“You Will Be With Me in Paradise”

1. Shortly before Jesus died, what did he say to a criminal who was beside him? (Luke 23:39-43)

JESUS and the two criminals beside him were suffering as they felt their life draining away. (Luke 23:32, 33) Both of the criminals had been speaking abusively of Jesus, so they clearly were not his disciples. (Matt. 27:44; Mark 15:32) But one of them had a change of heart. He said: “Jesus, remember me when you get into your Kingdom.” Jesus replied: “Truly I tell you today, you will be with me in Paradise.” (Read Luke 23:39-43.) Nothing suggests that this criminal had accepted the message about “the Kingdom of the heavens,” which Jesus preached during his ministry. And Jesus never did say that the man would get into the Kingdom. (Matt. 4:17) Jesus was speaking about the future earthly Paradise. Why can we say that?

2. What indicates that the repentant criminal was a Jew?

² The repentant criminal was likely a Jew. That criminal said to the other: “Do you not fear God at all, now that you have received the same judgment?” (Luke 23:40) The Jews worshipped one God, but people from the nations believed in many gods. (Ex. 20:2, 3; 1 Cor. 8:5, 6) Had those criminals been men of the nations, the question asked might have been, “Do you not fear the gods at all?” Furthermore, Jesus was sent, not to people of the nations, but to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matt. 15:24) God had revealed to the Israelites that he would raise the dead. The repentant criminal may have known about this, and as his words suggest, he assumed that Jehovah would resurrect Jesus to rule in God’s Kingdom. The man apparently hoped that God would also resurrect him.

3. What likely came to the repentant criminal’s mind when Jesus mentioned Paradise? Explain. (Genesis 2:15)

³ As a Jew, the repentant criminal would have known about Adam and Eve and the Paradise in which Jehovah had placed them. So the criminal could well have realized that the Paradise that Jesus mentioned would be a beautiful garden here on earth.​—Read Genesis 2:15.

4. What should Jesus’ statement to one of the criminals move us to consider?

⁴ Jesus’ words to the criminal should move us to think about what life in Paradise will be like. Actually, we can learn something about Paradise from the peaceful rule of King Solomon. And we can expect that Jesus, the one greater than Solomon, will work along with his corulers to bring wonderful conditions to the earth. (Matt. 12:42) Understandably, the “other sheep” should be interested in what they need to do to qualify to live forever in Paradise.​—John 10:16.

WHAT WILL LIFE IN PARADISE BE LIKE?

5. What are your expectations regarding life in Paradise?

⁵ What comes to your mind when you think about life in Paradise? Perhaps you envision a beautiful park like the garden of Eden. (Gen. 2:7-9) You may recall the prophecy recorded by Micah that God’s people will sit “each one under his vine and under his fig tree.” (Mic. 4:3, 4) The Bible’s indications that there will be plenty of food may come to your mind. (Ps. 72:16; Isa. 65:21, 22) So you may see yourself in a beautiful garden, sitting at a table full of delicious food. You may imagine the air filled with the clean scent of plants and flowers. And you very likely hear the sound of laughter as family and friends​—including resurrected ones—​enjoy one another’s company. All that is no mere dream. Without doubt, scenes like these will take place on earth. However, life in Paradise will also include refreshing work.

6. What will we be doing in Paradise? (See picture.)

⁶ Jehovah has created us to find enjoyment in our work. (Eccl. 2:24) We will be especially busy during the Thousand Year Reign of Christ. Those who survive the great tribulation, as well as the millions who are resurrected, will need clothing, food, and a place to live. Filling those needs will mean a lot of rewarding work. Just as Adam and Eve were to cultivate their garden home, we will have the privilege of cultivating the Paradise earth. Imagine also how enjoyable it will be to educate the millions of resurrected ones who know little about Jehovah and his purpose and to help faithful ones who lived long before Jesus’ time to learn more!

7. Of what can we be confident, and why?

⁷ We can be confident that life in the future Paradise will be peaceful, prosperous, and well-organized. Why? Because Jehovah has already given us a glimpse of what life under his Son’s rulership will be like. We can see that in the account of King Solomon’s rule.

KING SOLOMON’S RULE​—A TASTE OF PARADISE

8. How did the words found at Psalm 37:10, 11, 29 have a fulfillment after King David recorded them? (See “Questions From Readers” in this issue.)

⁸ King David was inspired to write about what life would be like when a future wise and faithful king would sit on the throne. (Read Psalm 37:10, 11, 29.) We often read Psalm 37:11 to others when discussing the coming Paradise. That is certainly justified because Jesus quoted that text in his Sermon on the Mount, indicating that it will have a future fulfillment. (Matt. 5:5) But David’s words also revealed what life would be like in King Solomon’s day. When Solomon ruled Israel, God’s people enjoyed special peace and prosperity in a land “flowing with milk and honey.” God had said: “If you continue walking in my statutes . . . , I will put peace in the land, and you will lie down with no one making you afraid.” (Lev. 20:24; 26:3, 6) Those promises came true during Solomon’s reign. (1 Chron. 22:9; 29:26-28) And there was the prospect that wicked ones would “be no more.” (Ps. 37:10) Hence, the words found at Psalm 37:10, 11, 29 had an ancient fulfillment and will also be fulfilled in the future.

9. What did the queen of Sheba say about the rule of King Solomon?

⁹ News of the peace and prosperity enjoyed by the Israelites under Solomon’s rule reached the queen of Sheba. That sovereign from a distant land traveled to Jerusalem to see the situation for herself. (1 Ki. 10:1) After inspecting Solomon’s kingdom, she said: “I had not been told the half. . . . Happy are your men, and happy are your servants who stand before you constantly, listening to your wisdom!” (1 Ki. 10:6-8) But the conditions under Solomon’s rule were just a taste of what Jehovah will do for mankind under the rule of His Son, Jesus.

