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[Craig]

 Quote from Ray:

> "In the HEART OF THE EARTH" is a parable showing the unbelievable agony
> of the human spirit and flesh that Jesus would go through LEADING UP TO
> and INCLUDING the time in the tomb. And those three days began on the
> PREPARATION FOR THE PASSOVER, seeing that Jesus, HIMSELF, was to BE THE
> PASSOVER!!!
>
> Why does Ray say "In the HEART OF THE EARTH" includes the time in the tomb?
> During the time in the tomb Christ was dead. Yet in the "Sign of
> Jonah", Jonah is alive during that time.

It is hard to believe that this is even a question. I myself make the point that Jesus was killed and Jonah was not. That is not the point of the parable and the sign of Jonah. The reason the time in the Tomb is included is because it is INCLUDED. It is a vital PART of the "three days and three nights."  The fact that Jesus died and Jonah didn't does not negate the pangs of "the heart of the earth" both went through.

God be with you,

Ray

[lilitalienboi16]

maybe ill write about this

I think to understand this we need to understand what the word EARTH means spiritualy.

Jeremiah 22:24 "As I live, saith the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence;"

Jeremiah 22:29 "O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD"

God refers to the King of Judah as "the earth" in this passage. He calls His people the earth. Why? Well the earth is above the sea, but below the heavens! Between the sea of humanity and His Throne.

So now what does it mean for Christ to be in the HEART of the EARTH?

Look at Christ's final days and what He endured, can you see Him in the HEART OF THE EARTH? I can =]

God bless,

Alex

[Gog]

I'm not sure what I'm reading here. Is Ray saying that "In the HEART OF THE EARTH" is a parable, but "three NIGHTS and three DAYS" is to be taken literally? I think that's a bit much. "Three days and three nights" is an idiom of the time, it means exactly what it means in other portions of the Old Testament; it means the same thing as "after three days" and "on the third day". The Scriptures themselves tell us what is meant by these various statements, they all mean "the day after tomorrow". Look up any portion where one of these phrases is used and you'll see that they are all idioms, not to be taken to mean 3 periods of 24 hours each but quite simply, the day after tomorrow. In this case the period of time ran from late Friday afternoon until the early hours of Sunday morning, about 36 hours in total. There's nothing difficult to understand here and certainly no reason to split up one sentence so that one part of it should be taken literally and another part not so. The whole thing is an idiomatic way of saying that Jesus would be in the tomb from the time he was placed in it (Friday) until the day after tomorrow (Sunday).

GOG       

[Kat]

I found this email and I think it will explain this parable really well.

http://bible-truths.com/email6.htm#three ---------

Jesus Christ ALWAYS, ALWAYS spoke to the multitudes in public in PARABLES. Parables are not LITERAL, neither do they lie. I neglected to treat this teaching of Jesus as a "parable."

It NOWHERE SAYS that Jesus would be "DEAD for three days and three nights." I just ASSUMED that is what was meant by the phrase "in the HEART OF THE EARTH."

I'll just give you the gist of the answer, as my time is limited right now.  Jesus called "three days and three nights in the HEART OF THE EARTH,"  "the SIGN of Jonah."  Now then, if Christ was to be DEAD for the exact period of TIME of three days and three nights, How then could that be "the sign of Jonah?"  JONAH WAS NOT DEAD AT ALL!!!  Jonah went through 'A LIVING HELL' if you will!  Besides, Jesus was NOT buried in the "HEART" of the earth, He was buried in an ABOVE THE EARTH TOMB!  Maybe twenty inches or so on the other side of a big stone. 

"In the HEART OF THE EARTH" is a parable showing the unbelievable agony of the human spirit and flesh that Jesus would go through LEADING UP TO and INCLUDING the time in the tomb. And those three days began on the PREPARATION FOR THE PASSOVER, seeing that Jesus, HIMSELF, was to BE THE PASSOVER!!!

And don't forget the AGONY IN THE GARDEN when Jesus SWEAT BLOOD!!  No one will ever know what torture He endured those "three days and three nights in the HEART OF THE EARTH."  BEFORE the beatings and crucifixion we read this: 

"NOW is My SOUL TROUBLED [Greek: DISTRESSED, IN TURMOIL!]; and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour: but for his cause came I unto THIS HOUR" (John 123:27).

The "heart of the earth" is the very DEPTH OF THE FLESH. The flesh of man is "of the EARTH, EARTHY" Paul tells us.

Again, thank you for your keen observation.

God be with you,

Ray

[Gog]

Hello Kat,
Thanks for the e-mail quote. I read this earlier in the previous replies, in fact it was that e-mail which prompted me to write in the first place. If "three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" is to be taken as a parable, that's fine; Scripture can often be understood on more than one level. However, you must be consistant, or your argument looses credibility. You can't say that half the statement is to be taken literally and the other half, not so: parables are not literal so why try to make "three days and three nights" a literal 3x24 hour period? Whereas, if the whole thing is taken to be an idiom, which it is, there is no problem with any of it. In a nut shell, all this idiom is saying, is that Jesus would be out of the tomb on the day after tomorrow. Well that's my view anyway.

GOG

[Kat]

Hi Gog,

If you are in disgreement with what Ray teaches, you should send him an email about it - L.RaySmith@comcast.net

mercy, peace and love
Kat

[lilitalienboi16]

Hello Kat,
Thanks for the e-mail quote. I read this earlier in the previous replies, in fact it was that e-mail which prompted me to write in the first place. If "three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" is to be taken as a parable, that's fine; Scripture can often be understood on more than one level. However, you must be consistant, or your argument looses credibility. You can't say that half the statement is to be taken literally and the other half, not so: parables are not literal so why try to make "three days and three nights" a literal 3x24 hour period? Whereas, if the whole thing is taken to be an idiom, which it is, there is no problem with any of it. In a nut shell, all this idiom is saying, is that Jesus would be out of the tomb on the day after tomorrow. Well that's my view anyway.

GOG

Are you sure you read rays reply? What you just wrote completely contradicts the scriptures.

For example quoting ray here; "It NOWHERE SAYS that Jesus would be "DEAD for three days and three nights."

"Jesus called "three days and three nights in the HEART OF THE EARTH,"  "the SIGN of Jonah."  Now then, if Christ was to be DEAD for the exact period of TIME of three days and three nights, How then could that be "the sign of Jonah?"  JONAH WAS NOT DEAD AT ALL!!!  Jonah went through 'A LIVING HELL' if you will!  Besides, Jesus was NOT buried in the "HEART" of the earth, He was buried in an ABOVE THE EARTH TOMB!  Maybe twenty inches or so on the other side of a big stone. "

Maybe you should read the scriptures more closely. We really have to pay attention to the words as ray says.

God bless,

Alex