What unfolded during the Lord’s three days of conquest in the grave? Most say the bible is silent on this matter, which seems true upon a superficial scan of the scriptures. However, there are dozens of verses that talk about what happened to Jesus on those awesome three days, as we shall see. What had to happen for Jesus to rise up from the dead? This is a deep study; there are many questions to be addressed and the most inspiring victory in history to be witnessed.
“And the apostles preached powerful sermons about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus…” (Acts 4:33 TLB), but we only preach Easter sermons about the resurrection. Yes, we seem to know that his resurrection was the magnificent victory, that he overcame death and that it is the greatest power available today, but why and how did all this take place? I have heard many wonderful messages explaining some of the mysteries of the cross but I have not yet been able to find explanations of the theology of the resurrection. Unless Jesus died we could not be forgiven according to God’s justice, but why was the resurrection a prerequisite of us receiving new life and power? If Jesus had gone from the cross straight to heaven, why would these things have been impossible? He has gloriously risen to be our Living Saviour, Great High Priest, Apostle and Head of the church. However, to accomplish all of that, he could have simply slipped out of the back door of hell and escaped. This would then be like the secret release of the apostles in Acts chapter five: "We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside" (Acts 5:23). Was Jesus’ resurrection a quiet affair like this? Definitely not, as we shall see. There is something we have drastically missed. What was accomplished for us in his resurrection and how? In Acts, the prison was still securely locked; today the grave is in no such state.
Are you content with only a basic understanding of the essential truths of the gospel? I do not think so otherwise you would not be reading this book. “That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom 10:9). Without believing in the resurrection, you cannot even begin to walk with God. It certainly is a fundamental belief, but is not only a simple belief. When I encouraged one pastor to teach again on the deeper truths of the resurrection, he asked “That’s okay for the new believers but how about the grown-up ones? They will be bored!” We are going to be studying the cross and resurrection for all eternity! And it will not be boring. We will never cease to be amazed at the wisdom and wonder of God’s saving plan.
I had been teaching the bible for years but had never taught on this subject. Convicted, for three years I studied Jesus’ cross and resurrection. What I discovered was not simple, dry, unprofitable theology but life-changing revelation, which increased my experience of God’s love and power. I trust this book will do the same for you.
If you want to build a tall building you have to lay a deep foundation. If you only build the foundation to hold a two-story building, you cannot change your mind after finishing the house: it’s too late to extend the foundation to support an extra story. However, this is not true in the spirit. We can return to the foundations of our faith and dig down deeper, under what we have already built, so that we can continue to build higher. Without exaggeration, millions of believers backslide before they make it to the end. We must keep extending our life’s building project down, deeper into Christ and his work, if we are to avoid our spiritual lives crashing down (1 Cor 3:11).
Each year we all make a long journey of approximately 900 million km! This is equivalent of going from India to USA and back 40,000 times! This is due to the fact that we are on a planet that orbits the sun each year travelling at a speed of approximately 100,000 km per hour. We travel around the sun through space each year this huge distance. Therefore, in different times of the year although we receive light from the same sun, we are not seeing the same part of it but different sides. In fact, since it is very hard to look directly at the sun, it is very hard to see any differences. The sun is also rotating, much faster than our orbit. This is all prophetic. Each year our lives should be a journey around The SON. We cannot yet look directly at him all the time, but will be seeing him from different sides at different times. A superficial understanding of the Lord will only see one aspect of him, the same from every side. The infinite, eternal being Jesus Christ has many different aspects to his personality and his being. How we view and perceive the Son of God will control our spiritual existence. We need to see him sometimes as Saviour, sometimes as Bridegroom. We need to sometimes see the Redeemer and sometimes the Judge but in this book I want to present Jesus to you as the “Resurrection.” We will see that the resurrection is not just a process but a person (John 11:25). I believe that God will put a picture in your hearts of the awesome work that Jesus accomplished in himself for us through his resurrection, the greatest ever miracle, the largest release of God’s power. Never before had God exerted himself to such an extent as he did in those three days. Never again will he have to do so.
Hades - Gehenna - Hell
But I will show you who you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! (Luke 12:5)
Some teachers are confusing people trying to water down the gravity of rejecting the gospel and choosing sin. They say that hell is not eternal suffering. They argue the Greek word for hell ‘Gehenna’ was just a cursed rubbish valley where children were sacrificed. While this may have contributed to the origin of the word, Jesus uses it in Luke 12 to speak of a place of suffering clearly ‘after’ the person dies. Consider our English word ‘grave’. Despite the fact that its original meaning is the physical place where people are buried: their ‘grave’, we use it to describe the place where people go after death. “A time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear the voice of the son of God” does not imply that Jesus went to all the grave yards and shouted down into the earth after digging for a while!
