“God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name, which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow….” (Philippians 2:9-10)
Introduction
After Jesus died on the cross for our sins to redeem us to God, He was gloriously raised from the dead. He continues to live today – and will live forever – to give life to all who believe in Him. Through His resurrection, Jesus validated His deity, His kingdom, and His dominion over Satan’s kingdom. The resurrection marked a line between Satan’s dominion over earth and Christ’s conquest of Satan, His eternal reign, and the reestablishment of mankind’s dominion over the earth. We can reign with the same power that raised Jesus from the dead! Resurrection power saves, heals, and delivers. As we receive the revelation of Christ’s resurrection and truly live in it, we will witness miracles, signs, wonders, and the raising of the dead, advancing God’s kingdom on the earth as it is in heaven.
Study Questions
Part I: Jesus Experienced Three Kinds of Death on Our Behalf
Jesus’ life on earth was an act of substitution – to restore our relationship with the Father and to restore our dominion – that reached its climax on the cross, where He died in our place for our sins. To be our Substitute, Jesus had to undergo the three types of death that every human was destined to endure (without His redeeming work on the cross) due to Adam’s rebellion and the sin nature inherited by the whole human race.
- Physical Death
- What did Jesus’ “taste” in our place, so that we could receive eternal life? (Hebrews 2:9b)
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- (a) By what manner of execution did Jesus die? (Luke 23:33a)
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(b) What did Jesus say just before breathing His last breath? (Verse 46b)
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- When Jesus died on the cross, what did God lay upon Him? (Isaiah 53:6b)
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In the exchange that took place at the cross, Jesus endured the consequence of our disobedience so that we could receive the benefits of His obedience.
- Spiritual Death: Separation from God
- What Isaiah tell the Israelites that their iniquities and sins had done to their relationship with God? (Isaiah 59:2)
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- What did Jesus say while He was on the cross, indicating that taking our sins on Himself had separated Him from His fellowship and union with God the Father? (Matthew 27:46b)
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- Why did God make Jesus, who had never sinned, to be sin for us? (Corinthians 5:21b)
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Only sin, or iniquity, can separate a person from God
- The “Second Death”: Eternal Separation from God’s Presence
- (a) What did Jesus say to describe how the Son of Man (Jesus) would spend the period of time between His Death and His resurrection? (Matthew 12:40b)
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(b) Psalm 88 may be a prophetic account of Jesus’ sufferings, including His thoughts toward God the Father as He suffered the “second death” in Sheol. How did Jesus describe His experience of God’s punishment for the sins of humanity? (Psalm 88:6-8)
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REFLECTIONS ON THE “SECOND DEATH”
After Jesus died, His spirit descended into hell. In the Bible, the afterlife is sometimes called “Sheol”, or “Hades”. In Jesus’ parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Hades is described as being divided into two regions: a place of torment (where the spirits of the unbelieving awaited their final judgement) and “Abraham’s bosom” (where the spirits of the righteous awaited the completion of the Messiah’s mission of salvation, so they could dwell in God’s presence). (See Luke 16:19-31.) Jesus underwent torment in Hades, or Sheol, that we could have received. He received each judgement in His spirit. Though Christ’s suffering on the cross was horrendous. His spiritual suffering in hell, of which few believers seem to be aware, was even more terrible. He endured the wrath of God in the spirit realm for the sins and iniquities of the entire human race in order to save us from that place of torment.
- What revelation had Jesus been given, as stated in the Psalms, concerning the state of His soul and His physical body after He died? (Psalms 16:10)
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The resurrection is the manifestation of God the Father honouring His Son.
Part II: Jesus Experienced Two Resurrections on Our Behalf
- He Was Made Alive in His Spirit
- How was Christ spiritually resurrected following His death? Complete the following:
1 Peter 3:18b: “Christ…being put to death in the flesh but made alive __________ _______________ ___________________.”
Romans 6:4: “Christ was raised from the dead ________ _____________ _________________ ________________ _______________ ___________________.”
