The Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ – Part Two

 

In the first part of this discussion on the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, I laid the foundation for His Resurrection by reviewing the events that occurred following His Crucifixion and death, but prior to His appearance on Resurrection morning. At that time, I anticipated moving on to a discussion of the more commonly appreciated events associated with the Lord’s Resurrection, but the Spirit alerted me to my failure to address some key points relevant to us today.

Having been trained to think from a scientific perspective, and although I know better, I’ve generally focused on the natural, rather than the spiritual interpretation of some scripture.  For example, I didn’t quickly appreciate the meaning of the Bible verses that the Apostle Paul wrote to his followers relating to having been “crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20); and having been “buried with Him by baptism into (His) death” (Romans 6: 3-4); or that “we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection” (Romans 6: 5). Another example relates to having been regarded as “dead”. (2 Corinthians 5: 14-15)

From our earlier Bible study, we know that we are composed of an eternal, invisible soul and spirit, housed in these temporary mortal bodies. But being able to separate the experiences of our soul / spirit from those of our human body is critical to understanding many concepts of scripture.  That includes the impact of the Lord’s suffering, Crucifixion, death, burial and Resurrection directly on the lives we lead today. (Romans 6: 3-11).

In God’s foreknowledge, He knew that our Lord Jesus would bear the weight and penalty of the sin debt of all mankind. (Romans 3:23) But He also knew who among that total (as soul and spirit) would come to believe in His sacrifice as our path to righteousness in the eyes of God, some 2,000 years later. (Romans Chapters Eight, and 10: 9-13). The Holy Spirit would identify those of us who believe this Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) and become members of His Body (The Body of Christ).  (1 Corinthians Chapter 12, Ephesians 3: 1-6, 4: 1-18, 5: 8-10, Colossians 1:24, 2: 8-15, 17)

Sometimes confusing has been the understanding of the scripture that reads: “…if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) One of the blessings gained by believers through the Lord’s death, burial and resurrection is the transformation that took place in our soul / spirit. That verse correlates with several other verses that tell us our former unchecked, fleshly sin-nature (our “old man”) is now being challenged by a Spirit-driven new nature (our “new man”). (Romans 6:6, Chapter Seven, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 2: 15, 4: 21-24, Colossians 3: 1-4, 9-11) Note the on-going battle for our soul as presented in the Book of Romans, Chapter Seven.

These various aspects of our being both a physical presence (visible body), and a spiritual presence (invisible soul / spirit) explained how our Lord Jesus could be both physically sealed in a tomb for three days and nights, but also in the center of the earth in Hades. Remember the scripture that reported many graves were opened after the Lord’s Resurrection, and many bodies of believers who had slept/died came forth into Jerusalem and were seen by many.  (Matthew 27: 50-53) In Old Testament language, they were the “firstfruits” of the harvest that belong to the LORD. (Exodus 23: 15, 16, 19 are examples.)

They also explain how on Resurrection Morning, He was able to appear in His new glorified body, rather than His previous body that had been utterly destroyed. (Isaiah 52: 10, 13-15).  However, His Resurrection was so much more than His reappearance to His disciples and others in His new body of flesh and bones…one without blood. (Luke 24: 38-40)

Even among many Bible students, the significance of the nature and timing of the Lord’s brief conversation with Mary Magdalene shortly after His Resurrection remains a mystery, or at best unappreciated. (John 20: 11-18).  The Lord said to her: “Touch me not; for I have not yet ascended to my Father;” The first part of His statement (“Touch me not…”) refers to either His not having fully completed His transformation into His new physical body…and/or the second part of His statement: (“…for I have not yet ascended to my Father;”) which relates His intention to remain pure as He was carrying His own Holy Blood to Heaven to our Father, to atone for all our sins. (Read Hebrews Chapter Nine carefully.)

