew God, scoffing and spitting, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save.” (The Desire of Ages, p. 749). He saw the mockery, he heard the other thief join the chorus, but in the final moments of his wasted life, he “casts himself, a dying sinner, upon a dying Saviour.” (The Desire of Ages, p. 749). His request is critical: he did not ask to be taken that day; he asked to be remembered at a future event: “when thou comest into thy kingdom.” Scripture affirms this plea in Luke 23:40-41, “But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.” Hebrews 4:15 adds, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Ellen G. White wrote, “It was the grace of God that was at work on the heart of the dying thief. In his dying hour, at the side of the dying Saviour, he accepted His atonement, and was justified by faith” (The Signs of the Times, December 4, 1893). A passage from Patriarchs and Prophets reminds us, “Through the crucifixion of Christ, human beings were stirred with compassion for their fellow men” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 238, 1890). The thief’s plea echoes through eternity as a testament to faith in desperation. But what answer did Jesus give that forms the basis of our hope?

Jesus’s answer forms the basis of our hope, yet it is also, quite possibly, one of the most tragically misunderstood verses in the entire biblical canon. His purpose was to “assure the repentant thief of immediate forgiveness and salvation.” This was a “final act of mercy.” The King James Version records the promise: “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43, KJV). This verse, on its surface, seems to promise an immediate journey for a disembodied soul. But does it? The thief had no time for works; he needed a “declaration of grace.” He was in agony; he needed an “assurance of peace.” This article will excavate the “solid, eternal truth” buried beneath centuries of mistranslation, revealing a promise infinitely more profound than a travel itinerary. As Sr. White states, “In dying as a sinner, Christ pledged Himself to the sinner. He was counted a transgressor that He might redeem us from the condemnation of sin. The words spoken to the penitent thief were full of hope and comfort.” (The Desire of Ages, p. 751). We will explore how this promise of “Today” is, in fact, a sovereign guarantee of certainty, not a definition of timing, providing profound peace without contradicting the foundational biblical truth of the state of the dead. Scripture supports this assurance in Hebrews 7:25, “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Romans 5:1 adds, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Through inspired counsel we are told, “The thief upon the cross, with parched lips and a tortured soul, cried out, Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom. Quickly the answer came. Soft and melodious the tone, full of love and compassion and power the words: Verily I say unto thee today, Thou shalt be with Me in Paradise” (The Signs of the Times, April 11, 1900). The inspired pen notes, “In the dying words of Christ to the penitent thief, there was a divine assurance that man, though a criminal, might repent and be forgiven” (The Youth’s Instructor, April 1, 1897). This promise stands as a beacon of hope for all sinners. But what foundational truths must we grasp before understanding Jesus’s promise?

PROMISE POWER PLAY!

Before we can possibly grasp what Jesus did promise the thief, we must be immovably clear on what He could not have promised, based on the uniform and overwhelming testimony of Scripture. The entire popular conception of an “immortal soul” flying off to heaven at the moment of death is a pagan philosophy that infiltrated Christianity; it is not a biblical doctrine. The Bible is plain: death is a cessation of all consciousness, a “sleep,” not a transference of a “soul” to another realm. The wisest man who ever lived, writing under inspiration, left no room for doubt: “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5, KJV). This is not a metaphor; the psalmist confirms it, stating that when a man dies, “His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.” (Psalm 146:4, KJV). If the dead “know not any thing” and their “thoughts perish,” it is a scriptural impossibility for the thief to be consciously “with” Christ in paradise just moments later. Sr. White warns that “The theory which forms the very foundation of spiritualism is at war with the plainest statements of Scripture. The Bible declares that the dead know not anything, that their thoughts have perished…” (The Great Controversy, p. 556). Instead, she clarifies the beautiful truth: “Christ represents death as a sleep to His believing children. Their life is hid with Christ in God, and until the last trump shall sound those who die will sleep in Him.” (The Desire of Ages, p. 527). Thus, any interpretation of Christ’s words that violates this foundational truth of “soul sleep” is built on sand. Scripture reinforces this in Job 14:10, “But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?” Psalm 115:17 adds, “The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.” The inspired pen declares, “The Bible clearly teaches that the dead do not go immediately to heaven. They are represented as sleeping until the resurrection” (The Great Controversy, p. 549, 1911). A passage from Patriarchs and Prophets reminds us, “The doctrine of the natural immortality of the soul has no foundation in the Scriptures” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 43, 1890). This understanding anchors our faith in biblical truth. But how does this contrast with the hope of the resurrection?