“And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.” (Luke 16:23)
Hades is the place of the dead, according to this parable. Just because it is a parable it does not diminish its authority. Actually, as it is a parable of Jesus its authenticity is taken to the highest level. Jesus only taught in parables. If we remove doctrine from these, we remove virtually all his teaching! I use the word hell in this book to refer to this place of the dead, the spiritual grave. I realize that there is another place, after the second death, the lake of fire. I am not speaking about that in this book (Rev 20.14).
Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (Act 2:27 KJV also NKJV NLT)
This verse shows that Jesus’ soul was in the place of the dead. He was not there burning or suffering for our sins but conquering, as we shall see.
“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1Co 15:3 NKJV)
He died for our sins; he did not burn for our sins.
Cross Insufficient?
Why is the cross incomplete without the resurrection? "…baptism …now saves you … by the resurrection of Jesus Christ," (1 Pet 3:21). We are saved through the resurrection as well as the cross. As the Living Bible correctly summarizes: “…we have been saved from death and doom by the resurrection of Christ …” (1 Peter 3:21). What was left after the cross for Jesus to do? Was not our salvation finished on the cross? The cross’ scope was greater than we will ever grasp, even throughout eternity. However, "…if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith…. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” (1 Cor 15:14,17). Basically, Paul is saying that the cross without the resurrection is useless! Selah. How can this be?
Many people feel that the resurrection was just demonstration of the cross’ victory. If Jesus’ resurrection is just an affirmation of the cross’ triumph, then it would not be a prerequisite for our deliverance from sin as the verses above suggest. No, it must have been more than just the raising of Jesus physically from the dead. Yes, it did vindicate Jesus, showing that he was the Son of God with power, by his resurrection (Rom 1.4) and it is a display that his cross was an acceptable sufficient sacrifice (Rom 4.25) but not only that. Much more was accomplished in his resurrection. For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! (Rom 5:10). Paul is arguing that after the effect of the cross on our lives, we will be even more transformed by the impact of his resurrection. It is not just that he is alive but the consequences of the event of his resurrection transforms us. As our eyes are opened to the details of his resurrection, we will grasp its supreme regenerating ability. Also, we will get a revelation of its present destructive capacity against evil. The fact that Jesus is now alive is a consequence of his resurrection and a pre-requisite of our living saviour’s many present capacities such as High Priest, Lord of All, and coming King. However, his resurrection was more than just the missing link to promote him to all these positions, after the work of the cross. It stands in its own right as an event through which God Almighty accomplished some of his supreme tasks. It is on these that we will focus in this book.
Complimentary Truths
In the same way that highlighting the need for signs and wonders does not water down the power of the message of the gospel, elevating the resurrection does not lower the cross. These are complimentary truths; they are not in contradiction. Understanding the parts of salvation which Jesus accomplished in his resurrection does not diminish his supreme work on the cross. There are many amazing books expounding the wonders of the cross; this book is focusing on trying to understand the mysteries and power of the resurrection: how it functions, what it accomplished. For every scripture in the New Testament on the resurrection we are going to ask: “Why is this true?” We want to understand each of the twenty plus main New Testament scriptures which reveal the heart of the mechanism which GOD ordained for the release of new life and power.
The Plot Thickens
People who have many questions (not doubts) about the truth, are usually very hungry for God and close to getting many answers. When you understand what you do not know, you are near to learning something. The proud hear the beginning of a deeper revelation and without patience to study carefully, dismiss it with the thought “I already know this.” They miss the meat. Let us examine some of the issues involved in his resurrection, to show how little we understand and then proceed to dig into the word to get the answers.
Why was Jesus’ resurrection the greatest ever miracle since other people were also raised? Of course, they died again and Jesus did not. But how was his resurrection any different from what will happen to us at the rapture / resurrection? Why did God have to ‘exert’ (Eph 1.18 NIV) himself to raise Jesus, why was it the greatest ever release of his power, surpassing even the creation? If he won such a victory in his resurrection why are there still so many problems? Did Jesus really have to face and fight the powers of darkness during those three days? If so, how did he fight? Did not Jesus say that he would rebuild the temple: his own body himself? How did he do this? Who then raised Jesus from the dead? Was it God the Father, the Holy Spirit or Jesus? How do we tap into his awesome resurrection power? These and other questions about the resurrection will be answered in this book.
