JESUS IN SHEOL
What Happened Between the Crucifixion of Jesus and His Ascension to Heaven?
Gabor Kover
Jesus in Sheol
What Happened Between the Crucifixion of Jesus and His Ascension to Heaven?
Gabor Kover
ISBN 978-963-08-8183-8
© Gabor Kover
2013
Unmarked Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982, by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Use by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
I use the literal translation of words or the original Hebrew terms, e.g., Sheol, for the sake of clarity.
Cover design: Krisztian Horvath (First Edition—December 2012 Berlin, Germany)
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jesusinsheol.com CONTENTS
Introduction 3
PART 1 - THE STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH AND THE PLACES OF PUNISHMENT
The Structure of the Earth 5 Proverbs 8 11 13 תהום - Tehom The Springs of Tehom 13 The Tehom and the Seas 15 Summary 21 Sheol and Other Places of Punishment 23 that is, Hell 23 ,ׁשאול - Sheol Other Terms for Sheol 40 47 אבדון - Abaddon Tartaros 50 Gehenna 52 Summary 57
PART 2 - JESUS IN SHEOL
Prophetic Pictures 58 The Story of Joseph 58 The Story of Esther 65 The Story of Jonah 66 Daniel in the Lions’ Den 66
Why Did Jesus Have to Go Down to Sheol? 69
JESUS IN SHEOL 75 The Restoration to Life 101 The Resurrection 104 Summary 117 The Glorification 120 The Ascension to Heaven 123
JESUS IN SHEOL
What happened between the crucifixion of Jesus and His ascension to Heaven?
Introduction
The main subject of this book is the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the great work of salvation. So as to understand the Biblical revelation about the suffering, the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, some other topics must first be addressed. Without these preliminary studies, the passages about Jesus’ suffering could only be interpreted as metaphoric or figurative language. This is why what the Bible says about the inner structure of the earth, where Hell is located and how the Scriptures describe it will be examined first. These details are vital in understanding the subsequent parts of the subject.
Then, some Old Testament examples and stories will be addressed which, in some of their elements, refer to salvation. Through these stories the different aspects of what the Bible has to say about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ will be examined. Finally, a closer look at the particular passages on the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus will be studied.
This book is based completely on the Bible and the unfolding of Biblical teachings from the Scriptures. Many Biblical passages are included, which are accompanied by my short commentaries. Therefore, this book is also a Scriptural interpretation. While reading, you will discover
- 3 - an interpretation discipline: when a Biblical text is not a parable, primarily the literal meaning as opposed to the metaphoric meaning will be considered. This method of interpretation will allow the student to understand the Bible more.
Jesus ascended to Heaven after His resurrection, but He is continuing His work on the earth through the church. As the Bible says:
Mark 16:20
“And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.”
May Jesus Christ testify about Himself through the words about Him while you’re reading this book and may the Spirit of God touch you immensely!
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The Structure of the Earth
Many scientific theories are considered to be facts and are therefore discussed as facts today. These scientific theories, which are based on materialistic conceptions, have become part of today’s worldview because the scientific- materialistic worldview can be supported the best by these theories. However, these theories many times have several weak points.
Materialistic science cannot explain many things and can interpret only a part of the truth. All phenomena that science cannot understand or interpret fall under the so- called ―no-explanation‖ category. Some examples of this ―no-explanation category‖ include parapsychology, the beginning of life, and ancient mysteries. However, most of the phenomena and mysteries like them can be understood if based on the Biblical worldview. It seems that the Bible is not an old-fashioned Book…
Today when people think about the inner structure of the earth, they do so according to the scientific-materialistic theory. This very popular theory claims that the earth (together with the other planets and stars) began after the explosion of the energy mass (the ―Big Bang‖ theory). The surface of the hot magma, which solidified in the cold space, has been constantly solidifying since the ―big bang.‖ However, the core is still hot, and the plates are swimming and moving on this hot lava.
This book’s study of the inner structure of the earth will be based on the Biblical revelation, which is not in line with the scientific-materialistic theory.
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The first and most fundamental difference is that, according to the Bible, the earth was created by God. In the book of Job, God Himself tells how He created the earth.
Job 38:1, 4-11
1Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: ... 4“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. 5Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8“Or who shut in the sea with doors, When it burst forth and issued from the womb; 9When I made the clouds its garment, And thick darkness its swaddling band; 10When I fixed My limit for it, And set bars and doors; 11When I said, „This far you may come, but no farther, And here your proud waves must stop!‟
According to the description in this passage, the earth is laid on a ―cornerstone‖ which is in the center of the earth. Only one cornerstone was laid by God, and He set the footings and the foundations upon this cornerstone. In the (eden) אדנ :original Hebrew text of the Old Testament means ―base, pedestal, pillar.‖ This description is what the Bible calls ―the pillars of the earth.‖
The Bible also uses other words for these ―footings or pillars,: including
‖.mosad) which means ―base or foundation) מוסד -
Allow me to share some verses that contain this phrase.
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Isaiah 24:18
And it shall be That he who flees from the noise of the fear Shall fall into the pit, And he who comes up from the midst of the pit Shall be caught in the snare; For the windows from on high are open, And the foundations of the earth are shaken.
The entire chapter of Isaiah 24 prophesies the catastrophes in the last days and describes the cosmic plagues striking the earth so fiercely that even the foundations of the planet will shake.
Micah 6:2
Hear, O you mountains, the LORD‟s complaint, And you strong [unchanging] foundations of the earth. …
The prophet Micah says that the foundations are very stable and unchanging. More precisely, the word strong can be rendered as ―strong, firm, massive and hard.‖
2 Samuel 22:16
Then the channels of the sea were seen, The foundations of the world were uncovered, At the rebuke of the LORD, At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.
This verse reveals that the wrath of God and the light surrounding His presence caused the channels and the beds of the sea to become visible. The foundations of the earth were disclosed—uncovered. Apparently, God had already been to that place once, and He was angry.
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Another interesting detail is revealed in the following verse:
Jeremiah 31:37
Thus says the LORD: “If heaven above can be measured, And the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel For all that they have done, says the LORD.
God is saying through the prophet Jeremiah that He will never come to hate the descendants of Israel nor will He reject them forever. For this reason, it is impossible to search out and uncover the foundations of the earth. The only source of information about these foundations (pillars) is the Word of God.
Yet another verse also claims that it’s impossible to discover the inner part of the earth:
Proverbs 25:3 (KJV)
…the earth for depth is…unsearchable.
Interestingly, it was not only in Biblical times that the technology was insufficient to search the inside of the earth. Even today scientists know very little about the earth’s inside. Modern scientific machinery can only drill to a certain point into the earth’s core. Scientists can only reason and hypothesize theories as a result of gathering this limited information. This information gathering is like somebody’s trying to predict what the inside of an apple is like merely by examining its skin.
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Another word in the Bible referring to the pillars of the earth is:
‖.amud) which means ―pillar) עמוד
This word is derived from the term erect (e.g., ―a statue or a pillar‖) but can also be rendered as ―firm, remain or endure.‖ This term is the expression the Bible uses for ―the pillar of cloud and fire‖ that led the Israelites during the exodus as well as for the pillars in the holy tabernacle and in Solomon’s Temple.
Psalm 75:3
The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved; I set up its pillars firmly.
The entire seventy-fifth Psalm addresses the judgment as well as that God-appointed time when He will judge the wicked people uprightly. In the days of judgment, the people of the earth will be scattered and disappear, but God will make the pillars of the earth firm so that they are not broken.
This next verse is also about God’s judgments.
Job 9:6
He shakes the earth out of its place, And its pillars tremble.
In the time of the patriarch Job, people believed that the earth is laid on pillars. God is able to shake the earth so much that its pillars will tremble.
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The next word for the pillars of the earth is:
‖.makhown) which means ―foundation) מכונ
Psalm 104:5
He set the earth on its foundations; -it can never be moved. (NIV)
This Hebrew word also contains the notion of being massive and firm, which means that the earth is laid on such massive foundations that it does not break or waver.
Finally, the fifth Hebrew word is:
‖.matsuwk) which means ―pillar) מצק
1 Samuel 2:8
For the pillars of the earth are the LORD‟s, And He has set the world upon them.
The two last verses show that God created the earth, the solid crust, and the visible surface lying on these pillars. This solid crust has been laid on the foundations or pillars so that it may never be moved. In other words, having this foundation is why the Earth is stable. If the earth’s plate were only a few miles in thickness, would not the many thousands of miles of thick lava burst from within like out of the sun?
These five Hebrew words all refer to the same pillars of the earth, their bases which stand on the cornerstone of the
- 10 - earth, and which hold the outward, solid layers of the earth.
Proverbs 8
Job 38:1-17 served as a basic passage for the study of the earth’s structure. A very similar, parallel passage can be found in Proverbs 8:22-30, where God Himself again talks about the creation of the earth.
Proverbs 8:22-30
22 The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old. 23I have been established from everlasting, From the beginning, before there was ever an earth. 24When there were no depths I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water. 25Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills, I was brought forth; 26While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields, Or the primal dust of the world. 27When He prepared the heavens, I was there, When He drew a circle on the face of the deep, 28When He established the clouds above, When He strengthened the fountains of the deep, 29When He assigned to the sea its limit, So that the waters would not transgress His command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth, 30Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him.…
In this passage the Son is speaking, Who is later incarnated in Jesus as the Messiah, and Who, in the Old Testament, is described as ―the angel of God‖ or ―the Lord of hosts.‖ In this chapter He speaks of Himself as ―wisdom‖; He also speaks about eternity and the age preceding the creation as
- 11 - well as the creation of the heavens and the earth. He records that the Father created not only the spiritual world and the spiritual beings (e.g., the angels), but He created the matter of the universe itself: the primal dust of the earth. While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields, Or the primal dust of the world (verse 26).
Again, the Bible tells about the pillars of the earth (verse 29). In a literal translation: ―…when He carved the foundations of the earth.” So the foundations must be beautiful. The creation of the sea is mentioned as it was in Job chapter 38.
It would be extremely interesting to study through the whole chapter, but in keeping with the line of the proposed subject, only the things that the Messiah says which are inside the earth will be examined.
Proverbs 8:24
When there were no depths I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water.
Proverbs 8:27
…When He drew a circle on the face of the deep.
Proverbs 8:28
…When He strengthened the fountains of the deep.
Two words bear examining in these passages. The terms “depth” or “deep” (Hebrew tehom) occur a couple of times as well as the word ―springs.‖
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(תהום) Tehom
This word can be rendered as 1) ―depth‖ or 2) ―whirlpool.‖ According to the footnote in the Elberfelder Bible in Genesis 1:2, tehom is ―a roaring deep mass of water.‖ It is inside the Earth. So, tehom (―depth‖) is a mass of water under the ground. (In some verses tehom can mean ―the depth of a sea or ocean.‖ For the purpose of this study, only verses where tehom means ―waters of the deep‖ will be addressed.)
The Springs of Tehom
In Proverbs 8, where Jesus speaks about the tehom, He also mentions springs overflowing with water. Therefore, one of the main features of the tehom is that it contains springs.
These springs are mentioned in the story of the great flood, when God opened the springs in a very special way:
Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah‟s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
Genesis 8:2, 3
2The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. 3And the waters receded continually from the earth.
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This verse is saying that the waters of the tehom break through the crusts to reach the surface of the earth.
Proverbs 3:20
By his knowledge the depths are broken up [burst forth], and the clouds drop down the dew.
This verse refers to the wisdom of God and the fact that God created the earth in such a way that water is obtained both from the sky above and from the depth (tehom). How do the waters spring up from the depth?
This next passage will reveal that rivers spring from the waters of tehom:
Ezekiel 31:15
Thus says the Lord God: „In the day when it went down to hell, I caused mourning. I covered the deep because of it. I restrained its rivers, and the great waters were held back. I caused Lebanon to mourn for it, and all the trees of the field wilted because of it.
The waters of the depth come out of the ground nearly everywhere on the earth except for the deserts. The oceans, the rivers, the springs, and the lakes are all God's miracles!
If God holds back the waters of the tehom, rivers will dry out, there will be drought and all the trees of the field will wither. This is why Jacob blessed Joseph in Genesis 49:25 with these words: …the Almighty who will bless you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb.” Jacob was aware that this is a very important blessing: “For the LORD
- 14 - your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs (tehom) gushing out into the valleys and hills” (Deuteronomy 8:7, NIV).
The Tehom and the Seas
Tehom, the underground waters of the deeps, cannot be identified with the seas and the oceans. This difference is suggested by the fact that the Bible uses different words for the two:
Job 28:14
The deep (tehom) says, “It is not in me”; the sea says, “It is not with me.”
Furthermore, Psalm 135 claims:
Psalm 135:6
The LORD does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and in all depths.
According to these verses, the tehom and the seas are distinguishable.
Not only do the rivers spring from the tehom, but Job indicates that the same is true of the seas and the oceans:
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Job 38:8, 9
8Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, 9when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness.
These verses show that when God created the sea, the sea burst forth from somewhere. It seems that after God had created the globe over the deep waters, the waters of the tehom burst forth from the springs of the deeps at God’s word. This description shows how the seas came to be.
Interestingly, modern science cannot offer a viable explanation as to how the waters of the earth we created. In their scientific estimations, they think there is even far less water than what really is on the earth.
The next passage reveals more about the deeps:
Job 38:16, 17
16Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? 17Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?
Apparently the description moves downward in these verses. The Bible first mentions ―the springs of the sea,‖ next ―the recesses of the deep,‖ and lastly ―the gates of death‖ which are located at the very bottom of the depths. These are the gates of Hell under the waters of the tehom.
―The springs of the sea‖ are between the depth (tehom) and the sea—at the bottom of the seas. The seas get their water from the tehom through these springs. If we look at these
- 16 - springs from the bottom—from the depth—they are the springs of the depth because the waters of the depth come through them. If we look at the springs from above—from the direction of the seas—they are the springs of the seas because the seas get their water through them. So in this instance ―the springs of the seas‖ and ―the springs of the depth‖ are the same. The tehom and the seas are in contact at these springs. Therefore, the ―springs overflowing with water‖—the springs of tehom—are not at the bottom of the tehom; they do not provide water for the tehom, as it is itself ―the great water pool.‖ ―The springs overflowing with water‖ are located at the top of the tehom, where the waters spring forth from and flow to the seas and oceans.
Let’s have a look at this verse again:
Psalm 135:6
The LORD does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and in all depths.
If you will take this verse as a picture scrolling down, you will see that the tehom is under the sea.
The next verses address the waters and the earth:
Psalm 136:6
…who spread out [stretched out] the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.
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Psalm 24:1, 2
1The earth is the Lord‟s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 2for he founded it on the seas [waters] and established it on the waters.
Though these verses do not actually use the word tehom, they clearly show that God created the earth on waters and streams. The first passages addressed about foundation of the earth revealed that God placed the earth on pillars. These additional verses prove that the earth is not only on pillars but on waters.
The other meaning of the term tehom is ―whirlpool, whirling water.‖ From this meaning, it is clear that the tehom cannot be considered as a still pool of water. On the contrary, as is often in oceans, the tehom water is roaring and whirling.
The above-mentioned Biblical truth is further supported by the findings of the recent deep drillings. In several places huge hot-water basins were found under the ground. As a result, some scientists have reached the conclusion that far more water is inside the earth than it had ever been supposed. How can this underground water be so hot? The waters of the depth are under very great pressure, which prevents them from turning to steam. The higher the pressure, the higher the boiling point of the water is. It is also possible that under great pressure, and at very high temperatures, the characteristics of the matters inside the Earth (e.g., water) completely change and are unknown to us.
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One example is the hot-water springs that were discovered in the seabed near the Galápagos Islands. The hot-water bursting forth from these springs is extremely rich in minerals. The pressure is so high that the boiling point is 380°. In truth, mankind knows barely anything about the ocean beds; only about 0.0001% has been discovered. I find it astonishing that more photos are taken of the moon than of the bottom of the oceans.
The Bible also speaks of fire or magma inside the earth.
Job 28:5
The earth, from which food comes, is transformed below as by fire.
However, the Bible puts much more emphasis on the waters inside the Earth, the tehom, than the fire—the melted rock.
The Septuagint (LXX) renders the Hebrew word tehom with the Greek abysos (―depth‖), which is also the word that the New Testament uses.
