There is a big difference between where the spirits of the righteous dead went to before and after the death and resurrection of our Blessed LORD, and shows how without the Sacrifice of the Lamb of GOD we would have been eternally separated from the glorious blessedness and presence of our Loving Heavenly Father.
This separation first occurred when Adam sinned and ate of the forbidden fruit, an animal (probably a lamb) was slain to cover up his nakedness and a cherubim and a flaming sword kept him from the tree of life and out of the Garden of Eden; nevertheless GOD in His Mercy covenanted that the “seed of the woman” would ultimately bruise the Serpent’s head and thus effect our redemption. Gen.3. All the Jewish sacrifices could not take away sins (Heb. 10-4) they could only cover them up until the Son, the Lamb of GOD, paid the full price for our sins, and until then, man was shut out of Heaven. The exceptions to this were GOD’S 3 witnesses, Enoch, Moses and Elijah. Enoch is a type of those who will be caught up into Heaven without dying, (and may be the angel of Rev. 14-6), whilst Moses and Elijah as the two witnesses of Rev. 11 will die and be resurrected.
Luke 16-19/31 is not a parable; it is a true story of the place of the departed, both good and evil, before the Cross. Called Sheol in the O.T. and Hades in the N.T., it was a place inside the earth and was divided into two compartments, one called “Abraham’s bosom, a place of comfort and rest for the righteous, in the spirit world it was called Paradise, which means a beautiful garden. Thus Jesus said to the dying thief, “Today thou shalt be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 23-43; although it was a place of rest ‘til then, now, since JESUS rose from the dead, we go straight into the Glory of GOD’S presence.
The other compartment is a place of fiery torment for the wicked who remain there until they come before the great white throne judgment at the end of the Millennium; this still applies today.
1 Sam.28-3/19 is the story of Saul’s despair and how GOD would not answer him because of his disobedience, yet when Saul sought out the witch of Endor, (who had no power in herself to do so), GOD in His mercy allowed Samuel to “come up” from Sheol, (in the heart of the Earth) Samuel said “Why hast thou disquieted me to bring me up”; GOD had not cut Saul off completely, for Samuel told him “Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me” (In Paradise)
Matt.12-40 Jesus said, like Jonah, he would be 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the Earth. Jonah 2 = Jonah’s experience was prophetic of our LORD’S time in Hades. “Áll thy billows & waves passed over Me” & “the Earth with its bars was about me for ever”; this speaks of the billows of GOD’S wrath against sin that JESUS bore on our behalf and of our eternal loss if GOD had not raised JESUS from the dead.!!! Our whole salvation depends both on the death & resurrection of JESUS.
John 19-30. When Jesus cried “It is finished”, the price for our redemption was fully paid, and the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom, Matt.27-50, thus signifying that now we can enter into the Holiest of all through the blood of Christ Heb.9-8 & 10-9.
However the saints were still in prison, Satan held the keys of death and Hell, and he wasn’t going to give up easily; we need to appreciate that Jesus, in Hades, in all His human weakness, fought and triumphed over Satan, He bruised the serpent’s head, and took the keys of death and of Hell (Gen.3-15 .Rev.1-17/18 and Ps.16-9/10). Satan thought that by killing Jesus he would have Him imprisoned and would seize the inheritance, Mark 12-6/8, but “had the (evil) princes of this world known, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory”. 1 Cor.2-8. It was Satan’s greatest mistake!
Read Ps.68-18, Eph. 4-8/10 Jesus “led captivity captive and ascended on high – from the lower parts of the Earth”; HE released all the saints from Satan’s prison and took them back to glory.
Ps.24-7/10 When Jesus arrived at the gates of glory, which had been tight shut ever since Adam sinned.’ JESUS cried “Lift up your heads O ye gates and the King of Glory shall come in”; when this was challenged He replied, THE LORD, MIGHTY IN BATTLE”, signifying his victory over Satan, and secondly as “The LORD OF HOSTS”, He led all the previously imprisoned saints into the glories of Heaven, Isa.8-18, that’s why now our spirits go straight to be “with the LORD” after death, into the wonderful Glory of His Presence, where all is love, light, joy, peace and the beautiful fellowship of the saints. Phil.1-23 To depart and be with Christ is far better. Followed by the glory of the resurrection. 1 Cor.10-11 All these things are written for our admonition on whom the ends of the age are come . How Blessed we are since JESUS paid the price in our behalf, and how our hearts should be full of praise and thanksgiving to Him at all times.
Alfred Curtis
100 Bible Studies - Alfred Emmerson Curtis 