In the New Testament there are plenty of scriptures which address the questions raised above. Jesus referred to verses from the Old Testament to explain the unfolding of the events after his death. Jesus declared, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms" (Luke 24:44). Therefore we will be searching in the foundational Old Testament as well for some of the missing details.
Perhaps you are not asking any of these questions but are just still wondering about the picture on the front cover of this book which depicts Jesus as a fierce warrior angel with wings. Cherubim have wings. Ruth 2:12 speaks symbolically of taking refuge under the wings of the God of Israel. The selection of this photo will become more apparent later but let me just clarify the doubts about the wings. Did Jesus have physical wings? Obviously not. Do the angels have physical wings? Probably not. They are “ministering spirits”. So the wings the bible accredits to them must rather be a representation of their ability to move around or fly speedily in the spiritual realm, perhaps looking like wings. The picture on the cover has the same purpose. When Jesus was in hell, he was in spirit form, his body was dead in the tomb. I also think by the time you finish this book you will have a revelation about Jesus as the Lord of Hosts, or the Lord of the angelic armies which will help you to appreciate this photo much more.
According to Henry M. Morris: “The importance of the resurrection in the preaching of the early church is quickly seen by scanning the book of Acts. (Note: Acts 2:22-36; 3:13-15; 4:10,33; 5:29-32; 10:37-43; 13:27-37; 17:23,30-32; 23:6; 24:14-16; 25:19; 26:68,22-23; etc.) Similarly in the epistles, the resurrection is paramount. Although the prophecies of his resurrection in the Old Testament were not evident to a superficial reader, they should have been correctly understood by those in Israel who diligently studied the Word. Even if they had not been able to anticipate the resurrection from the Old Testament, they had the clear statements to this effect from the lips of Christ himself.” (Henry M. Morris President of the Institute for Creation Research)
Physical And Spiritual Resurrection
- M. Morris once again states that: “Death is our greatest enemy and it has conquered all men. No man is wise enough to outwit death or wealthy enough to purchase freedom from death or strong enough to vanquish death. The grave always wins the victory and every person sooner or later returns to the dust. In fact, the inexorable triumph of death applies not only to people, but to all things. Animals die and plants die, and even whole species… become extinct. Cities and nations, like people, are born and grow for a season, and then fade away. Homes and cars and clothes wear out and must eventually go back to the dust, just as do their owners…
This universal reign of decay and death is called in the Bible "the bondage of corruption" (Romans 8:21). In science it has come to be recognized as the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Also known as the Law of Increasing Entropy, this Law is now recognized as a universal law of science, with no known exception ever observed. It says, quite simply that every system tends to become disordered, to run down and eventually to die…” (Henry M. Morris)
But Jesus was wise enough to outwit death, was rich enough to purchase complete freedom from death and was strong enough to vanquish death! Not only for himself but also for everyone! He did not return to dust, the victory of death did not extend to him, he overcame this Second Law of Thermodynamics, he can never die, never become sick, never get the flu or any disease, nor will any who are fully in him forever, AMEN!
However, in this book I am not primarily concerned with Jesus’ physical resurrection, but his victory over the grave and his “spiritual resurrection”. Whenever I use the word ‘resurrection’ in this book, I am using it to refer to his entire resurrection as I believe the scripture does also. This began the moment after he descended into the grave, covered three days of awesome supernatural activity and climaxed in his final blast off. The physical aspect of his resurrection is therefore the icing on the cake. It is very encouraging but it is not my focus here in this book. We are going to take a three-day journey through the grave, following our hero in the greatest action film of all time! The only difference being, this is not just a film but the truth. We will witness: how he was made alive by the Spirit, through who he preached to the spirits in prison (1 Pet 3.18,19); his ministry in paradise, when those who were in the grave heard the voice of the Son of God (John 5.25); and his engagement with the powers of darkness: the ‘public spectacle’ triumph (Col 2.15 NKJV). We will see that each part is declared in detail in the scriptures, although most are not familiar with these details. We shall meditate on how God did all the work that he is ever going to do in those three days (and the last few hours of Jesus’ life.) On the way we will not be afraid to ask difficult questions and we shall search for answers. We will learn how to apply this ultimate victory over death and darkness to our lives today. Now that would be awesome!
