The Trinity Archives - Page 3 of 11

Clean From Unclean (Good Friday 2018)

Christ Church on March 30, 2018

Jesus is the Lord of reversals. To understand this, we have to understand the backdrop of the older covenant.

Throughout the Old Testament, if someone came into contact with an unclean body—a leper or a dead man—mere contact made him unclean himself. The disease, the death, the corruption was all contagious.

“Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying, If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No. Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean. Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the Lord; And so is every work of their hands; And that which they offer there is unclean” (Hagg. 2:11–14).

Under the older covenant, the unclean thing had the power to corrupt the clean thing, it had a way of spreading its qualities that a clean thing did not have. The dirty affected the clean. The clean could not transform the dirty.

But when the Lord Jesus conducted His ministry throughout the land of Israel, it did not work this way. Jesus entered into this broken and fallen world, and everywhere He went, He made things run backwards. For example, He went everywhere touching the corrupt, the diseased, and the leprous. His was a ministry of contagious cleanliness, contagious holiness. If Jesus reached out His hand and touched a leprous face, this did not make Him unclean. Rather, it made the leper clean.

“And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed” (Mark 1:40–42).

We have something remarkably similar in the death of Jesus. In fact we have the crowning instance of it. Remember that when He was nailed to the cross, this meant that He died under the curse of God.

“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” (Gal. 3:13).

Everlasting blessing and joy arise from the cursed thing. Jesus was lifted up like the bronze serpent was (John 3:14), and as everyone who looked in faith upon the impaled serpent was healed of the serpent’s venom, so also everyone who looks upon the poisoned cross of Christ with faith leaves all their poison there.

Not only that, but when He died, His cursed body became unclean as well. He died under the curse of God, so that He might provide propitiation for our sins, and this act of sacrifice culminated in his dead and unclean body hanging under an angry sky, threatening to contaminate the land. This is why the Jews wanted to break the Lord’s legs, so that His unclean body could be removed before it could defile their high holiday.

“The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away” (John 19:31).

But when the soldiers came to do this, they found that the Lord Jesus was already dead. Jesus was cursed, dead, and unclean. To ensure that He was really dead, one of them rammed a spear into His side, and blood and water came out (John 19:34). This is a crucial detail, as John makes plain in the next verse. “And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe” (John 19:35). John wanted us to know that blood and water came out. Why? So that you might believe.

But consider for a moment what this means. We are cleansed by the blood of Christ. We are washed by this blood and water. But this means that our cleansing comes from the blood of a dead man. His uncleanness makes us clean.

“This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth” (1 John 5:6).

His curse is our blessing. His defilement is our washing.

“How much more shall the blood of Christ [of a dead man, mind], who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb. 9:14).

A purged conscience is the work of the Lord’s blood.

“Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied” (1 Pet. 1:2).

Sanctified because sprinkled with an unclean thing.

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

The blood of a unclean dead man cleanses. Not only does it cleanse, but it cleanses us from all sin.

“And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” (Rev. 1:5).

We are washed in an unclean thing and, stupefying as it is, this is our cleansing.

I began by saying that Jesus is the Lord of reversals. Is this not a reversal of staggering magnitude? Just as Eve was taken from Adam’s side, so also the new Eve was fashioned from the side of the second Adam. But this means the one who was to be without spot or wrinkle or any other blemish was taken from the side of a corpse.

The only reason this can work is through the process I mentioned earlier, which Scripture calls propitiation. Because Jesus, the sinless one, died under the wrath of God, this means that the uncleanness of His death was the uncleanness contributed by you and by me. The reason your diseases are left behind when you touch Him is that He obeyed His Father and identified with you completely. This means that your sin became His, and you left all of it there, and that His righteousness became yours, and you took all of it with you.

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

I want to conclude with a Good Friday invitation. If you are not a Christian, if you are not forgiven, if you don’t know God, then know this.

With an unclean world behind you . . .

With an unclean Hell below you . . .

With an unclean heart within you . . .