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Summary
I have addressed many Bible passages that refer to the inside of the earth. I am aware that for many people this study may seem to be weird and old-fashioned. However, according to the Biblical worldview, the inner part of the earth may well look much like the adjacent illustration. As we have already seen, Jesus Christ, the Wisdom Himself spoke about the inside of the earth in connection with the creation.
To sum it up, two essential claims can be made:
God placed the globe, earth, on a cornerstone and on pillars. A huge mass of water is located inside the earth. That water is the tehom, ―the waters of the depth.‖
No information is available about the size or width of the pillars or the size of the cornerstone. The thickness of the outer solid crust is also unknown. The inside of the earth is completely unknown, except for the top 20 to 40 miles. Is it possible that the outer crust consists of further layers, and the plates are moving upon them? Is there lava, melted rock, moving between or inside the layers? These questions cannot be answered definitively based on the above Biblical passages. Nevertheless, what can be stated is that neither the scientific view nor the Biblical viewpoint can be clearly proved. This, as mentioned, is stated by the Bible itself: the inside of the earth is unsearchable. It is only by faith that the structure of the earth—just like all the other works of God’s hand—can be accepted. We cannot understand God completely because He is far beyond man’s comprehension. And it is not understanding Him that He expects from man; rather, God expects man to have faith in Him.
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Finally, much more hot water than expected can be found inside the earth according to the Biblical account. The following chapters will reveal why that water is so important…
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Sheol and Other Places of Punishment
I am totally aware that teaching about the subject of Hell is not too popular. But in this study, it is vital to understand what Jesus suffered in the place of man in order to see the power that could defeat Hell and death. No one should be afraid of the teachings about Hell. If it’s discussed with faith, the Word of God will bring about growth as well as the fear of God and faith. Even Scriptures about Hell are words that are truly life and spirit.
The Word of God has much to say about the different penal places found inside the earth:
that is, Hell ,(ׁשאול) Sheol
In the Bible, Sheol is the unearthly place for punishment that occurs most times. The word means Hell, ―the realm of the dead.‖ Sheol is a temporary storing place of the souls of men who died until the great judgment day. The Gesenius Hebrew-Aramaic dictionary gives the following definition of Sheol: ―It is a term for the realm of the dead, used only in Israel; its etymology is unknown.‖ This word Sheol occurs 63 times in the Old Testament. Allow me to share what the Word of God says about Sheol:
1. It is very deep inside the earth. This location is very clear in the Bible.
Proverbs 15:24
The path of life leads upward for the prudent to keep them from going down to the realm of the dead [Sheol].
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Isaiah 14:9
Sheol below is all astir to meet you at your coming; it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you — all those who were leaders in the world; it makes them rise from their thrones — all those who were kings over the nations.
Numbers 16:30
But if the LORD brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the Sheol.
It is clear when looking at the examples where Sheol (Hell) is located that it is not an unearthly distant place; rather, it is indeed inside the earth.
2. Sheol is described in the Bible as ―a hungry, always devouring beast.‖ Billions of human souls may already be residing there.
Habakkuk 2:5
…he is as greedy as Sheol and like death is never satisfied, he gathers to himself all the nations and takes captive all the peoples.
Proverbs 27:20
Sheol and Destruction [Abaddon] are never satisfied, and neither are human eyes.
3. Sheol has gates. Jesus said that even the gates of Hell will not overcome the church:
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Matthew 16:18
…and I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades [the Greek name of Sheol] will not overcome it.
Sheol is like a huge cave system with many floors. It’s not like an earthly kingdom with width and length, as the place also has depth. Sheol is a place of constant traffic; daily many people die and their souls are sent to Hell. This traffic cannot merely flow through one entrance; there are several gates, which are probably very distant from each other.
In Biblical times, the city leaders sat in the gates; in this reference, Jesus speaks about evil spirits who are sitting in the gates of Sheol. This Scripture reveals that the wicked powers of Sheol attack the church from below—from the gates of Sheol. These wicked powers are constantly making plans and plots against individual Christians too. However, if the members of the church stay on the Rock, no harm will come to them. The powers of Hell will never be able to overcome the church.
Who are these evil spirits? Additional references in the Bible reveal that Sheol is not only a geographical location, but also a person.
Revelation 6:8
I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades [Sheol] was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague [perhaps some epidemics], and by the wild beasts of the earth.
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Revelations 20:13, 14
…Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them…Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.
In these passages Sheol (Hades) is not described as a geographical location as in the previous passages; rather, Sheol is described as a person. Revelation 6:8 states that Sheol is sitting on a horse. In the next reference, Sheol will be cast into the Lake of Fire. Neither of the verses can be rendered as to referring to ―the big underground prison of the souls.‖
The duty of the evil spirit called Death is to grab the soul of a person who has just died and give it under the guard of Sheol. The wicked angel called Sheol is in charge of the geographical location called Sheol, that is, Hell. After the fall of man, this angel was commissioned by the Satan to guard the souls of men who die in sin and keep them captives. (These souls are exposed to him by God because of their sins.) Perhaps the geographical place was named after the wicked angel, and that is why the etymology of the word Sheol is unknown to man. Death and Sheol are commissioned by Satan. These two major wicked angels, together with other evil spirits, are sitting in the gates of Sheol and constantly attack the church. A close co-operation between Sheol and Death exists. Their relation seems to be rather coordinative as opposed to subordination.
Psalm 55:15
Let death take my enemies by surprise; let them go down alive to the Sheol, for evil finds lodging among them. NIV
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Revelation 6:8
…Its rider was named Death, and Hades (Sheol) was following close behind him….
These verses reveal how people go down to Sheol. First, Death comes and surrounds the sinner. After he has taken the sinner’s spirit (soul), Sheol takes it over and takes it down to Hell.
4. In Old Testament times, not only did the souls of wicked people go to Sheol after their death, but the souls of the righteous people also went to Sheol.
Genesis 37:35
And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, “For I shall go down into the Sheol to my son in mourning.” Thus his father [Jacob] wept for him [Joseph].
Genesis 44:29
But if you take this one also from me, and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my [Jacob] gray hair with sorrow to the Sheol.
Numbers 16:33
So they and all those with them went down alive into the Sheol; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly.
Jacob, who was a righteous person, went to Sheol just like Korah and his companions, who were wicked people. In the time of the Old Testament, even righteous people
- 27 - could not ascend to Heaven, to the presence of God because salvation had not yet been bought. This is why righteous people also had to go to Sheol—to a place appointed by God. There they waited for the work of salvation to be accomplished by Jesus Christ. This appointed place in Sheol for the righteous was not a place of suffering, but of comfort. This place is called ―the bosom of Abraham‖ in the New Testament because all who believed in God followed Abraham’s faith and waited for the Messiah went there. Bosom means ―chest.‖ In antique societies, a person would lean his head on his friend’s chest to express his unconditional trust and friendship toward the other. An example of this type of unconditional trust and friendship between Jesus and His disciples can be found in the Bible. Abraham‟s bosom proves that the Old Testament believers were together with Abraham in a very friendly, loving relationship with each other.
Jesus shared a parable telling about that part of Sheol which was separate for the righteous:
Luke 16:19-31
19“There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man‟s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham‟s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24“Then he cried and said, „Father Abraham, 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.‟ 25But
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Abraham said, „Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf (chasm) fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.‟ 27“Then he said, „I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father‟s house, 28for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.‟ 29Abraham said to him, „They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.‟ 30And he said, „No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.‟ 31But he said to him, „If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.‟”
This portion of Scripture reveals that the righteous were not ―grabbed‖ by the evil spirits, Death and Hell, when they died; rather, they were taken to their place by angels. This passage also notes that there is a huge chasm between the penalty sections of Sheol and ―Abraham’s bosom.‖ Each character in the account recognized the other two, which means that the shadows in Sheol are not impersonal. The spirits of men are recognizable. Even the shadow of a man can somehow perceive pain. If not, Sheol wouldn’t be the place of penalty. The spirits of wicked men are suffering and burning in Sheol while the spirits of the righteous are not. The rich man saw that Lazarus, who was on the other side of the chasm, was well. He even asked if Lazarus could dip his fingertip in water and cool his tongue. But even this small request is not granted to perishable people in Sheol. The dwellers of Sheol remember their earthly memories, and this is why Abraham told the rich man: “Son, remember.…”
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5. Sheol is under the waters, that is, somewhere under the waters of the depths—of the tehom.
Job 26:5 The dead tremble, Those under the waters and those inhabiting them.
The dead are in deep anguish, those beneath the waters and all that live in them. (NIV)
Sheol is obviously under the waters and everything living in them. These passages seem to reveal that ―Abraham’s bosom‖ is directly under the waters. Is this possibly the reason why the rich man asked Abraham to let Lazarus dip his finger in water? Was the water close to Lazarus? Another phrase,‖ he [the rich man] lifted up his eyes…‖ also suggests that the bosom of Abraham is on the top of Sheol, since the rich man saw Abraham by merely looking up. The depths of Sheol are downward; this is where the rich man was suffering.
6. All dead people are in the hands of Sheol, the wicked angel.
Psalm 89:48
What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his life from the power of Sheol?
Psalm 49:15
But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, For He shall receive me.
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Job 7:9
As the cloud disappears and vanishes away, So he who goes down to Sheol does not come up. (Of course, at the resurrection, God will take out the souls for judgment.)
These verses show that Sheol keeps the souls with him under control; no one can escape on his own—no matter how much he desires. It seems logical to state that this is not about the prison complex as a geographical location which does not have authority in itself; rather, these passages mention Sheol as a person.
Until the death and salvation of Jesus Christ, the power of Satan, Death and Sheol affected all the people much more, as revealed in Jacob’s complaint. But God changed the situation.
Hosea 13:14 (NIV)
I will deliver this people from the power of Sheol; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O Sheol is your destruction?
Revelation 1:18
I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
Jesus Christ overcame Satan, Death and Sheol by His resurrection, and He delivered righteous people from them. He also overtook the power there. However, things were different in the days of the Old Testament.
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7. God is not in the minds of the people condemned to Sheol, and He is not praised there.
Psalm 6:5
For in death there is no remembrance of You; In Sheol who will give You thanks?
Isaiah 38:18
For Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise You; Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth.
8. All activities cease in Sheol; there is nothing that those who are there can do—only bear the torment.
Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.
Ezekiel 32:21
The strong among the mighty Shall speak to him out of the midst of Sheol with those who help him: „They have gone down, They lie with the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.‟
9. Sheol is before the Lord; it is not hidden from His sight. God knows what happens there.
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Proverbs 15:11
Hell [Sheol] and Destruction [Abaddon] are before the LORD; So how much more the hearts of the sons of men.
Job 26:6
Sheol is naked before Him, And Destruction [Abaddon] has no covering.
These verses highlight the fact that God is all-knowing; however, His knowing everything that is happening does not mean that God intervenes in anyone’s life in Sheol!
10. Some people who pursue occult practices have made a covenant with the evil spirits, Sheol and Death, against God in order to find protection from God’s punishment.
Isaiah 28:15, 18
Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we are in agreement. When the overflowing scourge passes through, It will not come to us, For we have made lies our refuge, And under falsehood we have hidden ourselves.”…Your covenant with death will be annulled, And your agreement with Sheol will not stand; When the overflowing scourge passes through, Then you will be trampled down by it.
God will judge and punish this occult covenant, and what is more, He will trample down, beat the wicked.
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11. According to the following passage there are whole cities—even nations in Sheol. Each nation has its own place.
Ezekiel 32:22, 23
22“Assyria is there, and all her company, With their graves all around her, All of them slain, fallen by the sword. 23Her graves are set in the recesses of the Pit, And her company is all around her grave, All of them slain, fallen by the sword, Who caused terror in the land of the living.
Psalm 9:17
The wicked shall be turned into Sheol, And all the nations that forget God.
Perhaps what Jesus said also belongs here:
Matthew 11:23
And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.…
This topic will be addressed later.
12. Sheol has cords and snares to catch and bind people.
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2 Samuel 22:6 (NIV)
The cords of Sheol coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.
Many people tend to imagine the spiritual world as an inconceivable, mysterious reality where everything is merged, obscure and without precise shapes, borderlines and expansion. Actually, the Bible teaches how to see the spiritual world. Once, Jesus told a deaf person: ―Effata,‖ that is, ―be opened,‖ and ―…his tongue was loosened.” His tongue had been tied with a spiritual cord. If anyone could have seen into the spiritual realm at that time, he would have been able to see these cords on the tongue which kept the mute’s mouth from moving. Maybe he had a voice, but he couldn’t utter words as his tongue wasn’t able to move. These cords cannot be cut by any tangible tools; it is only the sword of the Spirit that can do away with them. As Jesus did, we too can only help people like the one in this story with words of power and authority: ―Be opened (effata)!‖
In Sheol much stronger spiritual cords, chains and shackles bind the souls residing there.
13. It’s dark in Sheol.
Job 17:13
If I wait for Sheol as my house, If I make my bed in the darkness .…
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Job 10:21, 22
21Before I go to the place from which I shall not return, To the land of darkness and the shadow of death, 22A land as dark as darkness itself, As the shadow of death, without any order, Where even the light is like darkness.
One may raise the question: how then could the rich man see Lazarus? I believe the answer is simple: the Bible shows Hell as a place of utter darkness. The rich man was in darkness, but it was not dark in the bosom of Abraham. People in darkness could easily see that light from the other side of the chasm.
14. It’s very hot in Sheol, and everything is glowing.
Luke 16:24
I am tormented in this flame [said the rich man in the story of Lazarus].
Song of Songs 8:6
For love is as strong as death, Jealousy as cruel as Sheol; Its flames are flames of fire, A most vehement flame.
This verse has a dual meaning: the passage means not only is love a very strong emotion, but also that Sheol has vehement flames.
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—rafaim—רפאים) The spirit or shadow .15 ―shadows‖) of a man is in Sheol—not the body.
Isaiah 14:9
Sheol from beneath is excited about you, To meet you at your coming; It stirs up the shadows for you, All the chief ones of the earth; It has raised up from their thrones All the kings of the nations.
What Isaiah is saying in this verse is that the spirits are inactive; they have to be roused. The only thing happening to them is their continual waiting for the judgment.
This passage also reveals that the people not only will keep their memories, but in a certain way, they will also retain their titles. Those who were kings in their earthly life keep this title of theirs in Sheol. This is quite obvious, since every person has to stand before God when He judges everyone according to his deeds on earth in his unique position. For instance, kings will be judged according to what they did as kings.
Isaiah 26:19 (NIV)
But your dead will live, LORD; their bodies will rise—let those who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy—your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to [cast out] her shadows.
As you see, the Old Testament has already talked about the resurrection.
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Psalm 88:10
Will You work wonders for the dead? Shall the shadows arise and praise You?
God does not work among the dead, and neither does the dead praise the Lord. God’s supernatural wisdom cannot be found with them.
Proverbs 2:18
For her house leads down to death, and her paths to the spirits [shadows] of the dead.
Proverbs 9:18
But he does not know that the shadows are there, That her guests are in the depths of hell.
These two verses in the book of Proverbs refer to adulteresses and prostitutes. Afterward, the life of the person who visits them will go toward the shadows of Sheol.
The exact meaning of the original word shadow involves the notion of ―being weak, pale and abandoned.‖ The shadows in Sheol, that is, the souls without body, are very weak. If you want to understand this concept, just think of a dream of yours when you wanted to run away but you could not. While dreaming, you wonder how it can be so hard to move. We feel how weak our spirit is without our body. This is why Christians in Heaven are looking forward to the resurrection of the righteous so much.
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A man’s shadow is recognizable; it’s like his physical body without its weaknesses (e.g., ―wrinkles‖). Samuel’s shadow was recognized by the woman from Endor just as Abraham’s shadow was recognized by the rich man in Sheol. It’s interesting to see in these passages that one’s shadow radiates the person himself, so he can immediately be recognized by name and even his title becomes clear. Samuel was clearly recognizable as a great prince.
It is very good news that, despite being troubled in the body, in the resurrection the whole body will rise; the shadow (―spirit‖) will regain all the body parts in health. This is what Jesus guaranteed to those who believe in Him when saying:
Luke 21:16-18
16You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. 17And you will be hated by all for My name‟s sake. 18But not a hair of your head shall be lost.
16. Sheol has different parts, chambers and cells.
Proverbs 7:27
Her house is the way to hell, Descending to the chambers of Sheol.
cheder), which means) חדר The word used in this verse is ―crypt, chamber, inner room, bed-closet.‖ Used in the
- 39 - plural form, the verse is saying that the house of the adulteress leads men down to the chambers of death.
