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Study 10: Death and Resurrection
The Death of Allah's Promised Messiah () was Predicted by Scripture
We have seen in the previous lesson that Prophet Isa's life
was in total agreement and fulfillment of the prophecies about
the coming perfect . Both his life and teachings pointed
to the fact that he was the true Messiah (or Masih) Allah would
send to save his people from their sins. Yet, some of the most
important predictions concerning the Messiah to come dealt not
with his life but with his death. We saw in an earlier lesson
that the coming Messiah was to be sinless. Hence, he would not
have to die for his own sins. Yet, according to Allah's plan
he would be punished and killed for the sins of others. As the
prophet wrote over 700 years before the birth of Isa,
Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by Allah, smitten by him, and
afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was
crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace
was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep,
have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the
LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. ( 53:4-6)
The Messiah was to suffer and die for the sins of others.
The previous Scriptures predicted the death of the Messiah
and the reason for that death. The Scriptures also predicted
many details about that death. Thus, it was prophesied that the
Messiah would not defend himself from the false charges brought
against him. He would be silent before his accusers,
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before
her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. (
53:7)
It was prophesied in the holy that he would be betrayed
by one of his own followers,
Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread,
has lifted up his heel against me. ( 41:9)
According to Scripture, his betrayer was to receive 30 pieces
of silver from Isa's enemies for betraying him,
I told them, "If you think it best, give me my pay; but
if not, keep it." So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.
( 11:12)
According to the , anyone who was killed by crucifixion,
by being hung on a tree or cross, was under Allah's curse,
You must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure
to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree
is under Allah's curse. You must not desecrate the land the LORD
your God is giving you as an inheritance. (Deuteronomy 21:23)
It was prophesied that the Messiah (Masih) would undergo death
by that very means thus taking on himself the curse of Allah
that right the belong to others,
Masih redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a
curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who
is hung on a tree." He redeemed us in order that the blessing
given to might come to the Gentiles through Masih Isa,
so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
(Galatians 3:13, 14)
Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled
me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. ( 22:16)
It was further prophesied that the Messiah who would die as
a criminal for the sins of others would be buried in the tomb
of a rich man,
He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich
in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit
in his mouth. ( 53:9)
All these prophecies were made hundreds of years before the
birth of Prophet Isa. Let us look next at how these were fulfilled
in Isa's life.
Prophet Isa taught that he would have to die
One of the most remarkable teachings of Isa was concerning
his coming death. Despite the fact that he performed many signs
and miracles, he always made it clear that the most important
event in his life was still to come. Again and again throughout
his life he tells his followers that "My time is not yet
come". It was not until just before his death that he finally
said, "The time has come". The real reason for his
having come into this world was finally drawing near. The real
reason was not that of performing miracles, healing the sick,
or driving out evil spirits. They were all merely signs pointing
to the fact that he was the Messiah who was to come. He saw himself
knew that these were not the main things. He knew that the primary
purpose of this coming to earth was to die. Isa's death was not
an unexpected, sudden thing. It had been predicted by Allah through
the prophets hundreds of years before his birth. He often told
his disciples that he would have to die. He explained to them
not only the fact that he would be killed, but also that he would
conquer death, and after three days in the grave rise from the
dead. He claimed that he had both the power to lay his life down
and to take it up again. He said,
The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only
to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down
of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority
to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."
(John 10:17, 18)
Yet, before his death his disciples were not able to understand
these things.
At this point we're in a position to understand Isa's words
that we saw in the last lesson. He said that the true sign he
would give that he was Allah's Messiah was that of the prophet
. As (pbuh) was in the fish's belly for three days
and nights, so Isa would be in the Earth's belly three days and
nights here he was again pointing to his death and resurrection.
He says that the real proof he is the promised Messiah will be
seen by the fact that he would die according to prophecy, be
buried for three days, and then rise from the dead to conquer
death.
The betrayal and arrest of Isa fulfilled Scripture
Let us look now at exactly what is recorded in the concerning
Isa's death and resurrection. As was prophesied, it was one of
his close disciples who betrayed him,
"I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have
chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture: `He who shares
my bread has lifted up his heel against me.'
After he had said this, Isa was troubled in spirit and testified,
"I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me."
(John 13:18, 21)
In fact, it was one of the 12 men Isa had personally chosen
to travel with him and live with him. Further, as was prophesied,
his betrayer, Judas Iscariot, received 30 pieces of silver from
those who wanted to kill Isa.
