Low in the tomb He lay

[Murph]

Haven't written anything in some time...so it is time to write.

On Friday Jesus died a horrible agonizing unspeakable evil death. He was crucified. He died for you and me, and as you and me...He sacrificed Himself so we could live a life forgiven of our sins, so at our physical death we could be resurrected, like He was.

He was lovingly removed from the Cross by Joseph of Arimathaea, Nicodemus, and probably others...

"And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight." Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand." John 19: 38-42.

Have often thought on how it would have felt to remove Jesus from the cross...pull out the nails from His hands and feet. His body was a lifeless bloody mangled mess...they washed it and prepared it for burial. They carefully placed His body in the tomb...kicked the cleat out from in front of the stone and roll it in front of the tomb opening.

But it wasn't over yet...far from it. It was just beginning.

For 3 days the body of Jesus rested in that dark tomb...but Jesus was elsewhere. Did that ever occur to you?

Where was He and what was He doing?

The Bible tells us...so lets go see.

[Murph]

The clearest indication we have in Scripture of where Jesus was between His death and resurrection comes in His conversation on the cross with one of the thieves crucified next to Him. The believing thief asks to be remembered when Jesus comes into His kingdom (Luke 23:42), and Jesus replies, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (verse 43). So, after His death, Jesus went to the place of blessing where God is—heaven. And that’s where the believing thief went, too.

First Peter 3:18–20 says, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 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.” .Jesus, sometime between His death and resurrection, went to hell/Hades and made an announcement to the “spirits” imprisoned there. We don't know exactly what He said...but I think it was a victory speech!

If the spirits mentioned in 1 Peter 3:19 are fallen angels, then those spirits were probably imprisoned because they were involved in a grievous sin before the flood in Noah’s time—Peter mentions Noah’s flood in verse 20. (1 Peter 3:22; Colossians 2:15).

Ephesians 4:8–10 is another passage used in the discussion regarding Jesus’ activities in the three days between His death and resurrection. Quoting Psalm 68:18,"Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them." Paul says about Christ, “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” Ephesians 4:8. Jesus gathered all the redeemed who were in paradise and took them to their permanent dwelling in heaven. That is, after securing their salvation on the cross, Jesus brought Abraham, David, Joshua, Daniel, the beggar Lazarus, the thief on the cross, and everyone else who had previously been justified by faith, and led them from Hades (the abode of the dead in general) to their new spiritual home.

I would love to have seen and hope the Lord will show us that procession...Jesus leading the Old Testament Saints home, straight up the main street of Heaven, straight into God's throne room, and straight up to God!

And that is what the Lord was doing for those 3 days...on Saturday night the world seemed very dark, but just before Dawn, Sunday morning...