Job 17:16
Will they go down to the bars [cells] of Sheol? Shall we have rest together in the dust?
bad), which) בד The word the Scripture uses in this verse is means ―part, on its own, separately, separated, alone, only.‖ Once again, used in the plural form, these two verses show that people are separated in Sheol. Each soul has its own chamber, crypt, grave in which to lie.
Other Terms for Sheol
The Bible uses other words for Hell and its crypts. One of ,This word has various meanings .(ׁשחת) them is shachath including 1) ―pit, snare for catching wild animals‖; 2) ―muddy pit, den‖; and 3) ―grave, underworld, Sheol.‖ I want to examine some passages with the last meaning.
Isaiah 38:17
Indeed it was for my own peace That I had great bitterness; But You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption [destruction].…
This Messianic prophecy came from the lips of King Hezekiah, who uttered Jesus’ words through the Holy
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Spirit. According to this prophecy, the Father, from His loving kindness and faithfulness, drew Jesus’ soul out of Sheol, the pit of destruction and depravity. In this verse, this term obviously refers to Sheol, which will be seen later.
Ezekiel 28:8
They shall throw you down into the Pit (shachath), And you shall die the death of the slain In the midst of the seas.
The word shachath is used again in this verse. Ezekiel’s prophecy concerns the punishment of Satan. God’s angels will lock up Satan/Lucifer in a pit of Sheol, located in the center of the waters, in the midst of the seas (tehom).
which ,(בר) The next word for Hell and its crypts is bowr also has various meanings.
1.) ―well, cistern‖
Genesis 37:20 (NIV)
Come now, let's kill him [Joseph] and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we'll see what comes of his dreams.
2.) ―pit‖
Psalm 7:16
He [the wicked] made a pit (bowr) and dug it out, And has fallen into the ditch (shachath) which he made.
Whoever digs a hole (pit - bowr) and scoops it out falls into the pit (shachath) they have made. (NIV)
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3.) “Sheol”
Psalm 28:1 (NIV)
To you, LORD, I call; you are my Rock, do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who go down to the pit (bowr). The phrase “…who go down to the pit” occurs in the Bible many times, and it always refer to the souls that descended to Sheol.
Psalm 88:6
You have laid me in the lowest pit, In darkness, in the depths.
This Messianic Psalm describes what Jesus felt when He was in Sheol. Psalm 88 says that He was in the deepest bowr tachtiyowt—בור תחתיות ) .bowr—―pit, cistern‖—in Sheol literally means ―the deepest pit.‖)
4.) Prison, dungeon
Genesis 40:15
For indeed I [Joseph] was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews; and also I have done nothing here that they should put me into the dungeon.
Psalm 142:7
Bring my soul out of prison, That I may praise Your name.…
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Joseph, one of the greatest Old Testament pictures of Jesus Christ, was in prison just like Jesus was in Sheol (Psalm 142). The word bowr appears in both Genesis 40:15 and Psalm 142:7.
Isaiah 24:21, 22
21…the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. 22And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited. (KJV)
In that day the LORD will punish the host of the high above and the kings on the earth below. They will be herded together like prisoners bound in a dungeon; they will be shut up in prison and be visited after many days. (NIV)
When Isaiah writes about the punishments on Earth when Jesus Christ returns, he says that Satan and the spirits of high (evil spirits) will be sent to the bowr together with the rulers of the earth. Again, that word bowr means Sheol, the prison of the depth. All the wicked spirits of the world will stay there during the Millennial kingdom. They will be bound, and after many days, they will be visited and released for a short period of time which will eventually lead to the final rebellion at the end of the Millennium.
The term bowr is a synonym to Sheol in many other places: Ezekiel 26:20
…then I will bring you [Tyre] down with those who descend into the Pit, to the people of old, and I will make you dwell in the lowest part of the earth, in places desolate from antiquity, with those
- 43 - who go down to the Pit, [so that you may never be inhabited] and you will not return or take your place in the land of the living. (NIV)
A little while later God again spoke to Ezekiel and told him to prophesy about the destruction of the crowds of Egypt. This is when God described Sheol, where the hosts of Egypt must go:
Ezekiel 32:17-32
17It came to pass also in the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of the LORD came to me, saying: 18“Son of man, wail over the multitude of Egypt, And cast them down to the depths of the earth, Her and the daughters of the famous nations, With those who go down to the Pit: 19„Whom do you surpass in beauty? Go down, be placed with the uncircumcised.‟ 20“They shall fall in the midst of those slain by the sword; She is delivered to the sword, Drawing her and all her multitudes. 21The strong among the mighty Shall speak to him out of the midst of Sheol With those who help him: „They have gone down, They lie with the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.‟ 22“Assyria is there, and all her company, With their graves all around her, All of them slain, fallen by the sword. 23Her graves are set in the recesses of the Pit, And her company is all around her grave, All of them slain, fallen by the sword, Who caused terror in the land of the living. 24“There is Elam and all her multitude, All around her grave, All of them slain, fallen by the sword, Who have gone down uncircumcised to the lower parts of the earth, Who caused their terror in the land of the living; Now they bear their shame with those who go down to the Pit. 25They have set her bed in the midst of the slain, With all her multitude, With her graves all around it, All of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; Though their terror was caused In the land of the living, Yet they bear their shame With those who go down to the Pit; It was put in the midst of the slain. 26“There are
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Meshech and Tubal and all their multitudes, With all their graves around it, All of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, Though they caused their terror in the land of the living. 27They do not lie with the mighty Who are fallen of the uncircumcised, Who have gone down to hell with their weapons of war; They have laid their swords under their heads, But their iniquities will be on their bones, Because of the terror of the mighty in the land of the living. 28Yes, you shall be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised, And lie with those slain by the sword. 29“There is Edom, Her kings and all her princes, Who despite their might Are laid beside those slain by the sword; They shall lie with the uncircumcised, And with those who go down to the Pit. 30There are the princes of the north, All of them, and all the Sidonians, Who have gone down with the slain In shame at the terror which they caused by their might; They lie uncircumcised with those slain by the sword, And bear their shame with those who go down to the Pit. 31“Pharaoh will see them And be comforted over all his multitude, Pharaoh and all his army, Slain by the sword,” Says the Lord GOD. 32“For I have caused My terror in the land of the living; And he shall be placed in the midst of the uncircumcised With those slain by the sword, Pharaoh and all his multitude,” Says the Lord GOD.
According to this passage, God showed the nations laid in Sheol then. Certainly, today there are also other nations and peoples in Sheol. First, He showed Assyria with all her army being there. Each nation seems to have her appointed place. The king is lying in the middle, and the graves of his army surround him. Everybody was afraid of them in ―the land of the living‖—the name of the surface of the earth because people live there, and from Sheol‟s perspective, everyone there is alive. Now, the Assyrians are in the depth yarketey –ירכתי בור) the deepest, remotest part) of the pit) bowr). In the depth of the pit is where Satan will be cast for 1,000 years.
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Isaiah 14:13-15
13For you have said in your heart: „I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.‟ 15Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.
In Isaiah 14:15 the ―depth of the pit‖ used in this verse is the same place where the Assyrians stay. This is the bottom of Hell. The prophetic satirical song recorded in Isaiah 14 will be sung to Satan here.
The imprisonment of Satan can also be found in Revelation 20.
1Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the Abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3and he cast him into the Abyss, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.
In this description Satan, the old serpent, is locked up in the depth—in the abyss—for 1,000 years. As already seen, the term abyss is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word tehom (depth). So, Satan will be locked up in the tehom, more precisely, in Sheol.
Ezekiel 32 also reveals that the entire nation of Elam is in Sheol. Elam was a Persian province, and its capital city was Susa. Just like the Assyrians, the souls of the Elamites are
- 46 - lying around the grave of their king. Ezekiel also says that the kings and princes of the north as well as Meshech, Tubal, and Edom—everybody who had great power on earth— are in Sheol. God used the demise of these nations to demonstrate to Egypt that it is vain to think they are so powerful. God has already brought down other major powers to Sheol.
(אבדון) Abaddon
The next word the Bible uses to name the underworld places of punishment is abaddon. The Hebrew root of this ,which means ―to destroy, spoil ,(אבד) word is the verb avad demolish.‖ Therefore abaddon means ―destroyer, devastator.‖
The Bible distinguishes Abaddon from Sheol but shows the two to be closely connected. Abaddon is also distinguishable from Death. However, the word almost always occurs in conjunction with Death or Sheol in the Scriptures:
Proverbs 15:11
Sheol and Abaddon are before the LORD; So how much more the hearts of the sons of men.
Proverbs 27:20
Sheol and Abaddon are never full; So the eyes of man are never satisfied.
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Job 26:6
Sheol is naked before Him, And Abaddon has no covering.
Job 28:22
Abaddon and Death say, „We have heard a report about it with our ears.‟‟
These verses show that Sheol and Abaddon are not synonyms but two different things. Abaddon is not only a certain geographical place according to the Word, like Sheol and Death, Abaddon is a person. Job 28:22 says that Abaddon heard about wisdom with his ears, and he talked about that wisdom with his mouth. Revelation 9:1-11 also clearly shows that Abaddon is both a place and a person.
Revelation 9:1-11
1Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the Abyss. 2And he opened the Abyss, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. 3Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. 6In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them. 7The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their
- 48 - faces were like the faces of men. 8They had hair like women‟s hair, and their teeth were like lions‟ teeth. 9And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. 10They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. 11And they had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon [that is, Destroyer].
Now, a star falls on the earth that, besides being an angel, might be a meteorite or another type of natural disaster. Such a huge cloud of smoke will be generated from the inside of the earth that darkness will cover the earth or a part of it. That angel will open the shaft of the Abyss (depth) and together with the smoke, 200 million evil spirits (Revelation 9:16) will come out to torment the people who have not been sealed by God for five months. This pouring out will be like a gigantic invasion of locusts. One of the angels of the depth, the major spirit called Abaddon, will rule over these monsters. He is probably the leader and supervisor of the underground place named Abaddon like the wicked angel Sheol is the ruler of the geographical location named Sheol.
There will be an agreement between Death and Abaddon: people tormented by Abaddon‟s hosts will not be taken by Death. People will seek death, but death will flee from them. Therefore, for a period of time people may not be able to commit suicide.
In the Bible Sheol and Death are the major powers under the earth, which is why Sheol is the ―boss‖ over Abaddon. It is logical to assume that the same happens on the ―geographical level‖ as well as on the ―personal level.‖ The
- 49 - fact that the Bible always mentions Sheol and Abaddon as geographical places together and Sheol always comes first proves the relationship hierarchy. So geographically, Abaddon, the shaft of the depth, may be a part of Sheol, a very deep pit, in which many monsters are imprisoned until the day they are released to come up to the surface of the earth to torture the people.
Tartaros
Another term used for the places of punishment under the earth is Tartaros. This word occurs only once in the Bible and in a verb form (ταρταροω – tartaroō) meaning ―pushing to tartaros.‖
2 Peter 2:4:
For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment.…
Angels who fell into sin are in the depth bound with strong ropes, and they will be released only on the day of judgment. Jude 6 also addresses this matter.
Jude 6
And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day.
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Demons and most of the wicked angels are not bound; rather, they are free for the time being. These evil beings were afraid of Jesus, and one time when their paths crossed, they asked Him if He had come to punish them before their appointed time.
Matthew 8:29
What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?
The demons and the wicked angels know that their punishment will come—just as the Satan knows that fact well. They also know the approximate time. However, until their punishment, they are free to do whatever God allows them to do.
Evil angels in Tartaros are in a different condition. Some Bible teachers believe that they are probably the angels in Genesis chapter 6 who came down to the daughters of men and had giants as children. They may have been punished by God in the time of the great flood. Once these angels left their appointed positions, they were no longer allowed to move freely until the punishment. They were locked up sooner than the others, and they cannot do anything but wait for the last judgment.
Tartaros cannot be located on basis of the Scripture. The only fact which can be gleaned about Tartaros is that it is located in the depth. (Also, according to the Greek mythology, Tartaros is a part of Sheol.)
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Gehenna
It is not the purpose of this study to address all the passages concerning Gehenna but only to highlight the fact that Gehenna is not identical with Sheol. Gehenna is the lake of fire, the final place of the forthcoming punishment.
Isaiah 30:33 (NIV)
Topheth [the place of fire] has long been prepared; it has been made ready for the king [for Satan]. Its fire pit has been made deep and wide, with an abundance of fire and wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of burning sulphur, sets it ablaze.
Gehenna already exists, though it does not yet fulfil the function for which God created it; as of now, the place is empty. Gehenna was prepared as a place of punishment for Satan and his angels:
Matthew 25:41
…into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
The first residents of Gehenna will be the Antichrist and the false prophet. They will be sent there at Jesus’ returning.
Revelation 19:20
Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.
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The judgment of the nations will also happen at this time. Every man who is judged to be wicked at the coming of Jesus will be sent to the fiery lake where the Antichrist and the false prophet are already. This judgment will happen before the establishment of Jesus’ millennial kingdom.
Matthew 25:41
Then He will also say to those on the left hand, „Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For a thousand years only the Antichrist, the false prophet, and those wicked people who have been convicted in the judgment of the nations will stay in Gehenna.
After the Millennium, the 1,000 years when Satan and his wicked angels are bound in Sheol, God will release the inhabitants of Sheol for a short while again. Then Satan will lead a huge war against Jerusalem and the saints of Jesus Christ living there, but fire will come down to consume this huge rebellious host. Then comes the judgment day when Gehenna, the place prepared for Satan and his angels, starts to fulfil its original function. Satan will be cast into Gehenna, the lake of fire, where he will stay forever. On this judgment day, the wicked angels and demons who were released from Sheol for a while will be also be condemned to Gehenna. Sheol, the wicked angel who is listed by name, will also be sent to Gehenna.
People who come out of Sheol on the judgment day will be judged in their body and thrown into Gehenna. Together with Satan and his spirits will all the people be cast who have been on Satan’s side throughout history and whose
- 53 - names cannot be found in the Book of Life. The last enemy, Death, will be sent into Gehenna as well. According to the Bible, this will be the end of the history of this earth.
Apparently, Sheol and Gehenna are not the same. Sheol is a temporary dwelling place for the spirits (refaim) of the dead, until God raises them in their own body for the final judgment at the end of the Millennium. After that judgment, every unsaved sinner will be sent to Gehenna in his resurrected body. It is a significant difference that those in Gehenna will have a body—unlike those in Sheol.
Matthew 5:29 (NIV)
If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into Gehenna.
Matthew 10:28 (NIV)
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.
Sheol and Gehenna are not the same. The wicked angel, Sheol himself, will be thrown into Gehenna in the final judgment:
Revelation 20:14
Then Death and Hades [Sheol] were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
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At this time the geographical location, Sheol, will lose its function. However, Gehenna will not cease to be; rather, the lake of fire begins to receive the sinners in their bodies from Sheol.
Isaiah 66:22-24 (NIV)
22“As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,” declares the LORD, “so will your name and descendants endure. 23From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me,” says the LORD 24“And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”
This passage addresses the new heavens and the new earth. This Scripture indicates that Gehenna will not be located inside of the earth, but somewhere outside (they will go out…). Phrases such as ―outside, into the darkness,‖ ―weeping and gnashing of teeth,‖ ―the worms that eat them will not die,” and “the fire that burns them will not be quenched‖ all refer to Gehenna.
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Summary
From reading the previous passages, we have learned that Sheol has different parts. The spirits of the righteous were in the bosom of Abraham until the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The bosom of Abraham was located at the top of Sheol. Wicked spirits, who will come up to the surface of the earth as God’s punishment, are in Abaddon. There are spirits and angels in Tartaros who will come out only on the judgment day. Furthermore, there are pits, graves, and chambers where spirits—shadows of men who have perished—are staying at the moment.
People’s souls (spirits, shadows) have to suffer in Sheol until the judgment day after the Millennium. Then God will raise every man, and he will have to stand before Him for judgment. This is when Satan and his angels will also be judged. Gehenna was prepared for them. Sinful men who joined with Satan and rebelled against God will be cast into Gehenna, where they will suffer in their body after the final judgment. The worms will be there, but not in Sheol. Sheol and Gehenna are not the same.
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JESUS IN SHEOL
Prophetic Pictures
The whole Bible is about Jesus Christ. This is what Jesus said to the Pharisees about Himself according to John 5:39: ―You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.”
