Speaker 1: What if I told you that Jesus Christ's greatest victory
Speaker 1: didn't happen on the cross, but in the depths of
Speaker 1: Hell itself. For three mysterious days after his crucifixion, while
Speaker 1: his body lay lifeless in the tomb, Jesus embarked on
Speaker 1: the most incredible journey in human history. He descended into
Speaker 1: the very heart of darkness, confronted Satan on his own territory,
Speaker 1: and liberated countless souls who had been waiting centuries for
Speaker 1: their messiah. This isn't fiction. It's hidden right there in
Speaker 1: your Bible. The Apostles Creed declares it, Peter preached about it,
Speaker 1: and Paul celebrated it. Yet most Christians have never heard
Speaker 1: the full story of what Jesus accomplished in those three
Speaker 1: days that changed eternity forever. Prepare to discover the untold
Speaker 1: chapter of the greatest story ever told. The Roman soldiers
Speaker 1: had done their work with brutal efficiency. Jesus hung on
Speaker 1: the cross, his body born and bleeding from the savage
Speaker 1: beating he had endured, the nails pierced through his hands
Speaker 1: and feet, holding him against the rough wood as he
Speaker 1: bore the weight of humanity's sin. Every breath was agony,
Speaker 1: Every movement sent waves of pain through his broken body.
Speaker 1: But this physical suffering was nothing compared to the spiritual
Speaker 1: anguish he was experiencing as he carried the sins of
Speaker 1: the world. The hours passed slowly as Jesus suffered in
Speaker 1: ways that went far beyond what any human could understand.
Speaker 1: The weight of every lie, every murder, every act of
Speaker 1: hatred and rebellion against God was crushing down upon him.
Speaker 1: He who had never known sin was becoming sin itself,
Speaker 1: experiencing the full separation from the Father that sin brings.
Speaker 1: The sky grew dark, as if creation itself was mourning
Speaker 1: what was taking place. Then, in what would become one
Speaker 1: of the most powerful moments in human history, Jesus spoke
Speaker 1: word words that would echo through eternity. His voice, though
Speaker 1: weakened by hours of suffering, carried authority and purpose. As
Speaker 1: recorded in John's Gospel, Chapter nineteen, verse thirty, Jesus said,
Speaker 1: it is finished. These weren't the words of a defeated
Speaker 1: man giving up in despair. They were the triumphant declaration
Speaker 1: of a mission completed, a victory achieved. The Greek word
Speaker 1: used here is tetalstye a term that merchants would stamp
Speaker 1: on bills when they were paid in full. When a
Speaker 1: debt was completely satisfied, when every penny had been accounted for,
Speaker 1: they would write tetalistye across the document. Jesus was announcing
Speaker 1: to the universe that the debt of sin had been
Speaker 1: completely paid, not partially paid, not mostly paid, but paid
Speaker 1: in full. The perfect sacrifice had been offered, and God's
Speaker 1: justice was completely satisfied. But something even more profit found
Speaker 1: was happening in that moment. Jesus wasn't simply dying. He
Speaker 1: was making a conscious choice to release his spirit. This
Speaker 1: wasn't a helpless victim succumbing to his injuries. As Luke
Speaker 1: records in chapter twenty three, verse forty six, Jesus called
Speaker 1: out with a loud voice, Father, into your hands, I
Speaker 1: commit my spirit. This was the Son of God voluntarily
Speaker 1: laying down his life, just as he had promised he
Speaker 1: would do. He had told his disciples that no one
Speaker 1: could take his life from him. He would lay it
Speaker 1: down of his own accord. The instant Jesus died, the
Speaker 1: very fabric of creation responded to what had just taken place.
Speaker 1: Matthew tells us in Chapter twenty seven, Verses forty five
Speaker 1: through fifty one, that darkness had covered the entire land
Speaker 1: from noon until three in the afternoon. This wasn't a
Speaker 1: natural eclipse. The passover always occurred during a full moon,
Speaker 1: making an eclipse in possible. This was a supernatural sign
Speaker 1: that something cosmic was taking place. The Earth itself seemed
Speaker 1: to mourn as its creator hung lifeless on the cross.
Speaker 1: Then came the moment that shook the religious establishment to
Speaker 1: its very core. The massive curtain in the Temple, which
Speaker 1: separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple,
Speaker 1: was torn in two from top to bottom. This curtain
Speaker 1: was no ordinary piece of fabric. It was sixty feet
Speaker 1: high and thirty feet wide, woven with threads so thick
Speaker 1: that it would take three hundred men to move it.
Speaker 1: Yet it was ripped apart in an instant, torn from
Speaker 1: top to bottom, showing that this wasn't human hands tearing fabric.
Speaker 1: This was God himself ripping away the barrier that had
Speaker 1: separated humanity from his presence for centuries. The way into
Speaker 1: the Holy Place was now open to all who would
Speaker 1: come through the sacrifice of his son. Long before Jesus
Speaker 1: walked the dusty roads of Palestine. Long before his birth
Speaker 1: in Bethlehem, God had been preparing his people for what
Speaker 1: was to come. The Old Testament scriptures are filled with
Speaker 1: prophecies that pointed to not just the Messiah's death, but
Speaker 1: to his incredible journey through death itself. These weren't vague
Speaker 1: hints or symbolic language. They were specific predictions about what
Speaker 1: the coming Savior would accomplish. King David, writing under divine
Speaker 1: inspiration nearly a thousand years before Christ's birth, penned words
Speaker 1: in Psalm sixteen, verse ten that would prove to be
Speaker 1: remarkably prophetic, because you will not abandon me to the
Speaker 1: realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful
Speaker 1: one see decay. At first glance, David might have been
Speaker 1: speaking about his own life and protection from enemies. But
Speaker 1: as we'll see, these words carried a much deeper meaning.
