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From: devonst@burdvax.UUCP (Tom Albrecht)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc
Subject: Re: Life After Death
Message-ID: <2758@burdvax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 14-Oct-86 10:20:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: burdvax.2758
Posted: Tue Oct 14 10:20:05 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 16-Oct-86 19:38:07 EDT
Sender: devonst@burdvax.UUCP
Reply-To: devonst@burdvax.UUCP (Tom Albrecht)
Organization: Burroughs Corp. - SDG/Devon
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dwight@nrcvax.UUCP (Dwight Kirby) writes:
>
>After the body of Jesus had lain in the tomb for three days, the spirit
>again entered his body.  The angels rolled the stone away from the mouth
>of the sepulcher, and the resurrected Redeemer of the world walked forth,
>clothed with an immortal body of flesh and bones.
>
>Mary Magdalene, who seemed to have some special interest in the Savior,
>came early to the tomb, and weeping, discovered that the body of the Master
>was not there.  A voice spake to her, saying, "Mary. She turned herself,
>and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
>
>"Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yer 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 20:16-17).
>
>Here Jeses has declard that during the three days immediately subsequent to
>his crucifixion, while his body lay in the tomb, his spirit did not go into
>heaven or to the presence of his Father.  Logically, it must follow that
>neither did the Thief's spirit.  The fenerally accepted idea, therefore,
>of the thief being saved must inevitably fall.  Jesus asserted that "to day
>shalt thou be with me in paradise," and upon his return to earth he informed
>Mary that he had not ascended to his Father.
...
>
>-- 
> 
>	Dwight Kirby

This is, I believe, a rather novel interpretation of the John passage.  You
seem to take the notion of ascension in a spiritual sense.  Now if this is
to be the case you should be able to find some other evidence in scripture
that Jesus was talking about a spiritual ascension rather than a physical
one.

I think the proper understanding of John 20 is that He had not ascended
bodily (which He would do at after 40 days).  The OT and NT imagery of
Paradise is virtually synonymous with Heaven.  To say that Paradise is some
place other than Heaven, therefore, is to presume something not clearly
taught in scripture.

--
Tom Albrecht
"Reformata, semper reformanda"