What are the saints doing in the Paradise of Hades? They are waiting for resurrection, because the issues of death and maturity in life must be resolved. They are not suffering in Paradise but are resting and waiting. They are waiting for the resurrection and for the issue of the maturity in life to be resolved. They are waiting to receive either reward or punishment before the judgment seat of Christ. Once a believer dies, his spirit and soul go to rest in Paradise. However, this does not mean that there are no more problems. There are at least three issues that must be resolved: resurrection, maturity in life, and the receiving of either reward or punishment before the judgment seat of Christ. Only after these issues are resolved can a believer enter into God’s dwelling place in completeness and without problems.
Today when someone dies, there is nothing that can be done about his death. If he is a saved person, he does not go into the flames of Hades because his sins have been borne by the Lord. He does not suffer by the fire. However, there are still some issues that remain unresolved. Death is an issue that still needs to be resolved because the resurrection has not occurred yet. Furthermore, there are the issues of the maturity in life and the receiving of either reward or punishment according to the Lord’s judgment. Therefore, the saved one must wait in the Paradise of Hades for the resurrection and for the resolving of the issues of the maturity in life and for the receiving of either reward or punishment before the judgment seat of Christ.
After these problems are solved, he will be a complete person. Then God’s work in him will be finished. On that day God will place him in His dwelling place. The teaching of Protestantism that a Christian goes to heaven after death is not according to the truth. After a Christian dies, he still has the problem of death and still needs to be resurrected. He also needs to pass through the judgment at the judgment seat of Christ to decide whether he will receive reward or punishment. After going through all these processes and resolving all these issues, he will finally be a complete person before God. The work of God in him will finally be considered complete. On that day the holy city New Jerusalem will finally be prepared and ready. Also on that day the people who will enter the holy city and enjoy the eternal blessing will be satisfied. At that time all those who have been saved will finally receive what they believed in and hoped for throughout the generations. They will receive what God promised them throughout the generations.
Before that day arrives, the dead saints are in an abnormal situation of having their spirits and souls separated from their bodies. Thus, they need to be temporarily placed in Paradise to rest and to wait for the resurrection and for their being clothed with a glorious body. At the same time, we still may not be conformed to Christ’s image, we may not be mature in life, and we may not be faithful to God and may still have a big problem in serving Him. All these matters need to be taken care of in the future. When all these issues are resolved, then God’s work on us will finally be finished. Only then will the New Jerusalem be manifested, and God and we will dwell together eternally.