Jesus told the thief on the cross, “To day shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Three days later, He told Mary Magdalene, “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father” (John 20:17). This prompts the question, “If Jesus went to paradise on the day He was crucified, but He had not yet ascended to the Father three days later, where did He go when He went to paradise” or “Where was He during those three days?”

Part of the answer can be found in the writings of Paul. He said, “When he [Jesus] ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?) (Eph. 4:8-10). Jesus descended into the lower parts of the earth before He ascended into heaven three days later.

More of the answer can be found in the writings of Matthew. When the Scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign He said, “An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matt. 12:39-40).

Its speculation, but some preachers believe paradise was like a two-room apartment at the heart of the earth before the cross. From the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) some believe there was a paradise side and a torment side with a great gulf in between.

Some say after Jesus died on the cross, He descended into theParadise side of Abraham’s bosom for three days and three nights. He talked to the dead Old Testament saints. He brought them out and some were raised when He was raised (Matt. 27:32-33). Paradise was moved to the third heaven and the souls and spirits of those who weren’t raised went directly there  Later, Paul was caught up into Paradise which is the third heaven (II Cor. 12:2-4).

Again, there is speculation here, but this theory makes more sense than any this writer is aware of.

Prophecy Plus Ministries
Daymond & Rachel Duck

Like many prophecies Ezekiel 30:1-8 seems to have both historical and end-of-the-age applications. These double applications are not all that unusual. Several Old Testament writers used the term “day of the Lord” to describe an impending disaster before they leaped off into the future to describe that coming disaster called the Tribulation Period. The New Testament writers continued the practice of double application, but with a slightly different twist. Like the Old Testament prophets they applied the day of the Lord to the coming Tribulation Period, but they occasionally leaped farther down the road and applied it to the disasters leading up to the New Heaven and New Earth.

Verses 1-3 read, “The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Howl ye, Woe worth the day! For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen.” This is the Word of God about judgments that will take place when the Tribulation Period is near. Ezekiel called it “a cloudy day.” Joel and Zephaniah both called it “a day of clouds and of thick darkness” (Joel 2:2; Zeph. 1:15). It is a “time of the heathen” or a time for God to deal with those who have opposed and not understood the significance of Israel.

Verse 4 reads, “And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down. The sword (judgment) will come upon Egypt and tremendous pain (violence) will spread to Ethiopia. And their foundations (government, laws, idols, etc.) will be broken.

Verse 5 reads, “Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and all the mingled people, and Chub, and the men of the land that is in league, shall fall with them by the sword.” Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia (other nations in North Africa) and Chub (identity unknown, but some think it referred to mercenaries in Ezekiel’s day and it could refer to mercenaries today) shall all suffer a similar fate (defeat). Based on other prophecies (such as Dan. 11:36-45), this writer believes we are seeing the beginning of Pre-Tribulation Period events that will extend on into the Tribulation Period before they are totally fulfilled.

Verses 6-7 read, “Thus saith the LORD; They also that upholdEgypt shall fall; and the pride of her power shall come down: from the tower of Syene shall they fall in it by the sword, saith the Lord GOD. And they shall be desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that arewasted.” Egypt’s president, generals, allies and cities will eventually fall all the way to Syene (the Aswan Dam). The whole area will be desolate for forty years. This will probably happen when Egypt goes to war with Israel (Ezek. 29:11).

Verse 8 reads, “And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have set a fire in Egypt, and when all her helpers shall be destroyed.” When all of this takes place many people in Egypt,Libya, Ethiopia and the surrounding nations will know that Jehovah is God.

Wow! If the Tribulation Period is getting close, the Rapture is even closer. And, come to think of it, high food prices and high gas prices are not very significant compared to multitudes of Muslims coming to Jesus. It looks like God really is in control.

Prophecy Plus Ministries
Daymond & Rachel Duck