Where Did Jesus Go for Three Days and Three Nights?

Hello, and welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick, an Oklahoma rancher and farmer. Les Feldick has been teaching homestyle Bible classes for over 20 years in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. Les Feldick's unique style of Bible teaching has made the books of the Bible come to life. When Les is teaching, it's so interesting that people say time just seems to fly by. And now, here is Les Feldick. OK, there we are. Oh, OK, good to have everybody back again. And this is our last one for this afternoon, I guess. So we'll be doing this program, and then we can go home again. All right, for all of you joining us on television, how we appreciate your letters, your phone calls, and yes, your financial help. We couldn't do it without that. But how we appreciate your letters and your prayers. My goodness, I think people tell us they pray for several times a day, and Iris and I appreciate that so much. And your letters that tell us over and over how you have a love for the Word like you've never had before. After all, that's why we teach, and not that we want to create a huge ministry or anything like that. But if we can just get people back into the Book and realize it's the greatest Book on earth. I mean, it is just nothing to be compared with it. I trust most of you realize that I'm always trying to bring out how intrinsically the Word is put together. Like I made reference a while back, when Paul comes up with seven distinct things, well, that's just not an accident. He didn't sit there and beat his head against the wall trying to figure out how he could do that. But that's just the way the Scripture flows. It is so intrinsically put together, and that's what I like to point out. Again, we always like to let folks know that every PAST program all the way back to Genesis up to where we are now today is available on videotapes, audiotapes, as well as the printed page. And if you're interested in any of those, you give us a call or write to us, and we'll give you the information you need. Okay, I think that's all for announcements now. We'll get back into where we left off in Ephesians chapter 4, and we've got one of these seven left yet, and we'll finish that before we go on into the succeeding verses. Verse 6, Ephesians 4, one God. Now remember, we've been talking about one all the way through this afternoon, one Lord, one faith, one baptism. Now it's one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all. Now you know the Jewish folk, bless their hearts, they kind of accuse us Christians of being polytheists, in that we believe in a Trinity. But you see for the Jewish person coming out of the Old Testament, that is almost anathema to him, because I want to turn back to their reasoning. If you'll go back with me to Deuteronomy, I think it's chapter 6, might be 7, so wait until I get there. No, chapter 6, Deuteronomy chapter 6, and this of course is the Jewish view of God being, like Paul just said in Ephesians, one God. Absolutely He's one. Deuteronomy chapter 6, dropping down to verse 4, and of course this is part and parcel of Jewish worship. Deuteronomy 6, and here you have all the letters capitalized. Now read it again, Deuteronomy 6, and then verse 5. Deuteronomy 6, and now as you come on up through the Scriptures, even staying in the Old Testament, which, of course, was written primarily, again, to the Jewish people. Stop at Isaiah a moment, and again, we'll look at a verse that we've looked at periodically over the years, and that would be in Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6. Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6. All got it? Isaiah 9, verse 6. For unto us, and remember the pronoun us is Israel, for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be, still future, but it's coming, the government shall be upon his shoulder, and now look at these names, and his name shall be called, wonderful, consular, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." Now you see in that one verse, we have all the names, not only of God the Father, but also whom? God the Son, He's the Prince of Peace. Isn't that amazing? But yet, they don't like to admit that this is a reference to Christ, but as far as we're concerned, it is. It's a prophecy concerning the coming of the Christ child in Bethlehem, who of course would be, now if you'll turn with me to Matthew chapter 3, because this was a question on my answering machine the other morning, and so it's fresh on my mind. The question was, where are the Scriptures where all three Persons of the Godhead are mentioned in the same place? Well this is the most obvious one, and never losing sight of the fact that we have one Lord, one God, absolutely, but of course our view of it is in three Persons. Matthew chapter 3, verse 16, and this of course is at Christ's baptism, there at the River Jordan, and Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water, so there we have Jesus of Nazareth, God the Son, and lo the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him. That's the Holy Spirit, there's the two. Now verse 17, you've got the third Person of the Trinity, and that is from Heaven, the voice from Heaven, God the Father I think is implied, and He says, "...this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Alright, now I've got one more reference that I think is just as tantamount, and that would be in 2 Corinthians chapter 13, and the last verse. 2 Corinthians 13, verse 14. 2 Corinthians 13, and the last verse of the chapter, which is verse 14. All got them? The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now the Son is mentioned first, and the love of God, speaking of the Father, second, and the communion, or the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. So what have you got? All three Persons in one verse, but God the Son in this particular instance is named first, and then the Spirit, or then God the Father, and then the Holy Spirit. But they're all mentioned right there in one verse, as one God. And so we're not polytheists, we believe in the one God, the one Father of all, as Ephesians. Now if you'll come back there with me, Ephesians chapter 4 again. And so one God, one Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But He of course is also identified with the one Lord of verse 5, and then the one Spirit back there in verse 4. And this all of course has to be taken by faith. I can't comprehend, I don't think anybody can. Three Persons as one, and yet this is the way the Bible teaches what Paul calls then in Colossians, the Godhead. All right, now we're going to go into