This brings us to a crucial “contrastive transition”: while the false doctrine of an immortal soul contradicts the state of the dead, it also commits an even greater theft—it undermines the hope of the community, which is the Second Coming of Christ. The “blessed hope” of the Christian is not a disembodied, ethereal existence, but the literal, glorious, bodily resurrection at Christ’s return. The entire focus of the apostles was on this coming, climactic event: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:” (1 Thessalonians 4:16, KJV). Paul emphasizes this again: “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (1 Corinthians 15:52, KJV). Think about this: If the thief has already been in paradise for 2,000 years, what is the purpose of the “last trump” for him? Why would Paul call death a “sleep” if it is actually a fully conscious state of bliss? The popular doctrine makes a mockery of this glorious, future-tense event, rendering the resurrection almost redundant. Our pioneers understood this was a central, “Present Truth”. J. N. Andrews “related it to the third message” because he “understood that since the state of the dead… is against eternal torment and purgatory system,” it was essential for understanding the final judgment. Uriah Smith, in his masterful work Here and Hereafter, argues that the Christian’s hope is fixed “not upon the supposed immortality of the soul, but upon the resurrection of the body.” (Here and Hereafter: Or Man in Life and Death, Uriah Smith, p. 127). The popular reading of Luke 23:43 is, therefore, a dangerous “refuge of lies,” which, as Isaiah warned, “the hail shall sweep away,” (Isaiah 28:17, KJV) ; it is a tool of Satan to “lull” God’s people “to a fatal security” by nullifying the urgency and glory of the Second Coming. Scripture affirms this hope in 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.” 1 Corinthians 15:42 adds, “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption.” A prophetic voice once wrote, “The righteous dead will not be raised until after the judgment at which they are accounted worthy of ‘the resurrection of life’” (The Great Controversy, p. 550, 1911). In The Desire of Ages we read, “At the close of the thousand years the second resurrection will take place. Then the wicked will be raised from the dead, and appear before God for the execution of ‘the judgment written’” (The Desire of Ages, p. 787, 1898). This truth elevates the Second Coming as our ultimate hope. But how does grammar reveal the grace in Christ’s words?

GRACE GRAMMAR GAMBIT!

The entire popular misunderstanding of this beautiful promise—a misunderstanding that has led millions into the unbiblical theories of spiritualism, purgatory, and eternal torment—hinges on a single, man-placed punctuation mark. We must understand that the original Greek manuscripts (the codices) had no commas, no chapters, no verses. These were all added by translators centuries later. The placement of the comma in Luke 23:43 is, therefore, an interpretive choice by the translator, not a divine directive. The King James Version reads: “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43, KJV). But what if the translators, influenced by their own belief in the immortal soul, put that comma in the wrong place? A simple, grammatically-sound shift reveals the true, harmonious meaning: “Verily I say unto thee today, Shalt thou be with me in paradise.” This reading, as we will see, aligns perfectly with the rest of Scripture. Christ was using a common Hebraic figure of speech. “Today” was not a travel date; it was a covenantal oath. He was saying, “Right now, in this moment of My ultimate agony and your ultimate faith, I guarantee your salvation.” Sr. White cuts through all confusion with divine clarity: “Christ did not promise that the thief should be with Him in Paradise that day.” (The Desire of Ages, p. 751). The “Today” was the moment of the promise, not the moment of the fulfillment. This truth is so central, Sr. White urged its propagation: “Instruction has been given me that the important books containing the light that God has given… should be given a wide circulation just now… The books Daniel and Revelation and The Great Controversy are the books which above all others should be in circulation now.” (Letter 229, 1903). Scripture illustrates this in Acts 26:28, “Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” Romans 4:3 adds, “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” Through inspired counsel we are told, “The comma, in many translations, is placed so that Christ’s words are made to read: ‘Verily I say unto thee to-day, Thou shalt be with Me in Paradise’” (The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 3, p. 204, 1878). A passage from Early Writings reminds us, “The words of Christ to the thief offered him a hope. His heart went out to Christ, and he cast his soul upon Him” (Early Writings, p. 187, 1882). This grammatical insight unlocks profound grace. But why do Christ’s post-resurrection words necessitate this reading?