Speaker 1: David was prophesying about the Messiah, who would conquer death itself,
Speaker 1: who would enter the realm of the dead, but would
Speaker 1: not be abandoned there. The prophet Isaiah painted an even
Speaker 1: clearer picture of what was to come. In chapter fifty
Speaker 1: three of his book, he described a suffering servant who
Speaker 1: would bear the sins of many. This servant would be
Speaker 1: pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. The
Speaker 1: punishment that would bring us peace would fall on him,
Speaker 1: and by his wounds we would be healed. But Isiah
Speaker 1: didn't stop at describing the death of this servant. He
Speaker 1: revealed that after his suffering, this servant would see the
Speaker 1: light of life and would justify many. By his knowledge,
Speaker 1: the Messiah would pass through the valley of the shadow
Speaker 1: of death and emerge victorious on the other side. Isiah
Speaker 1: also prophesied that this servant would divide the spoils with
Speaker 1: the strong, because he poured out his life unto death
Speaker 1: and was numbered with the transgresses. The language of dividing
Speaker 1: spoils suggests a military victory, a conquest where the victor
Speaker 1: claims the possessions of the defeated enemy. This wasn't just
Speaker 1: about dying for sins. This was about conquering the very
Speaker 1: forces that held humanity in bondage. Perhaps the most vivid
Speaker 1: foreshadowing of Christ's Three day journey came through the dramatic
Speaker 1: story of Jonah. When the great Fish swallowed the rebellious prophet,
Speaker 1: Jonah found himself in the belly of the beast for
Speaker 1: three days and three nights. In that dark, suffocating place,
Speaker 1: Jonah cried out to God and was eventually spit out
Speaker 1: alive on to dry land. This wasn't just an interesting
Speaker 1: story about God's mercy to a disobedient prophet. It was
Speaker 1: a prophetic picture of something far greater that was to come.
Speaker 1: Jesus himself would later point to Jonah's experience as a
Speaker 1: sign of his own journey. In Matthew twelve, verse forty,
Speaker 1: Jesus said, for as Jonah was three days three nights
Speaker 1: in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son
Speaker 1: of Man will be three days and three nights in
Speaker 1: the heart of the earth. Just as Jonah had descended
Speaker 1: into the depths and emerged alive, Jesus would descend into
Speaker 1: the heart of the earth, not just the physical tomb,
Speaker 1: but the spiritual realm of the dead, and emerge victorious.
Speaker 1: These weren't random stories scattered throughout the Old Testament, and
Speaker 1: they weren't just poetic language meant to inspire hope. They
Speaker 1: were God's way of preparing his people for the greatest
Speaker 1: rescue mission in history, a mission that would take the
Speaker 1: promised Messiah into the very depths of death itself, where
Speaker 1: he would accomplish things that had never been done before.
Speaker 1: The early Christians didn't just believe in Jesus's death and
Speaker 1: resurrection as historical events. They had a clear and detailed
Speaker 1: understanding of what happened between those two pivotal mensments. This
Speaker 1: understanding was so fundamental to their faith that it made
Speaker 1: its way into the Apostles Creed, one of the most
Speaker 1: important statements of Christian belief that has been confessed by
Speaker 1: believers for nearly two thousand years. The Creed includes the
Speaker 1: phrase he descended into Hell, which might sound shocking to
Speaker 1: modern ears, but it represents a core belief of the
Speaker 1: early Church. This wasn't about Jesus being punished or tormented.
Speaker 1: It was about his victorious mission into the realm of
Speaker 1: the dead. The early Christians understood that Jesus didn't just
Speaker 1: die and wait passively in the tomb for three days.
Speaker 1: He had important work to do, and that work required
Speaker 1: him to go where no living person had ever gone before.
Speaker 1: When the early Christians used the word hell in this context,
Speaker 1: they weren't always talking about the place of eternal punishment
Speaker 1: that we think of today, They were often referring to
Speaker 1: the general realm of the day, the place where all
Speaker 1: spirits went when they left their physical bodies. The Hebrew
Speaker 1: word shaol and the Greek word hades both described this realm,
Speaker 1: though the early Church understood that it had different sections
Speaker 1: for the righteous and the wicked. The early church fathers,
Speaker 1: men who had been taught by the apostles or by
Speaker 1: those who knew the apostles, taught that Jesus's descent was
Speaker 1: fundamentally a rescue mission. He went to the place where
Speaker 1: the righteous dead had been waiting since the beginning of time,
Speaker 1: and he brought them the good news that their salvation
Speaker 1: was now complete. This wasn't speculation or wishful thinking. It
Speaker 1: was based on clear biblical passages that described Jesus's activities
Speaker 1: during those three crucial days. Church fathers like Justin Martyr, Irenaeus,
Speaker 1: and Tertullian all wrote about Christ's descent into the realm
Speaker 1: of the dead. They understood it as the completion of
Speaker 1: his saying work, not just dying for sins, but actually
Speaker 1: going to where the effects of sin had held people
Speaker 1: captive and setting them free. They saw it as the
Speaker 1: ultimate demonstration of Christ's victory over death, hell, and the grave.
Speaker 1: The early Church made a clear distinction between different concepts
Speaker 1: of the after life. They understood that there was a
Speaker 1: place of torment for the wicked dead, but also a
Speaker 1: place of comfort and rest for the righteous dead who
Speaker 1: had died in faith before Christ's coming. It was to
Speaker 1: this place of comfort that Christ descended, not to suffer,
Speaker 1: but to announce his victory and to lead captives free.
Speaker 1: On the day of Pentecost, fifty days after Jesus's resurrection,
Speaker 1: when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples with the
Speaker 1: sound of a rushing wind and tongues of fire, Peter
Speaker 1: stood up before a crowd of thousands to explain what
Speaker 1: was happening. His sermon that day, recorded in Acts chapter two,
Speaker 1: included a powerful and detailed explanation of what Jesus had
Speaker 1: accomplished through his death and resurrection, and it gives us
Speaker 1: crucial insight into how the apostles understood Christ's three day journey.
Speaker 1: Peter began by quoting from the prophet Joel about the
Speaker 1: pouring out of God's spirit, but then he turned his
Speaker 1: attention to Jesus of Nazareth. He reminded the crowd that
Speaker 1: they had witnessed Jesus's miracles, wonders, and signs, and that
Speaker 1: they had also been responsible for his crucifixion. But Peter
Speaker 1: didn't stop with the death. He went on to explain
Speaker 1: the deeper meaning of what had happened. Peter quoted from
Speaker 1: Psalm sixteen, the same passage where David had prophesied about
Speaker 1: the Messiah not being abandoned to the realm of the dead.
Speaker 1: But Peter went deeper than just quoting the scripture. He
Speaker 1: provided inspired interpretation of what it meant. In verses twenty
Speaker 1: nine through thirty one, Peter explained that David wasn't talking
Speaker 1: about himself when he wrote those words. David had died
Speaker 1: and been buried, and his tomb was still there for
Speaker 1: everyone to see. David was prophesying about some one else,
Speaker 1: the Christ, who was to come. Seeing what was to come,
Speaker 1: Peter explained, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah,
Speaker 1: that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead,
Speaker 1: nor did his body see decay. Peter understood that Jesus
Speaker 1: had actually been in the realm of the dead. He
Speaker 1: hadn't been abandoned there, but he had been there This
Speaker 1: was a crucial point that Peter wanted his listeners to understand.
