“That on the third day, God raised him from the dead, and exalted him to the heavens as priestly mediator between God and man, in the process of gathering from among them a people who should be saved by the belief and obedience of the truth” Article XIII
Raised The Third Day
The apostle Paul, in writing to the Corinthians and reminding them of his own testimony regarding Jesus of Nazareth, declared, ‘and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures ” (1 Cor 15 4) Paul does not elucidate as to where “according to the scriptures” it was testified that Jesus should be raised on the third day Ample evidence can be found in the Old Testament documents concerning the resurrection of Jesus, i e Psalm 16 9,10 “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 ” There is a shadowy reference in Psalm 118 18 “The LORD hath chastened me sore but he hath not given me over unto death” The writer of the Hebrew Epistle, in gathering together a number of scriptures and bringing them to bear upon Jesus, shows that this great high priest was to be after the order of Melchizedek, “who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life ” (Heb 7 16)
Many other statements and prophecies contained in the Old Testament could be brought forth to shed light on the resurrection of Jesus, but where is the 3rd day mentioned? We might see an Inference in the law governing the first-fruits This first feast following the Passover commenced with the waving of a single sheaf before the LORD “on
the morrow after the sabbath (Lev 23 11) This, of course would answer to our Sunday the first day of the week It does not take much imagination to see the resurrection of the Lord from the house of the dead as the single sheaf waved before God, no more to return to corruption, thus becoming the firstfrutts of them that slept (1 Cor 15 20)
There is, however, a more obvious allusion to the resurrection of Christ on the third day It is found in the 11th chapter of Hebrews where the writer specifically mentions the offering of Isaac by Abraham ‘By faith Abraham when he was tried, offered up Isaac and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from whence also he received him in a figure ” (vv 17 19)
The word translated figure in verse 19 is, in the Greek, PARABOLE”; meaning parable Of the 50 times this word appears in the New Testament, it is rendered ‘ parable” 46 times and “figure only twice The meaning is parable arid should be translated as such in Heb 11 19 In what way was the offering of Isaac a form of parable, and to what does it allude? The analogy to the offering of Jesus is obvious and we merely have to note the many ways in which the Old Testament account pre-figures the experiences of Christ to recognize a designed prophecy of His resurrection on the third day Consider the following similarities
- Both born after the Spirit Gal 4 29
- “Only begotten son” Heb 11 17
- Seed of promise Rom 9 7
- To be sacrificed on Mt Moriah ( A-mity of Jerusalem) Gen 22 4
- God will provide Himself a lamb Gen 22 8, John 1 29
- Symbolic resurrection on the THIRD day Gen 22 4
The deliverance of Isaac on the third day surely is a type of the emancipation of Jesus from death on the first day of the week It will be further noted that the Old Testament is silent in reference to Isaac’s descent from Mt Moriah with his father Abraham This seems to bear mute testimony to the actual offering of the son of God.
A Name For Salvation
The resurrection of Jesus was the final act of divine approval and an incontestable sign of the truth of His claims As Paul declares, And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead (Rom 1 4) The word, declare in the Greek signifies to determine, as a boundary stone marks off one district from another This was the Fathers ultimate declaration to the world of the exaltation of His Son to His own right hand The faithfulness of Jesus to His Father s will enabled, yea, necessitated His being raised from the dead Because Jesus manifested in perfection the Name of Yahweh, God has in turn given Him a Name for salvation The apostle, in his letter to the Philippians sets forth the singular obedience of Jesus to all that His Father commanded Him, adding,
Wherefore God hath also highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2 9 11) All who would approach God must do so through His Son Salvation is only possible through the Name of Jesus, for, as Peter so meaningfully stated, Neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4 1 2 )
The greatness of God s power was wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places ‘ (Eph 1 20) Such is the glory bestowed upon the Son, who for the joy which was set before him endured all things, counting the reproaches that fell upon him as no thing Though, for a little while He was made lower than the angels for the suffering of death, the more excellent Name (His by inheritance) is now manifested for all the citizens of heaven and earth to reverence.
Our Mediator And High Priest
All men everywhere are invited to call upon the Name of the Lord in their quest for salvation and immortality The fountain of life is accessible, however, only through the resurrected Jesus Remission of sins and justification are available only through identifying one’s self with the lamb of God For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 2 5) The mediatorial work of Jesus is more properly associated with his sacrificial work However, since He is the means by which sins can be remitted (through His ONE offering) He is appropriately said to be the (present) mediator between God and men He is the go between (Greek ‘Mesites ‘ in
the Sept for Job 9 33, `days man”) who mediates between two parties with a view to producing Peace—Vine Compliance with the will of God, involving identify cation with Jesus through baptism, produces reconciliation Thus, His work of redemption is a continuing one as God carries on His work of separation among the Gentiles
The present office of Jesus is not con fined to the justification of repentant sinners It also pros ides for the forgiveness of erring saints The great High Priest who stands at the Father s right hand is sympathetically involved in securing forgiveness for the sins of His people “Seeing then that we has e a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin Let us therefore, come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need (Heb 4 14 16) He can indeed be moved by the fervent petitions of the members of the household of faith as they seek forgiveness It is the knowledge that Jesus Himself experienced human weakness and suffered trials and temptations common to mankind, that inspires confidence in His people. As Paul so graphically puts it; “Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able also to succor them that are tempted.” (Heb. 2:17, 18)
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One