1, 2. Wetin be some different-different things wey people think about paradise?

BROTHERS and sisters from other countries attend one convention for Seoul, Korea. As the convention finish, brothers and sisters from Korea gather around them and de tell each other say: “See you for Paradise!” Which paradise you think say them de talk about?

² Paradise mean different things to different people. Some talk say na just dream. Others say na anywhere wey people fit enjoy life. If hungry person see better food chop, e fit talk say e dey inside paradise. When one woman see plenty fine-fine flower for one field many years ago, e talk say: “Oh, this one na paradise!” They still de call that place Paradise till today, even though say snow wey e high reach 50 feet (15 m) de cover the place every year. Wetin you think say Paradise be? You get hope say e go come?

3. Which place for Bible we first read about paradise?

³ Bible talk about paradise wey e first dey and the one wey e de come for front. Na from the Bible book of Genesis we first read about Paradise. For the Catholic Douay Version, wey them translate-am from Latin, Genesis 2:8 talk say: “From the  beginning, the Lord God arrange one paradise of enjoyment. Na there e put [Adam] wey e don create.” (We bold our own.) Hebrew text talk about ‘the garden of Eden.’ The word Eden mean “enjoyment” and enjoyment be really dey for that garden. E fine no be small. Plenty food dey. Peace dey between man and animals.​—Gen. 1:29-31.

4. Why we fit talk say the garden of Eden na paradise?

⁴ When they translate the Hebrew word for “garden” to Greek, e go be pa·raʹdei·sos. The book wey them de call Cyclopaedia wey M’Clintock and Strong write, talk say when Greek person hear the word pa·raʹdei·sos, wetin e go think about na big, beautiful garden wey e no get anything wey e fit harm person and e get fine-fine trees and the trees de produce fruits. The garden still get streams with grass around them and plenty antelopes de chop from the grass.​—Compare Genesis 2:15, 16.

5, 6. Why Adam and Eve no qualify to live for Paradise again, and which question people fit ask?

⁵ God be put Adam and Eve for that kind paradise, but they no stay inside forever. Why? They no qualify to live inside because they no obey God. So they and their children lose the Paradise. (Gen. 3:23, 24) Even though people no dey inside the garden, e remain until the time wey that Heavy Rain be fall for the time of Noah.

⁶ Some people fit de ask say: ‘Any man, woman or pikin fit ever enjoy Paradise for this earth again?’ Wetin Bible talk? If you de hope say you go live with people wey you love for Paradise, you get any better reason why you get that hope? You fit explain why you dey sure say Paradise go come?

7, 8. (a) Which promise God make to Abraham? (b) Wetin this promise fit don make Abraham think about?

⁷ The best place wey we fit find answers about Paradise na Bible. Make we see wetin God tell e friend Abraham. God tell Abraham say e go make e pikin plenty “like sand-sand for the side of sea.” And Jehovah make this fine promise say: “Through your pikin, all country for this earth go get blessing for themself because you don listen to my voice.” (Gen. 22:17, 18) God repeat that same promise to the son of Abraham and to e grandson.​—Read Genesis 26:4; 28:14.

⁸ No place for Bible show say Abraham be think say people go get their blessing for paradise wey e dey heaven. So when God talk say, “all country for this earth” go get blessing, Abraham be think of blessings for earth. Na God make the promise, so this one show say things go better for “all country for this earth.” Other things happen to servants of God to prove say Paradise go dey for earth?

9, 10. Which other promises de show us say we go get blessings for future?

⁹ David from the family of Abraham, talk about the time for future when “evil people” and “bad people” no go dey again. Then wetin go happen? “Wicked people no go dey again.” (Ps. 37:1, 2, 10) Instead, “God go give humble people the earth, and they go happy well-well because peace go dey everywhere.” David still talk say: “Na righteous people go stay for this earth, and them go stay inside forever.” (Ps. 37:11, 29; 2 Sam. 23:2) How you think say wetin David talk affect the people wey they be want do wetin God want? They go get good reason to expect say if na only righteous people de live for  the earth, then one day paradise like the garden of Eden go come back.

¹⁰ Plenty Israelites de claim to serve Jehovah, but as time de go, them leave God and true worship. So God allow Babylon people to win e people, destroy their land and carry them go Babylon. (2 Chron. 36:15-21; Jer. 4:22-27) But the prophets of God still promise say after 70 years, they go come back to their land. E happen as this prophets talk. Wetin they talk still concern us. As we de discuss about this promises, remember say na the paradise wey e go come for this earth we de talk about.

11. How Isaiah 11:6-9 fulfill for the time of Israel people and which question we still need to answer?

¹¹ Read Isaiah 11:6-9. God use prophet Isaiah promise say after E people come back to their land, peace go dey. They no go need to fear say wicked people or animals go attack them. Nothing bad go happen to young or old people. This one no make you remember the kind life wey God give Adam for the garden of Eden? (Isa. 51:3) That promise wey God give through Isaiah still talk say just as water de cover the sea, na so the knowledge of Jehovah go full the whole earth, no be just the nation of Israel. Which time this one go happen?

12. (a) Which blessings the people of Israel wey them come back from Babylon get? (b) Wetin show say Isaiah 35:5-10 go still fulfill for future?

¹² Read Isaiah 35:5-10. Isaiah still talk say when the Israelites return to their land, they no go fear say animals or people go attack them. Their land go produce plenty fruit, because enough water go dey just as e be dey for garden of Eden. (Gen. 2:10-14; Jer. 31:12) Na only for Israel people this promise fulfill? Bible no show us say God use miracle cure Israel people when they go back to their land. For example, blind people no start to see. So God use this one show say na for future e go cure people.

