Question:
Preacher, You said that “in the heart of the earth” mentioned in Matthew 12:40 means “hades”, which is “in the center of the earth”. This can not be right. Indeed, as you state, Jesus probably went to hades to take those in paradise to Heaven but the phrase “in the heart of the earth” can not mean a place “in the center of the earth”. How can this be a part of the “sign” (Matthew 12:39) to the Jews or to anyone living who can never see where a person goes after he dies? Pastor, can you see a person’s spirit going to Heaven or Hades? If you saw Jesus after Jesus rose from the dead, would you say, “Wow, Jesus has been to Hell and back”. Or, would you believe that it was Jesus, He Himself in the flesh. You probably would look at His hands and feet and say, “He alive”. The sign that Jesus was referring to was His resurrection from the “grave”. As Jonah was in the whale’s belly, his grave, Jesus went into a tomb (the heart of the earth), His grave.
Answer:
Read Ephesians 4:8-10. Sorry that you are wrong on this one!!!