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Introduction
Being
raised with the knowledge of the
death and resurrection of the Lord,
the wonders of these events can
degrade to some of the many facts
which we know and believe. We know
He died and was raised, and no one
would question our believing these
things, but how they connect with us
as we go about our daily business
can be remote. Every aspect of the
Lord is fraught with deep truths,
which not only do we not understand,
but are unknown to us, for only the
Father knows the Son (Matt. 11:27;
Lk. 10:22). Therefore, I have no
doubt that throughout eternity we
shall be led into fresh wonders and
appreciations of the person and work
of the Lord. Having said that, I am
confident that such is the person of
the Lord, His sufferings for sin,
physical death, and bodily
resurrection, we shall never reach
the entire comprehension of it.
There are wonders in Christ which
only God the Father can comprehend,
a truth supported by the words of
the Lord: “No man knoweth the Son,
but the Father” (Matt. 11:27).
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Our meditation will be in three sections: |
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a) |
The Essential Interdependence Between The Death of Christ and
His Resurrection |
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b) |
The Supremacy and Uniqueness Of The Physical Death and
Resurrection Of The Lord |
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c) |
The Three Days and Nights When The Body Of The Lord Was In The
Tomb |
The Essential
Interdependence Between The Death of
Christ and His Resurrection
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1) |
The first observation is that the physical death and bodily
resurrection of the Lord are indissolubly united in the
scriptures as the following scriptures show: |
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a) |
The Lord died with the purpose of rising. “I lay down my life,
that I might take it again” (Jn. 10:17) |
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b) |
The living Lamb is the one who was dead. “Stood a Lamb as
it had been slain” (Rev. 5:6) |
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2) |
Without either the death or resurrection of the Lord: |
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a) |
Reconciliation between God and man would never have been
possible. “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to
God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we
shall be saved by his life”, therefore, resurrection. (Rom.
5:10) |
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b) |
Justification would never have been possible, for we are:
“justified by His blood” (Rom. 5:9), and He was: “raised again
for our justification” (Rom. 4:25). |
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c) |
The new covenant, as a covenant and a will, would never have
been a reality. |
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i) |
A “covenant” is only valid when persons are alive, and in
Biblical teaching a covenant is based either on blood, or an
oath. Abraham made a covenant with
Abimelech and Phichol with an oath (Gen. 21:22-24), and God made
a blood covenant with Abraham (Gen. 15:7-18). The covenant God
made and Christ ratified by His blood was between the living God
and Israel, then expanded to us (Jer. 31:31-34; 1 Cor. 11:25).
This was spoken to a New Testament church and so we are told to
drink the cup which symbolizes the new covenant. |
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ii) |
A “will” is only valid when a person has died. “Where a
testament (will) is, there must also of necessity be the death
of the testator. For a testament (will) is of force after men
are dead” (Heb. 9:16-17). |
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d) |
The
unilateral Lordship of Christ would never have been a reality.
“For to this end, Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that
he might be Lord both of the dead and living” (Rom. 14:9). The
word “revived” does not mean to awaken from an apparent death,
but to return to life having full faculties. It is used of
Jairus’s daughter (Mk. 5:42), and of the Lord (Matt. 20:19).
“Revived” is not used in the verses
for Jairus’s daughter. She was not revived from a coma or from
having the appearance of death, and neither was the Lord. |
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e) |
The comfort derived from the truth of the resurrection would be
utter foolishness if the Lord had not been raised. Paul wrote:
“If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your
faith is also vain (without foundation). Yea, and we are found
false witnesses of God” (1 Cor. 15:14-15). Again: “If Christ be
not raised, your faith is vain: ye are yet in your sins. Then
they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished” (1 Cor.
15:17-18). What consolation there is in the words: “But now is
Christ risen from the dead” (1 Cor. 15:20), therefore, in the
darkest of hours we listen again to the pledge of God: “If we
believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which
sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him” (1 Thess. 4:14).
The context is not the spirits
of the saints coming back with the Lord, but just as God brought
Christ from the dead, through (not “in”) Jesus (that is because
of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead), God will bring
those who died in Christ out of the dead. |
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f) |
The gospel would never be complete. “Christ died for our sins
according to the scriptures, and that He was buried, and that he
rose again.” (1 Cor. 15:3-4) |
The Supremacy and
Uniqueness Of The Physical Death and
Resurrection Of The Lord
This world has seen many magnificent
conquests as recorded in Biblical
and secular history, but all pale in
contrast to the accomplishment of
Christ at Jerusalem. His entrance
into death and exiting from it is
the greatest victory the present
world and eternity will ever know.
The death of the Lord was much more
than the cessation of a physical
life as is common to all humanity,
and His resurrection was much more
than that of Jarius’s daughter(Mk.
5:42), the widow of Nain’s son (Lk.
7:12-15), or Lazarus (Jn. 11:43).
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When Christ entered death: |
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a) |
It was to break the spiritual relationship man had under Adam,
and ultimately the physical. Adam was the Head of the human
race, and when he sinned the whole human family was brought
under condemnation and death (Rom. 5:12-19). At the moment Adam
sinned all humanity was sold under King sin and became his
servants (Rom. 7:14; 6:17). How can that relationship be
broken? Only by the deeper aspect of the physical death of the
Lord. |
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b) |
There was also the fact that death was Satan’s domain (Heb.
2:14; 1 Jn. 3:8). How can the power of Satan be broken? By the
entrance of Christ into death, Satan’s citadel, and exiting from
it. |
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c) |
Furthermore, since God puts those who are redeemed under the
Headship of Christ (Rom. 5:12-19), it means putting redeemed
mankind into a new order of manhood. How can this be done? By
the deeper aspect of the physical death and resurrection of
Christ. |
When the Lord
rose triumphant He had the “keys of
hell and of death” (Rev. 1:18).
