One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’ But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’ (Luke 23:39-43)

He asked for the kingdom. Jesus promised paradise. Is there a difference?

Paradise was widely understood as a restoration of the Garden of Eden, a place of enduring peace and pleasure.

The reign of God is a very different sort of place.

God's reign extends over rebellious borderlands and enemy camps. God's reign can be the cause of strife and struggle.

To choose love and to actively love can often require challenging the enemy, including my self.