Speaker 1: The resurrection wasn't just about Jesus coming back to life.
Speaker 1: It was about him conquering the very place where death
Speaker 1: held its prisoners. Peter's explanation reveals that the Apostles had
Speaker 1: a clear understanding of what had happened during those three days.
Speaker 1: They knew that while Jesus's body lay in the tomb,
Speaker 1: his spirit had been active in the realm of the dead.
Speaker 1: They understood that this wasn't a time of waiting or unconsciousness.
Speaker 1: It was a time of divine activity and cosmic victory.
Speaker 1: The Apostles didn't see Jesus's death as the end of
Speaker 1: the story, but as the beginning of his greatest victory.
Speaker 1: They understood that the cross was just the first part
Speaker 1: of a larger mission that would take Jesus into territories
Speaker 1: that no human had ever conquered. Peter's sermon shows us
Speaker 1: that the early Church had been taught to see the
Speaker 1: three days between death and resurrection as days of decisive
Speaker 1: spiritual warfare and ultimate triumph. When Peter declared that God
Speaker 1: had raised Jesus up and freed him from the agony
Speaker 1: of death. He was describing more than just a return
Speaker 1: to physical life. He was describing liberation from the realm
Speaker 1: where death held its power, a breaking of chains that
Speaker 1: had bound humanity since the fall in the Garden of Eden.
Speaker 1: The Apostle Paul had a unique and profound understanding of
Speaker 1: the cosmic scope of Christ's victory. His letters reveal insights
Speaker 1: into the spiritual dimensions of what Jesus accomplished that go
Speaker 1: far beyond what most people imagine when they think about
Speaker 1: the Crucifixion and resurrection. Paul saw Christ's work as affecting
Speaker 1: not just individual human lives, but the entire structure of
Speaker 1: the spiritual realm. In his Letter to the Ephesians, Chapter four,
Speaker 1: verses eight through ten, Paul quotes from Psalm sixty eight
Speaker 1: and applies it directly to Jesus. When he ascended on high,
Speaker 1: he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.
Speaker 1: This reference to taking captives wasn't metaphorical language. Paul was
Speaker 1: describing an actual liberation that had taken place. But then
Speaker 1: Paul adds a crucial detail that helps us understand the
Speaker 1: full scope of what happened. What does he ascended mean?
Speaker 1: Except that he also descended to the lower earthly regions.
Speaker 1: Paul's logic here is crystal clear. You can't ascend unless
Speaker 1: you first descend. And the ascension Paul is talking about
Speaker 1: isn't just Jesus's return to Heaven after the resurrection. It's
Speaker 1: his triumphant ascension with captives in tow. But first there
Speaker 1: had to be a descent to the lower earthly regions
Speaker 1: where these captives were being held. Paul understood that Jesus's
Speaker 1: journey took him not just to the cross, not just
Speaker 1: to the tomb, but to the very depths where the
Speaker 1: righteous dead had been waiting. The phrase took many captives
Speaker 1: uses military language that describes a victorious general leading prisoners
Speaker 1: of war in a triumphal procession. But in this case
Speaker 1: the captives weren't enemies being humiliated. They were prisoners being liberated.
Speaker 1: Jesus had gone into enemy territory, broken down the prison doors,
Speaker 1: and led the captives out to freedom. In his Letter
Speaker 1: to the Colossians, chapter two, verse fifteen, Paul described the
Speaker 1: cosmic scope of Christ's victory in even more dramatic terms,
Speaker 1: and having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a
Speaker 1: public spectacle of them triumphing over them by the Cross.
Speaker 1: This wasn't just about the Cross as a single event,
Speaker 1: but about the complete work Christ accomplished through his death, dissent,
Speaker 1: and resurrection. The powers and authorities Paul refers to weren't
Speaker 1: human governments or earthly rulers. They were the demonic forces
Speaker 1: that had held humanity in spiritual bondage since the fall.
Speaker 1: The spiritual beings had certain legal claims over humanity because
Speaker 1: of sin, but Christ's perfect sacrifice had completely disarmed them.
Speaker 1: Their weapons were taken away, their authority was stripped from them,
Speaker 1: and they were publicly humiliated for all the spiritual realm
Speaker 1: to see. Paul saw Christ's victory as something that had
Speaker 1: fundamentally altered the balance of power in the spiritual realm.
Speaker 1: The forces of darkness that had ruled over humanity for
Speaker 1: thousands of years were completely defeated. Their ability to hold
Speaker 1: the righteous dead in the realm of the dead was broken.
Speaker 1: Their claims of ownership over human souls were nullified by
Speaker 1: the perfect sacrifice of the Son of God. When Paul
Speaker 1: wrote about Christ triumphing over them, he used language that
Speaker 1: described a Roman victory parade when a Roman general won
Speaker 1: a great victory. He would return to Rome and parade
Speaker 1: through the streets with his soldiers, his spoils of war,
Speaker 1: and his captives. Everyone could see the evidence of his victory.
Speaker 1: All understood that Christ's victory was even more complete and
Speaker 1: public than any earthly conquest. It was a cosmic triumph
Speaker 1: that had been witnessed by every spiritual being in existence.
Speaker 1: One of the most intriguing and mysterious passages in the
Speaker 1: entire New Testament comes from Peter's First Letter, Chapter three,
Speaker 1: verses eighteen through twenty. This passage has puzzled scholars and
Speaker 1: theologians for centuries, but it provides one of the clearest
Speaker 1: pictures we have of Jesus's activities during those three days
Speaker 1: between his death and resurrection. Peter writes, for Christ also
Speaker 1: suffered once for sins the righteous for the unrighteous, to
Speaker 1: bring you to God. He was put to death in
Speaker 1: the body, but made alive in the spirit. After being
Speaker 1: made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits,
Speaker 1: to those who were disobedient long ago, when God waited
Speaker 1: patiently in the days of while the ark was being built.
Speaker 1: The first part of this passage is straightforward, enough, Christ
Speaker 1: suffered for sins, dying in his physical body to bring
Speaker 1: us to God. But then Peter described something that happened
Speaker 1: after Jesus died. He was made alive in the spirit.
