Introduction
When Jesus and Paul speak of the resurrection happening “on the third day according to the Scriptures,” they’re pointing us back to the Old Testament. But where exactly do we find this prophetic pattern? The answer reveals how God wove resurrection hope throughout Scripture long before Christ walked the earth, using typology, prophecy, and even the very structure of creation itself to point forward to the ultimate third-day victory over death.
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Transcript
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Resurrection, third day, Old Testament, Jonah, sacrifice of Isaac, Hosea, prophecy, typology, divine revelation, new creation, Psalm 16, Jesus Christ, Acts 2, seed, fruit.
SPEAKERS
Pastor Jim Butler, Dr Sam Renihan, Pastor Cam Porter
The Question: Where is the Third Day in the Old Testament?
Pastor Cam Porter 00:08
Is the resurrection on the third day in the Old Testament. Jesus in Luke 24:46 and Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:4, speak of the resurrection happening on the third day according to the Scriptures, where, in the Old Testament is this third day resurrection prophesied.
Three Key Old Testament Passages
Dr Sam Renihan 00:25
I would point to three passages, and I’d love to hear you men point to others as well. The first, and I think the most definitive, is one that Jesus himself used, which is the sign of Jonah for three days and nights. Jonah is in the belly of the great fish, or the whale. And on the third day, he, you know, taken into the depths of the waters. In other words, Sheol, and emerging from that descent into death and darkness, he emerges, re emerges in on dry land and is alive again. So the sign of Jonah, which Jesus attributes to himself, gives a clear on the third day resurrection theme or presentation through typology and prophecy.
The Sacrifice of Isaac
The second one is also interpreted by the Bible. This way is the sacrifice of Isaac in Genesis 22 it specifically says, On the third day of their journey, Abraham is going to sacrifice him, but he doesn’t. Isaac lives on the third day, and the place is even where Jerusalem, later was was built. And Hebrews says that figuratively, Abraham did receive back Isaac from the dead. Scripture sees a resurrection happening in Genesis, 22 and it’s in the text on the third day. So you have a third day, figurative resurrection of Isaac.
Hosea’s Prophecy
And then the third one is in Hosea 6:1-2, which I’ll read. It says, Come, let us return to the Lord, for He has torn us that he may heal us. He has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days, he will revive us on the third day, He will raise us up that we may live before him. And so there’s a striking down in death that is resolved in in resurrection on the third day. You know, this is prophetic language. It’s, it’s, it’s mystery, it’s, but it’s clear. It’s showing the future in the veil of the language of prophecy and mystery. So Jonah, Isaac, Hosea, chapter six, I think those three, at the very least, give us a clear third day resurrection in the Old Testament.
Additional Connections to the Third Day
Pastor Jim Butler 02:38
Those were the ones I was thinking about. But you’ve on Sunday, made a connection between the third day in Genesis. That was you, right, yeah, okay, it’s been a long time. As I’m getting older, my memory isn’t as sharp, but yeah, and with the with the John 12 passage, I thought that was really encouraging. You know, when Jesus likens the death and the scattering of seed, and the third day seed, bringing forth and yielding its fruit. That was, that was good.
God’s Prophetic Anticipation in Creation
Pastor Cam Porter 03:06
Yeah, yeah. It’s, you know, we see in the Bible, in that particular instance, God, through His divine revelation, in the revelation concerning the first creation, the original creation, already prophetically anticipating the new creation that’s wrought by Christ in His life, death and resurrection.
Pastor Jim Butler 03:26
Seed dies, and good comes from it. That was encouraging.
Psalm 16 and the Resurrection
Pastor Cam Porter 03:30
One that we may also add, and I can throw it back to both of you guys to talk about it connected to the resurrection, though not specifically the third day. Is the significance of Psalm 16, oh, yeah for sure, with the resurrection of the
Pastor Jim Butler 03:44
Lord Jesus Christ. Here’s interpretation in Acts two and yeah.
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