This brings us to the “contrastive transition”: while the comma’s placement gives us permission to re-read the verse, Christ’s own words and actions after His resurrection make it an absolute necessity. The popular theory requires that Jesus and the thief traveled to paradise (heaven) on Friday afternoon. Christ’s own testimony, however, makes this an impossibility. On Sunday morning, three days after His death, Mary Magdalene, in her joy, reaches out to embrace her risen Lord. Jesus’s response is the definitive refutation of the “paradise today” theory: “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.” (John 20:17, KJV). If Jesus had “not yet ascended” on Sunday morning, He cannot have gone to paradise on Friday afternoon. Where was He? Exactly where He said He would be: “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:40, KJV). Sr. White’s commentary is, as always, precise and irrefutable: “He Himself did not go that day to Paradise. He slept in the tomb, and on the morning of the resurrection He said, ‘I am not yet ascended to My Father.’ John 20:17.” (The Desire of Ages, p. 751). She further elaborates, “When he closed his eyes in death upon the cross, the soul of Christ did not go at once to Heaven, as many believe… The spirit of Jesus slept in the tomb with his body, and did not wing its way to Heaven, there to maintain a separate existence…” (Spirit of Prophecy, Vol. 3, Sr. White, p. 203). The conclusion is inescapable: If Jesus did not go to paradise that day, the thief did not go to paradise that day. The promise was for a future inheritance, guaranteed today. Scripture confirms this in Acts 2:31, “He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.” Luke 24:46 adds, “And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day.” The inspired pen notes, “Christ did not go to Paradise that day with the thief. He Himself did not ascend to His Father until the third day” (The Signs of the Times, December 4, 1893). A prophetic voice once wrote, “The Saviour did not go to Paradise when He yielded up His life on the cross” (The Bible Echo, April 15, 1897). This evidence solidifies the promise’s true meaning. But how does the doctrine of soul sleep bring peace in contrast to false teachings?

SLEEP SHOWDOWN SURGE!

For so many in the Christian world, the moment of death is fraught with a terror born of unbiblical doctrines, chief among them the pagan idea of a “soul” that is immediately conscious. For the wicked, this means the flames of an eternally burning hell. For the imperfect, as our Catholic friends believe, it means the fires of Purgatory, a place of conscious purification. Even for the saved, as many Protestants and Calvinists believe, it is a disembodied, incomplete state, floating in heaven awaiting a body. The biblical doctrine of “soul sleep” , in beautiful contrast, removes this terror and replaces it with profound, restorative peace. The apostle Paul chose his words carefully: “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13, KJV). He calls it sleep. When Jesus went to raise His friend from the dead, He did not say, “Lazarus’s soul is in paradise, and I must now rip him from bliss.” He said, “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.” (John 11:11, KJV). Sr. White captured the horror of the false view: “And how utterly revolting is the belief that as soon as the breath leaves the body, the soul of the impenitent is consigned to the flames of hell! To what depths of anguish must those be plunged who see their friends passing to the grave unprepared…!” (The Great Controversy, p. 545). This false doctrine, she warns, “lull[s] to a fatal security” those who misunderstand God’s justice. Our message, therefore, is one of comfort and hope—a peaceful, unconscious rest, where the next moment of consciousness is the glorious resurrection morning. Scripture echoes this in Psalm 13:3, “Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.” Job 14:12 adds, “So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.” In Patriarchs and Prophets we read, “The heathen looked upon the human soul as an immortal essence, independent of the body” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 43, 1890). Through inspired counsel we are told, “The doctrine of consciousness after death, of the spirits of the dead being in communion with the living, has no foundation in the Scriptures” (The Great Controversy, p. 551, 1911). This truth dispels fear and instills peace. But how does our understanding bridge to other faiths?