In carrying His Holy Blood to Heaven, He was able to meet the requirement of God for the sacrifice of innocent blood for the remission of our sins. In this manner we (our souls/spirits) have become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5: 20-21). As believers in what He has done for us, as noted above we have become members of the spiritual “Body of Christ’. That is the Gospel of our salvation that we have received through His Grace, not through anything that we ourselves have done. (1 Corinthians 15: 1-4; Romans 10: 9-13).

Eventually we will all receive new physical bodies like unto His. (Philippians 3: 20-21).  We will experience our own Resurrection. (Carefully Read the Resurrection Chapter, 1 Corinthians 15, especially verses 20-26, and 39-54.) In the meantime, as believers, God has sealed us (our souls/spirits) in our Lord Jesus and given us the Holy Spirit as earnest (a pledge or down-payment) in our hearts. (2 Corinthians 1: 21-22, Acts 1: 1-5, 2: 1-4, 10: 44-45)

Our Lord’s Resurrection was completed when He ascended into Heaven to sit on the right hand of Our Father. (Acts 1: 9-11, 2:34, Psalm 110:1, Matthew 22:44, 1 Corinthians 15: 25, and others).  He is our Advocate with the Father (1 John 2: 1-2), and we are Ambassadors for Him in this fallen world. (2 Corinthians 5: 19-21)

We celebrate in that we have been truly blessed in many ways through the suffering, Crucifixion, death, burial and Resurrection of our beloved Lord Jesus Christ.

Dr. W. A. Robinson

 

The Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ

 

In my previous posts on the Crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Chris, I tried to lay the foundation for understanding why this season is so important to Christians.  The tremendous sacrifice made by the Lord Jesus accomplished what only God could do. He took upon His body the sins and their consequences for all mankind, resulting in His horrific suffering, the shedding of His holy blood, and ultimately His death. 

In review and retrospect, I failed to address two major points.  The first point relates to an event that took place some distance from the site of the Crucifixion.  At the end of the three hours of darkness, when the Lord Jesus dismissed His spirit, the thick, heavy veil (curtain) that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies in Israel’s Temple was “rent” / torn in half from top to bottom. (Matthew 27: 51, Mark 15: 38, Luke 23: 45).  This was significant because only a supernatural force could have done that. Further, it signified the removal of the barrier to direct communication between man and God.  With the veil in place, only Israel’s Chief Priest could enter the Holy of Holies to atone for sin, and even then, only once a year. (Hebrews 9: 1-7). No longer would God require that man approach Him through an intermediary / priest.

My other omission was also very significant.  The Gospel of Grace that leads to man’s salvation, which our Ascended Lord Jesus taught to the Apostle Paul, has three major components. Through faith, we are to believe that: 1) Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He died to atone for the sins of mankind; 2) He was buried; and 3) He was raised / resurrected from the dead on the third day. (1 Corinthians 15: 1-4, Romans 10: 9-13)  The prior posts focused on the Lord’s Crucifixion that resulted in His death, addressing the first part of the Gospel.

As we move to the discussion of the Resurrection, keep in mind that even as with Adam, our Lord Jesus was born of a woman as soul with a spirit placed in a human body. (Genesis 1: 27, 2: 7, Matthew 1: 18-23, Luke 1: 26-35, 2: 4-7, John 1:14, Galatians 4: 4) He allowed the death of His physical body, but not His soul/spirit. (Matthew 27:50, Mark 15:37, Luke 23:46, John 19: 30). The distinction between the death of the Lord’s body and His soul/spirit must be fully appreciated to follow the events related to His Resurrection. Further, this distinction helps clarify for us as believers in the Gospel, how those events have shaped our own futures.

