“Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:25-27)
As you know, I’m not normally a holiday preacher, simply because there are no Christian holidays in the Bible, but I’m going to make an exception today and deal with the subject that most other preachers are dealing with, and that, of course, is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. But, I’m going to handle it a bit differently and a bit deeper than you might expect to hear in the standard resurrection message. In fact, we’re going to spend pretty much the whole message in the Old Testament by having a good old-fashioned Bible study.
Our text says that after Jesus had risen bodily from the dead he appeared to his disciples and “expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” That is, he took the Old Testament and had a Bible study with them. I’d like to show you some of the things that I think Jesus might have showed the disciples in what may have been the most eye-opening Bible study ever. It says that he began at Moses, so let’s go to Genesis. We’ll deal specifically with things pertaining to the resurrection. (CAPITALIZATION used for emphasis)
Genesis 1:11-12: “And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.” That’s the first time in the Bible that anything living comes out of the ground. Notice what day it was in verse thirteen: “And the evening and the morning were the THIRD DAY.”
Genesis 22:5: “And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.” This is where God tells Abraham to go to Mount Moriah and offer Isaac his only son (through Sarah) as a burnt offering. Abraham’s statement that he and Isaac would go and worship and then “come again” shows that he believed that God would RAISE UP Isaac after he had slain him for sacrifice, and this is confirmed in Hebrews 11:19, which says, “Accounting that God was able to RAISE HIM UP, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.” So, in Genesis chapter 22, we have an “only son” being offered in faith of a future resurrection. To strengthen the type, Jesus probably made reference to this in John 8:56 when he said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.”
Genesis 40:20-22: “And it came to pass the THIRD DAY, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. And he RESTORED the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand: But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.” There you have a THIRD DAY restoration that “just happened” to be prophesied by Joseph, the strongest type of Christ in the Bible.
Numbers 17:6-9: “And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness. And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and BROUGHT FORTH buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds. And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.” Christ’s resurrection is foreshadowed when life is imparted to Aaron’s dead rod and everyone else’s rod remains lifeless. God has only one way of salvation, the High Priest of our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:6), pictured by the LIVING ROD of Aaron the PRIEST, and it is with a ROD of iron that our risen Saviour rules the earth one day as KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
II Kings 6:5-6: “But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed. And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he CUT DOWN A STICK, and cast it in thither; and THE IRON DID SWIM.” If we compare the fallen axe head to a fallen sinner, we have a great picture of salvation in Christ. The axe head is useless and dead unless it is attached to the axe handle, and the handle belongs in the hand of God, thus making man an instrument that God wants to use. When man became a sinner, he lost his usefulness and became dead, like the axe head sinking to the bottom of the Jordan, the river of death. The stick that Elisha cuts and throws into the water pictures Christ the “branch” who was cast into the sea of this world for the redemption of fallen humanity. Daniel 9:26 even says He was “cut off,” as does Isaiah 53:8. If you’ve ever thrown a stick in the water, then you probably saw it go into the water, then go under the water, then RISE BACK TO THE TOP. This is probably what happened with Elisha’s stick. Just as his stick caused the axe head to rise, Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection causes men to rise from spiritual death to eternal life in Christ (Eph. 2:1).
II Kings 20:5: “Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the THIRD DAY thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.” Hezekiah is a good king who pictures Christ. Here we have something more. Hezekiah was “sick unto death” (vs. 1), yet he is told that he will be healed and that he will go up into the house of the LORD on the “third day.” This points to the third day resurrection of Christ, but it also points to the third millennial day (II Pet. 3:8; Hos. 6:2) after Calvary when Christ returns and establishes His kingdom and the “house of the LORD” (Isa. 2:1-5).
Psalm 16:9-11: “Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” The passage is speaking on the resurrection of Christ, according to Peter’s comments in Acts 2:25-32: “For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.” The Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day were completely blind to this, to the fact that the Messiah would have to die and rise again to settle the sin problem. The disciples remained blind to it also, even after Jesus told them (Mat. 16:21-23; Mark 9:31-32).
Isaiah 25:8-9: “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” Paul quotes part of verse eight in I Corinthians 15:54 when speaking of the resurrection of believers, and John quotes some more of it in Revelation 21:4. But it also must refer to the resurrection of Jesus, because how else could he “swallow up death in victory”? That’s only possible if, first, Jesus is resurrected. This is why Revelation 1:5 terms Jesus the “FIRST BEGOTTEN of the dead.” We come up from the grave only because he came up.
Lamentations 3:52-58: “Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause. They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and CAST A STONE OPON ME. Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off. I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon. Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not. O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; THOU HAST REDEEMED MY LIFE.” I trust all is clear.
Daniel 6:16-23: “Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee. And A STONE WAS BROUGHT, AND LAID UPON THE MOUTH OF THE DEN (sound familiar?); and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him. Then the king arose VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING (sound familiar?), and went in haste unto the den of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. My God hath SENT HIS ANGEL (sound familiar?), and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was TAKEN UP OUT OF THE DEN (sound familiar?), and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.”
Hosea 5:15-6:3: “I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early. Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. AFTER TWO DAYS will he revive us: in the THIRD DAY he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.”
Their offense was their rejection and murder of God’s Son. In the Great Tribulation they (the Jews) will seek His face and find Him. This is a prophecy of Israel’s revival as a nation after two thousand years (two “days” according to II Pet. 3:8). In the “third day” after rejecting Christ (5:15), the nation will be reconciled to God through Christ and live in the land in fellowship with Him. The “morning” is the dawning of the new millennial day, as in Malachi 4:2, which is the THIRD DAY (millennial day) after Calvary.
What does that have to do with the resurrection of Jesus? Well, it’s patterned after the THIRD DAY principle that began with the ground springing forth life in Genesis chapter 1, an obvious foreshadow of the resurrection of Christ. But who exactly IS Christ? He’s the SON of God. Well, Israel is also called God’s son (Hos. 11:1; Exo. 4:22-23), so, like Jesus, Israel has a THIRD DAY resurrection. That’s why John 2:1 speaks of a wedding on the THIRD DAY, and that’s why the resurrection of all the SONS of God will happen AFTER a 2,000 year church age, ON THE THIRD DAY after Calvary. SO! God has many sons: Jesus the divine Son, Israel the national son, and millions of Christians are called sons (John 1:12; I John 3:2), and all sons follow the resurrection pattern of THE Son in that they all get resurrected on the THIRD DAY.
Jonah 2:1-10: “Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly, And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou BROUGHT UP MY LIFE FROM CORRUPTION, O LORD my God. When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD. And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.”
The whole chapter deals with Jonah in the whale’s belly, which Jesus said is a type of His death, burial and resurrection: “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Mat. 12:40) The similarities are the three days and nights, the mention of “hell” (see Psalm 16:9-10), the “waves” passing over Jonah picturing Christ’s baptism in God’s wrath (Mat. 20:22-23), the weeds around Jonah’s head like Christ’s crown of thorns, and Jonah being BROUGHT UP “from corruption” like Jesus (Psa. 16:9-10).
So, the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is not some new thing that had never been mentioned before Jesus preached. It screamed from the pages of scripture throughout the Old Testament, yet men were blinded by Satan, just as they are today, and no one saw it coming. Well, there’s another third day resurrection just around the corner. Let’s not make the same mistake twice. Let’s be ready for this one.
- James L Melton (Preached April 21, 2019, Bible Baptist Church, Sharon, TN)
