."Contrary to what some teach the resurrection of Jesus was not required for salvation to be made available. Salvation was made available by His death on the cross."
My opinion, If after Jesus died and if He never was not raised by the Father on the third day, then the entire Bible can be thrown into the bin and we are doomed! For He said;
"For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (Matt. 12:40).
The Pharisies did everything they could to prevent this from happening, and convince people that it would not happen, because they knew that If Jesus rose from the dead, He was truly the Christ.
"Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first." (Matt. 27:62-64).
Jesus went into Hell, in the center of the Earth and spoke to Spirits in prison, ("And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." Jude 1:6; "And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." Coll. 2:15), . . . Probably to tell them He now had the keys to Hell, and thats where they would stay untill the last great day!
"By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;" (1 Peter 3:19).