Did Christ descend into Hell?

No scripture actually shows Christ went to hell. Also, no scripture shows that Christ had to wrestle the keys to death and hell from the devil.

 

No. He went to the grave, which is misinterpreted by many as He went to hell.

 

I really haven't studied this one way or the other, but what about 1 Peter 3:19-20?

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. (italics mine)

 

Well webdog we agree on one thing!

 

I've heard that there are four different views of this passage but here are 2 below. Look up 2 Peter 3 at www.bible.org and read the footnote:

I think it's the 2nd one. I think saying Jesus went to hell means he went to the grave because, as I understand it, the word translated as "hell" often refers to the grave.

 

I thought Jesus went to Paradise, isn't that what he told the Thief on the cross Luke 23:43 "today you will be with me in PARADISE".

According to Jesus's story (true story not a parable) Luke 16, Eph 4:9, he mentions two places Abrahams Bosom also known as paradise and Haydes aka Hell.

those who were saved yet who had not ascended to heaven till Jesus died and rose again went to paradise and those who were not saved went to hadyes. both were near each other Luke 16:23, 25,26.
The prisoners mentioned that Jesus preached to,were those who were in paradise, who he then took up to heaven with him.

 

Hell is mention in at least 3 different ways.
1. Eternal Hell
2. Grave
3. Whale's belly

I think that Hell is a place of confinement and seems to be where the soul is and the soul is not in the grave. Jesus was confined to the Cross which I believe to be His place of hell.

 

18": 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:

"19": By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;

I think it is saying that by the Spirit he went and preached to them in prison.

 

I don't see any problem with saying that Jesus could have gone down to Hell in order to preach to those spirits imprisoned there. Thats not saying that Jesus was TORTURED there, which I would never agree with. Hell is not the "Devil's Domain", as if its the place where Satan rules. Satan isn't there right now, he's walking around on earth, and he doesn't want to go there.

So Jesus could just as well have visited spirits who are in Hell and also been in Paradise. I suspect He wouldn't have any problem with travel times.

 

Well webdog we agree on one thing! </font>[/QUOTE] We probably agree on a lot of things, but only discuss the things we don't agree on.

 

But what would be the point of this? Those in hell already know they are defeated, and the "preahing" would not be an offer of salvation. It would be not only pointless, but far fetched.

 

Jesus said He would be in Paradise the day he died, so that is where he went. Saying he went to the grave is just a way of saying he really, physically died. His death is crucial in the atonement -- he died and bodily rose 3 days later. That is the point the statement in the Creed is making when it says he went to hell (the grave; i.e., he died), imo.

 

Thanks Marcia i didn't think that was to hard to understand If Jesus said he went to PARADISE not Haydes, that is where he went!

As mentioned before he went to paradise to "preach" to those who were "saved". who really knows what it means by preach, not obviously in the sense of "salavation" like we do today. but more in the sense of what was to come. the unsaved and the saved distination was already sealed the day they DIED!

 

If by "hell" you are referring to the lake of fire, then no, he did not go there. But, the lake of fire is not "hell". "Hell", or Hades, is what Jesus is said to have gone to. His body went in the grave, his soul went to Hades, and he commended his spirit ot the Father.

 

NO he went to PARADISE which was across from Haydes

please show me scripture saying he went to Haydes and not Paradise, Please!
Unless you can show by scripture where he went like Marcia and I have done, it is just mans opinion.

 

Preaching simply means proclaiming. When you evangelize, you are preaching, but when you are preaching, you are not necessarily evangelizing.

Acts 2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell [hades], neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Acts 2:31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell [hades], neither his flesh did see corruption.

 

Thanks Hope of Glory for those verses. David is speaking here and it could be translated as it is done in other translations that Davids HOPE was that he wouldn't be going to Hell/Hades that he would be going to a better place (Paradise) the word Paradise or Abrahams Bosom wasn't used in the old testament. the word grave and hades were. so David isn't saying he would go there he is saying he hopes he doesn't go there (he didn't have the holy spirits conformation of eternal salevation that we do today)

As far as Christ is concerened it is saying the same thing, that his soul wasn't left in Hades and it didn't see corrption, the bible say he went to Paradise which is in the same area as hades only seperated. according to Jesus story in Luke the rich man (Hades) and lazarus (Paradise) could see each other. thats pretty darn close.

 

here this was taken from four different resourses, on the subject.


While in the Grave, Jesus Went to Hades (Paradise)

Upon Jesus' death, He (and one of the thieves crucified with Him) went to Hades (Acts 2:27, 31). There are two realms in Hades ---- one is a place of comfort and rest, the other is a place of torment (Lk. 16:19-31).
Before His death, Jesus tells us that He would go to Paradise after dying on the cross (Lk. 23:43), which corresponds to the Hadean realm of comfort and rest (Lk. 16:19f).
The Bible tells us He was in Hades, Paradise (Acts 2:27, 31; Lk. 23:43). Jesus did not go to hell (the place of eternal torment), while His body was in the grave.
Remember that these are the recorded words of Jesus himself.
Taken literally it suggests that the world of the dead is/was divided into 2 regions. One for the wicked and the other for the righteous. The wicked are in torment in hell and the righteous are/were in peace with Abraham. There was/is a chasm between the 2 places that stopped either side from crossing to the other, yet they could/can still communicate with each other.
Jesus went to Hades/Hell after He was crucified on the Cross according to the scripture.
Matthew 12:40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
This scripture is quite blatant about the fact that Jesus went to the heart of the earth for 3 days and 3 nights.
If this is the case then how do the words of Jesus spoken to the thief on the cross make sense.
Luke 23:42-43 42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." 43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
Jesus was in the heart of the earth for approximately 3 days, after that he walked the earth for a short time and then he was lifted up into heaven. So if the reference to Paradise was heaven, then when Jesus said to the thief on the cross "that he would be in paradise with him today" would have to be a contradiction because Jesus was in the heart of the earth for 3 days and 3 nights.
The only way that both scriptures can be explained without contradiction is to say that Paradise was also in the heart of the earth like Hell. Luke 16:19-28 say the same thing. We just read earlier in those verses that when Lazarus died he went to Abraham's side and the rich man went to hell. In hell the rich man looked up and could see Lazarus being comforted at Abraham's side. But neither could cross over to the other side because of a huge chasm.
Ephesians 4:9 8 This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men."
9 (What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions ?
10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.
The focal point for the word ascended and descended is the earth itself.
In verse 9 it says that he descended to the lower earthly regions

 

Jesus had no reason to go to the eternal Hell. I still say it was when he was on the cross while his soul was still with him when he cried "Father why has thou forsaken me?" As when Jonah was in the belly of the whale and cried out of the belly of Hell cried
"1": Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly, "2": And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.

Jesus also cried out to the Father.