While our understanding of the state of the dead stands in “contrast” to these pagan-influenced Christian views, it provides a unique and powerful “bridge” to our Jewish, Muslim, and even Buddhist neighbors. This is not a “new” doctrine; it is the original Hebraic root from which these other views are deviations. When we speak with our Jewish friends, we are not on opposing sides; we are reminding them of their own foundations. We can affirm their traditional Hebraic emphasis on a bodily resurrection in the Olam Ha-Ba (the World to Come) , and stand with them in rejecting the Greek, Platonic idea of an “immortal soul”. We can open the Tanakh (the Old Testament) to a verse they revere: “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Daniel 12:2, KJV). When we study with our Muslim friends, we find common ground. We can affirm their belief in an intermediate “barrier” state (the Barzakh) and a final Day of Judgment (the Qiyamah). We can then ask, “The Qur’an speaks of this barrier as a ‘sleep’. Let us show you where the Bible defines this as a peaceful, unconscious rest.” Even to our Buddhist friends, who seek Nirvana—the “cessation” of suffering —we have a bridge. We can explain that death is a “cessation” of all consciousness and suffering. But it is not a final end. It is a rest before a glorious, personal re-creation. This “solid, eternal truth” is a master key. As our pioneers knew, the books of “Daniel and the Revelation” are an “invaluable help” because they speak “of past, present, and future, laying out the path so plainly that none need err therein.” (1MR 61.1). Scripture highlights this shared hope in Hosea 13:14, “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.” Ezekiel 37:12 adds, “Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.” A passage from Prophets and Kings reminds us, “The resurrection from the dead is the Christian’s fondest hope and brightest anticipation” (Prophets and Kings, p. 270, 1917). The inspired pen declares, “The doctrine of the resurrection is interwoven with the very warp and woof of the Scripture” (The Great Controversy, p. 548, 1911). This common ground fosters meaningful dialogue. But how does the thief’s story encapsulate the gospel?

CROSS MISSION MAYHEM!

The story of the thief is, in its essence, the “gospel in miniature.” It is a final, unassailable demonstration that salvation is “not as a result of works”. “The thief had no time to earn salvation or perform good works. Jesus’ response showed that salvation comes through faith alone, even in the final moments of life.” This one story shatters every pillar of self-righteousness. It is the living embodiment of the apostle’s doctrine: “For by grace ye are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9, KJV). We are all this thief. We hang on the cross of our own sin, naked, condemned, and utterly powerless to save ourselves. Our only hope, our only “work,” is to look to the One who hangs beside us and cry, “Lord, remember me.” To the world, this is absurdity. “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18, KJV). Sr. White describes this divine exchange with breathtaking beauty: “Christ was treated as we deserve, that we might be treated as He deserves. He was condemned for our sins, in which He had no share, that we might be justified by His righteousness, in which we had no share. He suffered the death which was ours, that we might receive the life which was His.” (The Desire of Ages, p. 25). This truth is the bedrock of our assurance; “consequently, anyone who claims that our salvation depends partly on something else other than Jesus as revealed in the Holy Scripture immediately takes away the assurance of salvation.”. Scripture reinforces this in Romans 4:5, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Galatians 2:16 adds, “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” In Steps to Christ we read, “The righteousness by which we are justified is imputed; the righteousness by which we are sanctified is imparted” (Steps to Christ, p. 62, 1892). Through inspired counsel we are told, “Faith is the victory that overcomes the world, the victory that overcomes doubt and fear” (Faith and Works, p. 100, 1979). This story proclaims grace triumphantly. But how does it address the balance between faith and works?

This brings us to a “contrastive transition” of profound pastoral importance. While the thief’s salvation is by “faith alone,” it is not a “cheap grace” that excuses a life of transgression. Many use this story to justify a faith that is detached from obedience, saying, “See? The thief did nothing!” This is a fatal misunderstanding. True faith is never passive; it is an active surrender that “claims God’s promises and brings forth fruit in obedience”. Presumption, its satanic counterfeit, “also claims the promises, but uses them as Satan did, to excuse transgression.” (The Desire of Ages, p. 126). The thief’s faith was not passive! It was his obedience. What “works” did he do? He performed the only “work” he could: he confessed Christ publicly when the disciples were denying Him (Luke 23:41-42). He defended his Savior’s name. This was the “fruit” of his instantaneous conversion. The apostle James’s searing question rings true: “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?” (James 2:14, KJV). And his answer: “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” (James 2:20, KJV). The thief’s faith was alive, and he proved it with the only “work” he had left: his voice. He did not presume on grace; he cast himself, body and soul, upon it. The thief on the cross is not the model for a life of faith (which must produce a harvest of works), but he is the perfect, beautiful model for the moment of salvation (which is by faith, and faith alone). Scripture clarifies this in Titus 3:8, “This is a faithful saying, and concerning these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.” Hebrews 5:9 adds, “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.” A passage from Christ’s Object Lessons reminds us, “True obedience comes from the heart. It was heart work with Christ” (Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 97, 1900). The inspired pen notes, “Obedience—the service and allegiance of love—is the true sign of discipleship” (Steps to Christ, p. 60, 1892). This distinction guards against cheap grace. But how do these concepts reflect God’s love?

