We have before us a letter from brother James H. Staymates, in which he asks us to give our opinion as to whether "Paradise is a place between earth and heaven." If we had the framing of this question we should put it into a somewhat different form. Hence, also, we shall not so much answer the question in the form in which it here stands, as give our views in brief of Paradise itself.

      According to the view of the ancients, Sheol was the common place to which all the dead went. In the Greek this was called hades. But in this place called hades there were two states one of which was that of the righteous dead, and the other the unrighteous. The former was called Abraham's bosom, or Paradise, the latter retained its name hades.

      Whether as to place, hades and ge-enna (hell) are the same, we do not know, but they are not the same as to state. Hence, it is said that "death and hell (hadees shall be cast into the lake of fire" (ge-enna). Neither do we know whether as a place Paradise and heaven are the same, but they are not the same as to state. For it is not until the chief Shepherd shall appear that we shall receive the crown of righteousness. Thus Paul writes: "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." And Peter says: "And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." So we conclude that Paradise is therefore a place or state of incipient, though very refreshing, rest rest for the righteous; but the fullness of the glory is reserved until Christ shall have come.

[The Church Advocate 40 (July 7, 1875): 4.]

      Christian H. Forney's "Paradise" was first published in The Church Advocate, Vol. 40, No. 10 (July 7, 1875), p. 4. The electronic version has been transcribed from a copy of the article printed from a microfilmed edition of the newspaper held by the State Library of Pennsylvania. Thanks to Adams Memorial Library for arranging for the interlibrary loan, and to St. Vincent College Library for the use of its microfilm reader/printer.

      Inconsistencies in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and typography have been retained.

      Addenda and corrigenda are earnestly solicited.

Ernie Stefanik
Derry, PA

Created 9 June 1999.
Updated 13 July 2003.