 Remember from our earlier Bible study, there were certain factors that were necessary to fulfill God’s requirements for man’s salvation / redemption:

·       The human body of all people (including that of the Lord Jesus) had to die because of Adam’s original sin. (Genesis 2: 16-17, Romans 5: 12);

·       The life of the flesh is in the blood, and it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul that has sinned. (Leviticus 17: 11). In fact, without the shedding of blood there is no remission / forgiveness of sin.  (Hebrews 9: 22);

·       The blood of animal sacrifices provided temporary coverage of Israel’s sins, but for man to be permanently restored to righteousness in the eyes of God, his sin debt had to be paid directly into the Holy Place in God’s Heaven.  Only the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, could offer His own holy, sinless blood to accomplish that. (Hebrews Chapter Nine);

·       Of all the people who had lived and died before the incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus, some untold number had obtained righteousness in God’s eyes.  That group included even the Patriarch Abraham. (Genesis 15:6, Romans 4:3, Luke 16: 19-31) However, by definition, the necessary blood offering in Heaven had not been made on their behalf. That permanent atonement for their sins had to be made to be redeem / restore them to their Creator, even as we also needed today. (Luke 16: 19-31, 23: 39-43);

·       The Lord Jesus had noted during His earthly ministry that the souls/spirits of those who had died earlier were in Hades / Hell. Dependent upon their earthly deeds / beliefs, they were either there in the Paradise side or in the other side, the place of torment. Both sides were awaiting their ultimate destination and their eternal bodies, even as we do today. (Luke 16: 19-31, 1 Corinthians Chapter 15, 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-17, Revelation Chapters 20 - 22); and.

·       There had to be proof / evidence that the Enemy and death had been defeated.

The Bible records that all these factors were met, and fulfilled God’s requirements, demonstrating His Love, Justice, Righteousness, Mercy and Grace towards mankind.

As noted earlier, the Lord’s Crucifixion ended when He said: “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit:”, and then He dismissed His spirit and allowed His body to die. (Luke 23: 46).  After His body was secured from the Roman officials, it was prepared for burial and placed in a tomb where it lay for “three days and three nights”, as the Lord had prophesied. That burial of His body met the second part of the Gospel we are to believe, as noted above.  But as the scripture notes, His spirit / soul did not rest in that tomb but went into the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12: 40)

Note the bullet above that refers to the abode in Hades / Hell where the souls / spirits of those who had died earlier resided.  At some time during the three days and three nights, The Lord Jesus’ spirit / soul went there to prepare those who would soon be relocated / carried with Him to Paradise in Heaven.

During that period of three days and three nights the Lord Jesus accomplished two other important tasks.  He collected some of His own shed blood, that He would present at the Holy Place in Heaven to atone for the sins of mankind. (Hebrews Chapter Nine) As a second task, He had to fashion His new human-type body, composed of flesh and bone…without blood, capable of overcoming the limitations of time, space, gravity and other earthly forces. (Luke 24: 36-46) The evidence of those actions would be shown later in the scripture.

As you consider these several events and actions, remember that they took place after the Lord’s crucifixion and death. They were hidden from the eyes of man, and done prior to and in preparation for what we now call “His Resurrection”. There might be other occurrences that also have been hidden. [Remember that an important Bible verse informed us that God keeps things secret / hidden until He is ready to reveal them to us, but when He does reveal them, we are to believe and accept them. (Deuteronomy 29:29)

My next post on the subject of “The Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Part Two)”, will look at the more commonly appreciated description of the events associated with that title. 

In the meantime, I thought you might find interesting a website that I found during my research for writing this post. It is titled:

Messianic Prophecies from the Old Testament:

https://www.newtestamentchristians.com/bible-study-resources/351-old-testament-prophecies-fulfilled-in-jesus-christ/

Dr. W.A. Robinson

 

The Crucifixion of Our Lord Jesus Christ – Part 2

 

In the first section of the post on this topic, I noted that I felt - in many instances -that insufficient attention has been paid to our Lord Jesus’ final three hours on the Cross: the “Three Hours of Darkness”. (Matthew 27:45-46, Mark 15: 33-35, Luke 23: 44-45)  My attention to this area was developed when I saw a video developed by one of my teachers, Pastor Joseph Prince, New Creation Church / Joseph Prince Ministries, Singapore - https://www.josephprince.org/ . The animated video depicted the Lord being under the attack of spiritual forces bearing disease, sickness, pain, suffering, etc. during those hours of darkness.