Come then, to the cross of Christ, and touch the unclean thing. And if you do, then you will come away, everlastingly and eternally pure.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, amen.

Apostles Creed 16: I Believe in the Holy Ghost

Christ Church on October 16, 2017

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

What we now know as the Apostles Creed descended from an earlier form of the creed, known as the Old Roman Symbol. The beginning of the creed dates from as early as the second century. We do not have any direct evidence that it was penned by any of the apostles, but it is an admirable summary of the apostolic teaching.

Introduction

The fact that the Holy Spirit is mentioned by name late in the Creed does not make Him an afterthought. He is not present here as a postscript. When we begin the Creed with the words I believe, this is only possible because the Holy Spirit has been at work. He is the one who quickens us into new life, and who is therefore the one who consequently enables us to believe any aspect of the gospel.

The Text

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of the virgin, Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into Hades. On the third day He rose again from the dead, ascended into Heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Summary of the Text

“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:13). We see here in our text that the Spirit and the Word accompany one another. The word of truth, the gospel, the message of salvation, is the thing anointed, and the Spirit is the one who anoints it with Himself. He anoints the message by anointing the believing ears that hear the message. This is how we are sealed. The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of promise. He is the one who was promised through the prophets, and the one who fulfills the promise, as well as the present comforter who renews the promise.

Not A Blind Force

Because the work of the Spirit is to testify to Jesus (Rev. 19:10), and the work of Jesus is to bring us to the Father (John 14:6), it is sometimes easy for us to start taking the Spirit’s “behind the scenes” identity for granted. But we must understand Him, and this begins with understanding that He is a Him. He is not an impersonal force, like electricity or something.

Throughout the New Testament, we consistently find the Holy Spirit referred to by the masculine personal pronoun, despite the fact that the word spirit is grammatically neuter. As a Person, the Holy Spirit can be grieved (Eph. 4:30). It is possible to lie to Him, as Ananias and Sapphira did (Acts 5:3).

The Holy Spirit speaks commands and can be obeyed (Acts 10:19-21). The presence of the Spirit is a comforting presence (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit has a will (1 Cor. 12:11). There are many other such passages. Included in the Trinity, the Spirit is not an impersonal addition to the other two persons.

In God to God

Remember that there is only one God, and this God exists in three eternal persons. These persons are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We need to consider this triune God in two different ways. Note that we are considering Him in two ways; we are not considering two Gods. Theologians distinguish God as He is within Himself (the ontological Trinity) and God as He works in our midst (the economic Trinity). The following illustration is an illustration of His economic working.

“For through him [Christ] we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.” (Eph. 2:18). The Father is the city we are driving to, the Son is the road we travel, and the Holy Spirit is the car. The Father is the harbor we are sailing toward, the Son is the ocean, and the Holy Spirit is the wind behind us in our sails. The triune God brings us to Himself along Himself by Himself.

The Earnest of Our Inheritance

Our text says that we were sealed by the Holy Spirit. This is said a number of times. “Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts” (2 Cor. 1:22). The word for earnest is arrabon, meaning down payment or earnest money. It means pledge, deposit, or guarantee. God gives us Himself as an earnest payment on our final inheritance, our final salvation. Someone might say that this does not prevent someone so sealed from going to Hell. Well, all right, but that means that if a sealed believer goes to Hell, the Spirit goes there with Him.

What good is a guarantee that guarantees nothing? God is not like a dishonest merchant who gives out lifetime guarantees, where the guarantee is only for the lifetime of the product. “It is guaranteed to work until it doesn’t.” “Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit” (2 Cor. 5:5). The verse after our text says the same thing. “Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory” (Eph. 1:14).

The Spirit Glorifies Christ

We believe in the Holy Spirit, and He is the one who enables us to believe everything that we should, in gladness rejoicing.

“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 5:18–20).

