Bible Question:
After Jesus died, he was in the tomb for parts of three days. If he were God, then Habakkuk 1:12 is wrong when it says, “O my God, my Holy One, you do not die” But the Bible says that Jesus did die and was unconscious in the tomb. Who resurrected Jesus from the dead? If he truly God, could he have resurrected himself?
Bible Answer:
Your quote of Habakkuk 1:12 is unique in that it is a poor translation of the Hebrew text. The Hebrew text has been accurately captured by the New American Standard Bible,
Are You not from everlasting, O LORD, my God, my Holy One? We will not die. You, O LORD, have appointed them to judge; and You, O Rock, have established them to correct. Habakkuk 1:12 (NASB)
The message is that God is eternal and has already been in existence etnerinity past, but we are not like Him. Jeremiah 10:10 tells us that God will not die,
But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, And the nations cannot endure His indignation. Jeremiah 10:10 (NASB)
God does not die. That is the message of scripture.
Who Is Jesus?
Please read the question “How Can Jesus-be God Since He Did Not Know the Time of the End” and the study Jesus Our Savior before continuing. The next question is, “What Is God?” According to John 4:24 God is spirit and not flesh and bone.
God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:24 (NASB)
Jesus’ Body Died
Jesus is both God and man. Jesus was man in that He had flesh and bone. When He died, His body died and not His spirit. In fact, all of us are eternal beings. Our spirits never die. Listen to this passage,
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 in the Lake of Fire for eternity. It is not a question of, “Am I going to be alive?” The question is, “Where are you going to live?”
Was Jesus Unconscious?
The Bible never says that Jesus was unconscious in the tomb. That has been suggested by some who do not accept the fact that Jesus returned to life. That is not what the Bible teaches. Here is what God says on this subject,
. . .if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we witnessed against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. . . . But now Christ has been raised from the dead . . . 1 Corinthians 15:13-17, 20 (NASB)
Jesus was raised from the dead.
Who resurrected Jesus?
Jesus’ body was resurrected by God, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. That is the message of the following verses,
But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.” Acts 2:24 (NASB)
For Christ also died for sins once for all, 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 . . . 1 Peter 3:18 (NASB)
You are encouraged to also look up Acts 10:40; Romans 10:9; Galatians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1; Colossians 2:12; and 1 Peter 1:4. Each verse reveals that God the Father raised Jesus Christ’s body from the dead. His spirit did not die. God is spirit (John 4:24) and His spirit did not die. Therefore, we conclude that both members of the Godhead raised the third member of the Godhead.
Conclusion:
Jesus was God and man. He had to be a man so that a physical death could occur. He had to be God so that Jesus could be the perfect ” . . . Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). He had to be sinless (Heb. 4:15). When He died His spirit went to heaven (Luke 23:43). Three days later His body was resurrected by the Holy Spirit and He rejoined His body – an immortal body. This is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Why did He do this? The answer is located at Searching for God.
Suggested Links:
How can Jesus be God since He did not know the time of the end?Jesus Our Savior
Searching for God
Heaven, Paradise, Sheol, Hell, Hades and Lake of Fire
How can Jesus be God since He did not know the time of the end?