First and foremost, this promise was made by God the Father to God the Son. In John 11:25 the Lord Jesus declares: “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” He is not only the embodiment of Eternal Life, but He is also the Resurrection – it’s one of His names! But when and where was this promise made between God the Father and God the Son? In principle it was accomplished before the foundation of the world. 1 Peter 1:18-21 says, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.” In actuality, this promise was fulfilled as Christ endured the unspeakable agony of eternal Hell for those He came to save. We find in Acts 2:27 (which is quoting Psalm 16:10), “Because thou wilt not leave my soul in Hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” This same idea can be dramatically seen in Jonah 2:6 when the prophet Jonah, typifying the Lord Jesus Christ, wrote: “I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.”