Speaker 1: This isn't talking about the physical resurrection that would happen
Speaker 1: three days later. This is describing Jesus's spiritual activity while
Speaker 1: his body remained in the tomb. In this spiritually alive state,
Speaker 1: Peter tells us that Jesus went and made proclamation to
Speaker 1: the imprisoned spirits. This wasn't a vision or a dream.
Speaker 1: This was actual travel to an actual place where actual
Speaker 1: spiritual beings were imprisoned. Jesus didn't send a message or
Speaker 1: communicate from a distance. He personally went to where these
Speaker 1: spirits were held captive. These imprisoned spirits are specifically I
Speaker 1: identified as those who had been disobedient during the time
Speaker 1: of Noah, when God waited patiently while the ark was
Speaker 1: being built. These were spiritual beings who had rebelled against
Speaker 1: God in the days before the flood, and they had
Speaker 1: been imprisoned ever since, waiting in the spiritual realm for
Speaker 1: final judgment. But what kind of proclamation did Jesus make
Speaker 1: to these imprisoned spirits. The Greek word used here doesn't
Speaker 1: necessarily mean that he preached the gospel to them or
Speaker 1: offered them salvation. It means that he made an announcement,
Speaker 1: a declaration of something that had happened. Jesus was proclaiming
Speaker 1: his victory to these rebellious spirits who had been imprisoned
Speaker 1: for thousands of years. Peter's description gives us a remarkable
Speaker 1: glimpse into the spiritual activity that was taking place. While
Speaker 1: Jesus's body lay in the tomb, his spirit was not
Speaker 1: dormant or inactive. He was traveling through the spirititual realm,
Speaker 1: making proclamations and asserting his authority over beings that had
Speaker 1: been in rebellion against God since ancient times. This passage
Speaker 1: also shows us the comprehensive nature of Christ's victory. It
Speaker 1: wasn't just about redeeming human beings. It was about dealing
Speaker 1: with every aspect of rebellion against God throughout history. Even
Speaker 1: the most ancient spiritual rebels, those who had been imprisoned
Speaker 1: since the days of Noah, heard the proclamation of Christ's triumph.
Speaker 1: The fact that Jesus personally went to make this proclamation
Speaker 1: shows the thoroughness of his victory. He didn't delegate this
Speaker 1: task to angels or send a message through intermediaries. He
Speaker 1: personally confronted these imprisoned spirits and announced that their rebellion
Speaker 1: had been definitively defeated by his sacrifice on the cross.
Speaker 1: To understand what Jesus accomplished during those three crucial days,
Speaker 1: we need to understand and how the ancient world viewed
Speaker 1: the geography of the after life. This isn't just academic knowledge.
Speaker 1: It's essential for grasping the magnitude of what Christ achieved
Speaker 1: when he descended into the realm of the dead. The
Speaker 1: Hebrew scriptures spoke of a place called Sheol, the realm
Speaker 1: of the dead, where all spirits went when they left
Speaker 1: their physical bodies. This wasn't the same as the modern
Speaker 1: concept of Hell as a place of eternal punishment. Sheol
Speaker 1: was more like a great underground city with different districts
Speaker 1: for different types of people. Every person who died, whether
Speaker 1: righteous or wicked, went to Sheol, but their experience there
Speaker 1: was very different, depending on their relationship with God. Sheol
Speaker 1: had distinct sections, almost like neighborhoods in a city, separated
Speaker 1: by great chasms. The righteous dead went to a place
Speaker 1: of comfort and rest, while the wicked went to a
Speaker 1: place of torment and anguish. This wasn't arbitrary. It was
Speaker 1: based on God's perfect justice and the choices people had
Speaker 1: made during their earthly lives. Jesus himself described this division
Speaker 1: in the story of the rich Man and Lazarus in
Speaker 1: Luke chapter sixteen. When both men died, Lazarus was carried
Speaker 1: by angels to Abraham's side or Abraham's bosom, a place
Speaker 1: of comfort and peace, where he was consoled after a
Speaker 1: lifetime of suffering and poverty. The rich man, who had
Speaker 1: ignored Lazarus's needs and lived selfishly, found himself in torment,
Speaker 1: able to see across a great chasm to where Lazarus
Speaker 1: was at peace, but unable to cross over to him.
Speaker 1: This place of comfort for the righteous dead was also
Speaker 1: called paradise. It was where the faithful servants of God
Speaker 1: waited for the coming of the Messiah. These were people
Speaker 1: who had died in faith, believing in God's promises, but
Speaker 1: they couldn't enter Heaven itself until the perfect sacrifice was
Speaker 1: made that would own and the way for all believers.
Speaker 1: The righteous dead in Paradise included Old Testament saints like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses,
Speaker 1: David Daniel, and countless others who had lived and died
Speaker 1: in faith. They had been promised that God would send
Speaker 1: a savior, and they had believed that promise, even though
Speaker 1: they died before seeing its fulfillment. Paradise was their place
Speaker 1: of rest and comfort while they waited for the Messiah
Speaker 1: to complete his work. The Greek concept of Hades was
Speaker 1: similar to the Hebrew shiel, but with its own cultural understanding.
Speaker 1: When the New Testament writers used the word Hades, they
Speaker 1: were describing this same general realm of the dead, with
Speaker 1: its different sections for the righteous and the wicked. The
Speaker 1: Greeks had their own stories about heroes who had descended
Speaker 1: into Hades and returned, but none of their myths came
Speaker 1: close to describing what Jesus would actually accomplish. The wicked
Speaker 1: section of Sheol or Hades was a place of conscious torment,
Speaker 1: where those who had rejected God experienced the consequences of
Speaker 1: their choices. They were separated from God's presence and from
Speaker 1: the comfort that the righteous enjoyed. This was a place
Speaker 1: of regret, anguish, and hopeless, waiting for final judgment. Between
Speaker 1: these two sections was a great chasm or gulf. As
Speaker 1: Jesus described in the Story of the Rich Man and Lazarus.
Speaker 1: This wasn't just a physical barrier. It was a spiritual
Speaker 1: separation that couldn't be crossed. The righteous couldn't go to
Speaker 1: the place of torment, and the wicked couldn't cross over
Speaker 1: to Paradise. The separation was absolute and permanent. This understanding
Speaker 1: of the afterlife helps us see what Jesus was doing
Speaker 1: during those three days. He wasn't going to a place
Speaker 1: of punishment. He was entering the realm where the righteous
Speaker 1: day had been waiting for centuries for their messiah to come.