Luke 24:44 says,
Then He [Jesus] said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.”
In this verse, Jesus mentions that the traditional trichotomy of the Old Testament: the torah (the law), the neviim (the prophetic Scriptures) and the ketuvim (the Scriptures = the rest of the Biblical books in the Old Testament) are all about Him. These Scriptures are about the ministry, the death, the resurrection and the return of Jesus, and some passages give record of the three days Jesus spent in ―the heart of the earth.‖ First, I would like to address the pictures of these three days in the Old Testament.
The Story of Joseph
Joseph, the son of Jacob, is one of the greatest Old Testament types of Jesus Christ. There are several parallel characteristics in the life of Joseph and Jesus, and many of
- 58 - them are relevant to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
I would like to address two relevant stories in Joseph’s life: one in Genesis 37:17-36 and the other in Genesis 39:41.
In Genesis 37:13 the Word of God says that Jacob called Joseph and sent him after his brothers, who were pasturing far away. Joseph stood before his father and said willingly: ―I am here.‖ Then he went after them to Dothan. When his jealous brothers saw him coming, they immediately decided to kill him because they hated him. But Reuben, the eldest son, dissuaded them because he wanted to save Joseph’s life. This is why he was ―only‖ thrown into one of the “cisterns” (Genesis 37:20). This all happened in Dothan meaning ―two cisterns or double cistern.‖
Genesis 37:23-25
23So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing—24and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it. 25As they sat down to eat their meal.…
Genesis 37:28
So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites [Midianites], who took him to Egypt.
So Joseph was pulled out of the cistern and was sold as a slave. Reuben, who didn’t know about this business
- 59 - conducted by his brothers, went back to help Joseph. When he didn’t find his brother in the dried cistern, he became very frightened.
Genesis 37:30
He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn‟t there! Where can I turn now?”
Joseph was taken to Egypt, to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard. Then the Scripture describes how successful the Lord made Joseph in Potiphar’s house through five verses (Genesis 39:2-6).
In these verses Joseph is a picture type of Jesus Christ. The Father sent Him to the earth—to Israel—to whom He became a brother. The Son was willing to come. However, they plotted against Him and killed Him. They threw Him in a cistern (bowr), that is, Sheol. After being freed, He became a blessing to the Gentiles (Egypt) and not for Israel. The word bowr is ―the dry pit or cistern that is without water.‖ It also means Sheol in the Scriptures, as seen earlier.
The other relevant part in Joseph’s story is recorded in Genesis 39:41.
Potiphar bought Joseph from the Ishmaelites. When Potiphar noticed Joseph at the slave traders, he saw that Joseph was a well-built young man, so he bought him. Potiphar was not the only person who noticed Joseph; his wife also liked the Hebrew young man. Whereas her husband entrusted everything to Joseph’s care, she constantly wanted to persuade Joseph to sleep with her. However, Joseph did not want to sin against his God nor
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Potiphar. One day when only the two of them were at home, Potiphar’s wife grabbed Joseph and wanted to sleep with him. However, Joseph escaped from her by leaving his garment in the woman’s hands and running away. Later, when her husband came home, she used his garment against him. She was so furious and disappointed that Joseph rebuffed her that she pretended as if Joseph had wanted to rape her. Potiphar considered it as an abuse against his trust. He became outraged and cast Joseph into the prison that was in his house.
However, God granted Joseph favor in the eyes of the prison warden, and like Potiphar, the prison warden entrusted everything to Joseph’s hands—despite the fact that only Pharaoh’s aristocratic, private captives resided in this prison.
According to the Word, Joseph spent a very long time there. Suddenly two more prominent officials were incarcerated in the prison: the pharaoh’s cupbearer and chief baker. They had committed some offense against the pharaoh, so he had them thrown into prison. Potiphar ordered Joseph to be beside them and serve them. One day both the cupbearer and the chief baker had a dream. The fact that both of them dreamed on the same day shows it must have been God’s hand. When Joseph visited them in the morning, they were sad because they didn’t know the meaning of the dreams. Joseph interpreted the dreams for them: the cupbearer would be placed back to his former position by Pharaoh in three days, and the baker would be hanged. Joseph’s interpretation was so. However, the cupbearer forgot to bring Joseph out of the prison….
Two years later God gave Pharaoh a dream about seven years of great abundance and seven years of famine. After
- 61 - no magicians in Egypt were able to interpret the dream, the cupbearer finally told Pharaoh how a Hebrew young man had interpreted his and the chief baker’s dream two years earlier, and that everything happened according to the interpretation. The pharaoh called for Joseph to be brought to him—after he had shaved and changed his clothes. Not only did Joseph interpret the dream, but he advised Pharaoh about how to survive the coming troubled time. After all this, the pharaoh lifted up Joseph to a high position.
This story also pictures Jesus Christ.
Genesis 40:15
I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon [bowr]. Jesus suffered without committing any sin. (Joseph was innocent with the wife of Potiphar too.)
Everybody liked Joseph, and extraordinary blessings accompanied the young man everywhere. Similarly, the Word of God claims that Jesus was full of grace (―kindness, favor‖) and truth.
Maybe it’s not far-fetched to draw a parallel between the cupbearer and the chief baker and the two thieves. Both the Egyptians and the thieves were sinners. Jesus died and went down to Sheol before the two thieves as written in John 19:32 and 33:
32The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
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Joseph had already been in the prison when the two Egyptians arrived. The cupbearer survived; the chief baker died. Likewise, one of the thieves perished because he blasphemed Jesus, while the other was saved because he believed that Jesus, Who was dying on the cross, would come back into His kingdom (Luke 23:39-43).
“They hurt his feet with fetters, He was laid in irons” (Psalm 105:18). Though the book of Genesis does not give a record of this, this Psalm tells what it was like for Joseph to be in the prison. Acts 7:10 reveals additional information about it:
“And God delivered him out of all his troubles, and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.”
This long time in the prison was an affliction for Joseph, as it was so for Jesus to spend three days in Sheol. Jesus was coiled with the cords of Sheol and confronted by the snares (shackles) of death.
The way Joseph spoke to the cupbearer shows he had persistent hope and faith in deliverance, as Jesus did. And very soon, exaltation came.
Genesis 41:40-45
40You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” 41And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” 42Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph‟s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and
- 63 - they cried out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45And Pharaoh called Joseph‟s name Zaphnath-Paaneah [―Saviour of the world, Maintainer of life‖]. And he gave him as a wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On. So Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.
The pharaoh exalted Joseph. The glorification of Joseph is a wonderful picture of the glorification of Jesus!
After the Father took Jesus out of Sheol, He made Him lord over all the works of His hands: ―You shall be over my house.…”
Jesus had a victory parade in Heaven! He was carried around, and the Father gave Him all the power (signet ring).
Joseph married a woman of the Gentiles, a daughter of a pagan high priest [!], which shows that even a great sinner can be the member of the church—the bride of Jesus Christ—after getting saved.
Joseph went to Egypt; that pictures the fact that Jesus has been working among the Gentiles. He’s walking across whole ―Egypt,‖ going to all nations, saving the people, and calling the chosen ones.
Shaving can be interpreted as the glorified body. Joseph had to shave, wash himself and change clothes quickly. This was the only way he could approach Pharaoh. Similarly, Jesus entered the presence of the Father in His resurrected body.
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The Story of Esther
Another picture is the three-day fast of Queen Esther, which also symbolizes Jesus’ three days in Sheol. In this story, there are several parallels with Jesus’ life.
When the three days had been completed, Esther went before the king to ask for mercy for her nation. Jesus Christ, too, went before the Father after the three days. Just as Ahasuerus reached out his golden sceptre toward Esther, Jesus Christ found favor before the Father. Esther gained mercy for the Jews, Jesus Christ for everyone whoever believes in Him.
Haman’s house was given to Esther by the king, and he took away Haman’s signet ring (which represented authority) and gave it to Mordecai. This story pictures the authority over people being taken away from Satan, and now all authority belongs to Jesus Christ.
The consequences of her three-day fast are recorded in the book of Esther. An edict (a new law) was issued, which was announced in all of the 127 principalities of the empire: the people who were saved (the Jews) were allowed by the king: “…in every city to gather together and protect their lives—to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province that would assault them, both little children and women, and to plunder their possessions.…”
That is, a new covenant was established in the whole world. As the power was taken away from the hands of the Satan, the people saved have the right and the power from the Father to fight their oppressors, to destroy the enemy and to plunder his property. The Jews acted in accordance with this proclamation in the time of Esther.
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The Story of Jonah
Perhaps the most well-known picture is the story of Jonah. Jesus Christ Himself mentions it as a picture of His staying in Sheol.
Matthew 12:40
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Jonah was swallowed by the fish because of his disobedience. He stayed in the belly of the fish for three days and then cried out to the Lord Who heard him. God commanded the fish to put Jonah out on the shore. After that Jonah went to Nineveh, preached there, and the whole city repented. It seems a bit extraordinary that Jonah ministered to the Gentiles in the Old Testament times, but it makes sense when considering the fact that the account says something about salvation. It’s a picture of what Jesus has been doing since He came up from Sheol: He has been working among the Gentiles, calling the church, and huge crowds of people (similar to the great revival in Nineveh). It is interesting to note that the repentance of the Gentiles turn up in all Old Testament pictures!
Daniel in the Lions‟ Den
A falsely accused Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den by the jealous nobles of the country.
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Daniel 6:17-21
17Then a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signets of his lords, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed. 18Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no musicians were brought before him. Also his sleep went from him. 19Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions. 20And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” 21Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever!
The den into which Daniel had been thrown was totally locked and sealed; Daniel couldn’t have come out. The king was not at all happy about the situation. He refused entertainment and food. This leads one to the conclusion that more than likely when Jesus was in Sheol, there was no worship in the heavens for three days. It was evening when Daniel was cast into the den, and he was taken out by the king at dawn. God didn’t allow Daniel to be hurt by the lions because he was found innocent (verse 22). Likewise, Jesus was brought out of Sheol by the Father because there was no sin in Him—nothing by which Death and Sheol could have taken Him captive. The end result of this picture again is the Gentiles getting to know God!
Daniel 6:25-27
25Then King Darius wrote: To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. 26I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, And steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which
- 67 - shall not be destroyed, And His dominion shall endure to the end. 27He delivers and rescues, And He works signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.
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Why Did Jesus Have to Go Down to Sheol?
On the cross, Jesus cried, ―It is done,‖ that is, it was made full and perfect. Why then couldn’t Jesus immediately ascend to the Father? Why did He have to spend three days in Sheol? In order to find the answers, the parts of the replacement and atonement sacrifice of Jesus Christ must be studied. The best picture of this atonement sacrifice can be found in the Old Testament in Leviticus 16. This chapter contains the order of the great atonement sacrifice, one of the most important feasts of Israel, the Yom Kippur. This feast was of such significant in the Old Testament that it was sometimes simply called yom meaning ―the day.‖ Yom Kippur was the climax of the Old Testament service.
Leviticus 16:6-10
6“Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house. 7He shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 8Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the LORD and the other lot for the scapegoat [Azazel]. 9And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the LORD‟s lot fell, and offer it as a sin offering. 10But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat [for Azazel] shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make atonement upon it, and to let it go as the scapegoat [for Azazel] into the wilderness.
The main role addressed in this passage is that of the two goats, two parts of the great atonement sacrifice. First, Aaron had to offer a bull for himself so that he could, without sin, offer the two goats as an atonement sacrifice for the people. After making atonement for himself and his
- 69 - household, he was to cast lots at the entrance to the tent for the two goats in order to decide which one to be slaughtered and which one to send to the wilderness as a scapegoat.
Leviticus 16:15, 16, 20-22
15He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bull‟s blood: He shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of it. 16In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the tent of meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness…20When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. 21He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat‟s head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. 22The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness.
After casting a lot, Aaron slaughtered the goat whose lot fell to the Lord. The blood was to be sprinkled on the atonement cover in the Holy of Holies and then on the tent of meeting and the altar so that they were cleansed from all the uncleanness of the Israelites. Yom Kippur was the only day when the High Priest could enter into the Holy of Holies and bring blood on the Ark of the Covenant. After he had made atonement for the Holy Place, the tent and the altar, the live goat was to be brought forward. Aaron then had to confess over it all the sins of the Israelites. Then he had to send the goat to the
- 70 - wilderness so that the sins covered by the shed blood—the slaughter of the first goat—were to be taken away from the Israelites as a scapegoat. The Hebrew term for the English ―as a scapegoat‖ is Azazel. This phrase occurs only in this chapter in the whole Bible, and its meaning is uncertain: ―removing, sending away, giving over, and the one who turns away.‖ This meaning refers to the belief that the sins are removed from Israel when the scapegoat is sent to him (Azazel), as the term may mean a person. (In the Jewish tradition, Azazel is a powerful, wicked angel.)
Leviticus 16:30, 31
30For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. 31It is a sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever.
Leviticus 16:34
This shall be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement for the children of Israel, for all their sins, once a year.
This ordinance was one of great significance. Sins and all their consequences that were stored up in Israel for a year were removed by this ordinance.
Why is this sacrifice so important to us today? This is one of the greatest Old Testament pictures of the replacement and atonement sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This is also suggested by the name of the event—―sabbath of sabbaths‖—the greatest feast. Jesus became the great sacrifice for sins that was promised in the Old Testament, the sacrifice for our sins and the sins of the whole world.
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Now, the first goat was the sacrifice for sins, and it was slaughtered, picturing Jesus’ death on the cross. As the blood of the first goat was shed, so was the blood of Jesus; but the shedding of blood was only the first part of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The second part again involves a goat—not a bull or a dove—so it has the same significance as the first part, the blood sacrifice. The second goat also identified with sin when Aaron confessed the sins over it. However, this goat was not killed because its duty, according to God’s ordinance, was to take the sins to the wilderness—far away from Israel. There it was left alone. This is the essence of the confessing of our sins (as it is written in James 5:14-16). When we accept the one and perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven. They are no longer credited to us. However, the burden of these sins remain on us. Similarly, the sins would have remained in Israel if the second goat had not been sent to the wilderness with the sins laid upon it. This was not a mere symbolic ritual, and neither is the confession of our sins today. We have to confess our sins so that their burden leaves us. This is how the Words “the Lord had laid on Him the iniquity of us all” and “by His wounds we are healed” are realized. The fact that the goat is the picture of Jesus Christ is efficiently shown in the book Christ the Healer by F. F. Bosworth, in the chapter entitled ―Did Jesus Redeem Us From Our Diseases When He Atoned for Our Sins?‖, which addresses chapter 53 of Isaiah the prophet.
―In the fourth verse, the word borne (nasa) means ―to lift up, to bear away, to convey or to remove to a distance.‖ It is a Levitical word and is applied to the scapegoat, that bore away the sins of the people. ―The goat shall bear [nasa] upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the
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wilderness‖ (Lev. 16:22). So Jesus bore my sins and sicknesses away without the camp to the cross. Sin and sickness have passed from me to Calvary—salvation and health have passed from Calvary to me. Again, in this fourth verse of the redemption chapter, the Hebrew verbs for ―borne‖ and ―carried‖ (nasa and sabal) are both the same as are used in the eleventh and twelfth verses for the substitutionary bearing of sin, ―He shall bear [carry] their iniquities.…And He bare the sin of many.‖ Both words signify a heavy burden, and denote actual substitution, and a complete removal of the thing borne. When Jesus bore our sins, our sicknesses, and our pains, He bore them away, or removed them. Both these words mean ―substitution,‖ one bearing another's load.‖
The explanation goes on in the book, but this excerpt is sufficient to claim that the second goat really took away the sins laid on it from Israel, as Jesus Christ really lifted up the heavy burden of sins laid in Him, in place of us, carried it and took it far away. (The Hebrew word nasa in Isaiah 53 and in Leviticus 16 contains all these notions.)
The place of our sins is defined in Isaiah 38:17, which says: ―You have put all my sins behind your back.” Not only does this word claim that God will never remember our sins, but it also defines the exact place of them. Where is this ―behind- the-back-of-God‖ place? God’s compass is different from that of people. Actually, in Hebrew the word before means east too, while the word behind means west (to the right— south, to the left—north). God’s perspective is ―eastward.‖ Consequently, the place behind God’s back—using Israel as His starting point—is the Mediterranean Sea. In Hebrew the ―Great Sea‖—the Mediterranean Sea—is also called the ―Back Sea‖ or the ―Western Sea.‖
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Let’s have a look at this verse: ―As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12) So, God cast our sins behind His back, to the west into the sea, that is, in the waters. The prophet Micah prophesies about this event as something happening in the future:
Micah 7:19
He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities [press them down]. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea.