another few verses. I hope we can cover 7-11 now, in the remaining moments. And this is an interesting concept, which of course had to take place when Christ was crucified and was in the grave those three days and three nights. Verse 7, "...but unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ." In other words, every member of the body has a differing level of responsibility, of grace, I think even yes, of faith. That's God's prerogative, because we're all different, but we're all members of the body. Now verse 8, "...wherefore he saith, when he ascended up on high..." And that of course, you've got a flashback to Acts chapter 1, when they were on the Mount of Olives, and what happened? "...the Lord went up from their midst, and the angel said, This same Jesus, as you have seen go into heaven in like manner, shall come again." That's when He ascended as we normally think of it. Verse 8, "...when he saith, he ascended up on high, he led captivity of captive, and gave gifts unto men." But now verse 9 and 10, "...now that he ascended..." That is up to glory. "...what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth, and he that descended..." That is into the lower parts of the earth, "...is the same also that ascended up far above all the heavens, that he might fill or fulfill all things." What in the world was He talking about? Well come back with me first to Matthew chapter 12. Now we did this in our series way back when we were in Revelation, and were dealing with the Lake of Fire, but that's been so long ago, most of our listeners won't even know what we were talking about. Matthew chapter 12, and we can jump in at verse 40. Matthew 12, verse 40, and Jesus is speaking, He's here in His earthly ministry, and of course He's responding to the taunts of the Jewish people of that day. And verse 40 He says, "...for as Jonah 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." Now that's plain English isn't it? The analogy is that just as sure as Jonah went to the depths in the whale's belly, went through at least a semblance of death, three days and three nights, before the whale spit him out up on the shore, and evidence of a resurrection, at least in type if not in reality, He went on then to finish His ministry to Nineveh. So Jesus is using that. Now He does two things here. He not only prophesies His own experience, which is going to come, but He also adds His stamp of approval to the story of Jonah, which much of even Christendom ridicules. Ever thought of that? The Lord Himself puts the stamp of approval on the story of Jonah. It was an actual happening, or He wouldn't have said it. All right, so what happened? As Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, and went into the depths and came out alive, so also must the Son of Man, of course He's speaking of Himself, would have to be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. All right, now what was it like in the heart of the earth? Luke chapter 16. Luke chapter 16, and here again our time is going so fast, I haven't got time to cover all these verses. But nevertheless, let's hit the highlight of them, and it's not a parable. It doesn't call it a parable. So I have to feel that Jesus was talking about an actual happening. Today we call these things little windows of opportunity. Well I think this is a window that gives us just a glimpse of the state of those who have died. Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, fared sumptuously every day. On the other hand there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, who was laid at his gate full of sores, and desiring to be fed to the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sword. In other words, poor old Lazarus had a miserable life, didn't he? And it came to pass that the beggar, poor old Lazarus, died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. Now remember Abraham died 2,000 years B .C., and the Old Testament believers went down into paradise. It's always signified as going down, and as the Lord Himself spoke of it, as down into the center of the earth. So even the thief on the cross, what did the Lord say to him? Today thou shalt be with me in paradise. Now He didn't take him to heaven, He took him down into paradise. And the rich man also died. He was buried, that is his body. Remember here several weeks ago I put it on the board, the soul never sleeps. Remember that? A taping or two back. The body sleeps, because it's going to be called back awake at resurrection day. But the soul never sleeps. In the same way here, Abraham's body was laid in a tomb, or however, it was buried, but his soul went on down into the ether parts, and hell. That's what it's called. And in hell he lifted up his eyes, not being asleep, he's very much conscious, but being in torment, and he sees Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom, and he cried and said, Father Abraham, see it was one Jew to another, and he said, Have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame. But you know the story, and Abraham says he can't do it, because verse 26, Between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, cannot pass over from one to the other. And so the rich man keeps coming back, and he says, Oh, but just go back and tell my brethren or something. Now verse 29, here's a verse I always like to use when I emphasize Paul's writings for us today. When Abraham was being begged by the rich man to do something, what did Abraham say? They've got Moses and the prophets. Abraham didn't tell them, well they can pray to God. Abraham said, they've got the written Word. And I maintain today if we could talk to the Lord, and ask Him a question or two, do you know what He would say? You've got Paul, you've got the letters of Paul, in them is everything you need to know. Read it. Alright that's what he said here. They've got Moses and the prophets. They've got the printed Word, that's all they need. Okay, so then we know that Abraham and Lazarus were on one side, they were in paradise. Over here across that fixed gulf in torment was the rich man who was lost. Alright now Jesus implied then in that analogy with Jonah, that this is where he went for his three days and three nights. He went down into paradise. And from paradise then, as Paul so explicitly puts it, he ascended, and now if you'll come back with me again to Ephesians. After descending into the lower parts of the earth, where Abraham and Lazarus and all the Old Testament saints were waiting for the atoning blood of the cross, because remember animals blood couldn't take away sin, and so they could not go into heaven in the presence of God until the atoning blood had