If Jesus is God, who ran the universe while He was dead?
Question 3066
This question assumes something that is not quite accurate, namely that Jesus, as God, ceased to exist or ceased to function during His death. To answer properly, we need to understand what happened when Jesus died and how His divine and human natures relate to one another. The answer reveals something wonderful about both the nature of God and the nature of our salvation.
What Died on the Cross?
When we say “Jesus died,” we need to be careful about what we mean. Death, in the biblical sense, is not annihilation or ceasing to exist. It is separation. Physical death is the separation of the soul from the body. Spiritual death is separation from God. When Jesus died on the cross, His human soul was separated from His human body. His body was placed in the tomb; His soul went to be with the Father (Luke 23:43, 46).
But here is the important point: Jesus’ divine nature did not die. God cannot die in the sense of ceasing to exist or ceasing to function. God is eternal, immortal, and unchanging. “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Psalm 90:2). The divine nature is incapable of death.
The early Church worked through this question very carefully. The Council of Chalcedon in AD 451 affirmed that Jesus has two natures, divine and human, which are united in one person “without confusion, without change, without division, without separation.” The two natures remain distinct even while being united in the one person of Christ. His divine nature did not become human, nor did His human nature become divine. Each retained its own properties.
So when Jesus died, His human nature experienced death. His human body lay in the tomb. His human soul went to paradise. But His divine nature continued unchanged because divinity cannot die.
The Trinity Never Stopped Functioning
Remember that God exists as Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When the Son became incarnate, He did not leave heaven empty. The Son added a human nature to His divine nature; He did not subtract anything from His deity. The divine Son remained omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient even whilst living as a man in Palestine.
This is a mystery, certainly. How can the infinite God be contained in a human body? The answer is: He was not contained. The divine nature of the Son extended far beyond His human body. Even during His earthly ministry, the Son was upholding the universe by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). Even whilst sleeping in a boat during a storm, He remained the one in whom “all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17).
During the three days Jesus’ body lay in the tomb, the Trinity continued to function exactly as it always had. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were sustaining creation, governing providence, and accomplishing their eternal purposes. The incarnate Son’s body was dead, but the divine Son was very much active.
What Jesus Was Doing During Those Three Days
Scripture gives us some glimpses of what Jesus did between His death and resurrection. To the thief on the cross, He said, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). His human soul went to be with the Father, taking the repentant thief with Him. This was not unconsciousness or non-existence but conscious fellowship with God.
Peter tells us that Jesus “went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison” (1 Peter 3:19). There is debate about exactly what this means, but it indicates that Jesus was active, not passive, during those three days. Some understand this as Jesus proclaiming His victory over the demonic powers. Others see it as an announcement to the Old Testament saints. Either way, Jesus was not inactive.
Peter also writes that the gospel “was preached even to those who are dead” (1 Peter 4:6). Again, the precise meaning is debated, but the passage indicates ongoing activity during the period between death and resurrection.
The Apostles’ Creed states that Jesus “descended into hell,” though this phrase has been understood in different ways throughout Church history. What is clear is that Jesus’ death was not a period of non-existence or inactivity.
An Analogy (With Limitations)
Perhaps an analogy might help, though all analogies for the Incarnation have limitations. Think of a king who goes undercover to live among his subjects as a peasant. He genuinely lives as a peasant, experiencing poverty and hardship. But he does not cease to be king. His kingdom continues to function. His officials carry out his decrees. His authority remains intact even though he is living incognito.
If that undercover king were to be killed by enemies, his body would die, but his kingship would not be destroyed. His kingdom would continue. And if he were to rise from the dead, he would return to his throne with even greater glory.
This is an imperfect analogy because Jesus did not merely delegate His cosmic authority to others. He Himself, in His divine nature, continued to exercise it. But it may help us understand that the death of Jesus’ human body did not mean the death or suspension of His divine activity.
The Resurrection Confirms His Deity
The resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate proof that death could not hold Him. “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it” (Acts 2:24). Death had no claim on Him because He was and is the Lord of life.
Jesus Himself said, “I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again” (John 10:17-18). His death was voluntary, and His resurrection was within His own power. This is not something a mere human could say. It is the claim of the eternal Son of God.
Conclusion
The question rests on a misunderstanding. Jesus, in His divine nature, never stopped running the universe. What died was His human body. His human soul went to paradise. But His divine nature, which cannot die, continued to uphold all things. The Trinity never ceased to function, not for a moment. The Son of God remained fully God even whilst His human body lay in the tomb. And on the third day, He took up His body again, demonstrating His absolute authority over death itself. This is our Saviour: the eternal Son of God who became man, died for our sins, and rose again in triumph.
“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” Hebrews 1:3
