Jesus Suffered In Hell For Our Sins? Is That Biblical?

[OldRegular]

I guess anyone can believe what they choose. However,the account of Lazarus is not said to be a parable, anywhere. If this account is in fact, a parable, it is unique in at least two ways. The writer does not say it was a parable and no other parable ever gives the name of any individual.

I have every basis for saying the thief is an OT Saint, and was under the OT economy.

The thief was saved prior to the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, to begin with. That alone, is sufficient.

In addition, the thief was not a part of the church, the body of Christ, but was rather a part of the Commonwealth of Israel.

The thief was not baptized in the Holy Spirit, a characteristic of the church, which first occurred at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended.

I do not believe the Lord Jesus had yet ascended to the Father to present his blood on the Heavenly mercy seat. (Jn. 20:17) The Passover Lamb was not slain on the mercy seat, but on the "north side of the altar." (Lev. 1:11) The High Priest entered the holy place ["all" of the high priest, and not just his soul and spirit while His body was lying in the grave, for the High Priest had to be alive to perform his service (Heb. 7:23)] carried the blood to the mercy seat, and sprinkled it there, to make the atonement. (Lev. 1:11; 16:15; Heb. 9:23)

Ed

You are perfectly entitled to be wrong. You are on all counts.

 

[OldRegular]

When people die, do they go to be with Abraham?

Marcia

The Apostle Paul tells us:

2Corinthians 5:8. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

When we die our spirit/soul goes immediately into the presence of God. This same truth is taught in Ecclesiastes:

Ecclesiastes 12:7. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

Dispensationalists like to say that some ignore the teaching of the Old Testament but when you quote it they ignore its teaching.

 

[Marcia]

Marcia

The Apostle Paul tells us:

2Corinthians 5:8. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

When we die our spirit/soul goes immediately into the presence of God. This same truth is taught in Ecclesiastes:

Ecclesiastes 12:7. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

Dispensationalists like to say that some ignore the teaching of the Old Testament but when you quote it they ignore its teaching.

Well, I'm dispensationalist-leaning and I agree with you.

 

[OldRegular]

I don't think this couplet is enough support for the view that Jesus went to Sheol but rather supports the view that it is referring to his body in the grave.

You are correct here Marcia. The body of Jesus Christ was buried. His spirit/soul went into immediately into the presence of God, along with the believing thief.

 

[Amy.G]

You are correct here Marcia. The body of Jesus Christ was buried. His spirit/soul went into immediately into the presence of God, along with the believing thief.

I assume that Jesus went to the Father to pour His blood on the real mercy seat. Does anyone agree with this?

 

[Marcia]

I assume that Jesus went to the Father to pour His blood on the real mercy seat. Does anyone agree with this?

Hi, Amy,

I've never been asked this so I'm thinking.

How could he do this if his body is in the grave? And if he did it when he ascended bodily, how would he do it?

I think perhaps the idea of his blood saving us is when he shed it on the cross, and the idea of pouring it on the mercy seat is figurative.

Do you have a verse that makes you think he did this?

 

[OldRegular]

Well, I'm dispensationalist-leaning and I agree with you.

Read the post by Brother James on the thread Dispensationalism/Covenant Theology.

 

[OldRegular]

Hi, Amy,

I've never been asked this so I'm thinking.

How could he do this if his body is in the grave? And if he did it when he ascended bodily, how would he do it?

I think perhaps the idea of his blood saving us is when he shed it on the cross, and the idea of pouring it on the mercy seat is figurative.

Do you have a verse that makes you think he did this?

Amy G and Marcia

I think it is figurative but this is discussed in Hebrews 9:11-18.

11. But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
12. Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
13. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
14. How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
15. And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
16. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
17. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
18. Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.

 

[Amy.G]

Hi, Amy,

Do you have a verse that makes you think he did this?

OldRegular gave the verse that I was thinking about. But I was also taking into account the OT law of sprinkling the blood of animals sacrificed to the Lord, on the mercy seat in the tabernacle. Since all things OT are shadows of the real things to come and since the tabernacle was the earthly example of God's tabernacle in heaven (that's why God commanded the tabernacle to be built to His exact specifications, because everything represented the "true" tabernacle of God), I believe that Christ sprinkled His blood on the mercy seat of God in heaven. But it may be figurative as you guys said. I don't know. Christ's blood was real and the atonement was real, so, oh I don't know. :laugh:

 

[Allan]

Ps 16:10 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol;
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

This is poetry and it's also a parallelism. It is simply stating that you will not abandon me to the grave. To read "soul" literally here is, I think, stretching it, though I see your point. I think the intent of this is to support Christ's bodily resurrection.