What produces the same effect in the parallel book of Colossians? “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Col. 3:16). Put these two passages together. The Spirit is not the “fluid” that fills us. Rather, He is the agent who fills us with something else, the word of Christ. “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly by means of the Holy Spirit . . .” We believe in the Holy Spirit, most certainly, but we believe from within Him.

Seeing Glory, Receiving Grace

Christ Church on October 9, 2017

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The Text

“Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!…” John 1:35-51

Why Disciples?

In this passage, Jesus gathers men as disciples, and we must ask, “Why disciples?” Jesus’ work on earth begins with his incarnation and ends in his crucifixion and resurrection. So why not go right to the cross? Why gather disciples? John gives the answer in 1:14-16. Jesus came, not only to take away sin, but in order for the world to see the glory of Son and the Father and for us to receive grace upon grace from this fullness. Removal of sin is not the end, but the means to life with God––life as children of God, life as followers of Jesus, life as his disciples. Jesus has come on a glorious and gracious mission. He has come for people to see the glory of God and to graciously share in that glory as children of God. And so he starts with four men named in this passage––Andrew, Peter, Philip, and Nathanael. Each of these see Jesus as glorious, full of truth and grace.

Following the Lamb of God (vs. 35-39)

John again identifies Jesus as the Lamb of God (vs. 36). Two disciples hear John say this and follow Jesus. “What are you seeking?” Jesus asked. They’re seeking to have their sins taken away! Discipleship is first and foremost the expressed need for a savior from our sins. The beginning of following Jesus is not for the strong, but the weak, not for the healthy, but the sick, not for the righteous, but the sinners (Mk. 2:17). They discover the truth that Jesus is the Lamb of God and follow in order to receive grace.

We Found the Messiah (vs. 40-42)

They were seeking Jesus and they find the Christ. Andrew, one of the two first disciples, becomes an evangelist and tracks down “his own brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah!’” (vs. 41) This is the one like Moses who would deliver God’s people from slavery. This is the one like David who would restore God’s kingdom. This is the one like Solomon who would build God’s temple. This is a glorious declaration that leads Simon to receive grace.

After Andrew brings Simon, Jesus looks Simon over, possibly whistles and then gives him his new life long nickname “Rocky.” Or more accurately Peter, the Rock. Jesus named him Peter, and Peter became his new name (Mt. 16:17). Jesus has authority to give a new name, new identity, new life. This is more grace because there is no better identity that what Jesus gives his disciple.

Follow Me and Found Him (vs. 43-46)

The next day, Jesus decides to travel to Galilee and he found Philip and said, “Follow me.” Philip then found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” There’s a lot of finding here in these few verses. But who found who first? Jesus’s finding Philip was prior to Philip finding Jesus. Every disciple must find Jesus, just like Philip found Jesus. But then you will know that Jesus has found you first.

Nathanael responds, “Out of Nazareth! What? Can anything good come?” This could simply be Nathanael’s rural town rivalry as a Bethsaida boy with Nazareth. But he also knew there was no mention of Nazareth in the messianic prophecies. As a recent follower (that day), Philip didn’t have all the answers and so gave a simple invitation, “Come and see.”

The King of Israel, the Son of God (vs. 47-49)

Even as Nathanael comes to see Jesus, Jesus sees Nathanael and knows him inside and out. “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” (vs. 47). Nathanael responds, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael realizes that he is so thoroughly known and seen by this stranger that Jesus must be more than a man. And so he uttered these life-changing words, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel!”

The Son of Man Lifted Up (vs. 50-51)

Jesus responds by describing the greater things Nathanael will see, “You shall see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” Jesus combines two seemingly strange Old Testament dreams. The first is Isaac’s dream in Genesis 28 of the angels climbing up and down the ladder to heaven and the second is in Daniel’s dream in Daniel 7 of the Son of Man receiving a kingdom from the Ancient of Days. So what’s going on? I believe that Jesus is affirming what Nathanael says about Jesus––He is the Son of God, and He is the King of Israel. Jesus will be seen as the Son of God and the King of Israel as he is lifted up on the cross as the Son of Man (Jn. 3:13-15).