- To what group did Jesus “preach” after His spiritual resurrection but before His physical resurrection? (1 Peter 3:19b)
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KEY DEFINITION: The word “preached” in 1 Peter 3:19 is translated from the Greek word kerusso, which means “to herald (as a public crier), especially divine truth”; it indicates “to proclaim” and “to publish” (STRONG, G2784)
- (a) To whom did Jesus preach the gospel before His physical resurrection? (1 Peter 4:6a)
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(b) What was His purpose in preaching to this second group? (1 Peter 4:6b)
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REFLECTIONS ON JESUS’ SPIRITUAL RESURRECTION
Jesus was vivified, or made alive, in His spirit by the working of the Holy Spirit before His physical body was raised from the dead. The power of God came upon Jesus’ spirit, which was instantly made alive. That was the initial resurrection He experienced. By the same power, we will all be resurrected one day! (See Romans 6:5)
Jesus visited two groups after His spiritual resurrection. I interpret “spirits in prison” in 1 Peter 3:19 to mean evil spiritual entities, or demons. As god’s messenger, Jesus went to the place where the demons are incarcerated in hell. He didn’t go to them to proclaim the gospel for purposes of salvation but rather to make the announcement that He was King of Kings and Lord of Lords, all authority had been given to Him, and he had the keys of hell and death. He went there to tell them that He had defeated Satan, and that He would live forever! Jesus also preached the gospel to those who were in Abraham’s bosom, for their salvation. These people had died in faith, waiting for the redemption of the Messiah, just as is described in Hebrew 11:13-16. They were first to receive the good news of the resurrection.
- He Was Made Alive in His Body
- (a) When Christ rose from the dead, what did He become for those who believe? (1 Corinthians 15:20b)
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(b) How is Jesus described in Revelation 1:5?
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- (a) After Jesus was resurrected and taught His disciples about the kingdom for forty, where did He ascend? Complete the following:
Acts 1:11a: “This same Jesus, who was taken up from you __________________ ______________________ …”
Acts 2:33a: “Therefore [Jesus] being exalted ____________ _________________ _______________________ _________________ ___________ _______________ …”
(b) What name has God the Father bestowed upon Jesus? (Philippians 2:9)
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- (a) While we were once dead in trespasses, what are we now? (Ephesians 2:5b)
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(b) What is our spiritual position in Christ Jesus? (Verse 6)
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When we identify with Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, we become a new creation to rule and reign with Him.
Conclusion
Jesus conquered sin, the devil and his demons, death, and hell. Realizing that Jesus triumphed over these foes, which were unconquerable to mankind, is key to understanding His full work of redemption. Christ’s resurrection from the dead accomplished the following:
- Restored us to communion with the spiritual life of God. He made us one with the Father again; we have reconciled and reunited with Him. (See Corinthians 5:18; 1 John 1:3.)
- Implanted in our mortal bodies the resurrection life, which will fully manifest when Christ returns for His church, at which point our bodies will be glorified like His. (See Romans 8:11.)
- Returned us to eternity in the presence of God. This is the consummation of Christ’s perfect work on the cross and His resurrection. (See 1 Thessalonians 4:17; Revelations 21:1-3.)
- Seated us in heavenly places to rule with Christ. After paying for our sins and being raised from the dead, Jesus sat down forever on His throne at the right hand of the Father as our High Priest. His sitting down symbolised His authority, government, and reign because His work was finished. Once his atoning work was accomplished, He gave us back the dominion that Adam had lost and – even more remarkable – seated us together with Him in His heavenly rule. The Son of God is the only king who allows His subjects to reign with Him. This is our inheritance! (See, for example. Ephesians 2:5-6; Hebrew 4:14; 6:20; 7:26-28; 10:11-13.)
Prayer Activation
Lord Jesus, thank You for dying for us, descending into hell, and paying the price for our sins. You received the wrath of God in our place. We give You all honour and glory. From this day forward, we surrender to You, and we ask You to rule over us and to live Your life through us.
We ask You to resurrect our lives, our visions, our dreams, our health, our homes, and our finances. Jesus, we adore You because the impossible has become possible through Your resurrection. We are healed and free. We receive creative miracles, right now! We are able to exercise dominion and rule over the enemy in the territory You have given us. No longer do we need to be dominated and controlled by circumstances, problems, or Satan. Thank You for making us fellow heirs with You of God’s blessings. Amen!
Action Steps
- Offer heartfelt praise to Jesus for dying physically and spiritually and tasting the “second death” on your behalf, so that you could be raised to newness of life in Him. (See Romans 6:4)
- Are you living from perspective of reigning in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus? Reread Ephesians 2:5-6 and commit it to memory in order to awaken your faith to the spiritual reality of your position in Christ.