My interest in this time period is not only because of its relative uniqueness in Scripture, but also is an attempt to help me better understand why the events that took place at that time were hidden from us. Do you remember another time when two of the Lord’s followers were dejectedly returning home to Emmaus following the Crucifixion? They thought their belief in Him as their Messiah had been misplaced. Even as the Lord joined them on their journey, He hid His identity as He taught them to understand that the events they had witnessed were part of what had been foretold by the prophets in the Scripture (presumably including Isaiah Chapter 53, among others).  He wanted them to see Him and believe in Him through their “spiritual eyes”.  (Luke 24: 13-35)  In reading these accounts are we, even as they, being tested in our faith as to the full significance of what the Lord accomplished that day?  All eyes were hidden in the darkness.

Some people learned from the Bible that the Crucifixion and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus were collateral damage to the punishment that the LORD God meted out to the serpent / Satan / Lucifer after he deliberately lied and drew God’s beloved creation man into the fateful, mortal sin of disobedience. (Genesis 2: 16-17) The key factor in that punishment for the serpent / Satan was the LORD God’s sentence: “And I will put enmity between thy seed and (the seed of the woman); it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3: 14-15). From that point on in the Scripture, the Enemy Satan has sought to keep God’s punishment from becoming reality while continuing to undermine God’s relationship with future generations of mankind. Did the “three hours of darkness” include part of the Enemy’s last steps to destroy the “seed of the woman”? Were the results so horrific that God would not let man witness them?  That line of thought seemingly places too much emphasis on the Enemy / Satan.

To fully understand the implications of the punishment, it is important to remember that both the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman are spiritual beings. The “bruise” or crushing of the head of the serpent would be a most serious wound, causing the serpent to lose any and all power over any person who chooses to believe / obey God. That person would no longer face spiritual death / eternal separation from the Creator. The “bruise” of the heel of the seed of the woman would result in the physical death of Jesus’ earthly body, but He would have ultimate victory in restoring eternal life with God for those who choose to believe / obey God.

The Crucifixion of our Lord Jesus fulfilled both of these aspects of the punishment mandated by the LORD God. Christians have been taught early on that the tremendous suffering and Crucifixion of our Lord Jesus resulted in our eternal salvation.  The evidence of the Lord’s “bruising” / physical mistreatment through the Roman scourging and other abuses were quite obvious to Pontius Pilate and all those who saw Him prior to His Crucifixion. (Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, John 19) His grotesque appearance was startling. (Isaiah 52:4) The death of our Lord Jesus’ physical body was witnessed by the many who were there. Even so, our Lord Jesus defeated Satan in his attempt to forge a permanent wedge between God and His beloved creation man.  Also, when the Incarnate Lord was Resurrected, He demonstrated that His powers over Satan and death were both physical and spiritual. Perhaps during the three hours of darkness, God did not want man to fully see the horrendous pain and suffering endured by His Beloved Son, our Lord Jesus, as inflicted by the Enemy. But…

Now I would like to postulate another possible explanation for shielding the eyes of mankind during those three hours of darkness.  Perhaps it was to spare us, God’s prized creation man, from witnessing what our disobedience / sin has inflicted on our Lord Jesus…even as He continues to bless us in so many ways. In His foreknowledge, God would use this series of events to accomplish what many have come to call the “Divine Exchange”.  Our Lord Jesus took on Himself all of our sins and the consequences of those sins for all mankind . In exchange, He gave to those who believe in Him His Righteousness and numerous blessings. (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

Because Adam / man was guilty of sin / transgression against God’s Righteous Laws, and sin has been passed along to all future generations, all mankind also had to be punished. (Romans 3: 10-18, 23) Therefore, in His Righteousness and Justice, God had to give every person the opportunity to receive eternal life and the blessings. (John3: 15-20) Further, God had predetermined that there would be “no remission” of sin without the shedding of blood. (Hebrews 9: 22) In fact, God Himself was the first to shed innocent blood to atone for Adam’s sin, when He clothed them literally, and figuratively in His Righteousness. (Genesis 3:21) Two thousand years later, God made clear that His love for His beloved creation man would be fully manifest in that He would send His Beloved Son to pay that dear price for our sins.

