Did Jesus Descend Into Hell?
Did Jesus Descend Into Hell?
That’s A Strange Question!
This might sound like a strange question, but it has been discussed since the earliest days of Christianity. Opinions often fall into two categories. There are those who believe that Jesus did descend into hell and those who believe that he did not.
I am not sure that believing either opinion matters. I does seem interesting to me that the Bible is vague on the details of the angelic world where Jesus was during the three days of his burial..
Early Creeds from the First Christians
Some of the early evidence for this divided opinion can be found in a document entitled “The Apostles Creed.” Although the origins of this creed are unknown, its content aligns with what would be considered the evangelical faith and the document is still recited as part of the regular liturgy of some churches. Notice the two opinions appear in the two versions of the creed as version two omits the phrase “He descended to the dead.”
Version 1
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
Version 2
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
When Did This Supposedly Happen?
This is thought, by some, to have happened during the three days that Jesus was in the grave. So once Jesus expired on the cross, his body was buried by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus in the tomb. But his spirit had already departed and into the resting place of the dead. He was there until he was raised from the dead on the third day.
Those Who Say Jesus Did Not Descend Into Hell
For those who say that Jesus did not descend into hell, they would often say that there simply is not enough clear teaching from the text of Scripture to support the theory. For example, the biblical account explicitly states that Jesus was betrayed, falsely tried, crucified, buried and on the third day, he rose from the dead. If there was anything
Since there is not clear teaching, then it was not important whether or not Jesus did descend into hell.
What Does The Bible Say?
There are a few key texts that matter.
1. “Today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).
He Descend Into Hell …
Jesus spoke these words to the thief on the cross and this is a clear statement from Jesus that he would be in a place called paradise on the same day that he died.
He Did Not Descend …
Jesus stated that he would be in paradise when he died, not in hell.
2. “He descended into the lower regions of the earth” (Ephesians 4:9).
He Descend Into Hell …
By saying the lower regions of the earth, this is thought to mean that he descended into hell.
He Did Not Descend …
These verses are a quotation from the Psalms that indicate the Messiah would be buried. The Lower regions means that he would not merely walk the earth, but be buried in the earth.
3. Luke 16:19-31
This text is too long to quote here, but it spells out that there is a place where the dead still live. It is separated into two parts. There is no returning to the living and there is no more opportunity to make up your mind about your destiny.
1 Peter 3:18-20
Again too long to cite here, the text is quite confusing. There are typically three different interpretations. Those who believe that Jesus Descended into hell, see this text as describing his work in hell during the three days of his burial.
What Was He Doing There?
This is a good question. Some have proposed that he was announcing his victory to to those who had already died. This was not offering them a second chance to believe, but simply clarifying to them what had taken place.
Conclusion
I’ll conclude with a few brief comments.
If God wanted us to know and teach what Jesus did while his body was in the grave, it would have been written.
If Jesus descent into hell was a critical part of the Gospel, then it would have been revealed and we would have been commanded to include this as part of the Gospel story.
There are many questions. But the answers are not revealed in the Bible. I would always feel safe not going beyond what is written, therefore I am not making things up and adding them to the Gospel. I feel safe sticking with what is revealed. Stick with what the Bible says. Leave some mystery in the faith. Especially when it is not clearly revealed in the Bible.
The secret things belong to the Lord. But the things revealed belong to us and our children (Deuteronomy 29:29).
