Chapter 2 of Jonah is also prophetic of Christ for it contains a beautiful description of death and the resurrection. In Chapter 1 of Jonah, we learn that Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days.

Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.[1]

On the third day Jonah came out of the whale’s belly. 

Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly,[2]

In Matthew we Learn that Christ’s body lies in the tomb for three days.

And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.[3]

There is much speculation about where Christ spent his time during the three days that his body lay in the tomb. Christ’s spirit did not remain in the tomb. We are actually told by Peter where Christ spent his time. 

For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.[4]

Is it really strange that Christ did not sit idle in the tomb? Nor did he descend into hell as some have speculated. In fact, during that three day period Christ went to paradise. Remember Christ’s answer to the thief on the cross?

And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.[5]

The word Paradise is used in two different contexts. The one above refers to the world of the spirits of the dead. While Christ’s body lies in the tomb, his spirit preaches to those in paradise. His promise to the thief was that Christ would see his spirit in paradise. The thief qualified himself because on the cross he pleaded with the Lord, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” The second thief did not go to paradise because he mocked the Lord. That suggests that the spirit world, or the world where spirits go when we die is a very large place. There are righteous spirits and there are unrighteous spirits. Christ only appeared to the righteous spirits.

The other reference to paradise is made by Paul.

I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.[6]

That was a description of heaven. That was not the paradise that the thief was invited to. We know that because Christ himself did not ascend into heaven where his Father was until after the resurrection. Remember his words to Mary.