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    Not too long ago some one asked me about the dead who arose when

Christ was crucified. Well the following is what I have put together

on the subject with the help of a friend in Oklahoma, named Nellie,

and Kingdom Identity Ministries in Arkansas.

    Please review, and if you are willing let me know your thoughts

on it. Thanks Willie

Resurrection!!!

Thus far we have shown how the Psalms foretold details concerning the greatest event in the history of the world, the crucifixion.  Most Bible students will acknowledge this.  But, how many realize that the Psalms also foretold what would be the second most tremendous event, following immediately after the ordeal of the cross?  

That event was the breaking of "the gates of brass:, the cutting of "the bars of iron in sunder"

"HE BROUGHT THEM OUT OF DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH, and brake their bands in sunder. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For HE HATH BROKEN THE GATES OF BRASS, AND CUT THE BARS OF IRON IN SUNDER." (Psalm 107:14‑16)

and the deliverance

"For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth; TO HEAR THE GROANING OF THE PRISONER; TO LOOSE THOSE THAT ARE APPOINTED TO DEATH." (Psalm 102:19‑20)

of those that were "prisoners" of death.

under the power of the "grave" 

"O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit." (Psalm 30:3)

This magnificent feat was accomplished by Jesus

"For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. SUCH AS SIT IN DARKNESS AND IN THE SHADOW OF DEATH, being bound in affliction and iron; Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High: Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and HE SAVED THEM OUT OF THEIR DISTRESSES. HE BROUGHT THEM OUT OF DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH, and brake their bands in sunder. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder." (Psalm 107:9‑16)

Christ when he cried, "Lift up your gates, O ye princes, and be ye lifted up O everlasting gates and the King of Glory shall come in."

"AND while Satan and the prince of hell were discoursing thus to each other, on a sudden there was a voice as of thunder and the rushing of winds, saying, Lift up your gates, O ye princes; and be ye lift up, 0 everlasting gates, and the King of Glory shall come in." (Gospel of Nicodemus 16:1)

This is also recorded in Psalms:

"Lift up your head, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah." (Psalm 24:7‑10)

By allowing Himself to be crucified, a spotless sacrifice) He was able to descend into Hell(the grave, a shadowy place of the dead) and "redeem" all the righteous souls from Adam onward

"But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah." (Psalm 49:15)

thereby delivering those prisoners of death who were subjects of "the prince

"In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction. When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done. They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the LORD, they shall cry aloud from the sea. Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea. From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.

Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth." (Isaiah 24:12‑17)

of this world:

"Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged." (John 16:11)_

In doing so, Christ fulfilled the scripture in John 5:25, which says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from river even to the ends of the earth. As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee." (Zachariah 9:9‑12)

God, and they that hear shall live."  This explains why,"the graves were opened and many bodies of the saints which slept arose and came

"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 ALSO HE WENT AND PREACHED UNTO THE SPIRITS IN PRISON." (1 Peter 3:18‑19)

out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the Holy city and appeared to many."

"And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many." (Matthew 27:52‑53)

How odd that this most wonderful fulfillment of prophecy

"And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Genesis 3:14‑15)

and John 5:24:

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5:24)

should receive such scant attention in Christian doctrine.  Granted‑doctrine teaches that Christ descended into Hell(the Apostles Creed)

"For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice." (John 5:26‑28)

but it does not teach what he did there‑ the reason why He came!  He came to keep a promise made to Adam,

"Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by." (John 8:56‑59)

after the fall

"God said to Adam, ‘ I have ordained on this earth days and years, and you and your descendants shall live and walk in them, until the days and years are fulfilled; when I shall send the Word that created you, and against which you have transgressed, the Word that made you come out of the garden, and that raised you when you were fallen.  Yes, the Word that will again save you when the five and a half days are fulfilled.' But when Adam heard these words from God, and of the great five and a half days, he did not understand the meaning of them. For Adam was thinking there would be only five and a half days for him until the end of the world. And Adam cried, and prayed to God to explain it to him. Then God in his mercy for Adam who was made after His own image and likeness, explained to him, that these were 5,000 and 500 years; and how One would then come and save him and his descendants. But before that, God had made this covenant with our father, Adam, in the same terms, before he came out of the garden, when he was by the tree where Eve took of the fruit and gave it to him to eat. Because, when our father Adam came out of the garden, he passed by that tree, and saw how God had changed the appearance of it into another form, and how it shriveled. And as Adam went to it he feared, trembled and fell down; but God in His mercy lifted him up, and then made this covenant with him. And again, when Adam was by the gate of the garden, and saw the cherub with a sword of flashing fire in his hand, and the cherub grew angry and frowned at him, both Adam and Eve became afraid of him, and thought he meant to put them to death. So they fell on their faces, trembled with fear. But he had pity on them, and showed them mercy; and turning from them went up to heaven, and prayed to the Lord, and said; ‘ Lord, You sent me to watch at the gate of the garden, with a sword of fire. But when Your servants, Adam and Eve, saw me, they fell on their faces, and were as dead. O my Lord, what shall we do to Your servants?' Then God had pity on them, and showed them mercy, and sent His Angel to keep the garden. And the Word of the Lord came to Adam and Eve, and raised them up. And the Lord said to Adam, ‘ I told you that at the end of the five and a half days, I will send my Word and save you. Strengthen your heart, therefore, and stay in the Cave of Treasures, of which I have before spoken to you.' And when Adam heard this Word from God, he was comforted with that which God had told him. For He had told him how He would save him." (First Book of Adam and Eve Chapter 3)

that "ONE" would come in  5 and ½ days (5,500 years) who would free Adam and all his seed who were dead and held in spiritual bondage to Satan.(the lost books of the Bible and the Forgotten Books of Eden‑World Pub. Co.)

This is why Jesus said, "Verily, Verily I say unto you, he that heareth my word and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation: but is passed from death unto lie."  Satan's teeth have been pulled, his power was broken at Calvary‑he lost his hold on Adam and his descendants and it was all done by Christ. Since then, death has had no "sting."