Be Spiritually Minded About The Resurrection
When we only see the resurrection as Jesus physically coming alive and receiving an immortal body, we are limiting our thinking to its external, natural aspects. Indeed, the indestructible, everlasting body is a major miracle, and its debut was revolutionary, changing everything. However, the Bible teaches us we should be spiritually minded, not looking on externals but internals, not knowing things by the flesh but after the spirit, fixing our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen. Why then do we almost exclusively focus on the physical external aspects of Jesus' Resurrection? Why not the spiritual?
I believe that the portion of the resurrection that was to give Jesus an immortal body was only a tiny fraction of the total resurrection power released. What was the remaining 90% for? We shall see in this book that it was for: being made alive by the Spirit; being un-made sin, having all sin broken off of him; anointing to enter the hell gate and set captives free; triumphing over the powers of darkness; taking keys from satan; breaking all the power of death; crossing the uncrossable chasm; leading captives in his resurrection; and making a public spectacle of the powers of darkness. It is spiritual and wise to focus on these aspects of the resurrection.
I am not putting down the physical resurrection. I long to be: clothed in the supernatural resurrection body; feasting on the tree of life; flying around heaven; disappearing and reappearing; teleporting across the universe; seeing the stars with Jesus; and with no accidents, no sin, no pain, immortal.
The gospel accounts give no details of the events in the grave making it hard to see. In the same way they only give a little insight into the atonement and redemption. The details are found in the letters first and then also in the Old Testament. Paul and Peter in their letters explained the cross and what was happening behind the scenes that we cannot see in the gospels. For example, Paul told us that “he became sin”. In the excellent Mel Gibson film about Jesus’ cross “The Passion” like in the gospels, we only see the physical suffering not what was going on in the real world, that is the spiritual world. Actually, the wrath of God, the oppression, all the murder, rape and adultery which was laid on him is unseen in this film. We have had feast after feast unravelling the cross but now the Lord will also take the veil away from in front of the resurrection.
Bad Thursday Good Friday
First a little technical problem needs to be cleared away. How long was Jesus in the grave? Two days and nights or three like Jonah? If Jesus was crucified and then died on a Friday at 3pm, then his resurrection was just two days later. The reason why traditionally it was believed that this was so is because of John 19:31 “Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down.” Since the next day was the Sabbath, that means Saturday, right? Wrong. Not that year: “The Lord's Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month…{7} On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.” (Lev 23:5-7) "The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. {6} Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight." (Exo 12:5-6)
The Passover was not a regular Sabbath but as we read in John 19.31 it was a special Sabbath. The Passover week was not fixed by the day of the week but the date, i.e., the fourteenth to the twenty-first. Only once in seven years would these special Sabbaths fall on a Friday. Think about Christmas. What day of the week is it on each year? Different days since it is fixed by date (twenty-fifth) and not day. So Jesus was crucified the day before the Passover Sabbath and he rose “very early on the first day of the week…” (Mark 16:2) that is Sunday. Three days (Mark 10.24) before Sunday is Thursday not Friday. The day after the Thursday crucifixion, Friday was the special Passover Sabbath, then Saturday was the regular sabbath. So there was a double Sabbath. This is just like when Christmas falls on Monday, we have a double holiday, normal Sunday and Christmas holiday on Monday. Thursday was therefore the ‘bad day’ of God’s death and Friday was Good as the resurrection experience began.
I did not write this book to clear up that some-what trivial point; we can celebrate the cross and resurrection every day not just once a year on a special date. "You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! {11} I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you" (Gal 4:10-11). When many of Paul’s church returned to ‘Calendar Christianity’ he thought his whole mission amongst them had been wasted!
We Know In Part
The effects of salvation on the trinity of man: spirit, soul and body are fairly hard to exactly divide, perhaps only the mouth of the Lord can do that: "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit…" (Heb 4:12) Our spirits are recreated, our souls are being recreated. Even if these are not the exact divisions, they are a very good model which will take us a long way. For example, in GCSE Physics we learnt about atoms, what were assumed to be the smallest particles and studied the universe through this model. However, it was a simplified model. In A-level Physics we learnt that atoms were not the smallest particle but that they were made up of protons, neutrons and electrons. From this nuclear physics, electronics and Einstein’s laws could be studied. The model, though a simplification, was accurate and useful to progress in understanding a long way.
