living soul died in the sea." Rev. 16:3.

_3. The Thief on the Cross_

"Did not Christ promise the thief on the cross that he would be with Him
that day in Paradise?"

No; for Paradise is where God's throne is, and the tree of life, and the
city of God, the capital of Christ's kingdom; and three days later
Christ had not yet ascended to the Father. "Touch Me not," He said to
Mary after His resurrection; "for I am not yet ascended to My Father."
John 20:17. The dying thief, therefore, was not with Him in Paradise
three days before.

Nor did the thief's question suggest such a thought. His faith grasped
Christ's resurrection, the resurrection of His children, and the coming
kingdom; and that day on the cross, in the moment of the deepest
humiliation of the Son of God, the repentant sinner cried, "Lord,
remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom." And the Saviour replied,
"Verily I say unto thee today"--this day, when the world scoffs and the
darkness presses upon Me, this day I say it--"shalt thou be with Me in
Paradise." Luke 23:42, 43.

The punctuation that makes it read, "Today shalt thou be with Me in
Paradise," is not a part of the sacred text, and puts the Saviour's
promise in contradiction with the facts of the whole narrative and the
teaching of Scripture.

_4. The Rich Man and Lazarus_