Death was no longer the exclusive
domain of Satan. He was defeated,
and because Christ has the keys He
can cause death to be held in
abeyance (Rev. 9:6); He can nullify
it (1 Thess. 4:15, 16; Rev. 19:20),
and He can limit the power of those
to whom it is given (Rev. 9:18).
Moses is one
of the greatest pictures of Christ
triumphant entering the sphere of
the controller of man’s bondage and
death. Moses went into the camp of
the enemy of the Lord (Ex. 4:21, 29)
and exited with those who were
sheltered by blood (Ex. 12:13, 23).
So the Lord judiciously exited with
all those who would trust in Him
(Eph. 4:8). Moses went into Egypt
but he could not be held captive by
it, and neither could death or Satan
hold Christ. As Victor, Christ
deliberately entered the cold realm
of death, and in victory exited it
unscathed and in the full conquest
of death’s control and it’s
enforcer.
The death and
resurrection of the Lord is spoken
of as an “accomplishment” (Lk.
9:31). When on the Holy Mount Peter
did not understand the exodus of the
Lord, and neither did John though he
lay on Jesus’ bosom. This subject
was the communications of glory
before God. It was much higher than
man can grasp. God is exclusively
interested in His Son and what He
would accomplish. The Lord’s
accomplishment was by entering
death. None other had ever done
that and then exited it. To all
other men the message from death was
plain to understand.
Death Approaching
Through me you pass, beyond this
vale of tears,
I halt the onward passing of earth’s
years
And open up to eyes another world,
In which you have eternally been
hurled.
I have no feeling for the sorrows
sore,
Devoid of sympathy I now approach
your door,
And my chilled hand lies steady on
your head,
As stricken ones, behold your
shallow breath.
Then taking hold on your last
gasping state,
I open widely now eternity’s cold
gate,
There is no hope for you who enter
here,
No wailing cry will reach your
chilling ear.
So solemnly they cover every trace,
Deny the stark grey pallor of your
face,
For to this earth, you are
but history,
Now in my grasp, you are eternally.
. . .
Rowan Jennings
November 2013
Thank God we
can say: “But now is Christ risen
from the dead”. That is wonderful
but there is added: “And become the
firstfruits of them that sleep” (1
Cor. 15:20). We sorrow not as
others who have no hope (1 Thess.
4:13) for Christ has vanquished
death, Satan, and the grave. Let
every saint shout the praises of Him
who destroyed: “Him who had the
power of death” (Heb. 2:14), and
rejoice in the reality that: “Having
spoiled principalities and powers,
He made a shew of them openly,
triumphing over them” ( Col. 2:15; 1
Jn. 3:8).
The Three Days and Nights When The
Body Of The Lord Was In The Tomb
There is a
question which has been the subject
of much discussion through the
years. Where was the Lord between
His death and resurrection? One
must vehemently reject the heretical
teaching that when the Lord cried
“It is finished”, it was not
finished but He had to go into
Hell. It was only then, after three
days, where the demons beat on Him
until God decided it was enough, and
the work was completed. This
thinking and teaching is blasphemy.
The demons had no part in the
procuring of their own downfall and
the securing of redemption. The
scriptures make it clear: “The Lord
hath laid on Him the iniquity of us
all” (Isa. 53:6); and “He (God) hath
made Him to be sin for us” (2 Cor.
5:21
There are at least five major
passages which deal with this time
period. Two are unmistakable and
three are open to misunderstanding.
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The two which are clear in their teaching: |
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The Lord said to the thief: “Today shalt thou be with me in
paradise” (Lk. 23:43) |
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When the Lord was about to enter death He said: “Father, into
Thy hands I commend my spirit” (Lk.23:46). |
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The three which are open to misunderstanding: |
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“Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell.” This was quoted by Peter
(Psa. 16:10; Acts 2:27). |
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Paul wrote: “Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also
descended first into the lower parts of the earth?” (Eph. 4:9) |
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Peter wrote: “Being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by
the Spirit: by which he went and preached unto the spirits in
prison” (1 Pet. 3:18-19) |
If we only had
the two unmistakable, the question
would have been easy; or if we only
had the first of the ones open to
misunderstanding, it would have been
easy, but when we have all five,
then the subject becomes more
difficult. However, we must never
conjecture, neither must we allow a
plain scripture be robbed of its
clarity by one that is obscure. It
is important to observe that “hell”
in the above passage is the word
“Hades”, and is used of both
Abrahams bosom and the place of
punishment (Lk. 16:23). Hades is
the unseen world so the Psalmist and
Peter are saying that God will not
leave the soul of the Lord in that
realm unseen by mortal man, but will
raise Him to be seen again. The
Lord was seen of Mary (Mk. 16:9-11);
others had seen Him, apart from the
eleven (Mk. 16:14); the disciples in
the room saw Him (Jn. 20:25), and
Thomas saw Him (Jn. 20:29). He was
seen for forty days of Peter (Acts
1:3), by
five hundred brethren, James and
Paul (1 Cor. 15:6-8). Concerning
the last two, until I have further
understanding, I must leave them at
this time. What we do know clearly
is that in those three day and
nights, after the Lord committed His
spirit to God, He was in paradise,
the realm of the unseen by mortal
eyes.
Joyfully we
sing with exuberance:
Christ, the Lord, is risen today,
Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say,
Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high,
Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply,
Alleluia!
Love’s redeeming work is done,
Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won,
Alleluia!
Vain the stone, the watch, the seal,
Alleluia!
Christ hath opened paradise,
Alleluia!
Adapted from Charles Wesley’s hymn
. . . . Rowan Jennings
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