As this verse says, God cast our sins down, pressed them down into the depth of the sea—to the very same place metzulowt yam: the depths of the sea) from which מצלות ים) He took up Jesus Christ!
Psalm 68:22, 23
22The Lord said, “I will bring you back from Bashan, I will bring you back from the depths of the sea, 23That your foot may crush them in blood, And the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from your enemies!”
On the basis of all the verses mentioned, there are two parts to the sacrifice of Jesus:
1. Bloodshed, the physical death on the cross 2. The sins removed to a barren, separated land.
For these two reasons, Jesus had to go down to Sheol!
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JESUS IN SHEOL
The New Testament does not reveal much about these three days. However, when reading the relevant passages in the Old Testament, the student can get a complete picture of what Jesus went through during this time. Specifically, there are many passages in the Psalms. Many times the psalmists use first person singular about extraordinary experiences which did not happen to them. The one Psalm most representative of this principle is the twenty-second Psalm, which was written by David and contains phrases like “They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones.” Nothing like this had ever happened to David. Why did he write this then? The answer can be found in 2 Samuel 23:1 and 2.
1…Thus says David the son of Jesse; Thus says the man raised up on high, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel: 2“The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me, And His word was on my tongue.”
David was already old when he said recorded these verses under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is not by mistake that the Bible records this saying of David right after 2 Samuel chapter 22, which contains one of the most surprising Psalms—the eighteenth Psalm. This psalm occurs twice in the Bible. David, as we see in his whole life, was a very spiritual person. He was very much aware that it was often the Spirit of God Who gave words into his mind and mouth. Many Psalms were inspired in this way—not only Psalm 22. In practice, it worked as it follows: the all- knowing, eternal Holy Spirit knew what Jesus was going to feel on the cross and while He was in Sheol. When David was in misery—for instance, hiding in a cave, persecuted— and was singing to the Lord, the Holy Spirit showed and
- 75 - gave him the feelings that Jesus had on the cross and in Sheol (Psalm 22). When David won, he was given and shown the feelings by the Holy Spirit that Jesus felt when leaving Hell and being resurrected. David knew that the Holy Spirit was speaking through Him, but he was quite surprised at what the Messiah would have to endure. Perhaps he did not completely understand his own Psalms.
The meaning of the word psalm is ―song.‖ The following Psalms are lyrics. They once had tunes, but unfortunately they are lost. Nevertheless, the introductions to certain Psalms might well suggest that the various Psalms about suffering were sung slowly and at low volume, whereas Psalms about deliverance were sung in fast rhythm, aloud and joyfully.
The LORD brings death and makes alive; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. (1 Samuel 2:6)
Let’s join the story where Jesus Christ is hanging on the cross. The Jews would likely have seen many crucifixions since, at that time, it was a common form of execution as well as one of great brutality. The person being crucified suffered in long agony before he died. The spectators knew what to expect. However, they had never seen a Man like the one hanging in the middle:
Isaiah 52:14
Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men.
It is not merely a beaten, bloody man shown here. All the sins and sicknesses of humankind were cast upon Jesus
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Christ by the Father. According to Derek Prince, Jesus was like the description in Isaiah 1:6:
“From the sole of the foot even to the head, There is no soundness in it, But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; They have not been closed or bound up, Or soothed with ointment. ”
Jesus’ body was distorted to a bloody, deformed mass of flesh by the sins of mankind. Such a concentration of sin rested upon Him that He quickly died. According to Mark 15:44 Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was dead so soon. The agony of a man crucified usually lasts much longer, as that of the two thieves would have lasted if their sufferings hadn’t been shortened by breaking their legs because of the feast.
Mark 15:37
And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last [spirit].
At that moment the body and the Spirit of Jesus were separated, and His Spirit left his body. In the following three days, His body and His Spirit went through different things.
Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy and respected man, bravely approached Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus. He wrapped the body in white linen and placed it in his own new tomb that had been cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. The next morning the high priests and the Pharisees set a guard before the tomb; they even sealed the big stone (see Daniel 6:17), lest the disciples steal Jesus’ body. All four books of the Gospel continue with the women going to the tomb on Sunday morning. The Gospel gives account only about the earthly
- 77 - level, and they do not mention where Jesus’ Spirit was at that time.
Jesus’ Spirit had left and went downward to the deep parts of the earth. He fulfilled the duty of the second goat: He removed and took the sins to a distant place. If the sin that Jesus had taken upon Himself had remained on His body, it would have been dangerous for Joseph of Arimathea when he came and touched Jesus’ body to wrap it in linen. However, by the time he had touched Jesus’ body, the sin had already gone down to Sheol together with Jesus’ Spirit.
The journey to Sheol took some time. Jesus’ Spirit had to go through the great waters downward. That water is what Psalm 69 addresses:
To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Lilies.” A Psalm of David. 1Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. 2I sink in deep mire, Where there is no standing; I have come into deep waters, Where the floods overflow me. 3I am weary with my crying; My throat is dry; My eyes fail while I wait for my God. 4Those who hate me without a cause Are more than the hairs of my head; They are mighty who would destroy me, Being my enemies wrongfully; Though I have stolen nothing, I still must restore it. 5O God, You know my foolishness; And my sins are not hidden from You. 6Let not those who wait for You, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed because of me; Let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel. 7Because for Your sake I have borne reproach; Shame has covered my face. 8I have become a stranger to my brothers, And an alien to my mother‟s children; 9Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me. 10When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting, That became my reproach. 11I also made sackcloth my garment; I became a byword to them. 12Those who sit in the gate speak against me, And I am the
- 78 - song of the drunkards. 13But as for me, my prayer is to You, O LORD, in the acceptable time; O God, in the multitude of Your mercy, Hear me in the truth of Your salvation. 14Deliver me out of the mire, And let me not sink; Let me be delivered from those who hate me, And out of the deep waters. 15Let not the floodwater overflow me, Nor let the deep swallow me up; And let not the pit shut its mouth on me. 16Hear me, O LORD, for Your lovingkindness is good; Turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies. 17And do not hide Your face from Your servant, For I am in trouble; Hear me speedily. 18Draw near to my soul, and redeem it; Deliver me because of my enemies. 19You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor; My adversaries are all before You. 20Reproach has broken my heart, And I am full of heaviness; I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none; And for comforters, but I found none. 21They also gave me gall for my food, And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. 22Let their table become a snare before them, And their well-being a trap.…
Jesus was going downward, and He had reached the waters of the depth—the tehom. He was drifting in the flood of water (verse 2) while He was crying out to God so much that He became tired of it. Verse 4 says that He had to give back what He had not stolen; that is, He had to restore men’s righteousness before God.
Many verses of the Psalms mention that Jesus had to face enemies deep down: “Let me be delivered from those who hate me, And out of the deep waters!” (verse 14). It seems that these numerous beings who hated Jesus—Sheol, Death and their company—went forth to meet Him. ―The bulls of Bashan‖ (Psalm 22:12)—the wicked spirits—tormented Him even after He had breathed His Spirit.
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Satan and his servants thought that they had defeated Jesus once and for all. They believed they had Jesus in their hand. Satan had already wanted to take Christ’s position in the ancient, first rebellion before time, but he couldn’t seize it. On the contrary, he was cast out of Heaven because of this attempt. They thought they had caught the One Who resisted Satan’s temptation in the desert. Satan may have felt gratification, as in his viewpoint he had been cast out of Heaven ―because of Jesus.‖ This was the time of revenge and redressing for him. However, Satan and his minions did not know that Jesus would rise from the dead on the third day. If they had known the aftermath, they would not have crucified the Lord.
1 Corinthians 2:8
Which [the hidden wisdom of God] none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
At this moment they considered themselves victorious; they felt that the triumph was theirs forever. When Jesus was encircled by the ―bulls of Bashan,‖ the spiritual darkness was as profound as the physical one. Satan, regional spirits, wicked angels, demons, and of course Death and Sheol were all around the cross. They were triumphant—at least that’s what they erroneously thought.
When Jesus breathed out His Spirit, it was taken over by Death, Sheol and the wicked spirits (which happens to all sinners) because of the abundance of sins upon Him. They were dragging Jesus down to Sheol, and that is why Jesus was crying out to the Father to rescue Him from the innumerable powerful enemies.
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Other passages also reveal what Jesus felt while going downward.
Job 22:10, 11
10Therefore snares are all around you, And sudden fear troubles you, 11Or darkness so that you cannot see; And an abundance of water covers you.
Job, too, was taught many lessons by the Holy Spirit through his sufferings. This passage apparently shows what one feels in the tehom.
It may be surprising, but this is when Psalm 42 (which is continued in Psalm 43) was born. The psalmist was experiencing great tribulation and anguish when writing this Psalm, and the Holy Spirit filled him and made him feel what Jesus did:
Psalm 42
1As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. 2My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? 3My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, “Where is your God?” 4When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast. 5Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance. 6O my God, my soul is cast down within me; Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, And from the heights of Hermon, From the Hill Mizar. 7Deep calls unto deep [tehom calls tehom} at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over
- 81 - me. [In a first reading, this part seems not to fit here, but it actually describes what Jesus felt. Jesus was overwhelmed by a loud noise, created by the roaring whirls.] 8The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me—A prayer to the God of my life. 9I will say to God my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” 10As with a breaking of my bones, My enemies reproach me, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 11Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.
Psalm 43:3-5
3Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill And to Your tabernacle. 4Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; And on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God. 5Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.
These Psalms depict the great turmoil of His soul. Jesus was tormented by the huge waves and whirls. He wanted to go to the hill of the Father and to His tabernacle in Heaven. He gave an example of how faith works: He encouraged His downcast, sighing soul to keep on trusting God, to hang on and one day he would praise God for His deliverance.
The book of the prophet Jonah also addresses Jesus’ descending to Sheol.
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Jonah 2:1, 2
1Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish‟s belly. 2And he said: “I cried out to the LORD because of my affliction, And He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, And You heard my voice.”
On the basis of this passage, many believe that the fish took Jonah to the entrance of Sheol, where Jonah was touched by the atmosphere of the place. He was scared to death, and though only a little while before he had been lying in the bottom of the boat wishing to die, now he was desperately screaming to God because he had felt where he could go if he did not obey Him.
This version raises a question. How could the fish swim so quickly from the Mediterranean Sea to one of the sources of the seas (e.g., a deep-sea-trough) going there, and returning in three days? How could a fish get to the bed of an ocean or even swim down through a spring of the tehom to reach the bottom of the tehom where the water is very hot and the pressure is so high? This entire scenario seems impossible. However, the answer is simple. The fish didn’t go anywhere; it stayed in the Mediterranean near the coast of Israel the entire three days.
Jonah was not in Sheol; rather, he was in the belly of the fish. He felt absolutely terrible, and the Holy Spirit made him feel what Jesus felt in Sheol. No wonder Jonah’s prayer resembles Psalm 69! Both authors were inspired by the same Spirit, though the prayers were uttered through two different men. Jonah felt the following (and so did Jesus):
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Jonah 2:3-11
3For You cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the floods surrounded me; All Your billows and Your waves passed over me. 4Then I said, „I have been cast out of Your sight; Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.‟ 5The waters surrounded me, even to my soul; The deep [tehom] closed around me; Weeds were wrapped around my head. 6I went down to the moorings [roots] of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit [shachath], O LORD, my God. 7“When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the LORD; And my prayer went up to You, Into Your holy temple. 8“Those who regard worthless idols Forsake their own Mercy. 9But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.” 10So the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
This chapter reveals a very dynamic picture with whirling water, waves and breakers. Jesus was even entangled in the seaweed, which suggests that physical objects can somehow affect the human shadow. Interestingly, verse 6 states that Jesus descended deeper than the roots of the mountains and the earth with its ―bars‖ closed behind Him which means that the bars of the Earth were above Him. So, mountains have foundations as do icebergs. The ―bars‖ of the earth may refer to bolts that close the lower firm crusts. (This term is used in the Bible for the iron bolts, latches, that keep the gates of the fortresses closed.) Notice, that Sheol is deeper than these. We can read about the resurrection in this chapter, even though Jesus Christ had to go through many ordeals before that could happen.
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At this point, Jesus was descending lower and lower. Psalm 9 shows the next station after the tehom:
Psalm 9:13-18
13Have mercy on me, O LORD! Consider my trouble from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death, (Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death! NIV) 14That I may tell of all Your praise In the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in Your salvation. 15The nations have sunk down in the pit [shachath] which they made; In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught. 16The LORD is known by the judgment He executes; The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Selah 17The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the nations that forget God. 18For the needy shall not always be forgotten; The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.
Jesus reached the gates of Death, which are the gates of Sheol. He prayed to the Father to have mercy upon Him and to lift Him up from that place. Twice Jesus went through the gates of Death: once when going down and then when coming up. When He was coming up, He was not a miserable person in need any more, but a victor! He says this Psalm going downward. In the gates of Death, Jesus saw the picture described in Ezekiel 32. He saw the Gentiles, the nations in Sheol. He saw them as nations as the prophet Ezekiel listed them. However, Jesus knew that He would not be forgotten as the nations were.
While Jesus was in the gates of Death, the wicked powers there—under the leadership of Sheol and Death—were continuously tormenting him.
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Psalm 143:1-12
A Psalm of David
1Hear my prayer, O LORD, Give ear to my supplications! In Your faithfulness answer me, And in Your righteousness. 2Do not enter into judgment with Your servant, For in Your sight no one living is righteous. 3For the enemy has persecuted my soul; He has crushed my life to the ground; He has made me dwell in darkness, Like those who have long been dead. 4Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me; My heart within me is distressed. 5I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the work of Your hands. 6I spread out my hands to You; My soul longs for You like a thirsty land. [This is what we can also read in Psalm 42.] Selah 7Answer me speedily, O LORD; My spirit fails! Do not hide Your face from me, Lest I be like those who go down into the pit [bowr]. 8Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning [the morning of the resurrection], For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You. 9Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies; In You I take shelter. 10Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness. 11Revive me [make me alive], O LORD, for Your name‟s sake! For Your righteousness‟ sake bring my soul out of trouble. 12In Your mercy cut off my enemies, And destroy all those who afflict my soul; For I am Your servant.
The psalmist asks God, first of all, to hear him at the beginning of these kinds of psalms. The reason is that he identifies with people who sinned, and he knows that God will not hear the prayers of the sinners. Jesus was exposed to wicked spirits who were hurting and persecuting Him; they crushed Him to the ground and cast Him into Sheol, into darkness among the dead. He did not simply descend
- 86 - into Sheol; He was cast there. His spirit grew faint in Sheol; His heart was dismayed, shocked because Sheol is a shocking, terrible place. Verse 7 claims His Spirit failed; it was like that of the dead because He was completely separated from God. He experienced all the phases of death in man’s place; this is how He could save man from death and Hell. In verse 11, He begs God to lead His soul out of this trouble—out of Sheol. Still, it took a little while to get out. He had just been cast to the depth of Sheol: Psalm 88
A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. To the Chief Musician. Set to “Mahalath Leannoth.” A Contemplation of Heman the Ezrahite.
1O LORD, God of my salvation, I cry out day and night before You. 2Let my prayer come before You; Incline Your ear to my cry. 3For my soul is full of troubles, And my life draws near to the grave [my life arrived in Sheol]. 4I am counted with those who go down to the pit [bowr]; I am like one without strength [shadow], 5Adrift among the dead, Like the slain who lie in the grave, Whom You remember no more, And who are cut off from Your hand. 6You have laid me in the lowest pit [bowr tachtiy], In darkness, in the depths. 7Your wrath lies heavy upon me, And You have afflicted me with all Your waves. Selah. 8You have put away my acquaintances far from me; You have made me an abomination to them; I am shut up (close up), and I cannot get out; 9My eye wastes away because of affliction. LORD, I have called daily upon You; I have stretched out my hands to You. 10Will You work wonders for the dead? Shall the spirits [shadows] arise and praise You? Selah. 11Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave? Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction [Abaddon]? 12Shall Your wonders be known in the dark? And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness [oblivion]? 13But to You I have cried out, O LORD,
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And in the morning my prayer comes before You. 14LORD, why do You cast off my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me? 15I have been afflicted and ready to die from my youth; I suffer Your terrors; I am distraught. 16Your fierce wrath has gone over me; Your terrors have cut me off. 17They came around me all day long like water; They engulfed me altogether. 18Loved one and friend You have put far from me, And darkness is my closest friend.