Speaker 1: He was going to Paradise, to Abraham's Bosom, to the
Speaker 1: place where the faithful had been patiently waiting for the
Speaker 1: completion of God's plan of salvation. One of the most
Speaker 1: beautiful and profound moments in the entire crucifixion story happened
Speaker 1: when one of the criminals being executed alongside Jesus recognized
Speaker 1: who he was and what he represented. This moment gives
Speaker 1: us crucial insight into Jesus' understanding of where he was
Speaker 1: going and what he was about to accomplish. The scene
Speaker 1: was chaotic and filled with mockery. Two criminals hung on
Speaker 1: crosses beside Jesus, and initially both of them joined in
Speaker 1: the taunting and ridicule. But as the hours passed and
Speaker 1: the reality of their situation became clear, something changed in
Speaker 1: the heart of one of these men. Perhaps it was
Speaker 1: the way Jesus responded to his tormentors with forgiveness instead
Speaker 1: of hatred. Perhaps it was the dignity with which he
Speaker 1: bore his suffering. Whatever it was, this criminal began to
Speaker 1: see Jesus differently. In Luke twenty three, verse forty, we
Speaker 1: see this transformation take place. One criminal continued to mock Jesus,
Speaker 1: challenging him to save himself and them if he really
Speaker 1: was the Christ. But the other criminal rebuked his companion, saying,
Speaker 1: don't you fear God, since you are under the same sentence.
Speaker 1: We are punished justly, for we are getting what our
Speaker 1: deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong. This
Speaker 1: was a remarkable statement of faith from a man who
Speaker 1: was dying for his crimes. He recognized his own guilt
Speaker 1: and the justice of his punishment, but he also recognized
Speaker 1: the innocence of Jesus. He understood that Jesus didn't deserve
Speaker 1: to be there, that he was suffering unjustly. But his
Speaker 1: faith went even deeper than that. In verse forty two,
Speaker 1: the repentant thief turned to Jesus and said, Jesus, remember
Speaker 1: me when you come into your kingdom. This wasn't just
Speaker 1: a desperate plea from a dying man. This was a
Speaker 1: statement of faith that revealed deep spiritual insight. This criminal
Speaker 1: understood that Jesus was indeed a king, that he had
Speaker 1: a kingdom, and that somehow, even in death, Jesus would
Speaker 1: come into that kingdom. Jesus's response was immediate and profound.
Speaker 1: In verse forty three, he said, truly, I tell you
Speaker 1: today you will be with me in paradise. This promise
Speaker 1: reveals several crucial things about what Jesus understood was about
Speaker 1: to happen. First, Jesus said, today, not after the resurrection,
Speaker 1: not at some future time, but that very day, while
Speaker 1: their physical bodies would remain dead and burried, their spirits
Speaker 1: would be together in paradise. This wasn't the final destination
Speaker 1: for either of them, but it was a place of
Speaker 1: rest and comfort for the righteous dead. Second, Jesus called
Speaker 1: it paradise, the same word used to describe the place
Speaker 1: of comfort in the realm of the dead, where the
Speaker 1: righteous waited. Jesus knew exactly where he was going when
Speaker 1: he died, and he knew that the repentant thief would
Speaker 1: be welcome there because of his faith. Third, Jesus said
Speaker 1: they would be together. This wasn't the thief going to
Speaker 1: one place while Jesus went somewhere else. They would be
Speaker 1: in the same place, experiencing the same comfort and peace.
Speaker 1: Jesus was personally guaranteeing the thief's presence in Paradise. The
Speaker 1: timing of this promise is remarkable. Even in his final
Speaker 1: moments of agony on the cross, Jesus was thinking about
Speaker 1: his mission to the realm of the dead. He knew
Speaker 1: where he was going, and he was already extending comfort
Speaker 1: and assurance to those who would be there with him.
Speaker 1: The thief's simple faith, his recognition of Jesus's innocence, and
Speaker 1: his belief in Jesus's kingdom had earned him a place
Speaker 1: in Paradise. This promise also helps us understand the timeline
Speaker 1: of what was to come. Jesus would die, his spirit
Speaker 1: would go to Paradise, and there he would begin the
Speaker 1: work that would change everything for the righteous dead who
Speaker 1: had been waiting for their Messiah to come. The repentant
Speaker 1: thief would be among the first to witness this incredible transformation,
Speaker 1: moving from a life of crime and rebellion to a
Speaker 1: place of honor beside the savior of the world. The
Speaker 1: moment Jesus released his spirit on the cross, something extraordinary
Speaker 1: happened that no human eye could witness. His spirit, now
Speaker 1: separated from his physical body, began and a journey into
Speaker 1: territories unknown to any living person. This wasn't a journey
Speaker 1: of distance, as we understand it, but a movement through
Speaker 1: spiritual dimensions into the very heart of the realm where
Speaker 1: the dead waited. When Jesus's spirit arrived in Paradise, the
Speaker 1: section of the after life where the righteous dead resided,
Speaker 1: it was a moment that had been anticipated for thousands
Speaker 1: of years. This place, also known as Abraham's Bosom, had
Speaker 1: been home to countless faithful souls who had died believing
Speaker 1: in God's promises but had never seen their fulfillment. They
Speaker 1: had lived their earthly lives in faith, trusting that God
Speaker 1: would send a Savior, And now that Savior had finally
Speaker 1: come to them, the very atmosphere of that place must
Speaker 1: have changed the instant Jesus arrived. Here was the one
Speaker 1: they had all been waiting for, the promised Messiah, the
Speaker 1: seed of the Woman who would crush the serpent's head,
Speaker 1: the prophet life like Moses, the son of David, who
Speaker 1: would reign for ever. The weight that had seemed endless
Speaker 1: was finally over. Abraham himself was there, the father of faith,
Speaker 1: who had believed God's promise that through his offspring all
Speaker 1: nations would be blessed. He had died never seeing the
Speaker 1: fulfillment of that promise, but he had believed it none
Speaker 1: the less. Now he could see with his own eyes
Speaker 1: the one through whom that blessing would come to all nations.
Speaker 1: Moses was there, too, the great law giver who had
Speaker 1: spoken with God face to face and had told the
Speaker 1: people that God would raise up a prophet like him.