For those who believe what our Lord Jesus has done to redeem us to eternal life, that blessing might seem significant enough for us to worship Him and honor His Crucifixion and Resurrection every year. Even so, many Christians still do not appreciate all the other blessings beyond eternal life that the Lord has secured for those who believe in what He has accomplished for us. The Bible teaches us that a Christian today is expected to believe the Gospel of Grace that provides the foundation for our redemption. (1 Corinthians 15: 1-4, Romans 10: 9-13) In my post on this blog in February this year, I listed many of the Lord Jesus’ blessings for us as we received His righteousness as part of the Divine Exchange. Because of their critical significance at this time of the observance of His Crucifixion and Resurrection, I am repeating them as I close this post:

Those who believe are impacted in all three areas of their being: Body, Soul and Spirit (3 John 1:2)

Through faith (Hebrews 11:1, 6), the believing person:

• becomes a Christian, having been baptized into Jesus Christ, into His death, burial and Resurrection. (Romans 6:3-5)
• who previously did not believe, and God had regarded as an enemy (Romans 8:7-9), that person has been reconciled to Him through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5: 8-10, 2 Corinthians 5: 17-19)
• has all sins, past, present and future forgiven, their punishment having been paid through the precious blood of the Lord Jesus. (Acts 10: 43, Romans 8:1, 2 Corinthians 5: 18-19, Hebrews 9: 11-18, 22,28)
• has the support of the Holy Spirit to break any generational curses or iniquities. (Exodus 34:7, Numbers 14:18)
• becomes a new creation / creature in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:18-19) and is translated into His Heavenly Kingdom. (Colossians 1:13, Philippians 3:20-21)
• has become a member of the spiritual Body of Christ. (1 Corinthians Chapter 12)
• becomes the righteousness of God in Christ and becomes both a son of God and a joint-heir with Christ. (Romans 8: 14-17)
• has become sanctified / purified internally by renewing of the soul through faith. (Acts 26: 15-18)
• has become an Ambassador for Christ in this present time on the earth. (2 Corinthians 5: 20)
• is in-dwelt with the Holy Spirit, Who quickens / awakens the person’s internal spirit, providing knowledge, wisdom and guidance. (Romans 8: 1-27)
• has his/her name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, bringing eternal life. (John 3:16-17, Revelation 21: 27)
• can freely request the many blessings of God, including healing “by His stripes” (Isaiah 53:5), and safety and protection (Psalm 91), among other blessings.
• has comfort knowing that their prayers have been heard by God, regardless of whether or not God’s answer is what he / she hoped for. (Proverbs 15:29, Romans 8: 26-27, James 5:16)
• is comforted knowing that whatever trials or difficulties that person may face, the Lord will always be with them. (Deuteronomy 31:8. Hebrews 13:5)

Dr. W.A. Robinson

 

The Crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ

 

As Christians look ahead to the annual observance of the Crucifixion and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, it is always good to look back and carefully review what happened that 2,000 years ago.  Those events had a greater impact on our lives and the lives of mankind in general than any other events in history.

First of all, it is important to recognize that torture and death by crucifixion were used many thousands of times by the Romans during the times of their reign.  So, the important question is “What was so special about the crucifixion of this one man?” The answer to that question lies in who He is, what events took place, and what was accomplished during those horrific hours leading up to and during His suffering and death, and His Resurrection that followed.