While hanging on the cross, Jesus is ingloriously mocked as the King of the Jews and the Son of God. And yet, Jesus says these are the greater things that will been seen. You will see the glory of the Son of Man, who is the King of Israel, who is the Messiah, who is the Lamb of God, who is God’s own Son, lifted up on a cross to die for sinners, for his disciples.

Apostles Creed 12: On the Third Day He Rose Again from the Dead

Christ Church on September 17, 2017

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

What we now know as the Apostles Creed descended from an earlier form of the creed, known as the Old Roman Symbol. The beginning of the creed dates from as early as the second century. We do not have any direct evidence that it was penned by any of the apostles, but it is an admirable summary of the apostolic teaching.

Introduction

Since the first century, the Christian church has commemorated the resurrection of Jesus from the dead by meeting on the first day of the week, the Lord’s Day (Rev. 1:10Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)). The Sabbath was ordained, as the Old Testament makes abundantly clear, for as long as the old creation lasted. Therefore, nothing would be adequate to shift the day from the seventh to the first short of a new heaven and new earth. And in the resurrection from the dead, this is precisely what we find.

The Text

Summary of the Text

“Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection” (Acts 17:18Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)).

As we will see, the apostolic proclamation of the gospel centered in an important way on the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. This is apparent in multiple places, and here on Mars Hill it comes out in a curious way. The Greek word for resurrection is anastasis, and the philosophers there thought that Paul was preaching strange gods. Note the plural. They thought this because he was preaching about Jesus and about Anastasis. The resurrection featured so strongly in his preaching that they thought Resurrection was one of a pair of gods.

When the disciples replaced Judas, they wanted someone who had been with them since the baptism of John down to the ascension. That apostle’s job was to be witness, together with them, of the resurrection (Acts 1:22Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)). The enemies of the gospel were grieved that the early Christians were preaching the resurrection of the dead through Jesus (Acts 4:2Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)). The orthodox Jews believed in a resurrection of the dead, contra the Sadducees, but the Christians were preaching that this resurrection had surfaced in a strange and unexpected place, through the resurrection of Jesus. This is why Paul was able to divide the Sanhedrin on this question (Acts 23:6Open in Logos Bible Software (if available), 8Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)). There would be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust and the Jews knew it (Acts 24:15Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)). But there was something they did not know.

A Brief Word about the Third Day

As we saw in the previous message, Jesus had predicted that He was going to spend three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (Matt. 12:40Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)), just as Jonah had spent that time in the fish. This raises a question for the curious—how on earth can you get three days and three nights to fit in between Friday afternoon, and Sunday morning? The brief answer is that you cannot, and despite all the Good Friday services we hold, Jesus did not really die on Friday. The thing that makes some people think He did is that the gospel of Luke tells us that He was crucified on the day of preparation, as the Sabbath drew on (Luke 23:54Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)). But the Jews had more Sabbaths than just the weekly Sabbath. The Scriptures refer to high holy days that are not the weekly Sabbath as Sabbaths (Lev. 16:29-31Open in Logos Bible Software (if available), 23:24-32Open in Logos Bible Software (if available), 39Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)), and Jesus was crucified just before the Passover. So there were two Sabbaths that week. After that first Sabbath, the women purchased spices for use on His body (Mark 16:1Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)). The weekly Sabbath was the second Sabbath that week, and Luke 23:56Open in Logos Bible Software (if available) tells us the women, after they had prepared the spices, rested on the Sabbath (Luke 23:56Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)). How could they buy spices after the Sabbath, and also rest on the Sabbath after they had prepared those spices—unless there were two Sabbaths that week? So, without belaboring the point, I think we should assume that the first day of Passover that year was Thursday. Jesus died Wednesday afternoon, and was laid in the grave around sundown Wednesday night. Thursday night was one day, Friday night the second, and Saturday night the third. For the Jews, the first day of the week would start at sundown our Saturday night, and that is when Jesus rose. So when the women came on our Sunday morning, the grave was already empty.