13, 14. How Isaiah 65:21-23 fulfill for Israel people wey they return from Babylon, but which part of the scripture still need to fulfill? (Check the first picture.)

¹³ Read Isaiah 65:21-23. When Israel people go back to their land, they no meet fine-fine house and they no meet farms with food inside. But things change when God bless them. E really make them happy to build their own house and de stay inside! They still enjoy the food and fruits wey them plant.

¹⁴ See one important thing about the promise for this scripture. Time go come when “people go live long just like tree”? Some trees de live for thousands of years. People go need to get perfect body before they fit live long like that. If people fit live for the kind condition wey Isaiah talk about, then this one go be that paradise wey we don de dream about! And that promise for Isaiah chapter 65 go happen!

15. Wetin be some of the blessings wey the Bible book of Isaiah talk about?

¹⁵ Think about how the promises wey we just discuss show say future paradise dey real: God go bless people for the whole earth. Animals or wicked people no go attack anybody. God go cure people wey they no de see, no de hear and no de walk. People go build their own house and enjoy the food wey they plant. They go live long pass trees. Yes, e dey clear for Bible say that future paradise dey real. But some people fit de talk say wetin Bible talk no mean say paradise go dey for this earth. How you go answer? Which good reason you get to believe say paradise go dey this earth? Jesus Christ be give good reason.

16, 17. Which time Jesus talk about Paradise?

¹⁶ Jesus no do any bad thing, but they condemn and hang Jesus for stake to die. E dey with two Jew criminals, one for right and one for left. Before one of them die, e gree say Jesus na king and e talk say: “Jesus, remember me when you reach your Kingdom.” (Luke 23:39-42) The answer wey Jesus give for Luke 23:43 concern your future. Some people wey they don study book well translate this verse word-for-word like this: “True-true I de tell you, today you go dey with me for Paradise.” Take note of the word “today.” Wetin Jesus mean? People get different-different idea about wetin Jesus talk.

¹⁷ For many language today, them de use comma to make the meaning of wetin them de write clear. But for the oldest Greek manuscripts wey we don see, they no be de use punctuation all the time. So we fit ask say: Jesus talk say, “I de tell you, today you go dey with me for Paradise”? Or e talk say, “I de tell you today say, you go dey with me for Paradise”? Translators fit put comma before or after the word “today” to show wetin them think say Jesus really mean for this verse, and we de see-am for many Bibles today.

18, 19. Wetin help us understand wetin Jesus mean?

¹⁸ But remember say Jesus don tell e disciples before say: “The Son of man go dey inside the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.” E still talk say: “They go betray the Son of man to people, and they go kill-am, and for the third day God go bring him up.” (Matt. 12:40; 16:21; 17:22, 23; Mark 10:34) Apostle Peter talk say this thing really happen. (Acts 10:39, 40) So Jesus no go any Paradise the day wey e die with that criminal. Bible talk say Jesus dey “for Grave [or “Hades”]” for about three days, until God bring Jesus back to life.​—Acts 2:31, 32; ftn. *

¹⁹ So we fit see say Jesus start the promise wey e give the criminal like this: “True-true I de tell you today say.” E dey common for people to talk like this even for the time of Moses. Moses talk say: “This things wey I de command you today must dey for your heart.”​—Deut. 6:6; 7:11; 8:1, 19; 30:15.

20. Wetin de support the way we understand wetin Jesus talk?

²⁰ One Bible translator from the Middle East talk about the answer wey Jesus give say: “The main point for the verse dey for the word ‘today’ and they suppose read the verse like this: ‘True-true I de tell you today say, you go dey with me for Paradise.’ Jesus make the promise that day but na later the promise go fulfill. The translator still talk say na so people de talk for that area to show say “they make the promise for particular day and e no go fail.” For that reason, the Syriac version wey them write about 1,600 years ago translate this verse like this: “Amen, I tell you to-day say you go dey with me for the Garden of Eden.” Make that promise encourage us.

21. Wetin no happen to the criminal, and why?

²¹ That criminal no know say Jesus don make agreement with e apostles say they go dey with him for the Kingdom wey e dey for heaven. (Luke 22:29) Another  thing be say, the criminal no even baptize. (John 3:3-6, 12) So now we fit understand say na paradise for earth Jesus promise. After some years, apostle Paul talk about one vision wey e see one man “wey they carry go paradise.” (2 Cor. 12:1-4) Paul and the other apostles no dey like the criminal. They choose them to go heaven and rule with Jesus for the Kingdom. Even as they choose them to go heaven, Paul still de talk about “paradise” * wey e de come for future. Na for this earth e go be? You go fit dey there?

22, 23. Wetin you fit hope for?

²² Remember say David be talk about the time wey “righteous people go stay for this earth.” (Ps. 37:29; 2 Pet. 3:13) David be de talk about the time wey people for this earth go de live for the way God want-am. The promise for Isaiah 65:22 talk say: “My people go live long just like tree.” This one mean say people go live for thousands of years. You fit believe this one? Yes, because Revelation 21:1-4 talk say God go bless people and one of the blessing be say, for the new world wey God don promise, people “no go die again.”

²³ So e dey clear say Adam and Eve lost paradise for Eden, but the paradise no lost forever. God don promise say e go still bless people for this earth. David talk say, the humble and the righteous people go stay for this earth forever. This promise for the book of Isaiah suppose make us de expect the wonderful blessings wey we go enjoy. Which time this one go be? E go be when the promise wey Jesus give that criminal don happen. You fit dey for that paradise. For that time, wetin the brothers and sisters talk for that convention for Korea say: “See you for Paradise!” go happen.