“And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.””
—Luke 23:43

In Luke 23, Yeshua was being crucified, and there was a criminal being executed on each side of Him. One of the criminals was mocking Him, and the other said, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” (v. 42). And when the man put his faith in Yeshua in his dying moment, Yeshua told him he would from that day forward be with Him in paradise.

The Scriptures teach us that eye has not seen and ear has not heard the things that God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Cor. 12:9). The greatest things we have ever experienced in this world don’t compare to what God’s people are going to experience in the afterlife, the paradise of God.

Your greatest imagination of the world to come doesn’t compare to how great eternity with HaShem is actually going to be. Again, the Lord says it hasn’t even entered into the heart of man the things God has prepared for those who love Him. It’s going to be so much better than the most amazing things we could dream.

I know life can be tough and each day can feel like a battle. The forces of darkness are powerfully moving all over the face of the earth, and every day you and I are in a fight. We have to overcome darkness and depression, anxiety and fear, chaos and lust, poverty and health issues, and so many other things that affect us while we live in this world. In the Book of Revelation, Yeshua said to the church at Pergamum, “I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is” (Rev. 2:13). It’s a tough journey that we’re in down here, but Jesus also said, “Be faithful until the end, and you will inherit the Paradise of God.” (See Revelation 2:7.)

Beloved, God has something great in store for you. Keep pressing on. It won’t be long before you’ll be with the Father and King Jesus in the Paradise of God.

Father God, help me to believe that nothing on this earth can compare to the beauty I will see in heaven. In Yeshua’s name, help me to always keep eternity in my heart (Eccles. 3:11) and focus on being faithful to You while I walk this earth. I’m thankful, my Father and God, that when I complete the assignment You have for me here, the best is yet to come. In Yeshua’s name.

Rabbi Kirt A. Schneider, Rivers of Divine Truth (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2021), Used by permission.