The rendering here is his very being (soul/nephesh) and thus it's placement in hell/sheol. The fact he adds to this the physical reference of his body decaying illistrate my point exactly that sheol here is seen through both apects. So I agree with you that it supports the resurrection and it does so in both aspects.

No man has called himself from the grave, thus neither has any man brought himself back from spiritual realm, just as David was declaring and Peter proclaimed.
The definition you give do not fit. Let us look at something else as well. Here is an article by Bob L. Ross - The Reality of Hell. He goes into much detail about the meaning and defintion about sheol and hades:

What Do These Words Mean?
I. The Hebrew word “Sheol” is translated as follows:

“Hell” —31 times, as in Psalm 9:17, “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”

“Grave” —31 times, as in Ecclesiastes 9:10, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.”

“Pit” —3 times, as in Job 17:16, “They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust.”

But actually, the Hebrew word “Sheol” does not mean either “Hell,” “grave,” or “pit.” It means “the unseen world” or “the place of departed spirits.” Notice how it is defined:

Strong's Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary says “Sheol” is “the world of the dead.”
Young's Analytical Concordance says that “Sheol” is “the unseen state.”
Smiths Bible Dictionary says that “Sheol” is “always the abode of departed spirits.”
Fausset's Bible Dictionary and Encyclopedia says that “Sheol” is “the common receptacle of the dead.”

So Sheol does not strictly refer to Hell, but to the place of departed spirits, irrespective of whether saved or lost. Sheol is simply a term meaning “the state of the dead in general, without any restriction of happiness or misery” (Smith). In many instances where the word is used, however, the reference is clearly to that compartment of Sheol where the wicked are punished. For example, Psalm 9:17, “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”

II. “Hades” is the Greek word in the New Testament which corresponds to “Sheol” and is translated as follows:

“Hell” —10 times, as in Matthew 11:23, “And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shall be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.”

“Grave” —1 time, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (I Cor 15:55).

But “Hades,” like Sheol, does not strictly or exclusively refer to Hell. “Hades” is the corresponding Greek word to the Hebrew word “Sheol,” and both have the same meaning.

Strong's Greek Dictionary of the New Testament says that “Hades” is “the place [state] of departed souls.”
Young's Concordance says “the unseen world.”
A.T. Robertson, world-renowned as a Greek scholar says “Hades is technically the unseen world, the Hebrew Sheol, the land of the departed” ( Word Pictures ).

The reader is urged to read Luke 16:19-31, where a perfect illustration of Sheol (Hades) is given. This passage draws back the curtain and lets us have a look into both sides of “the land of the departed.”

III. “Gehenna” or “the Gehenna of fire,” is the Greek word that strictly means Hell. It is never translated by any word but “Hell,” and eleven of the twelve times the word is used, it is used by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Here are a list of the passages in which the word “Gehenna” appears: Matthew 5:22,29,30, 10:28, 18:9, 23:15, 23:33; Mark 9:43,45,47; Luke 12:5; James 3:6.

The word “Gehenna” is of Hebrew origin derived from “valley” and “Hinnom.” “Gehenna is the Valley of Hinnom where the fire burned continually” (A.T. Robertson). The Valley of Hinnom was a place near Jerusalem where Ahaz introduced the worship of fire gods, the sun, Baal and Moloch. The Jews under ungodly Manasseh offered their children as burnt offerings in this idolatrous worship (Jer 7:31). This cruel worship was finally abolished, and later Josiah made the place a receptacle of dead carcasses and the bodies of malefactors (criminals), in which worms were continually gendering. A perpetual fire was kept to consume the putrifying matter. The place was still in existence at the time of Christ, and the Saviour illustrated somewhat the condition in eternity, in “the Gehenna of fire,” by reference to this valley.

The Lord Jesus referred to Hell as the “Gehenna of fire,” into which “both body and soul” will be cast. He said that it is “unquenchable fire” and that “the worm [man] dieth not” in the flame, just as the three Hebrew children of Daniel's day did not die when cast into the fiery furnace (Dan 3).