DIVINE LOVE DRAMA!

How, then, do these concepts—the cross, the sleep, the guaranteed resurrection—reflect God’s love? They reveal a love that is not a distant, passive affection, but an active, sacrificial, and incarnational pledge. This is a love that does not, as we might wish, rescue us from the cross, but instead joins us on the cross. The thief was not saved from physical death; he died. A superficial love would have performed a miracle, taken him down from the cross, and healed his wounds. God’s love is infinitely deeper. The promise of paradise was not “you will go to a place,” but “you will be with Me.” This “with-ness” is the very essence of paradise, and it began Today on the cross. The promise of God’s love is not an exemption from suffering, but His presence in our suffering and His pledge of our final victory over it. The Bible is clear: “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:10, KJV). This love is not theoretical; it is “commendeth,” or proven: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8, KJV). The thief was the ultimate “while we were yet sinners.” And God, in Christ, met him at his absolute worst, in public shame, and “commended” His love to him with the unbreakable guarantee of paradise. This is the love Sr. White described: “The heart of God yearns over His earthly children with a love stronger than death. In giving up His Son, He has poured out to us all heaven in one gift.” (The Desire of Ages, p. 565). It is a love that binds us to Him forever: “In taking our nature, the Saviour has bound Himself to humanity by a tie that is…source to become one of the human family, forever to retain His human nature… Heaven is enshrined in humanity, and humanity is enfolded in the bosom of Infinite Love.” (The Desire of Ages, pp. 25-26). Scripture illuminates this in Ephesians 2:4-5, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;).” 1 John 3:1 adds, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.” In The Ministry of Healing we read, “The love which Christ diffuses through the whole being is a vitalizing power” (The Ministry of Healing, p. 115, 1905). A prophetic voice once wrote, “The cross speaks to the hosts of heaven, to worlds unfallen, and to the fallen world, the value which God has placed upon men” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 740, 1889). This love transforms our existence. But what is our responsibility to God in response?

GODLY DUTY DASH!

In light of this profound, unearned, incarnational grace, what, then, is my personal responsibility toward God? My responsibility is to recognize my own spiritual condition. I am the thief. I am naked, condemned, and utterly powerless. My responsibility, therefore, is to cease from my own dead works and, like the thief, cast myself in total reliance upon the Savior. This is the “faith that works”. It is a life of continual dependence. The thief’s faith was his “reasonable service.” He gave the only thing he had: his confession. We who have life, breath, and strength are called to give all of it. As the Preacher concluded, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13, KJV). This “whole duty” is not a legalistic burden to earn salvation, but a joyful response to salvation. Paul calls it our “reasonable service”: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1, KJV). My responsibility is to live a life that is a “thank you” for a salvation that was already guaranteed by faith. Sr. White confirms this, stating, “Those who pass through the experience of true conversion will realize, with keenness of perception, their responsibility to God…” (Steps to Christ, Sr. White, p. 86). And what is the engine of this new life of responsibility? Not fear, but love. “Nothing reaches so fully down to the deepest motives of conduct as a sense of the pardoning love of Christ. We are to come in touch with God, then we shall be imbued with His Holy Spirit, that enables us to come in touch with our fellow-men.” (Gospel Workers, Sr. White, p. 509). Scripture echoes this in John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” 1 Samuel 15:22 adds, “And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” In Testimonies for the Church we read, “Obedience to God is the highest evidence of our love for Him” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, p. 161, 1868). A passage from Education reminds us, “The essence of God’s law is love” (Education, p. 103, 1903). This response honors God’s grace. But what is our responsibility to our neighbor?

NEIGHBOR HONOR HUSTLE!

