The Dead - Part 6

At the end of the third day, the Body of Christ was quickened by the Holy Ghost and resurrected to eternity.

 

1 Peter 3:18
18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 

At this moment, Christ rose up to the face of the earth from PARADISE in hell. According to 1 Peter 3:18, the Body of Christ was put death, which was the death in the flesh. In the sense, the Spirit of Christ was not put to death (or state of sleep), but only the Body.

Nevertheless, on the third day, this Holy Body of Christ was raised to life by the Holy Spirit so that after Christ came up to the face of the earth, He appeared to the Living in the same Body, which was resurrected by the Holy Spirit. 

Luke 24:38-40
38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. 

At the moment, Jesus Christ was coming to the face of the earth, along with Him, those souls, who were awaken in their graves also came to the face of the earth and appeared to many in the holy city, which is Jerusalem.

Matthew 27:50-53
50 , when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,3 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. 

Further, 1 Peter 3:19 reveals that Christ has gone back to sheol with His resurrected body and preached unto some spirits, that are bound in chains, in Tormenting Zone in hell.

1Peter 3:18-19

For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which (By the body quickened by the Spirit) also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 

However, after Jesus was ascended to heaven, PARADISE in hell, along with all the saints therein, has also been ascended to a new heavenly place from hell. Look at the below scripture:

2 Corinthians 12:2-3
2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) 

Now, in the above scriptures, St. Paul testifies that he was caught up to the Third Heaven. The Third Heaven is a new heavenly place. The First Heaven is the dwelling place of God. Then God created the second heaven in the physical realm (Genesis 1:1). But, there was no place called 'THE THIRD HEAVEN by then.

This third heaven is found in between the First Heaven - Dwelling Place of God and the second heaven of the physical realm. In other words, the third heaven is above the second heaven and below the first heaven. 

But again, we see in 2 Corinthians 12:4 that St. Paul has identified this third heaven as PARADISE. 

2 Corinthians 12:2-4

I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Thus, PARADISE that was in sheol has been ascended up to a new heavenly place, called 'THIRD HEAVEN' after the death and resurrection of Christ. This is why King David, being filled with the Holy Ghost prophecied in Psalms 16:10 that his soul would not be left in hell (sheol).

Psalms 16:10
 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (sheol);...

Read Part 7...