Paradise in Paul's vision, the thief on the cross, and Lazarus — same place?

The three references: (1) Lazarus and Abraham — in a low, below-earth location adjacent to Hades. (2) Paul caught up to paradise/third heaven — above, upward. (3) Jesus to the thief: today you will be with me in paradise. One theory: before the cross, the faithful dead were held in a temporary, comforting lower holding place adjacent to Hades. After his death, Christ descended and preached the gospel to those held there (1 Peter 3:19, preached to spirits in prison). He then took them up into heaven, relocating paradise from below to above. Paul's vision occurs chronologically after this relocation, so for him paradise is heaven above. Mike describes this as a possibility worth considering, not a definitive position.