been shed. But it has been now, and so now with that finished, Christ could take paradise out of its place in the center part of the earth, and He takes it up into glory. Alright, let's read on now in Ephesians chapter 4. Let's go back to verse 9. Ephesians 4 Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first? Which of course would have been during those three days and three nights in the tomb. And he that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all the heavens, that he might fulfill all things. Now there's more there than meets the eye. What are some of the all things? Well these Old Testament believers, they were saved by their faith, but they couldn't be saved by the work of the cross. It hadn't happened yet. It was still clear out into the future. So once Christ finished the work of the cross, and went down, and as Peter says, preached to those spirits in prison, because the atoning blood hadn't been shed, now what could He tell them? I've died for you. My blood has been shed. The atoning blood is done. And so He takes them now up far above, verse 10 says, all heavens, that He might fulfill all things, because that's what the work of the cross did. It just finished the whole plan of redemption for the Old Testament saints, as well as for us of the church age. So He has fulfilled all things, everything that needed to be done, Christ accomplished on the cross. Now that always brings me back to this same premise, and I've got to repeat it over and over. If He has done everything that needed to be done, then who are we to say, but I've got to do this, and I've got to do that, but I've got to do this. See we're adding to, in so many words, we're telling God, you didn't really finish it. I've got to put the frosting on the cake, regardless of what it might be. And God will not have it. We have to rest on that finished work, plus nothing, and then of course move on into a life that will be a testimony to the world round about us. So now He has finished that aspect of redemption, so far as the Old Testament saints were concerned. He has now emptied the paradise in the center part of the earth, and He has taken it up to glory far above all the heavens, that He might fill or fulfill all things. Now in the few moments we have left, look what God has now left for the church today. Now remember Corinthians was back there in His earlier revelations. Now we've jumped up into higher ground, and we don't have all the things that they had back in Corinthians. God has removed some of them. But look what do we have left in verse 11. He gave some apostles. Now at the time that Paul wrote, there were still apostles. He claimed to be an apostle. In fact, I've got time, let me show you. Come back to Romans a moment, and I don't want any doubt as to what I'm saying concerning Paul being an apostle. Romans chapter 11, verse 13. I'm going to take my time, because I want you to all see with your own eyes, and hopefully the camera can get the Scripture on the screen. Romans 11, verse 13. Look what he says. Romans 11, verse 13. Romans 11, verse 13. So here we know that as Paul writes this letter to the Ephesians, he is an authoritative apostle sent to us Gentiles in particular, and of course to the whole world in general. Now coming back to Ephesians 4, verse 11. So when Paul writes Ephesians, then this term is still valid. Apostles are still in place, and Paul of course wasn't the only one. Barnabas I think was, Silas, and I don't know. I don't think the Scripture refers to Timothy and Titus as apostles anymore, but whatever. We now know that we do not have apostles any longer. This is something that has now dropped off, and again I think it's because the Word is complete as we have it, and there's no longer a need for apostles. Now the same thing goes for prophets. Now if you'll go back to our lessons in Corinthians, when prophecy was the gift to be desired, was because there was no printed New Testament. Even Paul's doctrines were not yet in print. And so until Paul's letters come about, and the rest of our New Testament to complement with that, God had to have gifted men to keep the thing going from the time that the church began until these church letters appeared. So it was a necessity that they had prophets who were capable of the gift of prophecy. But you see, that too is no longer necessary, because we have the printed Word, and we have the Holy Spirit to interpret the Word, if you want to use that Word, or to understand it. But now the last three are still valid. Every local church that is true to the Word of God should have these kind of men functioning and active in that local body of believers. And what are they? Evangelists, pastors, and teachers. And that literally fills the need of a local church. If you can find a church that has an evangelist, and they have a pastor. Now you know there's a big difference between a pastor and an evangelist. Some people have the gift of just literally oratating the Gospel. Is that a right word? Orating the Gospel, that's a better word. They just have the gift for that. Others have a gift for just simply being a friend in need, and that's the role of a good pastor. He can call on the sick, he can comfort, and he can just fulfill a multitude of the needs of believers. Then there's that third gifted person in a local church, and that is a teacher. Not all pastors are good teachers. God doesn't expect them to be. All evangelists aren't teachers. All teachers aren't evangelists. So they are three distinct gifted kinds of men that God has placed in the local body of believers. And you show me a church that's got these three things going for it, and I'll show you a church that's alive and well, because these are what God has left for us today. And then verse 12 says the whole reason for it. What's the purpose of pastors and teachers and evangelists? For the perfecting, and the better word is maturing. So all of this is given to the local church for the maturing, or the growing in grace and knowledge, as Peter puts it, of what people? The saints. It doesn't say a word here about lost people. This is to perfect or to mature the saints. And what have I taught from this little old music stand for years? The purpose of teaching the saints is that you and I can go out and win the lost. That's God's program for today. You and I are to win the lost. Thank you for watching Through the Bible with Les Feldick, a weekly Bible study. If you would like more information about the Les Feldick Ministries, a Bible study in your area, or about this program, write to Les Feldick Ministries, Route 1, Box 760, Kenta, OK 74552. That's Route 1, Box 760, Kenta, OK 74552.