I will not focus on the answer to the question of who Jesus Christ is because Christians have already accepted the message of all scripture that our Lord Jesus is the Son of God. Most importantly, the Bible reveals that even before the foundation of the Earth was laid and man was created, the Eternal, Omniscient, Omnipotent Godhead knew that His beloved creation man would transgress against God’s laws / commit sin, leading to death. Therefore, God’s plan for Salvation / to restore man to Himself, had to:

1.      Apply to all mankind,

2.      Cover all sins / transgressions committed over thousands of years by mankind,

3.      Uphold the Highest Just standards of law and judgment of the Sovereign God, and

4.      Give each person the option to choose or reject God’s Plan for Redemption.

Only through God’s personal intervention could every person who ever lived be given the opportunity to be restored to a righteous relationship with Him and justified as though he / she had never sinned. Consider how God’s relationship with man evolved over the Bible’s thousands of years of history ( http://www.lesfeldick.org/lestimel.html ) (https://www.gotquestions.org/seven-dispensations.html ) . Further, try to imagine how God’s plan for man’s redemption could give each person the freedom to choose or refuse God’s offer of redemption.

At the time of His Crucifixion, our Lord Jesus was Incarnate / embodied in human form / 100% man, so that He could identify with each of us (Psalm 139:1-4, Hebrews 2: 14-18, 4: 14-15 and others) …, but He also maintained His Divinity / 100% God. (Matthew 17: 1-9). As both God and man, His suffering and death and Resurrection affected our entire being – our body, our soul and our spirit.  (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

The series of events in discussion covered several days. [One reference for the timeline of the events can be found at the following website:

https://www.ucg.org/the-good-news/the-chronology-of-the-crucifixion-and-resurrection-of-jesus-christ ]

On the first day of Israel’s observance of Passover, after His Last Supper with His disciples, the Lord led them to the garden at Gethsemane where His suffering began. The Scripture records that He “began to be sorrowful and very heavy” and said to them “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death…”  His agony was so severe that as He prayed “His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”(hematohidrosis)  As they slept, He twice prayed to the Father that He not have to endure what lay ahead, but He would do the Father’s will (Matthew 26: 36-45, Luke 22:39-46).  Knowing what lie ahead, our Lord Jesus endured this terrible pressure on His soul and mind so that we might be able to withstand the attacks on our soul and mind. His soul was made an offering for our sins. (Isaiah Chapter 53)

Having been betrayed by Judas, arrested by Jewish leaders and turned over to Roman authorities, the Lord was judged to have committed no crimes by Pontius Pilate. Even so, to appease Israel’s rulers and the mob, Pilate instructed the soldiers to scourge the Lord.  Rome’s brutal soldiers were not limited by Israel’s legal restrictions of the number (40) of severe lashings / stripes He would have to suffer. (Deuteronomy 25:3) Further, their lashes with weapons of extreme torture tore His body’s flesh to the degree that He was virtually unrecognizable. (Isaiah 52: 14)

Even after suffering that gruesome abuse, at the insistence of the Jewish rulers and mob of Israelites, the Lord Jesus was turned over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified. Scripture reports that they then took him to their barracks where 600 soldiers lived. They stripped Him; repeatedly mocked and spit upon Him and struck Him on the head to imbed a crown of thorns that they had fashioned. Eventually they led Him away to be crucified. (Matthew 27: 22-31, Mark 15: 15-20)   

Our Lord Jesus, the Creator of heaven and the earth, suffered all this physical and mental abuse and torture silently for mankind. Scripture reports: “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53)

That was only part of His suffering to pay the sin debt for mankind. Then the soldiers took Him away to Calvary to be crucified.

Christians are invariably familiar with the story of the Crucifixion.  But I feel that insufficient attention has been paid to the Lord’s final hours on the cross: the “Three Hours of Darkness”. In my next post I’d like to re-visit that subject.

Dr. W.A. Robinson