Finally, having received this immeasurable grace and been imbued with His Holy Spirit, what is my responsibility toward my neighbor? It is to be the other thief. There were two criminals on the cross that day, not just one. One mocked, reflecting the voice of the world. The other repented, rebuked the mocker, and pointed to the Savior. Our world is full of “thieves”—men and women nailed to the crosses of their own sins, their addictions, their suffering, and their despair. We, who have found forgiveness in the Central Cross, cannot save them. But we can be the repentant thief to the mocking thief. We can rebuke the darkness: “Dost not thou fear God…?” (Luke 23:40). And we can point them to the Savior in the middle: “…this man hath done nothing amiss… Lord, remember me.” (Luke 23:41-42). This witness is our primary responsibility. We are called to “by love serve one another.” (Galatians 5:13, KJV). This is the fulfillment of “the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2, KJV). The apostle Paul commands, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2, KJV). And again: “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10, KJV). We, who were saved by grace at the eleventh hour, have no right to withhold grace from anyone else. Our “opportunity” is to see every person in our lives as the thief on the cross—condemned, yes, but offered a “Today” guarantee of mercy. This requires, as Sr. White perfectly summarized, “Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, ‘Follow Me.’” (The Ministry of Healing, Sr. White, p. 143). This is our charge, for “The great lesson we are daily to learn is that we are stewards of God’s gifts-stewards of money, of reason, of intellect, of influence.” (The Faith I Live By, Sr. White, p. 221). Scripture urges this in Leviticus 19:18, “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.” Proverbs 3:29 adds, “Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.” In Gospel Workers we read, “We are to love our neighbor as ourselves” (Gospel Workers, p. 55, 1915). A prophetic voice once wrote, “The law of love calls for the devotion of body, mind, and soul to the service of God and our fellow men” (Education, p. 16, 1903). This duty extends God’s love outward. But how can we personalize this truth in our daily lives?

REFLECTION RUMBLE!

I’ll be honest. This doctrine is one of the hardest and one of the most beautiful to teach. For years, I struggled with it. It felt cold. I wanted to believe my loved ones were “looking down” on me, that my grandmother was in paradise right now. But as I sat with the bereaved, I realized the pagan “looking down” view is its own kind of purgatory. What rest could my grandmother possibly have if she had to watch me stumble, sin, and suffer, powerless to intervene? I realized that the “sleep” Sr. White describes is not a cold, empty void; it is an act of profound, protective mercy. It is true rest. It is the fulfillment of “He giveth his beloved sleep.” (Psalm 127:2, KJV). Scripture comforts in 1 Corinthians 15:18, “Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.” 2 Peter 3:4 adds, “And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” In The Great Controversy we read, “The righteous dead will come forth from their graves, and meet their Lord in the air” (The Great Controversy, p. 644, 1911). A passage from Early Writings reminds us, “The living righteous are changed ‘in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.’ At the voice of God they were glorified” (Early Writings, p. 287, 1882). This realization brings profound comfort. But what role does this truth play in healing others?

This truth is not a weapon to win debates; it is a tool to heal wounds. So, when I sit with my grieving Catholic or Pentecostal friend, I don’t pull out a Greek grammar chart. I don’t attack Purgatory or the “rapture.” I take their hand. I ask, “Are you afraid your loved one is suffering? Are you afraid they are lonely?” And when they, through tears, say yes, I say, “I have the best news in the world for you. The Bible promises they are at peace. They are not in torment, not in pain, not lonely. The Bible calls it a ‘sleep’ (1 Thessalonians 4:13, KJV). Their suffering is over. Their very next conscious moment will be seeing the face of Jesus on the resurrection morning. There is no more pain for them.” Scripture assures in Revelation 21:4, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Isaiah 25:8 adds, “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.” Through inspired counsel we are told, “The grave can hold no power over a soul that has accepted Christ as his personal Saviour” (The Signs of the Times, November 15, 1899). The inspired pen notes, “In the resurrection morning the vile body becomes glorious” (The Youth’s Instructor, March 1, 1894). This message offers solace in grief. But how can we bridge this to Muslim friends?