Speaker 1: Moses had given the law that revealed humanity's need for
Speaker 1: a savior, and now he could see the one who
Speaker 1: had come to fulfill every requirement of that law. David
Speaker 1: was present as well, the sweet Psalmist of Israel, who
Speaker 1: had written so many prophecies about the coming Messiah. He
Speaker 1: had written about the one who whose hands and feet
Speaker 1: would be pierced, who would be forsaken by God for
Speaker 1: a moment so that humanity need never be forsaken. All
Speaker 1: the patriarchs and prophets were there, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Daniel, Isiah, Jeremiah,
Speaker 1: and countless others who had spoken God's word and had
Speaker 1: died in faith without receiving the promises. The reunion that
Speaker 1: took place in Paradise that day was beyond anything that
Speaker 1: could be described in human language. The repentant thief was
Speaker 1: there too, just as Jesus had promised, his simple faith
Speaker 1: had earned him a place among the greatest heroes of
Speaker 1: faith in history. From a life of crime and rebellion,
Speaker 1: he had been transformed by a moment of recognition and
Speaker 1: faith into a resident of Paradise. While Jesus was reuniting
Speaker 1: with the righteous dead in Paradise, he also had another
Speaker 1: mission to accomplish in a very different part of the
Speaker 1: spiritual realm. There were other spirits who needed to hear
Speaker 1: what he had accomplished, though they would receive a very
Speaker 1: different message. Than the one he brought to the faithful
Speaker 1: in Paradise. Jesus set out to find the imprisoned spirits
Speaker 1: that Peter would later write about in his First Letter.
Speaker 1: These weren't the righteous dead who had been waiting in
Speaker 1: comfort for their messiah to come. These were rebellious spiritual
Speaker 1: beings who had been locked away since ancient times because
Speaker 1: of their disobedience to God. The most notable of these
Speaker 1: imprisoned spirits were those who had rebelled against God in
Speaker 1: the days of Noah. These were spiritual beings who had
Speaker 1: crossed boundaries that God had established, who had corrupted themselves
Speaker 1: and had contributed to the wickedness that had filled the
Speaker 1: earth before the flood. For their rebellion, they had been
Speaker 1: bound in chains of darkness and imprisoned in the spiritual realm.
Speaker 1: These spirits had been there for nearly two thousand years
Speaker 1: by the time of Christ's descent. They had witnessed the
Speaker 1: flood that destroyed the world they had helped to corrupt,
Speaker 1: they had seen God's judgment fall on the earth, and
Speaker 1: they had been left to contemplate their rebellion in the
Speaker 1: darkness of their prison. Now Jesus came to them with
Speaker 1: a proclamation. This wasn't an offer of salvation or a
Speaker 1: chance for redemption. Their fate had been sealed long ago
Speaker 1: by their own choices. This was an announcement of victory,
Speaker 1: a declaration that, despite all their rebellion and corruption, God's
Speaker 1: plan of salvation had succeeded completely. Jesus announced to these
Speaker 1: imprisoned spirits that his work was finished, The perfect sacrifice
Speaker 1: had been offered, The price for human sin had been
Speaker 1: paid in full. The legal claims that the forces of
Speaker 1: darkness had held over humanity because of sin had been
Speaker 1: completely nullified. The proclamation Jesus made to these spirits demonstrated
Speaker 1: his absolute authority over every realm of existence. He wasn't
Speaker 1: asking permission to be there or negotiating with these rebellious beings.
Speaker 1: He was announcing what he had accomplished and asserting his
Speaker 1: rightful dominion over all spiritual entities. This wasn't a private
Speaker 1: conversation or a quiet announcement. Jesus was ensuring that every
Speaker 1: spiritual being in that realm knew exactly what had taken
Speaker 1: place on the cross and what it meant for the
Speaker 1: cosmic order. The timing was significant. Jesus didn't wait until
Speaker 1: after his resurrection to make this announcement. After making his
Speaker 1: proclamation to the imprisoned spirits, Jesus returned to Paradise, where
Speaker 1: the most incredible liberation in history was about to take place.
Speaker 1: The righteous dead had been waiting in this place of
Speaker 1: comfort for centuries, but it was never meant to be
Speaker 1: their final destination. They had been waiting for the perfect
Speaker 1: sacrifice that would open the way for them to enter
Speaker 1: Heaven itself. That moment had now arrived. Jesus had completed
Speaker 1: the work of redemption, and the way into the heavenly
Speaker 1: holy Place was now open. The Old Testament believers who
Speaker 1: had died in faith, trusting in God's promises without seeing
Speaker 1: their fulfillment, were about to receive the reward of their faithfulness.
Speaker 1: Jesus began to gather the righteous dead around him, preparing
Speaker 1: them for a journey unlike any that had ever been undertaken.
Speaker 1: These were souls who had lived their earthly lives before
Speaker 1: the perfect sacrifice was offered, before the way into Heaven
Speaker 1: was opened through the blood of Christ. Abraham was among
Speaker 1: those who gathered around Jesus, the man who had believed
Speaker 1: God's promise that through his offspring, all nations would be blessed.
Speaker 1: Moses stood ready to follow Jesus, the man who had
Speaker 1: spoken with God face to face and had given the
Speaker 1: law that revealed humanity's need for a savior. David prepared
Speaker 1: to follow his lord, the king after God's own heart,
Speaker 1: who had written so many psalms about the coming Messiah.
Speaker 1: All the patriarchs and prophets, all the righteous men and
Speaker 1: women who had died in faith throughout the centuries of
Speaker 1: Old Testament history were gathering for this unprecedented journey. They
Speaker 1: had waited so long for this moment, and now it
Speaker 1: was finally here. Jesus began to lead this great procession
Speaker 1: of the righteous dead out of Paradise and toward Heaven itself.
Speaker 1: This was the fulfillment of the prophecy that Paul would
Speaker 1: later quote in Ephesians chapter four, verse eight, where he
Speaker 1: wrote about Christ ascending on high and leading captivity captive.
Speaker 1: The journey from Paradise to Heaven was a journey from
Speaker 1: the place of waiting to the place of fulfillment, from
Speaker 1: faith to sight, from promise to reality. These faithful souls
Speaker 1: had believed God's works without seeing its fulfillment, and now
Speaker 1: they were about to experience the reality that surpassed all
Speaker 1: their hopes and dreams. The captivity that had held them
Speaker 1: in the waiting place of Paradise was now being led
Speaker 1: captive by the one who had conquered death and hell.