Some Mocked

“And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.” (Acts 17:32Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)).

One of the things that the unbelieving heart loves to do is take certain obvious things for granted, in order to suppress and ignore them, and to do this in order to ridicule the coming glories as incredible. One time I was with Christopher Hitchens on Joy Behar’s show, and they were making merry over the fact that I believe the Bible, meaning that I believed in talking animals—like the serpent in the garden, or Balaam’s donkey. “How can you believe in talking animals?” My response was, “But we’re animals, and we talk.” And nobody knew quite what to do. In short, everybody believes in talking animals.

And what about life from the dead? Everyone believes in that too. The evolutionist believes that inanimate matter one day jumped the chasm and became animate—life from death. And it did this all by itself. And Christians believe that God formed Adam from the dust of the ground. When He breathed the breath of life into him, that inanimate matter became a living soul (Gen. 2:7Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)). Everyone believes that life came from death. What our faith in the resurrection means is that we believe it will happen again. But why on earth would anyone declare a miracle an impossibility the second time? “Sure, you walked on water once, but a second time is plainly impossible.”

Inside Out History

Having no doctrine of creation, a common pagan assumption about history involved it in endless recurring cycles. The Jews had a doctrine of creation, and so they had a linear view of history. It was a story with a beginning, middle, and end. The resurrection from the dead would occur on the last day. Jesus said the general resurrection would happen on the last day (John 6:39-40Open in Logos Bible Software (if available), 44Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)). Martha expected to see her brother Lazarus at the last day (John 11:24Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)). Unbelievers would be judged by the words of Christ on the last day (John 12:48Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)). And this is all true enough, as far as it went.

But the startling thing that God did was this. By doing this, He transformed the entire nature of human history. He punched a hole in the fabric of history, right in the middle of it. That hole was the tomb of Christ. He reached through that hole, grabbed the last days, and pulled them through the tomb. The resurrection of the last days has begun, and it began in the middle of ordinary time. Christ rose in the middle of history, which means that all our reckoning has to be adjusted accordingly.

Resurrection on the Move

Everything that was entailed in the resurrection of the last day has been accomplished in Christ. He rose from the dead bodily. His resurrection was the down payment on what will be for the rest of us. “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself” (Phil. 3:20–21Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)).

The last day will still see wonderful things—our bodies will be transformed then, just as the Jews expected. But because Christ’s body was transformed in the middle of history, what was pulled after this? Christ’s resurrection pulled our regeneration (our spiritual resurrection from spiritual death), and our regeneration pulls our bodily resurrection after it. “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness” (Rom. 8:10Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)).

But of course it is the hand of God that is doing all the pulling.

Apostles Creed 11: He Descended into Hades

Christ Church on September 10, 2017

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

What we now know as the Apostles Creed descended from an earlier form of the creed, known as the Old Roman Symbol. The beginning of the creed dates from as early as the second century. We do not have any direct evidence that it was penned by any of the apostles, but it is an admirable summary of the apostolic teaching.

Introduction
And so now we come to an odd one, one which reveals a fairly large gap in cosmology between a child of the biblical era and a child of the modern era. It is also a testing point, sometimes, for the most stalwart inerrantist. Wait, what? You think that an actual star came down and picked out a house in Bethlehem for the magi? And all God’s people, along with our Christmas cards, said, yup.

Cosmology answers the question of what kind of world you assume yourself to be living in. Is the cosmos mostly empty space, punctuated here and there by flaming gases and dead hunks of rock? And with our miniscule lives tucked away in some miniscule corner of it? Or is the whole thing an intricately designed artifact, one that fits easily in the palm of God’s hand?

The Text
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of the virgin, Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into Hades. On the third day He rose again from the dead, ascended into Heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Summary of the Text
“For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matt. 12:40).