When I study with my inquiring Muslim friend, I find the bridge. I affirm their belief in a final resurrection and a judgment day. I say, “We agree that life is a gift from God and we are all accountable to Him. Let’s explore that intermediate state the Qur’an calls Barzakh. The Bible is so clear and so beautiful on this. It calls it a ‘sleep,’ a time of perfect, unconscious peace where ‘the dead know not any thing’ (Ecclesiastes 9:5, KJV). This removes all fear and places all our hope on the glorious power of the Life-Giver at the resurrection.” Scripture aligns in Acts 24:15, “And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.” 1 Corinthians 15:21 adds, “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.” A passage from The Great Controversy reminds us, “The doctrine of the resurrection is the keynote of the Scripture” (The Great Controversy, p. 546, 1911). In Prophets and Kings we read, “The hope of the resurrection cheers the dying hour” (Prophets and Kings, p. 270, 1917). This shared foundation builds understanding. But what sermon does the thief’s story offer to the desperate?

And for the “thief” in my own life—the one everyone has given up on, the addict, the outcast, the one whose life is a wreck—this story is my entire sermon. I look them in the eye and say, “It doesn’t matter what you did yesterday. It doesn’t matter what you did five minutes ago. Your life is not over. If you, today, in this moment, turn to Him, He will today give you the unbreakable guarantee of paradise. You can be saved, right now, just as you are.” This is the “power of God” at the cross. Scripture proclaims in Acts 4:12, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Romans 10:13 adds, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” The inspired pen declares, “The thief on the cross offered up his prayer mingled with tears and blood” (The Bible Echo, April 15, 1897). Through inspired counsel we are told, “Even to the death upon the cross, Christ was the gospel’s minister” (Selected Messages, book 1, p. 304, 1958). This message transforms lives. But how can we share assurance without possessing it ourselves?

But we cannot give this assurance to others if we do not possess it ourselves. We must be anchored in this hope. We are not saved by hoping we are saved. We are saved by knowing we are. The apostle John wrote for this very purpose: “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (1 John 5:13, KJV). We must know that, by faith in Him, we “are passed from death unto life” (John 5:24, KJV). Our own assurance is the key that unlocks this powerful, life-changing doctrine for a dying world. Scripture affirms in Hebrews 10:22, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” Colossians 2:2 adds, “That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ.” In Faith and Works we read, “The assurance of God’s approval will promote physical health” (Faith and Works, p. 38, 1979). A passage from Testimonies for the Church reminds us, “The assurance of salvation will bring peace and joy” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 632, 1889). This personal certainty empowers our witness. But what overwhelming evidence reveals the thief’s true fate?

ASSURANCE AVENGERS!

So, what really happened to the thief on the cross? The evidence is overwhelming, the truth is liberating, and the promise is sensational! He was not teleported to a disembodied, ethereal paradise. No, he was given something infinitely better. He was given the unbreakable, present-tense, divine guarantee of salvation and a future, bodily resurrection into that paradise. He was given peace. He was given a “declaration of grace” . He was given assurance. In the moment he believed, the verdict of the universe was spoken over his life: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1, KJV). The thief’s body was broken and destroyed by worms, but his hope was the same as Job’s: “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:” (Job 19:25-26, KJV). The thief closed his eyes in a bloody “sleep” on Golgotha, but his very next thought, in what will seem to him but a “moment, in the twinkling of an eye,” will be the sound of the trump of God. Sr. White says it best: “When they arise from the tomb, their first glad thought will be echoed in the triumphal shout: ‘O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?’” (The Great Controversy, p. 549). The battle is over! The comma is conquered! The truth is revealed! The promise of Christ was not “immediate paradise,” but “immediate assurance.” This is the hope we have. This is the truth that sets men free. And this is the paradise He guarantees to all who, like the thief, look to Him and believe. “Our little world, under the curse of sin… will be honored above all other worlds… here, when He shall make all things new, the tabernacle of God shall be with men…” (The Desire of Ages, p. 26).

“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:” (John 11:25, KJV).

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SELF-REFLECTION

How can I, in my personal devotional life, delve deeper into these prophetic truths, allowing them to shape my character and priorities?

How can we adapt these complex themes to be understandable and relevant to diverse audiences, from seasoned church members to new seekers or those from different faith traditions, without compromising theological accuracy?

What are the most common misconceptions about these topics in my community, and how can I gently but effectively correct them using Scripture and the writings of Sr. White?

In what practical ways can our local congregations and individual members become more vibrant beacons of truth and hope, living out the reality of Christ’s soon return and God’s ultimate victory over evil?