Bible Question:

Was God dead for three days? I am confused by this statement on your home page, “but God came in human flesh to die so that we can live. ” If this is so, was there no God for the three days that Jesus was dead?

Bible Answer:

Was God dead for three days between Friday and Sunday? This is a great question because the answer reveals that Jesus Christ was and is God.

The Burial

The Mystery of Christ

One day John the Baptist was preaching to a crowd and said that someone Who had existed before he (John) did would be coming soon!

This was He of whom I said, “He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.” John 1:15 (NASB)

John the Baptist was referring to Jesus Christ. John said that Christ existed before he (John) had. Now this could be a surprising statement to some people since Jesus was born in human flesh after John was born. That is, John the Baptist was born first. The medical doctor Luke records the events surrounding the birth of John the Baptist in Luke 1:57-66.  Dr. Luke tells us that Jesus was born following John’s birth in Luke 2:1-20. Why did John the Baptist say that Jesus existed before he, John, did? Because Jesus is God and He has always existed. The studies “Jesus Is God” and “Jesus Is the Great I Am” will provide the biblical evidence that reveals Jesus was and is God.

Did God Die on Friday?

The Bible teaches that Jesus was God and also a man (Romans 1:2-4; Hebrews 2:9-10, 14). He had flesh and blood. There is a previous question you are encouraged to read called, “How are we to believe that Jesus is equal to God?” When Christ died, His human, physical body died – not His spirit. When His fleshly body died, His spirit went and visited the demon forces in prison in the abyss (1 Peter 3:18-20) and then went to heaven (Luke 23:43). Listen to the promise Christ gave the thief on the cross.

And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 23:43 (NASB)

Three days later, Sunday, He was resurrected with a new immortal body (Matthew 28:1-10; Luke 24:1-11; John 20:1, 11-18). In addition, Luke 24:13-43; John 20:19-21:17 and 1 Corinthians 15:3-9 reveal that others saw Him sometime after the crucifixion.

Conclusion:

All of us will live forever. Our spirits will never die. Only the physical, mortal body dies. Matthew 25:46 states that we will either go into eternal punishment or eternal life. Where will you go?

And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. Matthew 25:46 (NASB)

We will spend eternity either with God or away from God in the Lake of Fire. It is not a question of, “Am I going to live forever?” The question is, “Where am I going to live forever?”

God has always for all eternity been spirit – not flesh. God did not die; it was the human body of Jesus that suffered and died on the cross for you and for me. Jesus was God and man. He had to be a man so that He could die physically and become our sacrifice. He suffered the penalty that all of us deserve. Because He was the sinless person, He returned to life in an immortal body. Our Savior had to be God so that Jesus could be a sinless, perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 4:15) – the perfect “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

Searching For God will explain how a person can be saved from hell.

Suggested Links:

Searching For God
Who Is Jesus?
Jesus Is the Great I Am
Jesus Is God
Is there any significance to Jesus being dead for 3 days?