This song was revealed by the Holy Spirit to a very wise man named Heman the Ezrahite. When the Scripture describes Solomon, he is referred to as one ―wiser than anyone else, including Ethan—wiser than Heman.…” (1 Kings 4:31). This song was to be sung in a sad way: mahallat = sorrowfully, lehannowt = in a muffled voice. This Psalm is also about Jesus and what He went through in Sheol. It records that Jesus was crying out day and night to God; He felt terrible things. There was nothing else in His soul but misery, troubles and terror because He had arrived in Sheol (verse 3). He was counted among and even considered like the ones going down (descending) into the pit, as He was indeed like them. He was cast among the spirits—the shadows of the dead (verse 4). The Psalm records that Jesus was thrown into the deepest pit (cell, chamber) of Sheol and into its darkness and depth (verse 6). Jesus was locked there, and He could not have escaped (verse 8).
There are questions raised from verse 10: • Does God do wonders to the dead? • Is God’s love spoken about in the grave? • Is He known in the land of oblivion?
The answer to all these questions is no. God is not praised in Sheol. However, after these questions, Jesus says He still prays to God and wants to remember the Father.
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He does not want to be in a place where there is no remembrance of God. The turning point is in verse 13, which says, ―In the morning [Sunday morning, the morning of the resurrection] my prayer comes before you.‖ Until that morning Jesus’ prayer had not reached Heaven. The Father had hidden Himself in clouds from His Son and had cast off Jesus (verse 14). At this point of the Psalm, God’s terror was on Jesus; darkness was the least scary thing of all (verse 18). In verse 15, the previously mentioned Hebrew verb nasa [carry, bear] now occurs:
From my youth I have suffered and been close to death (I am dead); I have borne your terrors and am in despair. (NIV)
Another passage from the book of Lamentations also reveals how the Messiah felt in the deepest pit:
Lamentations 3
1I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath. 2He has led me and made me walk In darkness and not in light. 3Surely He has turned His hand against me Time and time again throughout the day. 4He has aged my flesh and my skin, And broken my bones. 5He has besieged me And surrounded me with bitterness and woe. 6He has set me in dark places Like the dead of long ago [the dead of the ancient world]. 7He has hedged me in so that I cannot get out; He has made my chain heavy. 8Even when I cry and shout, He shuts out my prayer. 9He has blocked my ways with hewn stone; He has made my paths crooked. 10He has been to me a bear lying in wait, Like a lion in ambush. 11He has turned aside my ways and torn me in pieces; He has made me desolate. 12He has bent His bow And set me up as a target for the arrow. 13He has caused the arrows of His quiver To pierce my loins.
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14I have become the ridicule of all my people—Their taunting song all the day. 15He has filled me with bitterness, He has made me drink wormwood. 16He has also broken my teeth with gravel, And covered me with ashes. 17You have moved my soul far from peace; I have forgotten prosperity. 18And I said, “My strength and my hope Have perished from the LORD.” 19Remember my affliction and roaming, The wormwood and the gall. 20My soul still remembers And sinks within me. 21This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22Through the LORD‟s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. [This well-known verse also refers to the morning of the resurrection.] 24“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” … 44You have covered Yourself with a cloud, That prayer should not pass through. 45You have made us an offscouring and refuse In the midst of the peoples. 46All our enemies Have opened their mouths against us. 47Fear and a snare have come upon us, Desolation and destruction 48My eyes overflow with rivers of water For the destruction of the daughter of my people. 49My eyes flow and do not cease, Without interruption, 50Till the LORD from heaven Looks down and sees. 51My eyes bring suffering to my soul Because of all the daughters of my city. 52My enemies without cause Hunted me down like a bird. 53They silenced my life in the pit And threw stones (stone) at me! [They have cut off my life in the dungeon and cast a stone upon me. (KJV)] 54The waters flowed over my head; I said, “I am cut off!” 55I called on Your name, O LORD, From the lowest pit! 56You have heard my voice: “Do not hide Your ear From my sighing, from my cry for help.” 57You drew near on the day I called on You, And said, “Do not fear!” 58O LORD, You have pleaded the case for my soul; You have redeemed my life. 59O LORD, You have seen how I am wronged; Judge my case. 60You have seen all their vengeance, All their schemes against me. 61You have heard their reproach, O LORD, All their schemes against me, 62The lips of my
- 90 - enemies And their whispering against me all the day. 63Look at their sitting down and their rising up; I am their taunting song. 64Repay them, O LORD, According to the work of their hands. 65Give them a veiled heart; Your curse be upon them! 66In Your anger, Pursue and destroy them From under the heavens of the LORD.
What Jesus felt when going through this all was revealed and given to Jeremiah by the Holy Spirit. God condemned the sin Jesus took on Himself, putting His Son in misery. God, the Father, was against His Son, enclosed Him and shut Him out. Jesus had to stay in darkness. According to verse 7, God allowed heavy chains and shackles to be placed on Jesus. (Jesus was in greater bandage than Joseph in the prison.) This passage records that strength left Jesus; He became weak and was filled with bitterness and gall. His soul was downcast. (This is the same Hebrew word used in Psalm 42 which says, ―Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?). God did not hear Jesus, so streams of tears were flowing from His eyes. Jesus was hunted by His foes like a bird hunted by fowlers. He was pushed into the deepest pit where the opening was covered with a stone. The pit closed over Him. What He was praying against in Psalm 69 now was happening to Him: ―Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me!”
Jesus was not even heard by the Father when He was in a sinful state. He had no way to get out of the pit. Jesus’ total, unconditional reliance on the Father sent Him there. Only The Father could remove Jesus from this place of terrible suffering. In verse 54, the words “I was cut off” in the original Hebrew text is the same verb used in Isaiah 53:8, which says, “Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living.…” (Isaiah chapter 53 as
- 91 - mentioned earlier is one of the most famous Messianic prophecies in the Bible.)
These tremendous troubles continue only until the Heavenly Father looks down from Heaven and sees Jesus. The prophet Jeremiah talks about this moment in time as something coming soon—as in the morning (the morning of the resurrection). At that time, God’s grace will renew toward Jesus, and He will pull Him out of the misery, Sheol (verse 23).
Psalm 6 was also born in Sheol.
Psalm 6
To the chief Musician on Neginoth upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David.
O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure. 2Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am weak; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are troubled [my whole shape is trembling]. 3My soul also is greatly troubled; But You, O LORD—how long? 4Return, O LORD, deliver me! Oh, save me for Your mercies‟ sake! 5For in death there is no remembrance of You; In the grave [Sheol] who will give You thanks? 6I am weary with my groaning; All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears. 7My eye wastes away because of grief; It grows old because of all my enemies. 8Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity; For the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping. 9The LORD has heard my supplication; The LORD will receive my prayer. 10Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled; Let them turn back and be ashamed suddenly.
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Weeping and crying is mentioned several times in this Psalm. Jesus’ whole being (shadow) was trembling because of anguish. Verse 4 reads: “…deliver me,…save me…,” though the passage does not mention from where. However, the where is revealed in the next verse: no one proclaims the name of God in death, in Sheol. That’s why Jesus asks the Father to save Him from Sheol, the death. Once again, Jesus’ faith can be seen in the midst of torment and anguish in verse 9 when He says that the Father will accept His prayer. This is when Jesus’ prayer gets into heaven, before the Father, into the Holy of Holies, and His enemies are put to shame.
Psalm 102 is the next Psalm to consider.
Psalm 102
A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the LORD.
1Hear my prayer, O LORD, And let my cry come to You. 2Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble; Incline Your ear to me; In the day that I call, answer me speedily. 3For my days are consumed like smoke [end-like smoke], And my bones [shape, frame] are burned like a hearth. 4My heart is stricken and withered like grass, So that I forget to eat my bread. 5Because of the sound of my groaning My bones cling to my skin. 6I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the desert. 7I lie awake, And am like a sparrow alone on the housetop. 8My enemies reproach me all day long; Those who deride me swear an oath against me. 9For I have eaten ashes like bread, And mingled my drink with weeping, 10Because of Your indignation and Your wrath; For You have lifted me up and cast me away. 11My days are like a shadow that lengthens, And I wither away like grass. 12But You, O
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LORD, shall endure forever, And the remembrance of Your name to all generations. 13You will arise and have mercy on Zion; For the time to favor her, Yes, the set time, has come. 14For Your servants take pleasure in her stones, And show favor to her dust. 15So the nations shall fear the name of the LORD, And all the kings of the earth Your glory. 16For the LORD shall build up Zion; He shall appear in His glory. 17He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, And shall not despise their prayer. 18This will be written for the generation to come, That a people yet to be created may praise the LORD. 19For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary; From heaven the LORD viewed the earth, 20To hear the groaning of the prisoner, To release those appointed to death, 21To declare the name of the LORD in Zion, And His praise in Jerusalem, 22When the peoples are gathered together, And the kingdoms, to serve the LORD. 23He weakened my strength in the way; He shortened my days. 24I said, “O my God, Do not take me away in the midst of my days; Your years are throughout all generations. 25Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. 26They will perish, but You will endure; Yes, they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will change them, And they will be changed. 27But You are the same, And Your years will have no end. 28The children of Your servants will continue, And their descendants will be established before You.”
This Psalm also describes total loneliness—a completely barren, withered condition. Often in these Psalms, Jesus is praying to the Father not to hide Himself from His Son. For Jesus the greatest difficulty with which to deal was losing His communion with the Father, with Whom He had been together in loving relationship since eternity and of Whom He had the same nature. Verse 3 claims something astonishing: Jesus’ body was burning so much
- 94 - that His members were glowing. The word bone in this verse can be rendered as ―frame, build or body.‖ Of course, the word does not refer to the bones of Jesus’ body; rather, the frame of his shadow. Jesus was more tormented in the flames than the rich man in the story of Lazarus, as Jesus was in the deeper part of Sheol. This Psalm also records that the Lord looked down on the earth from Heaven. The appointed time had come; Jesus had to spend a certain period of time in Sheol. When that time was over, the Father took action. Verse 20 says the Father heard the groan of the prisoner, and He loosened and released His Son from the ropes, chains and shackles. The Son’s defeat over death opened the way for the Gentiles to come to the Father. All the people will go up to Zion, Jerusalem and praise God (verse 22)!
“Do not take me away in the midst of my days.” Jesus lived only half of the average life span (in body). This verse means that He saved man from premature death. The sacrifice of Jesus made it possible for believers to live a full life expectancy. This is part of the blessings of salvation by faith.
Psalm 57 is next passage in our study.
Psalm 57
To the Chief Musician. Set to “Do Not Destroy.” A Michtam of David when he fled from Saul into the cave.
1Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by. 2I will cry out to God Most High, To God who performs all things for me. 3He shall send from heaven and save me; He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. Selah.
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God shall send forth His mercy and His truth. 4My soul is among lions; I lie among the sons of men Who are set on fire, Whose teeth are spears and arrows, And their tongue a sharp sword. 5Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; Let Your glory be above all the earth. 6They have prepared a net for my steps; My soul is bowed down; They have dug a pit before me; Into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah 7My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise. 8Awake, my glory! Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn. 9I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing to You among the nations. 10For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens, And Your truth unto the clouds. 11Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; Let Your glory be above all the earth.
The situation in which this Psalm was born explains much about the wording. David was fleeing from Saul and sought refuge in a cave. However, in this closed place David received this Psalm about Jesus and His feelings. The most important verse in this Psalm in relation to this study is verse 4, which says, “My soul is among lions; I lie among the sons of men Who are set on fire.” Jesus Christ was lying among people (i.e., shadows of men), and he called them lions, describing their nature as wild as that of animals. He was cast among His enemies, and they blasphemed Him in Sheol while He suffered in the hot flames of Hell, as revealed in Psalm 102:3. Psalm 142 was also written in a cave.
Psalm 142
A Contemplation of David. A Prayer when he was in the cave.
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1I cry out to the LORD with my voice; With my voice to the LORD I make my supplication. 2I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare before Him my trouble. 3When my spirit was overwhelmed [weakened] within me, Then You knew my path. In the way in which I walk They have secretly set a snare for me. 4Look on my right hand and see, For there is no one who acknowledges me; Refuge has failed me; No one cares for my soul. 5I cried out to You, O LORD: I said, “You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living. 6Attend to my cry, For I am brought very low; Deliver me from my persecutors, For they are stronger than I. 7Bring my soul out of prison, That I may praise Your name; The righteous shall surround me, For You shall deal bountifully with me.”
Certain phrases in this Psalm mention some of the same situations as in previous Scriptures. The phrase “my spirit weakened [―grows faint‖ (NIV)] occurs frequently. Verse 6 reads, ―I am brought very low‖ This verse reveals the condition of Jesus’ soul (shadow) in Sheol. Another common phrase is “the land of the living” which refers to the surface of the earth where people are alive and can be in relationship with the Lord. In this Psalm we can also read about the enemy that was stronger than Jesus (and David). The word prison in verse 7 (―Bring my soul out of prison…‖) is also a synonym of Sheol.
Psalm 130
A Song of Ascents. 1Out of the depths I have cried [I cry] to You, O LORD; 2Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications. 3If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared. 5I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, And in His word I
- 97 - do hope. 6My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning—Yes, more than those who watch for the morning. 7O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption. 8And He shall redeem Israel From all his iniquities.
Jesus was crying out to the Father from the depth. The sins had not yet been removed from the Son by the Father; they were still accredited to Him (verse 3). This is why Jesus hoped for the morning, for forgiveness, and for the Father’s taking away the sins He had taken to Sheol at dawn. He hoped that the Father would deliver Him from His prison wardens and that Sheol and Death would no longer have any right to torment Him.
The word used in this verse is redeem which means ―to pay the ransom for somebody or to liberate a slave.‖ Jesus was delivered because He was without sin, while man can be delivered through his faith in Jesus.
Psalm 144 gives additional information.
Psalm 144
A Psalm of David. 1Blessed be the LORD my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle—2My lovingkindness and my fortress, My high tower and my deliverer, My shield and the One in whom I take refuge, Who subdues my people under me. 3LORD, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him? 4Man is like a breath; His days are like a passing shadow. 5Bow down Your heavens, O LORD, and come down; Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke. 6Flash forth lightning and scatter them; Shoot out Your
- 98 - arrows and destroy them. 7Stretch out Your hand from above; Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters, From the hand of foreigners, 8Whose mouth speaks lying words, And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood. 9I will sing a new song to You, O God; On a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You, 10The One who gives salvation to kings, Who delivers David His servant From the deadly sword. 11Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners, Whose mouth speaks lying words, And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood—12That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; That our daughters may be as pillars, Sculptured in palace style; 13That our barns may be full, Supplying all kinds of produce; That our sheep may bring forth thousands And ten thousands in our fields; 14That our oxen may be well laden; That there be no breaking in or going out; That there be no outcry in our streets. 15Happy are the people who are in such a state; Happy are the people whose God is the LORD!
Once again, the Holy Spirit spoke through David’s mouth. Jesus prayed that the Father Himself would come to His aid by leaving His throne and coming down from Heaven to help Him. He prays that the Father would bend the heavens and come down on earth (!), that the Father would scatter the enemies mocking and tormenting the Son in Hell by His lightning, and that the Father would rescue His Son from the mighty waters. He wants to sing a new song to the Lord for His deliverance. Then He shares the consequences of His deliverance (redemption). These blessings are listed from verse 12 to the end of the Psalm.
Many verses in the Bible refer to the suffering of Jesus Christ. Many passages also refer to the resurrection. Before turning to resurrection, I would like to address a passage that is often misinterpreted. In Luke 23:43, Jesus says the
- 99 - following to the repentant thief crucified next to Him: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
At a first reading, it might seem as if this verse is a contradiction to what has been said. If Jesus had been in the paradise—the bosom of Abraham and the dwelling place of the Old Testament saints—the evening of His crucifixion, how could have He experienced all that is written in the Psalms?