Jesus knew that He would die and go to Hades (Ps. 16:10). He also knew that He would be there for a brief time. It would be sometime less than four days—Lazarus began to see corruption after four days (John 11:39), and the episode with Jonah told Him exactly how long it would be. He knew on the strength of Psalm 16 that He would not be abandoned there. Peter, preaching on the day of Pentecost, quoted Psalm 16 as a proof of the resurrection. “He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell [Hades, translating the OT Sheol], neither his flesh did see corruption” (Acts 2:31). Not only was this a prediction of a resurrection, but of a resurrection after a comparatively brief time in the grave. The Christ was to be in Sheol/Hades, but not for long.

Distinguishing Some Terms
The final judgment, the eternal lake of fire, is what Jesus called Gehenna. But this is different from Hades, which should be understood as the intermediate place of departed spirits. The Old Testament name for this place was Sheol. We distinguish Sheol/Hades from Hell proper because John tells us that death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14).

We are sometimes thrown off because many translations of the Apostles Creed say, “He descended into hell.” The problem with this is that the Lord did not descend into the lake of fire, into a place of torment. The Apostles Creed was originally written in Greek, and the word at this place is Hades, not Gehenna. The confusion occurred because Hel was the name of the Norse goddess who ruled over the underworld. In other words, our word Hell used to mean something more like Hades.

Symbolism . . .
In Scripture, the ultimate description of the final things is given to us in symbolic language. But do not play with this like a liberal. Liberals say that something is “symbolic” as a coping mechanism, trying to get the reality being represented to go away. But what is greater, the symbol or the reality being pictured? If the lake of fire is literal, it is really bad. If it is figurative, then it is actually far, far worse.

The word Gehenna comes to us from the Valley of Ben Hinnom outside Jerusalem. That was the dump, the landfill, where fires were constantly burning, and where worms never went extinct. It had been the place where Molech worship had once been conducted.

In the Old Testament Era . . .
In the time before the Messiah came, the expectation of the godly was to die and go to Sheol. Jonah (most likely) actually died and cried out to God from the depths of Sheol (Jon. 2:1). The psalmist expected that Sheol would swallow him up (Ps. 18:5; 86:13; 116:3).

In the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, they both died and went to Hades. In that parable, Hades was divided in two by a vast chasm. The side where Lazarus was had the name of Abraham’s bosom (Luke 16:23), while the rich man was in torment in Hades. Nevertheless, communication occurred across the chasm.
In our text, Jesus said that He was going to be three days and nights in the heart of the earth. But He also told the thief on the cross that He would be with him in Paradise that same day (Luke 23:43). So then, Abraham’s bosom was also known as Paradise. To the Greeks, this would have been Elysium. This is where Jesus went, and preached across the chasm.

The Greek word for the lowest pit of Hades, the worst part, was Tartarus. This word is used once in the New Testament (without any redefinition, mind). Peter tells us this: “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell [Tartarus], and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment” (2 Peter 2:4).

What Did the Lord Do While There?
While in Hades, the Lord preached. But the preaching was not “second chance” preaching. Rather the word used is one used for heralding or announcing, not the word for preaching the gospel. “By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water” (1 Pet. 3:19–20).

He Holds All the Keys:
The Bible teaches us that Jesus is the king of all things. The devil is not the ruler of Gehenna—Jesus is. The lake of fire was prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41). Furthermore, Jesus holds the keys to Hades as well. “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell [Hades] and of death.” (Rev. 1:18). When the Lord rose from the dead, He led captivity captive (Eph. 4:8)—all the saints in the Old Testament who had died and gone to Abraham’s bosom were transferred when Paradise was moved (Matt. 27:52). And by the time of Paul, Paradise was up (2 Cor. 12:4).

That at the Name of Jesus:
And so we preach Jesus, king of Heaven, and Lord of Hades. Hades is the place where He emptied out Paradise, and Hades is the place He will throw into the lake of fire. He is the king, I tell you. And so we proclaim Him, such that at the name of Jesus every knee might bow, whether in Heaven, or on earth, or under the earth (Phil. 2:10).