The trial of Isa fulfilled Scripture
After his betrayal, Isa was brought to trial before the Roman
governor. The charge that the religious leaders brought against
him was blasphemy against Allah. According to the Law in the
of , the penalty of such a crime was stoning. However,
the Roman authorities forbade the Jews from carrying out any
punishments. They demanded that all trials be according to Roman
law, which forbade stoning. Thus, the religious leaders who were
accusing Isa of breaking the law were in their very charges breaking
the law. Not only did they bring false charges against him, they
also demanded his crucifixion in accordance with Roman law and
contrary to the Law of . Thus, in attempting to condemn Isa
according to The Law the religious leaders actually broke it
themselves.
When brought before the Roman authorities, Isa made no attempt
to defend himself, again in fulfillment of Scripture,
[Pilate the governor] went back inside the palace. "Where
do you come from?" he asked Isa, but Isa gave him no answer.
"Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't
you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"
Isa answered, "You would have no power over me if it were
not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me
over to you is guilty of a greater sin." (John 19:9-11)
Indeed, his purpose was not to defend himself, but rather
to fulfill the purpose for which he had come and save men from
their sins. The Roman authorities were unable to find any truth
in the charges brought against him and therefore desired to free
him. However, the crowd would not allow his release. In his desire
to please the crowd and gained popularity with the people, the
Roman governor delivered Isa over to the crowd to be killed as
they demanded.
The punishment of Isa fulfilled Scripture
The actual crucifixion of Isa took place outside the city
gates of Jerusalem on a hill called Golgotha. Once again we see
how this was in accord with Isa's coming. According to the Law
of there was one special type of that was not offered
at Allah's house but was killed outside the camp. It is written
in the as follows,
The LORD said to and : "This is a requirement
of the law that the LORD has commanded: Tell the Israelites to
bring you a red heifer without defect or blemish and that has
never been under a yoke. Give it to Eleazar the priest; it is
to be taken outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence.
Then Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood on his finger
and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the Tent of Meeting.
While he watches, the heifer is to be burned--its hide, flesh,
blood and offal. The priest is to take some cedar wood, hyssop
and scarlet wool and throw them onto the burning heifer. After
that, the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself with
water. He may then come into the camp, but he will be ceremonially
unclean till evening. The man who burns it must also wash his
clothes and bathe with water, and he too will be unclean till
evening. A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the
heifer and put them in a ceremonially clean place outside the
camp. They shall be kept by the Israelite community for use in
the water of cleansing; it is for purification from sin."
(Numbers 19:1-9)
The "water of cleansing" in this sacrifice was used
to remove impurity and cleanse from sin. In just the same way,
Isa was killed outside the city gates to remove impurity and
cleanse from sin. It is recorded in the ,
The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most
Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside
the camp. And so Isa also suffered outside the city gate to make
the people holy through his own blood. (Hebrews 13:11, 12)
The actual crucifixion was carried out by Roman military,
those who were experts at such work. All steps were taken to
insure a swift and certain death. His hands and feet were nailed
to the cross and he was left to hang until dead. To hasten death
it was decided his legs should be broken, however, when soldiers
came to break them it was found he was already dead. All this
took place in broad daylight and was witnessed by a large crowd
of bystanders. Finally, he was officially declared dead by Roman
authorities and was placed in his tomb. As prophesied, the tomb
was that a rich man. It is written in the ,
As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea,
named , who had himself become a disciple of Isa. Going
to Pilate, he asked for Isa's body, and Pilate ordered that it
be given to him. took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen
cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out
of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to
the tomb and went away. (Matthew 27:57-60)
The religious leaders were afraid his followers would steal
his body and therefore ask the Roman officials to place a guard
at the tomb. Accordingly, the tomb was closed and sealed with
a huge stone and a large Roman guard was stationed at the tomb.
The religious leaders and Roman officials were thus satisfied
that all necessary steps had been taken to insure no rumors could
spread concerning any resurrection. His disciples, on the other
hand, not understanding their Master's teaching concerning his
death and resurrection, were bewildered and terrified by the
crucifixion. They had no thought whatsoever that he might rise
from the dead.
The victory of Isa over death fulfilled Scripture
We see then, that Scripture written hundreds of years before
his birth predicted Isa's death and he himself had taught openly
concerning it. It occurred exactly as he had said and as Scripture
had foretold. Again, both Scripture and he himself had predicted
his victory over death and resurrection from the dead three days
after his death. Yet no one, not even his disciples, understood
or believed it would happen. The following is the 's account
of what happened,
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark,
Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been
removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter
and the other disciple, the one Isa loved, and said, "They
have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where
they have put him!" So Peter and the other disciple started
for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran
Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in
at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon
Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He
saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth
that had been around Isa's head. The cloth was folded up by itself,
separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had
reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.
(They still did not understand from Scripture that Isa had to
rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to their homes,
but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent
over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated
where Isa's body had been, one at the head and the other at the
foot. They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"
"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and
I don't know where they have put him." At this, she turned
around and saw Isa standing there, but she did not realize that
it was Isa. "Woman," he said, "why are you crying?
Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener,
she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where
you have put him, and I will get him." Isa said to her,
"Mary." She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic,
"Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). Isa said, "Do
not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father.
Go instead to my brothers and tell them, `I am returning to my
Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene
went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!"
And she told them that he had said these things to her. Now Thomas
(called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples
when Isa came. So the other disciples told him, "We have
seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see
the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails
were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas
was with them. Though the doors were locked, Isa came and stood
among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said
to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out
your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Then Isa
told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed;
blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Isa did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples,
which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that
you may believe that Isa is , the Son of Allah, and that
by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:1-18, 24-31)
Thus, exactly as had been predicted, Isa rose from the dead
after three days in the tomb. The sign of the prophet was
complete. At first his disciples who had not personally seen
him refused to believe. However, he soon appeared to all of them
and their last doubts were dispelled. In fact, for 40 days after
his resurrection he went about openly teaching and preaching.
There would be no mistake. His tomb was empty. He still bore
the scars of the crucifixion on his hands and feet. The following
is a brief record of those he appeared to after his resurrection,
as found in the ,
and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After
that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at
the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have
fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,
(1 Corinthians 15:5-7)
His disciples were finally able to understand clearly the
teaching of the and concerning the Messiah's life,
death and resurrection. For the first time his teachings concerning
his purpose in coming into the world was clear to them.
After rising from the dead, Isa preached for 40 days and
was then taken to heaven by Allah
Finally, after openly preaching and teaching for 40 days his
God-given task on earth was finished. For the last time he met
with his disciples and gave them his final command. He told them
to go into the entire world and preach and teach all men the
things he had taught them. He gave them the promise that he would
always be with them. Thus it is written,
Then Isa came to them and said, "All authority in heaven
and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples
of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always,
to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)
After giving them this last command in broad daylight before
a large crowd Allah took him up into heaven. As is written,
After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes,
and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently
up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed
in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they
said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This
same Isa, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come
back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
(Acts 1:9-11)
Thus, the earthly work of Isa the Messiah was finished. The
material in this lesson has been taken totally from Allah's word.
We have seen the prophecies of Isa's death and resurrection and
how it was actually fulfilled in his life. We saw that this was
the major purpose of these is coming into the world. This now
leads us to the question as to why his death and resurrection
was so all important. We find the reason very clearly given in
the . For example, in the start of Isa's ministry the prophet
said upon seeing Isa,
The next day saw Isa coming toward him and said,
"Look, the Lamb of Allah, who takes away the sin of the
world! (John 1:29)
Prophet understood that Isa was the prophesied that Allah was to send. Through this , Allah's grace would
be available to all. As Allah's perfect it was necessary
for Isa to die. In agreement with the of Prophet ,
Isa offered himself up. His blood was shed for the sins of others.
As it is written,
For Masih died for sins once for all, the righteous for the
unrighteous, to bring you to Allah. He was put to death in the
body but made alive by the Spirit, (1 Peter 3:18)
We see that his death and resurrection was the very heart
and crux of his coming to earth. He was coming to be Allah's
. He was coming to fulfill the promise made first to Adam
and , then to Prophet , and then to various prophets
and men of Allah through history. The promise was that Allah
would make his grace available to all men. Isa's death and resurrection
were in total accord with the will and plan of Allah and was
the key that unlocked the mercy and grace of Allah for millions
and millions of people.
In future lessons we shall see how exactly we can be partakers
in Allah's blessing to Prophet . We shall see how we can
receive Allah's grace made available through the death and resurrection
of .
QUESTIONS:
1. Prophecies of the death and resurrection of Prophet Isa
were made hundreds of years before his birth.
a. True
b. False
2. When Isa said, "The time has come, " what was
he referring to?
A. His going alive to heaven
B. His
death
C. The beginning of his ministry
3. When Isa said the sign of Prophet would be the sign
that he was the Messiah what did he mean?
4. Those who charged Isa with breaking the law,
A. Kept the law themselves in the
trial
B. Broke the law themselves in the trial
5. Isa fulfilled Scriptures during the trial by,
A.
Pleading innocent
B.
Keeping silent
C. Accusing his accusers of breaking
the law themselves.
6. How was Isa buried?
A. In a securely sealed tomb with a large Roman
guard outside
B. Left on the cross without burial
C. Buried 2 meters underground
7. Who believed the prophecies concerning his resurrection?
A.
The Romans
B. No one
C.
His disciples
D.
The Jews
8. List those mentioned in the to whom Isa appeared
after his resurrection (1 Corinthians 15).
9. After giving a final command to his disciples Isa,
A. Was taken by Allah bodily up to heaven
B. Left his disciples and was never seen again
C. Died and was buried
10. Why was it necessary for Isa to die?
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