The excellent Bible teacher, E. W. Kenyon shares the following in his book, What Happened from the Cross to the Throne:
―You remember Jesus said to the thief on the cross, ―Today, thou shalt be with me in Paradise.‖ You understand there is no punctuation in the Greek. Punctuation is determined by the emphasis. Rotherham, in his notes on this, makes it read, ―I say unto you Today,‖ (the word today is emphatic, and in our American Revision it is capitalized.) It should read like this: ―I say unto you Today, thou shalt be with me in Paradise.‖ Just as you might say, ―I say unto you today, I will meet you in Portland.‖ This does not mean that Jesus went to Paradise when the spirit left His body.‖
According to the Bible, Jesus went down to Hell as the most sinful man ever and not as the Son of God; therefore, His portion was that of the sinners. The Bible states that Jesus was made to be sin for us. He couldn’t have gone to the bosom of Abraham with the multitude of sins that He took down with Him. Jesus was dragged down, like a heavy stone, deep into the bottom of Sheol by these sins. There He had to suffer all the torments of Hell in man’s place.
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The Restoration to Life
Friday evening and Saturday passed. However, on Sunday, early in the morning, the Father heard Jesus’ cry. The Son’s prayer reached His Heavenly Father, and the appointed time was over. The Father took action:
Psalm 71:20, 21
20You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, Shall revive me again, And bring me up again from the depths [tehom] of the earth. 21You shall increase my greatness, And comfort me on every side.
As a matter of fact, two different stages are mentioned in this passage. The first stage is that of reviving, restoring somebody to life. This first stage is to be distinguished from bringing somebody out of the tehom, which is resurrection. The Father revived Jesus’ spirit when He delivered Him from the sins and separated Him from the sins that He had taken to Sheol. Resurrection, however, is always the raising of the body.
In the Scripture, reviving—restoration to life—is often related to the separation from sins:
Colossians 2:13
And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses.…
According to the Apostle Paul, when we were saved, our spirits were revived—made alive (together with Jesus
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Christ)—by the Father through forgiving us of all our sins. The Father will no longer credit these sins to us, and this is how we were made alive; our spirit and soul were born again. Reviving—restoration to life—is a consequence of being freed from sins.
Ephesians 2:4-6
4But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive [revived us] together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.…
Restoration to life (reviving) and resurrection are two distinguishable events. We were dead because of our sins, but God made us alive with Jesus Christ, raised us up, and seated us on His right hand. This means that, by faith, we can receive all of the blessings that Jesus earned through His restoration to life, resurrection and ascension to Heaven. We have already received a share of restoration with the new birth, but our resurrection and ascension to Heaven will happen only in the future.
When restoring Jesus to life, the Father deprived Sheol, Death and all the other evil spirits the right to torment Jesus. They no longer had the right to hold captive or torment a Man Who was without sin. All the chains and shackles fell off Jesus. The wicked spirits were shocked; this was something they had never expected to happen.
When did this restoration to life happen to Jesus?
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Hosea 6:1-3
1Come, and let us return to the LORD; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. 2After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight. 3Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth.
It was because of man and the sins of man that the Father tore Jesus Christ to pieces, then healed Him and bound up His wounds. It’s extremely interesting that we can read in the Old Testament about the Messiah’s raising from the dead on the third day! This Scripture was fulfilled in Jesus. The prophet Hosea says it is ―after two days‖ that the Father revives Jesus. It is Sunday—two days after Friday. The resurrection also happened on Sunday. Therefore, reviving was soon followed by the resurrection.
This is why the Bible addresses the two events as inseparable. Jesus was waiting for early morning—not Saturday evening or night because He knew that the reviving of His spirit would come at dawn, and His resurrection would soon follow. After the resurrection, Jesus would live before the Father, in His presence forever more (verse 2).
In Hosea 6:3, we can read about the Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit, the early (winter) and the latter (spring) rain, which was realized after the resurrection of Jesus.
To sum it up, Jesus was made alive, revived, His relationship with the Father was restored, and He was not like the ones ―going [gone] down to the pit‖ any longer.
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The Resurrection
Reviving was very soon followed by the resurrection. Psalm 18 addresses the resurrection.
Psalm 18
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of the LORD, who spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.
The Bible student can learn many facts in this introduction to the Psalm. David sang these words to the Lord on the day when he was delivered from the hand of all his enemies and the hand of Saul. Therefore, this Psalm is a song of triumph. However, this Psalm contains many emotions that David himself never experiences. These are not poetical devices and pictures, but events that really happened and through the life of Jesus Christ were all fulfilled!
The original Hebrew spelling did not have accents and punctuation; that is, the vowels were not marked. In the Only one other .ׁשאול original written text ―Saul‖ is spelled word is spelled with the same consonants, and this word is Sheol! Therefore, this introduction to the Psalm can also be read in the following way: ―when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and the hand of Sheol (the wicked angel)‖!
The Holy Spirit gave David Psalm 18 about 1,000 years before Jesus was born. Punctuation was added to the Hebrew Bible only around 800 A.D., so the people could read Saul or Sheol in this Psalm for 1,800 years.
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Note God’s wisdom in the relation of the two words (Saul, Sheol). When God called Saul, He already knew that Saul would persecute David and that David would one day write Psalm 18. For David, this Psalm referred to Saul; but for Jesus, this Psalm referred to Sheol.
Clearly, the Bible is indeed a supernatural Book, given to people from eternity and transferring eternity to people! The causes and effects with God are a different dimension; it’s incomprehensible for man. The only thing we feel is amazement, which Paul expressed when he was thinking about the cause-and-effect concerning Israel:
Romans 11:33: Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
Now let’s read Psalm 18.
1I will love You, O LORD, my strength. 2The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies. 4The pangs of death surrounded me, And the floods of ungodliness [wild streams of Belial] made me afraid. 5The sorrows [literally, ―cords, bonds, pain‖] of Sheol surrounded me [coiled around me]; The snares of death confronted me. 6In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry came before Him, even to His ears. 7Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken, Because He was angry. 8Smoke went up from His nostrils, And devouring fire from His
- 105 - mouth; Coals were kindled by it. 9He bowed the heavens also, and came down With darkness under His feet. 10And He rode upon a cherub, and flew; He flew upon the wings of the wind. 11He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters And thick clouds of the skies. 12From the brightness before Him, His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire. 13The LORD thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice, Hailstones and coals of fire. 14He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe, Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them. 15Then the channels of the waters were seen, The foundations [pillars] of the world were uncovered At Your rebuke, O LORD, At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils. 16He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters! 17He delivered me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me, For they were too strong for me. 18They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the LORD was my support. 19He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me. 20The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. 21For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not wickedly departed from my God. 22For all His judgments were before me, And I did not put away His statutes from me. 23I was also blameless before Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity. 24Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight. 25With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; 26With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. 27For You will save the humble people, But will bring down haughty looks. 28For You will light my lamp; The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. 29For by You I can run against a troop, By my God I can leap over a
- 106 - wall. 30As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. 31For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? 32It is God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect. 33He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places. 34He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 35You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great. 36You enlarged my path under me, So my feet did not slip. 37I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them; Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed. 38I have wounded them, So that they could not rise; They have fallen under my feet. 39For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. 40You have also given me the necks of my enemies, So that I destroyed those who hated me. 41They cried out, but there was none to save; Even to the LORD, but He did not answer them. 42Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind; I cast them out like dirt in the streets. 43You have delivered me from the strivings of the people; You have made me the head of the nations; A people I have not known shall serve me. 44As soon as they hear of me they obey me; The foreigners submit to me. 45The foreigners fade away, And come frightened from their hideouts. 46The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted. 47It is God who avenges me, And subdues the peoples under me; 48He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man. 49Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the Gentiles, And sing praises to Your name. 50Great deliverance He gives to His king, And shows mercy to His anointed, To David and his descendants forevermore. (This psalm is about David and his descendant, who is Jesus).
How extremely fascinating the Bible is!
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This song is a great song of praise by Jesus! The Bible, in several places, mentions a new thanksgiving song sung after deliverance. Maybe this Psalm is that song or contains that song within its 50 verses. It is not an accident that this song occurs in the Bible twice—in Psalm 18 and also in 2 Samuel 22. If something is repeated in the Bible, it must be very important.
In this Psalm Jesus, first of all, praises the Lord and then tells what anguish He endured. Besides the torment of Death and Sheol, the wild streams of Belial overwhelmed him. Belial is an evil spirit who is mentioned together with Sheol and Death both in this Psalm and in 2 Samuel 22. Belial is sitting in the gates of Hell. The Apostle Paul once says: what harmony is between Christ and Belial?
Jesus was entangled with the ropes, chains and shackles of Sheol, and He was caught by the snares (harpoons, hooks, nets, traps) of Death. It is apparent that the chains of Death are real chains that are not physical or tangible; rather, they are spiritual chains. Those who are chained by these spiritual chains cannot move.
Psalm 18 describes Sunday dawn when Jesus’ prayer reached the Heavenly Father, to the Heavenly Temple (verse 6), and then the Father came to the aid of His Son— bent the heavens; descended; and was surrounded by mist, fog and darkness. The earth was trembling and shaking, the foundations of the earth became visible and also were trembling. The riverbeds of the tehom became visible too. The Father was soaring, riding on cherubim, and when His voice resounded, there was thunder and lightning which scattered Jesus’ enemies—Death, Sheol and the other wicked spirits. Then He reached down from on high and drew Jesus out of the deep waters!
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Jesus said that the reason the Father had drawn Him out was the cleanness of His hands. The Father rewarded Him according to His righteousness, as there was no sin in Him: ―I kept myself from sin.‖ Daniel was saved from the lions’ pit because He was found righteous before God. Daniel’s deliverance was indeed a picture of the deliverance of Jesus Christ.
Verse 44 (NIV), ―you have made me the head of nations. People I did not know now serve me” highlights the fact that as a result of redemption, God’s door opened for the Gentiles; they are allowed to go to the Lord! The Gentiles were in locked places, and they come out trembling. This reminds us of a person who has been kept in a dark and narrow place all of his life but now is suddenly released. This is a picture of people getting saved.
The Psalm states that the Father taught Jesus how to fight through this test. The passage claims that the time of revenge is coming when Jesus will persecute and defeat all of His enemies. Satan, Sheol, Death and the other evil spirits will be punished by Jesus’ revenge. He is even now waiting patiently because of man so that he can repent. However, that time of revenge will come when He returns. ―…Vengeance is Mine, I will repay…‖ (Hebrews 10:30).
Other songs of this great triumph include Psalm 116.
Psalm 116
Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death 1I love the LORD, because He has heard My voice and my supplications. 2Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live. 3The pains of death
- 109 - surrounded me, And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow. 4Then I called upon the name of the LORD: “O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul!” 5Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; Yes, our God is merciful. 6The LORD preserves the simple; I was brought low [weak], and He saved me. 7Return to your rest, O my soul, For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. 8For You have delivered my soul from death, My eyes from tears, And my feet from falling. 9I will walk before the LORD In the land of the living. 10I believed, therefore I spoke, “I am greatly afflicted.” 11I said in my haste, “All men are liars.” 12What shall I render to the LORD For all His benefits toward me? 13I will take up the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the LORD. 14I will pay my vows to the LORD Now in the presence of all His people. 15Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His saints. 16O LORD, truly I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have loosed my bonds [you have freed me from my chains (NIV)]. 17I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the LORD. 18I will pay my vows to the LORD Now in the presence of all His people, 19In the courts of the LORD‟s house, In the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!
We can also read about the resurrection in this Psalm. This Psalm, which is similar to Psalm 18, describes the physical and emotional state of the psalmist. The cords and anguish of Sheol and Death also appear to be concluded in this Psalm. Jesus has already gone through weakness and misery. Verse 16 says ―…you have freed me from my chains‖; that is, the Father cut off the cords of Sheol and Death and delivered Jesus. He made vows to the Lord in the time of misery that He will fulfill in the presence of all people.
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Psalm 124
A Song of Ascents. Of David. 1“If it had not been the LORD who was on our side,” Let Israel now say—2“If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, When men rose up against us, 3Then they would have swallowed us alive, When their wrath was kindled against us; 4Then the waters would have overwhelmed us, The stream would have gone over our soul; 5Then the swollen waters Would have gone over our soul.” 6Blessed be the LORD, Who has not given us as prey to their teeth. 7Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; The snare is broken, and we have escaped. 8Our help is in the name of the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.
But for the Father’s help, Jesus would have been swallowed by the waters of the tehom for once. However, the Father broke the chains and yokes of Death, and the Spirit of Jesus was freed like a bird.
Psalm 40:1-10
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
1I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. 2He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. 3He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD. 4Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust, And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. 5Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works Which You have done; And Your thoughts toward us Cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered. 6Sacrifice and offering
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You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. 7Then I said, “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. 8I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.” 9I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness In the great assembly; Indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O LORD, You Yourself know. 10I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth From the great assembly.
This Psalm is a song of joy over the fact that the Father brought Jesus’ soul out of the slimy pit. As a result, many people will get to know that and will fear the Lord. This also refers to all the nations of the earth. Jesus came to fulfill God’s will. We saw in Joseph’s story that he was willing to serve. Similarly, we can read here that Jesus willingly said: ―Here I am, it is written about me in the scroll.‖ (NIV)
Psalm 66:8-20
8Oh, bless our God, [all] you peoples! And make the voice of His praise to be heard, 9Who keeps our soul among the living, And does not allow our feet to be moved. 10For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined. 11You brought us into the net; You laid affliction on our backs. 12You have caused men to ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water; But You brought us out to rich fulfillment. 13I will go into Your house with burnt offerings; I will pay You my vows, 14Which my lips have uttered And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble. 15I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals, With the sweet aroma of rams; I will offer bulls with goats. Selah 16Come and hear, all you who fear God, And I will declare
- 112 - what He has done for my soul. 17I cried to Him with my mouth, And He was extolled with my tongue. 18If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear. 19But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer. 20Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer, Nor His mercy from me!
Jesus was in fire (Sheol), water (tehom), nets, and the snares of Sheol. But God heard Him; He did not refuse His Son’s prayers. Portions of this Psalm again tell us that He makes vows in anguish and then fulfils. And again, if He had cherished sin, if he had had any sins, the Father hadn’t rescued Him. After the big test and deliverance there’s a big praise in this psalm similarly to others.
Psalm 30 (NIV)
A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple. Of David.
1I will exalt you, LORD, for you lifted me [drew me] out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. 2O LORD my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me. 3You, LORD, brought me up from Sheol; you spared me from going down to the pit [You raised me from among those who went down to the pit—bowr]! 4Sing the praises of the LORD, you his faithful people; praise his holy name! 5For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favour lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. 6When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.” 7LORD, when you favoured me, you made my royal mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed. 8To you, LORD, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: 9“What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? 10Hear, LORD, and be merciful to me; LORD, be my help.” 11You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 12that
- 113 - my heart may sing your praises and not be silent! LORD my God, I will praise you forever.
The Father drew Jesus’ Spirit out of Sheol and did not allow His enemies—Sheol and Death—to gloat over Him. He raised Him from among those ―who went down to the pit‖— the perished shadows—though He was like one of them. “Weeping may stay for the night” refers to the crucifixion and the descending into Sheol on Friday evening. “But rejoicing comes in the morning‖ is related to the resurrection. The Father left Jesus for a short while. Then Jesus was broken and cried out to God: “What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit?” The Father removed Jesus’ sackclothes and clothed Him with joy which is one of the reasons why the Father is worthy to be praised forever (verse 12). We see how important it is for Jesus to also praise the Father and to sing to Him for His deliverance from Sheol!
Not only David, the psalmists and the prophets had revelations about the resurrection of Jesus, but King Hezekiah also had a revelation. Hezekiah became sick, and the Lord told the king through the prophet Isaiah to arrange everything as He would die of that sickness. However, Hezekiah did not want to die yet, so he prayed and cried to the Lord. The Lord heard Him and gave Him 15 more years. Hezekiah became very happy and felt as if He had been rescued from Sheol, a premature death and had gained back his life. In this happiness, the Holy Spirit made Him feel what Jesus felt when He was rescued from Sheol, restored to life and resurrected. Hezekiah recorded these joyful feelings, and the prophet Isaiah included them in his book upon recognizing the significance of this Messianic prophecy.