Speaker 1: Jesus was leading them in triumph, demonstrating to all the
Speaker 1: spiritual realm that his victory was complete. While Jesus was
Speaker 1: liberating the righteous dead from Paradise, another confrontation was taking
Speaker 1: place in the spiritual realm that would have far reaching
Speaker 1: consequences for all eternity. The prince of Darkness himself, Satan,
Speaker 1: was about to face the reality of his complete defeat.
Speaker 1: Satan had watched the crucifixion with what he thought was satisfaction.
Speaker 1: He had influenced Judas to betray Jesus, had stirred up
Speaker 1: the religious leaders to demand his death, and had seen
Speaker 1: the Son of God hanging on the cross in apparent defeat.
Speaker 1: For a moment, it seemed as though the serpent had
Speaker 1: finally succeeded. But now as Jesus moved through the realm
Speaker 1: of the dead with divine authority, Satan began to understand
Speaker 1: the terrible reality of what had actually happened. The death
Speaker 1: that he thought was his victory was actually his complete defeat.
Speaker 1: The cross that appeared to be Christ's end was actually
Speaker 1: the means by which all of Satan's legal claims over
Speaker 1: humanity were nullified. Throughout human history, Satan had been able
Speaker 1: to make legal accusations against humanity because of sin. When
Speaker 1: Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden, they handed
Speaker 1: over the dominion that God had given them to the
Speaker 1: deceiver who had tempted them. Satan became the god of
Speaker 1: this world, ruling over humanity through the fear of death
Speaker 1: and the condemnation that sin brings. But now everything had changed.
Speaker 1: Jesus had lived a perfect life, fulfilling every requirement of
Speaker 1: the law without a single failure. He had then offered
Speaker 1: that perfect life as a sacrifice for the sins of humanity.
Speaker 1: The legal debt that sin had created was now paid
Speaker 1: in full. Jesus confronted Satan and the demonic powers with
Speaker 1: the reality of this legal victory. The perfect sacrifice had
Speaker 1: been offered, and God's justice had been completely satisfied. The
Speaker 1: claims that the forces of darkness had held over humanity
Speaker 1: because of sin were now null and void. The confrontation
Speaker 1: between Jesus and Satan wasn't a physical battle in the
Speaker 1: way we might imagine. It was a legal confrontation in
Speaker 1: the cosmic court of God's justice. Satan's claims were examined
Speaker 1: and found to be without foundation. The evidence he had
Speaker 1: used to condemn humanity. Their sins had been removed by
Speaker 1: the sacrificial blood of the Lamb of God. The weapons
Speaker 1: that Satan and his demons had used against humanity were fear, condemnation,
Speaker 1: and the accusation of sin, but the Cross had removed
Speaker 1: the basis for all these weapons. Fear was conquered because
Speaker 1: death had been defeated. Condemnation was removed because the penalty
Speaker 1: for sin had been paid. Jesus's mission in the Realm
Speaker 1: of the Dead included a special proclamation to some of
Speaker 1: the most ancient rebels against God's authority. These were spiritual
Speaker 1: beings whose rebellion dated back to the earliest days of
Speaker 1: human history and whose defiance had contributed to the corruption
Speaker 1: that led to the world wide flood in Noah's time.
Speaker 1: These spirits had been imprisoned since that ancient time, bound
Speaker 1: in chains of spiritual darkness because of their extreme rebellion
Speaker 1: against God. They had crossed boundaries that were never meant
Speaker 1: to be crossed, had corrupted themselves beyond redemption, and had
Speaker 1: influenced human vanity in ways that brought about the judgment
Speaker 1: of the flood. Now Jesus came to them with a
Speaker 1: message that they needed to hear. This wasn't an offer
Speaker 1: of salvation. Their rebellion had been so complete and their
Speaker 1: corruption so total, that their fate had been sealed long ago.
Speaker 1: This was a proclamation of God's ultimate victory over all rebellion.
Speaker 1: The spirits from Noah's time had witnessed the destruction of
Speaker 1: the ancient world. They had seen the judgment of God
Speaker 1: fall on the earth because of the corruption they had
Speaker 1: helped to spread. In their imprisonment, they might have thought
Speaker 1: that they had succeeded in corrupting God's creation beyond repair.
Speaker 1: But now Jesus stood before them to announce that their
Speaker 1: rebellion had ultimately failed. Despite all the corruption they had
Speaker 1: introduced into the world, despite all the wickedness they had inspired,
Speaker 1: God's plan of salvation had succeeded completely. The seed of
Speaker 1: the Woman that had been promised in Eden had come
Speaker 1: and had crushed the serpent's head. The comprehensive nature of
Speaker 1: Christ's redemptive work was displayed in this proclamation to the
Speaker 1: ancient rebels. God's salvation wasn't just for recent generations or
Speaker 1: for people who had lived relatively good lives. It reached
Speaker 1: back to the very beginning of human history and forward
Speaker 1: to the end of time. Jesus's presence before these ancient
Speaker 1: rebels demonstrated his authority over every spiritual realm and every
Speaker 1: class of spiritual being. He wasn't intimidated by their ancient
Speaker 1: power or their extreme rebellion. He stood before them as
Speaker 1: the rightful ruler of all creation, announcing his victory over
Speaker 1: every form of opposition to God's will. During his time
Speaker 1: in the Realm of the Dead, Jesus accomplished something that
Speaker 1: would fundamentally change the spiritual order of the universe forever.
Speaker 1: He obtained the keys of death and Hell, gaining ultimate
Speaker 1: authority over the very forces that had held humanity in
Speaker 1: bondage since the Fall in Eden. These weren't physical keys
Speaker 1: that could be seen or touched. They represented authority and
Speaker 1: control over the Realm of the dead and the power
Speaker 1: of death itself. Throughout human history, death had been humanity's
Speaker 1: greatest enemy, the final proof of their separation from God
Speaker 1: and their bondage to sin. But now Jesus, through his
Speaker 1: perfect sacrifice and his victory over the forces of darkness,
Speaker 1: had gained control over these realms. The one who had
Speaker 1: conquered death by dying and rising again now held the
Speaker 1: keys that unlocked the power of death and hell. The
Speaker 1: apostle John would later write about this in the Book
Speaker 1: of Revelation, Chapter one, verses seventeen and eighteen, where the
Speaker 1: risen Christ declares, do not be afraid. I am the
Speaker 1: first and the last. I am the living one. I
Speaker 1: was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever
Speaker 1: and ever, and I hold the keys of death and hades.
