We come now to the second of the five scriptures which, Dr. Bullinger says, are generally relied on and referred to by Traditionists.
The whole of his argument on this passage (Luke 23:4343And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:43)) is based on the punctuation of the promise of the Lord to the dying thief: "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with Me in Paradise." Taking sides with the Christadelphians and Adventists in this matter, Dr. Bullinger says, referring to Luke 23:4343And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:43): "This... can mean only, 'Verily I say unto thee this day,-thou shalt be with Me in Paradise.' In the first place we must remember that the punctuation is not inspired. It is only of human authority. There is none whatever in the Greek manuscripts. We have, therefore, perfect liberty to criticize and alter man's use of it, and to substitute our own" (p. 27).
We may have liberty to criticize man's use of punctuation in the English translation of the Scriptures, but we have no right to substitute our own. If the translators are clear as to the sense of the passage in the original, they put punctuation in the English translation to give the sense. For that there should be the greatest care exercised.
The translators of the Bible, who gave us the Authorized Version, were Christian divines and scholars of repute. They gave us the verse-Luke 23:4343And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:43)-punctuated as follows, "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with Me in Paradise." Their scholarship surely would not suffer as compared to Dr. Bullinger's. Moreover, there is the consensus of opinion that a deliberating body would give to the matter, especially where the Holy Scriptures are concerned. Similarly the translators of the Revised Version were scholarly men, and they have given us the verse with the same punctuation as the Authorized.
Dr. Bullinger makes an appeal to the Greek with a great flourish of learning. A scholar and a Christian teacher, however, referring to Dr. Bullinger, writes: "His references to the original Greek cannot be accepted without great reserve; indeed in such matters as Greek rules and references, he may well be described as 'a law unto himself.'" We can only say, if his treatment of the Greek language is not more careful than his treatment of the English language, we can have no confidence in his show of Greek.
F. W. Grant, a Christian teacher, and scholar of repute, writes:- "The common method of dealing with this text [by Christadelphian, and Adventist writers] is by altering the punctuation. They would have us read the words, 'Verily I say unto thee to-day: thou shalt be with Me in Paradise.'... But the order of the words in the sentence is all against them. With the emphasis they give it, σήμερον "today," should precede the verb.... But, beside this, the Lord is answering a prayer in which a time wherein the thief sought to be remembered was expressed. He had said, 'Lord, remember me when thou comest into Thy kingdom.' The Lord says virtually, ' you shall not wait for that; to-day you shall be with Me.' This is the simple, intelligible reason for the specification of time" (Facts and Theories as to a Future State, p. 148).
We add the judgment of Dr. A. Plummer, an undoubted Greek scholar: "'With Me,' Luke 23:4343And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:43): not merely in My company (σὑν ἐμοί), but sharing with Me (μετ' ἐμοί). The promise implies a CONTINUANCE OF CONSCIOUSNESS AFTER DEATH."
But this is just what Dr. Bullinger denies. As we observe the treatment Dr. Bullinger metes out to the texts of the Bible, it reminds us of what a venerable German professor of the first rank remarked, that much of the criticism of the sacred Scriptures in which his countrymen indulge, "strikes out that which is inconvenient to it, and drags in that which has not the support of a single word in the text."
We have been amazed how Dr. Bullinger often twists Scripture in order to foist his own opinions upon the credulity of his readers. This is not said in any uncharitable spirit, but as a statement of sober fact. This pamphlet abundantly bears this out.
Then to clinch his argument that there is no intermediate state, Dr. Bullinger writes: "We are now prepared to see that we must translate Luke 23:4343And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:43) in this manner, 'Verily I say to thee this day, thou shalt be with Me in Paradise.' The prayer was answered. It referred to the future, and so did the promise: for, when the Lord shall have come in His kingdom, the only Paradise the Scripture knows of will be restored" (p. 28).
Then he adds in a footnote: "It [Paradise] is never used in any other sense than that of an earthly place of beauty and delight. 'The tree of life' and the river of the water of life' are its [Paradise] great- conspicuous characteristics" (p. 28).
Is it true that the only Paradise Scripture knows of is on earth? We read of "a pure river of water of life" and "the tree of life" in Rev. 22:1, 21And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (Revelation 22:1‑2). This, we believe, is a symbolic description of the Bride, the
Lamb's wife, as "that great city, the holy Jerusalem," and that it descends out of HEAVEN from God. If it comes out of heaven this Paradise is clearly heavenly, and not earthly. It belongs to heaven. It comes out of HEAVEN. It sets forth the Church of God, which is the Bride of Christ, in relation to the Millennial reign of our Lord over the earth.
In Rev. 2:77He 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. (Revelation 2:7) we read: "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God." Surely "the tree of life" is a symbolic expression setting forth Christ Himself, that He will be the food of the overcomer when the conflict is over. A little lower down the overcomer is promised that he will be given to eat of the hidden manna, another allusion in symbolic language to our blessed Lord. Remember, this is no earthly Paradise, but the Paradise of God. Lastly we read in 2 Cor. 12:1-91It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2I 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 knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. 3And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) 4How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. 5Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities. 6For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. 7And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 8For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:1‑9), of the Apostle Paul, "How that he was CAUGHT UP into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter" (verse 4). Notice he was "CAUGHT UP." If the only Paradise the Scripture knows of is on earth, these words have no meaning. But we are left in no doubt as to what is meant by Paradise. In verse 2 of this Chapter we read: "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 knoweth;) such an one CAUGHT UP to the third Heaven." This identifies Paradise as the third HEAVEN. The third Heaven is the dwelling-place of God. The first Heaven is the atmospheric Heaven, in which the clouds are generated, the atmosphere that belts the earth. The second Heaven sets forth the vast spaces of the stellar system beyond the power of man to penetrate. The third Heaven is the dwelling-place of God.
What becomes of Dr. Bullinger's statement that Paradise is only on earth? It was necessary to make this statement of his in order to buttress up his idea of there being no intermediate state. His argument only recoils on his own head.