10. In what ways is Jesus superior to Solomon?

¹⁰ Jesus is superior to Solomon in every way. Solomon was an imperfect man who made serious errors in judgment that eventually brought hardship on God’s people. Jesus, on the other hand, is a perfect Ruler who makes no mistakes. (Luke 1:32; Heb. 4:14, 15) Jesus passed extremely difficult tests that Satan brought on him. Christ has proved that he will never sin or do anything that would harm his loyal subjects. It truly is an honor to have him as our King.

11. What assistance will Jesus have?

¹¹ Jesus will have 144,000 corulers working with him to care for mankind and to fulfill Jehovah’s purpose for the earth. (Rev. 14:1-3) These ones experienced many trials and sufferings when they were men and women, so they will be sympathetic corulers. Specifically, what role will these corulers play?

WHAT ROLE WILL THE ANOINTED PLAY?

12. What work will Jehovah assign to the 144,000?

¹² The task assigned to Jesus and his corulers is far greater than the task given to Solomon. That Israelite king had to care for millions of people in just one land. However, those ruling in God’s Kingdom will help to care for billions of people living across the globe. What an awe-inspiring privilege Jehovah grants to the 144,000!

13. The work of Jesus’ corulers will include what unique role?

¹³ Like Jesus, the 144,000 will serve as kings and priests. (Rev. 5:10) Under the Mosaic Law, the priests were primarily responsible for protecting the people’s physical health while making sure that they were spiritually healthy. The Law was “a shadow of the good things to come,” so it is reasonable to conclude that Jesus’ corulers will assist in the unique role of caring for the physical and spiritual needs of God’s people. (Heb. 10:1) We will have to wait and see just how these kings and priests will communicate with subjects of the Kingdom who are on earth. Whatever Jehovah arranges, we can be confident that in the Paradise to come, those on earth will receive the guidance they need.​—Rev. 21:3, 4.

WHAT MUST THE “OTHER SHEEP” DO TO QUALIFY TO LIVE IN PARADISE?

14. What is the relationship between the “other sheep” and Christ’s brothers?

¹⁴ Jesus referred to those who will rule with him as a “little flock.” (Luke 12:32) He also spoke of a second group, which he referred to as “other sheep.” These two groups make up one united flock. (John 10:16) The two groups are already working together, and that will continue as the earthly Paradise is established. By then, of course, those of the “little flock” will be in heaven and those of the “other sheep” will have the prospect of enjoying life on earth forever. But there are things that the “other sheep” need to do now to qualify to live in Paradise.

15. (a) How do the “other sheep” cooperate with Christ’s brothers? (b) How can you imitate the example of the brother in the store? (See picture.)

¹⁵ The repentant criminal died before he had the opportunity to manifest his appreciation for Christ to the fullest extent. In contrast, we of the “other sheep” have many opportunities now to show how we feel about Jesus. For instance, we show our affection for him by the way we treat his spirit-anointed brothers. Jesus said that he would judge the sheep on that basis. (Matt. 25:31-40) We can support Christ’s brothers by enthusiastically helping them in the preaching and disciple-making work. (Matt. 28:18-20) To that end, we want to make good use of the Bible study aids that are provided, such as the Enjoy Life Forever! book. If you are not yet conducting a Bible study with someone, why not make it a goal to offer a Bible study to as many people as you can?

16. What is involved in living as subjects of God’s Kingdom?

¹⁶ We do not need to wait until we are living in Paradise to become the kind of person that Jehovah wants there. Right now we can work at being honest in our speech and actions and moderate in our habits. And we can be loyal to Jehovah, to our marriage mate, and to fellow Christians. The more closely we conform to God’s standards while living in this wicked world, the easier it will be for us to live by them in Paradise. We can also develop skills and traits to show that we are preparing to live then. See the article “Are You Ready to ‘Inherit the Earth’?” found in this issue.

17. Should we feel crushed by our past sins? Explain.

¹⁷ We should also strive to let go of guilt that we may feel because of serious sins committed in the past. Of course, we would never consider the ransom sacrifice to be an excuse to “practice sin willfully.” (Heb. 10:26-31) But we can rest assured that if we truly have repented of a serious sin, have sought the help Jehovah provides, and have changed our conduct, he has forgiven us in a large way. (Isa. 55:7; Acts 3:19) Remember Jesus’ words to the Pharisees: “I came to call, not righteous people, but sinners.” (Matt. 9:13) The ransom sacrifice is powerful enough to cover all our sins.

YOU CAN LIVE FOREVER IN PARADISE

18. What would you like to talk about with the criminal who died alongside Jesus?

¹⁸ Can you picture yourself in Paradise, talking with the criminal who spoke to Jesus? No doubt you both would express your appreciation for Jesus’ sacrifice. You might very well ask him to tell you more about what happened during the last few hours of Jesus’ life on earth and how it felt to have Jesus answer his request. On the other hand, he might ask you what it was like to live through the last days of Satan’s system. What an honor it will be to study God’s Word with people like that man!​—Eph. 4:22-24.

19. Why will life in Paradise not be boring? (See cover picture.)

¹⁹ Life in Paradise will never be boring. We will always have interesting people to meet and meaningful work to do. Best of all, each day we will be able to come to know our heavenly Father better and enjoy what he has provided. We will never run out of things to learn about him, and there will be so much to learn about his creation. The longer we live, the deeper our love for God will be. How grateful we are to Jehovah and to Jesus for giving us the promise that we can live forever in Paradise!