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Isaiah 38:9-20
9This is the writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness: 10I said, “In the prime [middle] of my life I shall go to the gates of Sheol; I am deprived of the remainder of my years.” 11I said, “I shall not see YAH, The LORD in the land of the living; I shall observe man no more among the inhabitants of the world. 12My life span is gone, Taken from me like a shepherd‟s tent; I have cut off my life like a weaver. He cuts me off from the loom; From day until night You make an end of me. 13I have considered until morning—Like a lion, So He breaks all my bones; From day until night You make an end of me. 14Like a crane or a swallow, so I chattered; I mourned like a dove; My eyes fail from looking upward. O LORD, I am oppressed; Undertake for me! 15“What shall I say? He has both spoken to me, And He Himself has done it. I shall walk carefully all my years In the bitterness of my soul. 16O Lord, by these things men live; And in all these things is the life of my spirit; So You will restore me and make me live [that is, restoring to life and resurrection] 17Indeed it was for my own peace That I had great bitterness; But You have lovingly delivered my soul [hold me back, drew me] from the pit [shachat] of corruption, For You have cast all my sins behind Your back. 18For Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise You; Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth. 19The living, the living man, he shall praise You, As I do this day; The father shall make known Your truth to the children. 20“The LORD was ready to save me; Therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments All the days of our life, in the house of the LORD.”
In this passage the Holy Spirit talks through the mouth of Hezekiah. The anguish Jesus suffered became a blessing for
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Him as well as for the entire human race: „O Lord, by these things men live.” God, in His love, drew Jesus’ Spirit out of the pit of destruction by the forgiveness of sins. Note the word love. The Father’s love raised Jesus from a place of evil spirits which were tormenting His only begotten Son. God the Father brought His Son up to the land of the living where it is possible to praise God.
“…we will sing my songs with stringed instruments All the days of our life, in the house of the LORD.”. I believe this means Jesus has been praising the Father for His resurrection every day for two thousand years. His resurrection and deliverance from Sheol is too big for even Jesus to get over! The more insight a person has into the spiritual world and the more an individual knows God, the more he will understand the significance of the resurrection. This story—this deed of selflessness—will never fade and will never be forgotten. One can never be bored by what Jesus did. His act will forever be the most significant act in the world!
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Summary
When Jesus breathed His last breath on the cross, His Spirit left for Sheol together with the sins that were cast on Him by the Father. Jesus had to pass through the waters of the depth, the tehom, while the evil spirits (under the direction of Sheol, Death and Belial) were mocking and blaspheming Him, tormenting and pushing Him into the deepest pit of Sheol where He was chained. He was totally imprisoned, and He knew that He could never get out of that place on His own. He was lying in the bottom of Sheol, enduring terrible pain, and all His parts were burning and trembling because of the pain. Perished shadows in flames, who blasphemed Him and were angry with Him for their being there, were all around the Son of God. Jesus was continuously encouraging Himself, thinking about and remembering old things, supplicating, crying out to the Father, and weeping. At Sunday dawn, at the appointed time, His prayer reached the Father; He heard Jesus. The Father Himself went to rescue Jesus and made Him alive.
The turning point was this reviving of Jesus, which is in close relation with the resurrection. The Son of God went down to Sheol without having sins on His own. Jesus took with Him huge sins; what is more, He was made to be sin for the people, while He Himself had never committed any sin! He cried out to the Father from Sheol, and God heard Him. You can be anywhere—even in the bottom of Sheol—and if you do not have sins, your prayers will get to the holy, heavenly temple of the Father. So God set off, descended on this earth, and tore the cords and chains of Sheol and Death on Jesus. Then He grabbed Him out of ―the depths of the sea‖ (Psalm 68:22)!
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Nobody had ever before been able to come out of Sheol. Everyone in the punishment section of Sheol was there because of his sins, in a sinful condition, punished justly. As Jesus gave Himself as a sacrifice for the sins, people who accept this truth by faith are rescued from the power of Satan, Sheol and Death.
The fact that Jesus was in the deepest pit means that He died for the people even in the biggest sins. By faith we can take hold of all the spiritual blessings that Jesus granted to us.
Note: through the story of Jesus we can also better understand water baptism. When we are baptized in water, we identify with the death of Jesus Christ and His going down to the bottom of the waters in Sheol! When we come up from the water, we identify with the resurrection of Jesus Christ, with the fact that the Father drew Him up from the great waters! It’s obvious that water baptism is not a religious ritual of obedience, but the way of becoming one with the sacrifice of Jesus.
Romans 6,3-5
3Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.
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Colossians 2:12,13
12Buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses.
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The Glorification
At Sunday dawn, the Spirit of Jesus left the inside of the earth and reached His body that was lying in the cave. The power of resurrection, of which Psalm 18 gives a very expressive picture, surrounded Jesus. The Father reached down from on high, lifted Him up, and drew Him out of the big waters. Christ Jesus was made alive; that is, His Spirit was born again at Sunday dawn, and some might say, burst into His body lying in the tomb! He was going up very fast, with a luminous phenomena all around Him, accompanied by the Father Who was sitting on cherubim, hidden in the clouds. Lightning and the light of glowing embers radiated from the clouds. On Sunday morning angels appeared, which suggests that angels came down and wanted to be a part of Jesus’ resurrection. This is a description of enormous heavenly glory, where the angels’ faces were so bright like lightning that the people became frightened and fainted.
The Spirit of Jesus united with His body, and He resurrected. The divine power surrounding Him since He had been made alive was so strong that when Jesus’ Spirit entered His body, His body was entirely changed by the power and was transformed to a glorified body! His glorified body had very different characteristics than His earthly body. Jesus could ascend to Heaven in this glorified body; He could also go through closed doors, appear wherever He wanted, and disappear when He wanted to disappear.
When Jesus was coming up from Sheol, He was not alone. He brought with Him the Old Testament saints from Abraham’s bosom, so their underneath temporary dwelling
- 120 - was over. This scene is detailed by Derek Prince in his book Foundations for Christian Living, Part VI, ―Resurrection of the Dead‖:
―Jesus was buried alone, but He did not rise alone. This fact, which has received surprisingly little attention from the majority of Bible commentators, is clearly stated in Matthew 27, 50-53. These verses record the death of Jesus upon the cross and various events which followed His death and resurrection.
―And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.‖’
Though these events are here presented in close succession one after the other, it is clear that the total period of time which they covered extended over three days. The death of Jesus on the cross took place on the eve of the Sabbath, but His resurrection took place early in the morning of the first day of the new week. In connection with this, Matthew states:
―…the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection…appeared to many.‖
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At what precise moment the graves were opened we do not know; but we do know that it was only after the resurrection of Christ Himself that the resurrected saints arose and came out of their graves. In this way the Old Testament type of the firstfruits was perfectly fulfilled by the resurrection of Christ. Christ was buried alone—a single grain of wheat that fell into the ground. But when He arose again from the dead, He was no longer alone—no longer one single grain. Instead, there was a handful—a sheaf of the firstfruits—brought forth together with Him out of the dead and waved in triumph before God as a token of the defeat of death and hell and Satan, and as an assurance that all believers who had been buried would also in their due season be resurrected.‖
This quotation clearly shows that Jesus arose together with many others. He was the first to rise from the dead, so when they were coming up from the depth of the earth, Jesus was at the head. He was the first to rise, and right after Him, many saints followed.
The Old Testament saints had the same glorified body at their resurrection as did Jesus. This fact is proven by the Word reading ―they…appeared to many‖ (Matthew 27:53). They showed themselves, as Jesus did when He appeared or disappeared as He wished.
Jesus carefully folded the linen in which He had been wrapped and put the one that had been on His head in a separate place. Meanwhile an angel appeared, rolled away the stone from the entrance of the tomb, and sat on it. The guards of the Pharisees were so frightened of what they witnessed that they fainted. Then Jesus came out of the tomb.
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Immediately after this transpired while it was still early in the morning, the women arrived at the tomb; they saw that the stone had been rolled away. After talking to the angel who was sitting on the stone, they left astonished. Later, Mary Magdalene returned to the tomb where she met the Lord. Jesus told her to tell the disciples, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”
The next significant event in Jesus’ life was ascending to the Father.
The Ascension to Heaven
The ascension to Heaven was a huge scene, and the Old Testament contains some passages about it. The ascension was Jesus’ great entry to Heaven—a huge march of triumph. The last time He had been in Heaven was before His great mission, before incarnation, humiliation and death. He humbled Himself by the very fact that He put on a human body. When He ascended to Heaven after His victory, He arrived as a victor—the ―Saviour of this World.‖ Exaltation came next, as viewed in Joseph’s life, who was a type of Jesus. Humiliation turned into wonderful glorification and exaltation!
Psalm 118:17-26
17I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the LORD. 18The LORD has chastened me severely, But He has not given me over to death. 19Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, And I will praise the LORD. 20This is the gate of the LORD, Through which the righteous shall enter. 21I will praise You, For You have answered me, And have
- 123 - become my salvation. 22The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. 23This was the LORD‟s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. 24This is the day the LORD has made [the day of His entry]; We will rejoice and be glad in it. 25Save now, I pray, O LORD; O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity. 26Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
This passage is on Jesus’ ascension to Heaven. God did not give Him over to death once and for all. The term ―This is the day‖ refers to Jesus’ entry to Heaven. It was a huge celebration, a day of joy, rejoicing, and gladness that the Lord had made. And of course, since that day, the saved have been celebrating the resurrection and have been joyful because of what Jesus did!
Psalm 24 also records the ascension.
Psalm 24:3-10
3Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? 4He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. 5He shall receive blessing from the LORD, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face. Selah 7Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 8Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle. 9Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 10Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah. David was meditating on the question of who may enter into the presence of the Lord. His meditation turned into
- 124 - adoration (selah—adoration). While he was adoring the Lord, the Holy Spirit filled him, and David received a revelation about Jesus’ ascension, His entry into Heaven, and how Jesus went up to the mount of the Lord. The everlasting gates and the ancient doors are the gates of the righteous that occur in Psalm 118. This verse tells of ancient gates before the Father, which are the gates of the righteous. They are so called because nothing evil, wrong or sinful can go through them into the Father’s presence. These gates prevented men’s spirits from getting into the Father’s presence in the Old Testament. But now, these gates were opened wide before Jesus! And they have been open since then! If somebody passes away as a believer in Jesus Christ, that person’s spirit (shadow) will not have to go to Abraham’s bosom in Sheol, but to the Father in Heaven!
Psalm 68 also addresses the ascension.
Psalm 68:18-24
18You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men, Even from [in] the rebellious, That the LORD God might dwell there [among, in them]. 19Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation! Selah 20Our God is the God of salvation; And to GOD the Lord belong escapes from death. 21But God will wound the head of His enemies, The hairy scalp of the one who still goes on in his trespasses. 22The Lord said, “I will bring you back from Bashan, will bring you back from the depths of the sea, 23That your foot may crush them in blood, And the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from your enemies.” 24They have seen Your procession, O God,
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The procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary!
Jesus, after coming out of the prison of Sheol became the second supreme Person in the universe. He went into the heavenly Holy of Holies, was seated at the right hand of the Father and will reign forever. ―You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive.…‖ Jesus ascended on high to Heaven and led there the spirits of the saints who had been the captives of Sheol in Abraham’s bosom. Many of these saints were in their resurrected body, but many not, only in spirit.
This statement is also very interesting: ―You have received gifts among men, Even from [in] the rebellious, That the LORD God might dwell there [=among them, in them].‖ This verse refers to the ministry gifts and the various gifts of mercy that God gave to people. This distribution had already happened in Heaven—in eternity—so it belongs to the subject of predestination, which is God’s secret. Anyway, God already knew when He would send His gifts, the appointed prophets, worship leaders, and other gifts of mercy to his ministers on Earth. He called us in eternity, being out of time so that we are members of His church. According to this passage, He even called many rebellious, disobedient people, purified them, gave them gifts to minister and dwells in their heart!
This verse is quoted by the Apostle Paul as well.
Ephesians 4:8-10
8Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” 9(Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into
- 126 - the lower parts of the earth? 10He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
The following verse is often quoted regarding Jesus’ ascension.
Colossians 2:15
Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
Paul writes that there was a huge celebration over the victory of Jesus. As no record of this celebration exists in the description of the earthly events, this celebration must have happened in Heaven. In His march of triumph, Jesus made a public spectacle of His defeated enemies, the evil spiritual principalities and authorities.
You may ask why these wicked spirits haven’t yet been punished. The reason is that their due time of revenge and punishment has not yet come, though the Psalms also record the execution of revenge—in a prophetic way. God is patiently waiting for people to acknowledge the sacrifice of Jesus and repent so that they will not be condemned to the place of torment.
Jesus was exalted. All authority in Heaven and on earth was given to Him (Matthew 28:18). Through His victory, He obtained the keys of Hell and death; that is, He has authority over both Sheol and Death (Revelation 1:18, I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.). He became the highest Lord of all! All knees will bow before Him in the universe. The angels will do so willingly; the demons
- 127 - and the wicked angels will be forced to do so. God has patience toward all men so that they recognize that Jesus Christ is Lord and will obey Him willingly—of their own free will! In the Old Testament, Jesus was the Lord of Hosts, the Prince of God’s armies. After His salvation work God exalted His Son, and He’s in a much higher position. He’s the Lord of lords, the King of kings, and no end will come to His kingdom!
He became the victor of the ancient battle.
Hebrews 2:14,15
14…through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Jesus defeated Satan with the Evil One’s greatest weapon— death. The most glorious victories in the Bible are the ones in which the enemy is defeated by his own weapon, proving that the winner is much stronger than his enemy. David had this kind of victory when he cut off Goliath’s head with his own sword. Jesus had the most glorious victory in the universe over Satan! By this defeat, Satan’s rule ended in the life of those who believe in the sacrifice of Jesus and accept it by faith.
Let’s reread the verses in Isaiah chapter 14 to even more understand this great victory.
Isaiah 14:13-15
13For you have said in your heart: „I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount
- 128 - of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.‟ 15Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit [to the deepest pit]!
These verses say that (at the return of Jesus) Satan will be cast into the same pit where he laid Jesus Christ, that is, the deepest pit. Jesus stayed there for three days, but Satan will remain there for 1,000 years!
We can read the following shout of victory in the Bible:
1 Corinthians 15:55
“O Death, where is your sting? O Hades [Sheol], where is your victory?”
Jesus went down to Sheol in place of us. If He had not done that for us, all the people would have to go to Sheol because of their sins. But now, Jesus made a way out, and we can avoid going to Sheol by accepting the atoning and replacement sacrifice of Jesus Christ, His death and His resurrection.
Psalm 71:20-23
20You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, Shall revive me again, And bring me up again from the depths of the earth. 21You shall increase my greatness, And comfort me on every side. 22Also with the lute I will praise You—And Your faithfulness, O my God! To You I will sing with the harp, O Holy One of Israel. 23My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to You, And my soul, which You have redeemed!
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Dear Reader! If you have reached this point in reading this book, your view of Jesus Christ and the Bible must have changed. The Apostle Paul says if you believe this story and confess it with your mouth, God will also restore you to life; your spirit will be born again and you will be rescued from judgment. You can take hold of your restoration to life, and your heart and spirit can be born again now! I ask you to say the following prayer so that you can experience the wonderful love of God, so that you have eternal life, and so that you can be a part of the resurrection of the righteous!
My God, thank You that You sent Jesus Christ to the earth. Thank You that He paid the ransom for man, and He redeemed me this way. I ask You to forgive me all my sins! I too forgive everyone who did something against me. I believe with all my heart that Jesus Christ died and went down to Hell, but He arose on the third day and ascended to the Father in Heaven! Thank You that Jesus died in place of me. Thank You that, through Jesus Christ, You delivered me from Hell, death and all the powers of Satan. I ask You to fill me with eternal life, fill me with the Holy Spirit. Guide me on this earth from now on! Help me with my decisions; protect me from all evil things! I ask You to lead me to the resurrection so that, as a righteous man, I can get to the place where You are! Thank You that from now on I belong to You!
Amen
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Resources:
―Bible Discovery.‖ CD-ROM. Copyright Zsido Miklos (Self Publishing), 2009
Bosworth, F. F. Christ the Healer. Ada, Mich.: Chosen Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, 2008.
Kenyon, E. W. What Happened from the Cross to the Throne, Lynnwood, KENYONS GOSPEL PUB SOC., 1989
Prince, Derek. Foundations for Christian Living: For No Other Foundation Can Anyone Lay Than That Which Is Laid, Which Is Jesus…. Kingsfield, U. K.: Derek Prince Ministries, 2004.
Wilhelm Gesenius: Hebräisches und Aramäisches Handwörterbuch über das Alte Testament, Springer Verlag Berlin, 1962