Joseph is doing what he is doing freely, motivated by the love of his heart and the desire to come out of the shadows.

But behind the scenes, it's determined by God so that Jesus will fulfill Isaiah 53, 9.

And not be thrown in a body pile with criminals, but be engraved at the ridge.

It is finished, Jesus cried from the cross, and then drew his last breath.

A short time later, his body was lying in a tomb, his followers were scattered, and his enemies seemed victorious.

But in three days, he rose again and everything changed.

What happened during those hours between Christ's death and his resurrection?

How did Jesus' friends and enemies respond to the risen Lord?

And what should your response be today?

To shed light on crucial details from the first Easter, to help you understand what history's great turning point means for you,

stay here on Grace to you, as John MacArthur continues his study titled, The Empty Tomb.

And now here's John.

In the burial of Jesus, you have actions by three groups of people.

You have actions by neutral soldiers.

You have actions by loving saints, and you have actions by hateful enemies.

The spiritual leaders, hateful sinners.

The soldiers, the saints, and the sinners are all acting.

One group is neutral, the other group is positive, the other group is negative.

One really have nothing at stake, some have everything at stake because they love him,

and some have everything at stake because they hate him.

But whether you are in the neutral category, or whether you are in the loving category,

or whether you are in the hating category, everything that is done fits together to affect the purposes of God.

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