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Questions & Answers

Paradise

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › Our Lord and the Faith › Paradise

The question

What is the difference between paradise and the kingdom of heaven? Aren't they both joyous places of praise and joy? If everyone in paradise will enter the kingdom what is the point of having a waiting place?

The answer

Paradise receives each deserving soul into a comfortable resting place awaiting the end of all tribulation and the Day of Judgment. The battle may be over for the departed soul; but the war persists for the rest of humanity until the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in His glory. "When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, 'How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?' Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed" (Revelation 6:9-11).

Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)

Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Question 1408 on the Diocese’s Q&A site. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.