Victory

Exploring scripture with 3 base premises:
1. The Bible is accurate.
2. God does not lie.
3. God the Father loves His son and all mankind.

I have several times puzzled how Christ on the cross could tell the thief beside Him, “Today you will be with me in paradise” and then go to preach in Hell for 3 days and nights as described in Matthew 12:40

 One possibility is that Jesus was considering 1000 of our years as one day in Heaven. 2Pe_3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Jesus always told the truth as He knew it at the time. Another possibility is that He did not know that He was bound for an automatic sinners Hell, just as He did not realize that the Father had to leave Him when He assumed our sins. His cry of” My God, My God why have you forsaken me?” in Matthew 27:46 shows His surprised anguish. A loving Father had withheld the full knowledge of what Christ had to endure when He, the Father, must abandon his son for a short while because of the presence of sin. God the Father is completely Holy and will not allow any sin in His presence. When Christ died as a sinner, He was destined for hell, not because of His desire to go, but because He became sin and needed to give those who had died before His life a chance to accept Him. The Father knew that all that had died before Christ must be sent to Hell because they could not attain Heaven through the “Law”. No one could be that perfect! They had no salvation through the Grace of Christ. Christ, in fairness, must give them an opportunity for grace. Jesus must be separated from the presence of the Father for a time and be bound within Hell. This may well have been worse than the physical torment that He endured on earth. Now He had to endure the Spiritual torment of loss of the Father’s presence for three days. He still had the Father’s love though, just as we do, even when we sin.

While in Hell Jesus likely only did one miracle. After preaching the same message that He did on earth He threw open the doors of Hell and rose to life for a short period on earth and then on to Heaven, taking with Him the captives who believed in Him. This is when He also threw Satan out of the heavens. This was total victory over the physical and spiritual weapons of Satan. Christ’s ministry had started with a 40-day temptation by the devil. It had ended with escape from the last weapons that Satan had, physical earthly death of the body and spiritual separation from the Father.

Eph_4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

Jesus had indeed achieved total victory for Himself and mankind. God had proved His perfect love for mankind and had created a bridge of escape, called Grace, for others to follow. Jesus truly is Lord overall. He was now worthy to be raised above even the angels, Hebrews 1:4, and worshiped by the Angels, Hebrews 1:6.
Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 
Heb 1:4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 
Heb 1:5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? 
Heb 1:6 And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. 

 He is worthy of our praise also.