Heaven vs Paradise in Mormonism

Hello! My name is Danny, and I was an active Latter-day Saint for 60 years.
If you have followed my channel, you most likely know that there are numerous differences between Mormonism and Biblical Christianity. Even though Mormonism claims to be a restoration of the ancient church of Christ, Peter, and Paul’s day – it fails to compare with the same teachings and doctrines of the ancient church captured in the written word of the Bible. We could pick any topic and put Mormonism’s definitions or interpretations side-by-side with the biblical definitions and interpretations. There will always be a contrast and distinction between the two.
Today, I decided to examine the concept of heaven and paradise. Are heaven and paradise two separate locations or are they the same place? So, when we speak of paradise are we also speaking of heaven? Do Mormonism and Biblical Christianity agree or disagree on this matter? Let’s see.
This question arises – when we consider the story about the repentant thief on the cross, who confessed his faith in Yeshua, to Yeshua – and made this sincere plea in Luke 23:42 “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” How did Yeshua respond to the believing thief? Did He say, before you can come into MY kingdom – you first need to be taught the gospel, be baptized in water, receive the Holy Spirit, and prove yourself by keeping laws, ordinances, and commandments? Of course, it would be too late for the dying thief to crawl down from his cross and do all that!
Or did Yeshua say, wait till you die and go to the Spirit World where Mormon missionaries will come and teach you the Mormon gospel. If you agree with what you hear, then in 2000 years from now – a living Latter-day Saint will go to a Mormon temple to perform proxy baptism, sealings, and anointings on your behalf. Only then will you be allowed to come into MY kingdom. Now, if you know anything at all about LDS theology – that is exactly how it works – according to Mormonism.
INSTEAD, we read in Vs 43 “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” No prerequisites for the thief, no works required on his part – just faith and belief on the Messiah. Mormonism teaches that when the thief on the cross died, he didn’t go to heaven; he went to an intermediate place called paradise. As if it was a separate place from heaven. But I want to demonstrate using the written word of the Bible that heaven and paradise is the same destination.
We read Apostle Paul describing a vision that either he or someone else experienced. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:2 “I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knows;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.” So, Paul could be talking about himself here – because in scripture it’s not uncommon for a writer to speak of himself in the third person. Or, he could be referring to John the Revelator, who while on the Isle of Patmos was caught up in a heavenly vision. Either way, one of them was “caught up to the third heaven.”
Paul adds in parentheses regarding this man who was caught up in the third heaven, “whether in the body, I cannot tell.” Paul admits he isn’t certain – whether the physical body was caught up to heaven; or whether the soul for a time was separated from the body and went to heaven; or whether the scene passed before his mind in a heavenly vision.
I suggest, this might have been Apostle John instead of Paul because John wrote in Revelation 4:1-2 “After this I looked, and behold a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.” So, John saw in his revelation a door opening in heaven and witnessed the Divine sitting on His throne. Was this the “third heaven” experienced by John that Paul was writing about? Or was Paul writing about his own experience? We can’t be certain.
One thing we do need to look at is Paul’s statement in the context of the Jewish culture – who divided the heavens into three heavens: Not three kingdoms or degrees of glory like in Mormonism. To the Jews – The First heaven included the sky, birds, clouds, and atmosphere. The Second heaven which is outer Space, included the sun, moon, planets, and stars. And the Third heaven which is beyond the galaxies and was supposed to be the residence of God, angels, and spirits. It was this upper “third heaven,” which is the dwelling-place of God, to which Paul or John was taken. This third heaven was the heaven where God dwelt, also referred to in Scripture as the “heaven of heavens.”
Paul goes on to say in 2 Corinthians 12:1-4 “I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knows;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” Notice what Paul just did here. He used “heaven” and “paradise” as synonyms. He was caught up to the third heaven where God is and he calls that place paradise. So clearly – paradise and heaven are meant to be the same place. I trust that scripture wants us to understand – that when it says paradise it also means heaven.
Another proof-text is Revelation 2:7 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” As you read in John’s vision, the “tree of life” is described – as residing in heaven or paradise. In fact, the “tree of life” is possibly none other than Jesus Christ the Lamb of God. This third heaven in New Jerusalem is paradise restored, which once existed as paradise in the original Garden of Eden.
Another reason Mormonism teaches that heaven and paradise CAN’T be the same place is because it asks – how could the thief go to heaven that day, since Christ hadn’t yet risen from the dead? The real reason is because the thief came to believe in Yeshua, and Christ’s sacrifice already applied retroactive to the moment the thief believed. Just like Abraham, who lived centuries before Yeshua – when he believed God’s promise that He would make Abraham a great nation and to be a blessing to all peoples on Earth – Abraham too was counted as righteous at that moment of confessed faith. Even though Christ had not yet been born, lived, died and resurrected. So, when Abraham died – he went to paradise. Because God can act based on the future sacrifice of Yeshua, God is not limited by time like we are. Christ’s salvation for men is in effect for the past, present, and future of the world.
