Lesson for October 27, 2024
Victorious Proclamation
Lesson 4
The Divine Promise and Proclamation
I Peter 2:24“And He Himself brought our sins in His body on the Cross (judgment of spiritual death), so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness: by His wounds you were healed.”
The divine promise of Genesis 3:15 was fulfilled by Christ on the Cross. Christ, the “Descendant” of the woman suffered and died on the Cross for the sins of the world, once for all. The Greek word for suffered is “apothnesko,” meaning separation from God. (John 8:24; II Corinthians 5:14) It is a word for Christ’s spiritual death on the Cross, which is the basis of our salvation. He suffered separation from God the Father and God the Holy Spirit (Matthew 27:46), during which time the Father placed all our sins upon Him and judged them. II Corinthians 5:21, “For He [the Father] has made Him [Christ) to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”
Satan bruised “the heel” (suffering) of Christ, Eve’s descendant, on the Cross. But Christ bruised “the head” (fatal blow) of Satan on the Cross. There is nothing that can be added to what Jesus Christ accomplished on the Cross. One of Satan’s many counterfeits is to add works to salvation. The saving work of Christ on the Cross was perfect and complete in every way. It fully achieved its objective by being effective in satisfying the justice and righteousness of God. That is why He cried, “It is finished!”(John 19:20). Yet people are constantly trying to add their own human works to Christ’s sacrifice. Anything that is added to faith alone in Christ alone cancels its effectiveness for salvation. Faith and faith alone in the finished work of Christ on the Cross is the only means of receiving salvation and eternal life as a free gift. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
I Peter 3:18, “For Christ also suffered for sins once for all time, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.”
Being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit. The spiritual death of Christ occurred when He was judged for our sins; His physical death occurred when He dismissed His human spirit. His human spirit was returned to his physical body at the Resurrection (along with His human soul).
Without a human body, the Savior could not die spiritually or physically. He had to be true humanity to take mankind’s place on the Cross. The Holy Spirit continually sustained the humanity of Christ, even in death. When His earthly mission was completed, Christ said, “Father, into your hands I entrust My spirit.” (Luke 23:46). From this statement, we understand that His human spirit ascended into the presence of the Father in Heaven. His assurance to the dying thief, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” indicates that His soul descended to Paradise where the Old Testament saints resided until Christ’s resurrection. (Luke 23:43) His body went into the grave. (Luke 23:53). After the Resurrection, He went to Tartarus, a compartment of Hades. ( I Peter 3:18-20)
In order to understand what Hades is, we need to do a brief study from Scripture. Unfortunately, the translators of the English Bible have confused the issue by rendering several different Hebrew and Greek words simply as “Hell,” when they actually refer to different places.
“Sheol” is a Hebrew word in the Old Testament sometimes translated “Hell” and sometimes “the grave.” The parallel Greek word in the New Testament is “Hades,” and is always translated “Hell.” But “Sheol” or “Hades” is the general designation for the abode of the dead, both believers and unbelievers, before the resurrection and ascension of Christ. Hades contains three compartments: 1) Paradise (a Persian word, meaning “Garden of the King”) or Abraham’s Bosom (the Jewish designation, Luke 16:19-22) 2) Torments (Luke 16:23-25) 3) Tartarus (II Peter 2:4; Jude 6).
Paradise was the section where the souls of all believers of the Old Testament resided after death. No human being ever went to Heaven until Christ entered into the presence of the Father. Jesus Christ, at His ascension, took the souls of all believers who had died up to that time and transferred them from Paradise to Heaven (Ephesians 4:8-9). Since God the Father had accepted Christ’s sacrifice for sin, believers were admitted into the dwelling place of God. Upon the entrance of Christ into Heaven, the Father said to Him, “Sit Thou at my right hand . . .” (Psalm 110:1; Hebrews 1:13). His sacrifice for sin was approved; He had made the way for believers to enter into the presence of holy God. (Hebrews 8:1; 10:12-20) Those who die during the Church Age go directly into the presence of God in Heaven. (II Corinthians 5:8).
Torments is a temporary place for the souls of unbelievers. Between Paradise and Torments there was “a great gulf fixed” so that none could pass to the other side. (Luke 16:26) Now that Paradise has been emptied, Hades and Torments are both referred to as “Hell” which creates confusion because Torments is still a compartment of Hades. Torments is described as a place of agony amidst the flames.
Tartarus is the prison of the angels who were involved in the satanic infiltration of Genesis 6. We can only surmise what this imprisonment is like since Tartarus is described only as a place of darkness, in II Peter 2:4.
The Lake of Fire, a separate place from Hades, was originally prepared for Satan and the fallen angels. Except for the Antichrist and the False Prophet, the Lake of Fire will remain unoccupied until after the Gog and Magog Revolution and the Great White Throne Judgment at the end of human history. All unbelievers will be raised, judged according to their works, and be sent to their final punishment in The Lake of Fire for all eternity. (I Corinthians 15:26)
Revelation 20:13-15, “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them; and they were judged, each one of them according to their deeds. Then Death and Hades were thrown into The Lake of Fire. This is the second death, The Lake of Fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, they were thrown into The Lake of Fire.”
Revelation 20:10 gives a description of the Lake of Fire, which says that it is a place of fire and brimstone (an ancient word for sulfur). This verse says that those who go there will be tormented day and night forever. Mark 9:43 says the Lake of Fire is a place where the fire is never quenched. Fire in these verses is literal, not figurative.
The Lake of Fire is not a place where we want anyone to spend eternity. Therefore, it is imperative that we take the initiative to share the Gospel every chance we get. We have been given the privilege of representing Christ while we are here on earth. Our lives should be a testimony to God’s grace, and we should be able at any time to explain to anyone the hope we have in Christ. (I Peter 3:15)
The Victorious Proclamation
I Peter 3:18-20, “For Christ also suffered for sins once for all time, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which He also went and made proclamation to the spirits in prison, who once were disobedient when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.”
After Christ was crucified, was buried, and had risen, He went to the compartment of Hades known as Tartarus where the fallen angels who infiltrated the human race were imprisoned. It was at this time that Christ made a victorious proclamation related to His strategic victory on the Cross. He informed these fallen angels of Noah’s day, that they had failed in their attempts to destroy true humanity and that God’s plan had been fulfilled despite every satanic attack to stop it. Christ’s appearance to them in a resurrection body was the visible evidence of His victory over them and their leader, Satan.
For believers, the divine promise of Genesis 3:15 is a reality and it is a curiosity to the angels who are still able to observe us as to the salvation that God provides in Christ. I Peter 1:10-12, “As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the Gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.”