Speaker 1: The obtaining of these keys marked a permanent shift in
Speaker 1: spiritual power dynamics. Satan, who had been the prince of
Speaker 1: death and had used the fear of death to control humanity,
Speaker 1: was stripped of this authority. Death was no longer his
Speaker 1: weapon to wield against believers. For believers, this meant that
Speaker 1: death was no longer something to be feared. It had
Speaker 1: been transformed from an enemy into a doorway, from a
Speaker 1: defeat into a victory. When believers died, they would not
Speaker 1: be going into Satan's territory. They would be going into
Speaker 1: Christ's presence. The keys of Hell meant that Jesus now
Speaker 1: had authority over the entire realm of the dead. He
Speaker 1: could determine where souls went when they died, and he
Speaker 1: could even retrieve souls from that realm if he chose
Speaker 1: to do so. The permanent nature of this authority meant
Speaker 1: that Jesus would never lose these keys or have them
Speaker 1: taken away from him. His victory over death and Hell
Speaker 1: was complete and eternal. As the third day approached, something
Speaker 1: unprecedented began to happen in the spiritual realm. The divine
Speaker 1: power that would accomplish the greatest miracle in human history
Speaker 1: began to gather and prepare for the moment when Jesus
Speaker 1: would return to his body in the tomb and rise
Speaker 1: from the dead in victory. This wasn't a hurried or
Speaker 1: desperate attempt to undo the tragedy of the crucifixion. This
Speaker 1: was the carefully planned culmination of God's eternal plan of salvation.
Speaker 1: Every aspect of what had happened over the past three
Speaker 1: days had been leading to this moment. The Father in
Speaker 1: Heaven looked down upon the completed work of his son
Speaker 1: with perfect satisfaction. The sacrifice had been perfect, the price
Speaker 1: had been paid in full, and justice had been complete.
Speaker 1: Lately satisfied Isiah's prophecy in Chapter fifty three, Verse eleven,
Speaker 1: was being fulfilled. After he has suffered, he will see
Speaker 1: the light of life and be satisfied. The father's acceptance
Speaker 1: of the son's sacrifice was the foundation for everything that
Speaker 1: would follow. Without that acceptance, without the father's satisfaction with
Speaker 1: the payment that had been made, there could be no resurrection.
Speaker 1: But the sacrifice had been perfect, and the Father was
Speaker 1: completely satisfied. The Holy Spirit, who had been present during
Speaker 1: jesus earthly ministry and had been with him even in death,
Speaker 1: began to prepare for his role in the resurrection. The
Speaker 1: same spirit who had overshadowed Mary at Jesus's conception would
Speaker 1: now demonstrate divine power by raising Jesus from the dead.
Speaker 1: In the spiritual realm, the cosmic forces that governed life
Speaker 1: and death began to align for the miracle that was
Speaker 1: about to take place. The laws of nature that had
Speaker 1: held Jesus's body in the tomb for three days would
Speaker 1: be superseded by the greater law of divine life. The
Speaker 1: righteous dead, who had been liberated from paradise and were
Speaker 1: now in the presence of God, watched and waited for
Speaker 1: the moment when their savior would return to his body.
Speaker 1: Their own future resurrection was guaranteed by what was about
Speaker 1: to happen to Jesus. The preparation for resurrection, mourning wasn't
Speaker 1: just about gathering power for a miracle. It was about
Speaker 1: vindicating everything that Jesus had claimed about himself during his
Speaker 1: earthly ministry. He had said that he was the resurrection
Speaker 1: and the life, and now he would prove those claims.
Speaker 1: The time had come for Jesus to complete his mission
Speaker 1: in the Realm of the Dead and return to the
Speaker 1: physical world. After three days of unprecedented spiritual activity, after
Speaker 1: liberating the righteous dead and confronting the forces of darkness,
Speaker 1: Jesus prepared to make his triumphal exit from the realm
Speaker 1: of the dead. This wasn't a retreat or an escape.
Speaker 1: This was a victory parade through the spiritual realm. Jesus
Speaker 1: had accomplished everything he had come to do in those
Speaker 1: dark regions. He had defeated every enemy, had freed every
Speaker 1: captive who could be freed and had established his authority
Speaker 1: over every spiritual power. The journey from the spiritual realm
Speaker 1: back to the physical tomb where his body lay was
Speaker 1: a journey of triumph. Jesus moved through the realm of
Speaker 1: the dead, not as one who was fleeing, but as
Speaker 1: one who had conquered every spiritual being in that realm,
Speaker 1: now knew that he was the victor. As Jesus's spirit
Speaker 1: approached the tomb where his physical body had been lying
Speaker 1: for three days, the very fabric of reality began to
Speaker 1: prepare for the miracle that was about to take place.
Speaker 1: The stone that sealed the tomb, the grave clothes that
Speaker 1: wrapped his body, the guards who watched the entrance. All
Speaker 1: of these physical barriers were about to be overcome. The
Speaker 1: moment when Jesus's spirit reunited with his body was the
Speaker 1: moment when death was conquered forever. His body had been
Speaker 1: dead for three days, showing that death was real and complete,
Speaker 1: but now life returned to that body with such power
Speaker 1: that death could never touch it again. The transformation that
Speaker 1: took place in Jesus's body was immediate and complete. The
Speaker 1: wounds from the crucifixion remained as eternal testimony to his sacrifice,
Speaker 1: but death was expelled from his body forever. He was
Speaker 1: the same Jesus who had died on the cross, but
Speaker 1: he was also different. He now possessed a resurrection body.
Speaker 1: The power that raised Jesus from the dead was the
Speaker 1: same power that had created the universe. The voice that
Speaker 1: had spoken light into existence at the beginning of creation
Speaker 1: now spoke life back into the body of the crucified Savior.
Speaker 1: The three day time line that had been prophesied throughout
Speaker 1: the Old Testament was now complete. Jesus had been in
Speaker 1: the tomb for three days and three nights, just as
Speaker 1: Jonah had been in the belly of the Great Fish.
Speaker 1: The sign that he had given to his generation was
Speaker 1: now fulfilled. The completion of the three day prophetic time
Speaker 1: line marked the end of the greatest spiritual battle in
Speaker 1: history and the beginning of a new age in the
Speaker 1: relationship between God and humanity. The way into God's presence
Speaker 1: was now open to all who believed in Christ.