In addition to the garden of Eden (Gen. 2:8-15), which is commonly considered as a depiction of paradise, the Bible also associates the pleasant section in Hades and the New Jerusalem with the term paradise.
The Greek word Hades denotes the same thing as the Hebrew word Sheol. Although it is the place where the spirits and souls of all dead people go (37:35; Job 7:9; Eccl. 9:10; Rev. 20:13), it has two sections, one of which is a pleasant place, and the other of which is a place of torment.
1. “The beggar died, and he was carried away by the angels into Abraham’s bosom...Now he is comforted here” (Luke 16:22, 25).
Paradise, the pleasant section in Hades, is where the spirits and souls of the righteous go after they die. Luke 16 shows that both Abraham and the beggar Lazarus are in this pleasant section. Although it is a section in Hades, it is a place where the spirits and souls of people are comforted. The spirit and soul of the beggar Lazarus were comforted there after his death. The angels took his spirit and soul to the bosom of Abraham. Bosom signifies a place of comfort, so the bosom of Abraham in Hades represents the section in Hades where people find comfort.
When a person dies, his spirit and soul leave his body, and he becomes a disembodied soul; that is, he becomes naked (2 Cor. 5:3). This is an incomplete, abnormal, and shameful condition, just as being physically naked is shameful. Such a disembodied soul cannot enter into God’s presence to see God’s face. This situation applies even to the spirits and souls of those who are righteous. Since they are disembodied spirits and souls, they cannot stand before God’s face, but being righteous, neither should they go to the place of torment in Hades. Although we have no answer in ourselves as to where the spirits and souls of the righteous should go, our God is both wise and reasonable. According to reason, the spirits and souls of dead people should go to Hades because Hades was prepared expressly for the spirits and souls of the dead. It is a temporary dwelling place for the spirits and souls of the dead prior to their resurrection. After a person dies, his spirit and soul go to Hades to wait for resurrection. This is a reason that the Bible often speaks of death and Hades together. When God’s righteous ones die, it is logical that they also would go to Hades, but since they have been justified by God as being righteous, they do not deserve torment in Hades. Therefore, according to His wisdom God opened Paradise, a pleasant section in Hades, so that they might find rest there while waiting for resurrection. When the Lord returns, they will come out of Hades in the resurrection before the millennial kingdom, put on a resurrected body, be raptured to the air, and be with the Lord for eternity. Although they do not suffer torment in death prior to their resurrection, they still must go to Hades to await resurrection because they are disembodied spirits and souls, who are incomplete and abnormal with the condition and shame of death upon them. In resurrection they will put on a body (1 Cor. 15:44) and be complete, normal, and free from the condition and shame of death. They will rise to be with the Lord, leaving Hades behind. When the righteous die, they go to the pleasant section of Hades, leaving the sufferings of earth behind and obtaining the comfort and happiness of Paradise. However, they do not enjoy the Paradise of the New Jerusalem until after they are resurrected. When the righteous resurrect, the overcomers will enjoy the blessing of the Paradise of the New Jerusalem during the millennial kingdom as a reward (Rev. 2:7), and every believer will enjoy the blessing of the Paradise of the New Jerusalem for eternity after the completion of the millennial kingdom. It is possible to enter into the presence of the Lord to enjoy the blessings of Paradise only after one has been resurrected and has put on a resurrected body to become a complete person.