Matt. 12: 38-40 THE HEART OF THE EARTH 4-13-13
During the past few days much has been said to do with the death, burial, and Resurrection of Christ, today I want to bring to our attention where Christ really was during the three days that His Body was supposedly to be in the tomb.
* Listen as I read our text found in;
>Matt. 12: 38-40 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
39But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 40For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
We're not going to dwell on what day Jesus had to be crucified in order for Him to be "three days and three nights" in the heart of the earth, so I'll just say in passing, He had to be crucified on Wednesday for three days and nights to be complete, instead today we'll think on where was His Body during that time, was it in the tomb or the heart of the earth?
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Listen; Jesus said in verse 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
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Jesus said as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Listen, the words "so shall" carries the meaning "just as, or the same as "
In other words just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale, so to Jesus would be in the heart of the earth (not the tomb).
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* What was Jonah's appearance inside the whale?
The great fish completely swallowed Jonah; spirit, soul and body.
Jesus said that as Jonah was body, soul and spirit in the whale's belly, in like manner He would be in the heart of the earth -- Body, soul and spirit.
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* Listen as I read 1 Peter 3:18-19.
v.18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened** by the Spirit: --- Strong's Greek concordance "to make alive"
v.19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison.
We all realize that our body, our flesh is what dies, our spirit will always be alive some where, we that are saved will go to be with the Lord, the lost will go to hell, our body may very well be buried when it dies, but the spirit will never die.
* Listen as I read 1st pt. 3:18-19 once again;
1 Peter 3:18-19.
V.18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened** by the Spirit: --- Strong's Greek concordance "to make alive"
v.19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison. ** (safety-guarded)"
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According to these verse's Christ was put to death in the flesh.
So it was only the flesh, the body of Jesus that died.
After His flesh was put to death, Peter tells us He was quickened by the Holy Spirit.
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I believe the picture here is; that they took Jesus dead body off the cross and placed it in the tomb, but as soon as the stone was rolled to close the entrance the Holy Spirit quickened His dead body, and then He descended into the heart of the earth and proclaimed to the O.T. saints Who He was and what He had accomplished, He was there with these O.T. saints for the three days and nights.
And when He ascended He took these O.T. saints with Him as now Paradise is above, not in the heart of the earth as before.
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Luke 16: 19-31 tells us about a place called Hades. Called Hades in the N.T.--called Sheol in the O.T. -- it had two compartments, there was a great gulf fixed that separated the two, the saved on one side referred to as Abrahams bosom, (paradise) the other side was where the lost were being held and still are today.
„« Hades was filled with disembodied spirits, both compartments, and then one day Jesus appears in the Paradise side of Hades proclaiming what He had accomplished, that He had the keys of death and hell. Rev.1:18
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-- before I read the account in LK.16:, I want to say that this account here in Luke 16: is not a parable as parables don't have proper names, here we read about two people that are named, Abraham and Lazarus, the lost man is not named, he probably was well known before he died but now he is no longer of importance. -- listen as I read these awful truths to do with hell.
>19 -- 31 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23And in hell he lift ** up his eyes, being in torments, ** and seeth ** Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy ** on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, ** and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. **
25But Abraham said, Son, remember** that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: ** so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27Then he said, I pray ** thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: **
28For I have five brethren; ** that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. **
29Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; ** let them hear them.
30And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. **
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This place is fixed, the saved people in Paradise today don't want to come back and those in hell can't come back. -- who ever the first person was that went to hell is still there, even should the rapture take place today he would still have another 1007 years ** to be there, only to be brought out at the white Throne judgment of the lost, and then be cast into the lake of fire which is even worse.
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So, before the death of Jesus Paradise was in the heart of the earth, in Hades, but now it's above in the 3rd heaven according to 2nd Cor. 12:1-4 as Paul is telling of his experience.
> 1 It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
2I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth ;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
3And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) 4How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
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„« Listen, if Jesus had not been in His glorified body He would have looked no different to the saints than they did.
Jesus went to Hades in His quickened glorified body.
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Listen as I read Paul's account of Jesus descending into the heart of the earth and then ascending to Paradise above accompanied by the O.T. saints.
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>>Ephesians 4: 8-10 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
He carried the O.T. saints with Him.
9(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
Listen, 10He that descended is the same also that ascended **up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
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In what form did he ascend to heaven? -- In His resurrected glorified body. According to Paul this is the same form and Person that descended into the heart of the earth. Vs.10-
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Jesus was resurrected shortly after His tomb had been sealed, and in His resurrection and glorified body He descended to the heart of the earth and there proclaimed Who He was and what He had accomplished, He then carried the saints up to Paradise, all within three day and three nights, He then returned from there to appear unto His disciples.
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„« Listen, I want to read a portion of this again in case some may have missed it.
Jesus said in Matt.12: 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
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„« What did Jesus say? -- as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Listen, the words "so shall" carries the meaning "just as, or in like manner"
In other words just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale, so too Jesus would be in the heart of the earth (not the tomb).
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* How was Jonah inside the whale?
The great fish completely swallowed Jonah; spirit, soul and body.
Jesus said that as Jonah was in the whale's belly, in like manner He would be in the heart of the earth -- Body, soul and spirit.
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