We can find many general principals in the bible which are usually true. For example, we say when evangelising: “All sin is the same before God” to the sinner who argues that he is not a murderer. This is also a good model as even the smallest sins are serious to God and must be repented of but even the biggest sins can be forgiven by God. In this sense, between the unbeliever and God, all sins are the same. However, a deeper study reveals that this is a useful simplification but it is not the whole truth. Jesus said to Pilate that the Jews who had handed him over to him were guilty of a greater sin (John 19:11). Some larger sins lead to demonization unlike others, some ‘bigger’ sins lead to the judgment of God, not all. So all sins are not equal. When one preacher or denomination realizes the limitations of another church or teachers’ principle, if he is not mature, he blasts out his criticisms which everyone has to agree when they see the scriptures and writes the other church or teacher off as a false teacher with wrong doctrines. The good basic truth taught by the first group is lost and division occurs in the body. Let us see the truth in each stream of the body of Christ and hold on to the good while recognizing that we all only know in part and that deeper truth from the Bible is being revealed.
Why did he need to be in the grave for three days, why not just one day? To prove he really was dead? If God wanted it to be more dramatic, he could have left him dead for one week, or one month. Also, by then his body would have decayed like Lazarus’. But it was not the plan or requirement for him to decay. Three days was required for the work he had to do there, on which our whole salvation rested, together with the cross.
Burning Questions
The Lord was most often called ‘Rabi’ or ‘Teacher’ by his apprentices: his disciples. This was because he was constantly trying to explain spiritual things to them in simple terms. Too easily we say that God will explain things to us in heaven and we can wait until then to find the answers. Can you wait? For certain important issues, we can’t wait. It is true that our natural mind cannot fathom God’s wisdom. However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him- {10} but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God” (1 Cor 2:9-10). We have the mind of Christ and the Holy Spirit is willing and eager to teach us even the deep things of God. I am amazed how content so many Christians are to simply know truths even if they do not understand them. Christianity is not simply spells, which will work if we assent to mentally and repeat. When anyone (believers included) hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart... (Mat 13:19). If we do not understand what we believe, it is easily lost. Truth does make sense. It can be assimilated not because we are clever but because he is a good teacher and has given us his own Spirit who leads us into all truth (John 16:13). We have to add to our faith, understanding. When Jesus was just twelve he was hungry to understand, that is why he was asking questions in the temple, not just content to accept what he heard without reason, unlike the people of his generation who were ever hearing but never understanding (Mat 13.14).
The first command is stated in all common translations quite clearly in Mark 12:33 “To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding…” The word ‘mind’ is not used here. It is insufficient. How do we love God with all our understanding? By desiring to know him more. Since revelation usually comes through the mind to the heart, we should seek to grow in our understanding. What are the questions you are holding this month before the Lord for him to show you through his Word? Are you often asking your pastor or spiritual friends questions about the truth? Do you meet up with your Christian brothers to especially study the bible and discuss it? That is loving God with all our understanding.
Imagine we did not understand what went on behind the scenes of the cross and just saw it as a demonstration of his love and how evil the world is. We might also think that he just came to try to teach the world. In that case how much would we have of the gospel? No reconciliation, no forgiveness, no adoption, no redemption. In the same way if we do not know what went on behind the scenes of the resurrection we will miss out on vital truths and struggle in our lives with doubt as to whether or not it is always God’s will to deliver and change. Actually, even a superficial understanding of the cross does release a great revelation of the love of God and of the sinfulness of man. However the revelation has to be fed for maximum growth and effectiveness in ministry. In the same way, seeing the resurrection you do get a taste of victory over death and promise of ultimate resurrection, however there is so much more! Think about the gospels compared to the letters. The letters do not deal with much of the physical details of the events around the cross, but its theology. The gospels do not expound on the deeper implications of the cross but give details of the events. In the same way the gospels only deal with the physical resurrection of the Lord and not its theology whereas the letters point towards its meaning. Both are essential but on their own incomplete without the other. Thank God we have the whole bible! Let us make sure we study and understand both aspects of the resurrection even as we have done for the cross.
Luke repeatedly describes Paul’s persuading evangelism technique as reasoning: “As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,” (Acts 17:2). He knew that the way to the heart is often through the mind. When someone under the anointing, gives a rich message explaining one aspect of God’s purpose, we receive fresh understanding. Paul after he had finished his full explanation of the gospel in Romans declared: “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How un-searchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!” (Rom 11:33) He could not contain himself! I hope you will be saying the same by the time you finish this book.
In the next chapter we will be looking behind the veil, studying deeply the awesome accomplishments Jesus made in his cross so that we can begin to appreciate the resurrection. I think that you probably would not have considered these hidden passages on the cross before…