Okay, now let’s compare what Mormonism does teach, and how it interprets Paul and John’s writings. This “third heaven” in Mormonism means that there are three kingdoms or three degrees of glory in the afterlife. The LDS Church Come Follow Me manual states that “The phrase ‘the third heaven’ refers to the celestial kingdom.” And the manual directs us to Doctrine and Covenants, Section 76:96-98, which lists the three kingdoms of glory in Mormon heaven.
(In a future video, I will explain and discuss these three degrees of glory or kingdoms of heaven.)
On its official website ChurchofJesusChrist.org, when you search the word “Paradise” it takes you to a heading titled Spirit World. Here it says “The postmortal spirit world is a place where the spirits of those who have died live before the Resurrection. The spirit world consists of paradise, where the righteous dwell, and spirit prison, where those who were wicked in mortality dwell.” “President Joseph F. Smith saw in a vision that immediately after Jesus Christ was crucified, He visited the righteous in the spirit world. He appointed messengers, gave them power and authority, and commissioned them to “carry the light of the gospel to them that were in darkness, even to all the spirits of men” (see Doctrine and Covenants 138:30).”
The website goes on to say, “In the spirit prison are the spirits of those who have not yet received the gospel of Jesus Christ. These spirits have agency and may be enticed by both good and evil. The spirits may progress as they learn gospel principles (Mormon principles) and live in accordance with them. The spirits in paradise can teach the spirits in prison. If they accept the gospel and the ordinances performed for them in the temples (LDS temples), they may leave the spirit prison and dwell in paradise.” “Also, in the spirit prison are those who rejected the gospel after it was preached to them either on earth or in the spirit prison. These spirits suffer in a condition known as hell. They have removed themselves from the mercy of Jesus Christ.” “After suffering for their sins, they will be allowed, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, to inherit the lowest degree of glory, which is the Telestial kingdom.”
(Holding up the Bible) Then if we turn to the Bible Dictionary at the back of the LDS King James Bible, it defines the term “Paradise.” “Paradise is that part of the spirit world in which the righteous spirits who have departed from this life await the resurrection of the body. It is a condition of happiness and peace. However, the scriptures are not always consistent in the use of the word, especially in the Bible. For example, when Jesus purportedly said (doubting the word of God) to the thief on the cross, “today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43), the Bible rendering is incorrect. The statement would be more accurately read, ‘Today shalt thou be with me in the world of spirits’ since the thief was not ready for paradise.” Continuing it says, “Possibly 2 Corinthians 12:4 should also not use ‘paradise’ in the sense of meaning the spirit world, as much as meaning the celestial kingdom.”
My question is that – If these writings of Luke and Apostle Paul were incorrect, as the LDS Bible Dictionary states – then why didn’t Joseph Smith correct them in his inspired version? I looked them up in the Joseph Smith Translation, and Smith made no changes to either of these biblical references. So, for some individual or committee in the scripture-writing department of the LDS Church in 1981 C.E. to change Bible passages to mean something entirely different – and even overriding their founding prophet is pretty extreme. Don’t you think? To be me it’s a case of obvious distortion of the written word of God.
Here we have an example of twisting scripture in the word of God to fit a different gospel message. Paul has a strong warning about those who would distort the gospel of Christ. He taught in Galatians 1:6-8 “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” Is Mormonism guilty of such thing? Does it teach “another gospel” that was given by “an angel from heaven?” In my opinion, Mormonism is a different gospel in every regard from what we have in the written word of God. But it took me six decades to figure that out. Hopefully, by watching and listening to these videos, you can benefit from the study and research I’ve put into comparing Mormonism to Biblical Christianity. And then you make your own informed decisions.
In the end, and with that aside – All I can say is that we know Apostle Paul was aware that his life was always in jeopardy during his missions of spreading the true gospel. He said in Philippians 1:20-24 “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two (a predicament between the two), having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better: Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.”
For this great apostle – Paul’s life was centered on Christ, and death was not a fearful loss but a profound gain because it meant being in the presence of Christ. The passage reflects a perspective – where life is dedicated to Christ and His purposes – while death is seen as a highly desirable transition to a better, eternal state with God.
Isn’t it wonderful to know that being with the Lord in “heaven” IS TRULY – “paradise?”
Something to consider, my friends.
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God Bless!