Hell is no myth as infidels, Russellites, Universalists, and Modernists would have you believe. Christ did not warn of Hell simply to scare men. He warned of Hell because it is a reality!

IV. “Tartarus,” the fourth word translated “Hell,” is used only once in the New Testament (II Peter 2:4).

Strong's Greek Dictionary of the New Testament says that “Tartarus” is “the deepest abyss of Hades,” and that the word means “to incarcerate [imprison] in eternal torment.”
A.T. Robertson says: “The dark and doleful abode of the wicked dead like the Gehenna of the Jews.”
Fausset's Dictionary: “The 'deep' or 'abyss' or 'bottomless pit.'“ So this word strictly refers to the place where the unsaved are confined in Divine judgment.

From I can see Sheol and Hades are not synonamous with the grave (though it does incorporate this at times as a full picture) but more so with the place where all the dead went. And it appears that men such as Strongs, A.T.Robertson, Fauseet, and even Young agree with it's primary meaning as the author shows. I actaully have all of these (except for Young's) and this is what I see them stating as well.

However, A.T. Robertson has a unique view of Hades/Sheol in that both Heaven and Hell are there. IOW - Sheol/Hades are terms for the spiritual world in which both Heaven and Hell are apart. Robertson even quotes Page in stating "Death and Hades are strictly parallel terms, he who is dead is in Hades". They are terms used interchangably. However this view does cause one small problem in understanding of his position. Scritpure states that Jesus 'decended' to hades (place of the dead) and if it were heaven then this places heaven in a place where He does not have to 'ascend' to.

The Hebrew word for "soul" there is "nephesh" which covers a variety of meanings and can just mean "life."

Yes but there is both a Greek and Hebrew word that simply means 'life'.
Yet the life you reference is actaully concerning what apsect of life since it can mean the indivuals life encompassing both the spiritual and physical, the physicaly body alone, and the spirit. Oh - it can also refer to one mental activies.

I guess my biggest problem is that there isn't enough evidence in to support Sheol as being 'just' the grave as shown previously. It can be used to properly describe one in the grave but that rendering encompasses the fact they are in the underworld as well. As stated previously - "he who is dead is in hades".

Also, since it says "you will not allow your Holy One to decay," is that referring to Jesus spiritually? No, it's referring to the body, because only the body decays. So if "Holy One" refers to the body, so does "soul" since this is a parallelism.

I have already stated this in my previous post showing that it is refering to his physical body in this portion of the sentence since "Sheol" can properly rendered as both the underworld AND the grave. It isn't a parallelism because it is a single sentence. You will find the parallelism in verse 11.

I don't think this couplet is enough support for the view that Jesus went to Sheol but rather supports the view that it is referring to his body in the grave.

Fair enough. I have simply given various things that I have looked into, though not all. The word 'sheol' itself is enough to make one do a bit more study on what they understand (no matter what you view )

 

[DHK]

Amy G and Marcia

I think it is figurative but this is discussed in Hebrews 9:11-18.

I think it is figurative also. The passage draws a parallel.

11. But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
12. Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
13. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
14. How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

The blood of bulls and goats was the blood of the sacrifices that were offered in the OT economy. That blood looked forward and pictured the blood of Christ. However, they were still sacrifices performed here on earth.

"How much more shall the blood of Christ..." The blood of Christ was offered on the cross, not anywhere else. It was shed there--at Calvary, Golgotha, on the cross, for our sins, and then he cried: "It is finished!" His blood was shed. He didn't pick it up afterward and take it anywhere. It was shed there, literally, at Calvary.
It is a parallel, a comparison to the OT sacrifices. Just as the OT priests sacrificed bulls and goats (on earth), so Christ sacrificed sacrificed himself (on earth), and then committed himself (his spirit) to the Father.

 

[Plain Old Bill]

I am just a little curious where Bibletalk went to school?

 

[Marcia]

Allan, a parallelism does not have to be more than one sentence. It is just that it has to be at least 2 lines, not 2 sentences.

A common literary feature of Hebrew poetry in the Old Testament is called parallelism, in which the words of two or more lines of text are directly related in some way.

The heavens are telling the glory of God;


and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.​

Source: http://www.cresourcei.org/parallel.html


Examples from the Jewish Encyclopedia:

The synonymous, in which the same sentiment is repeated in different but equivalent wordsPs. xxv. 5; comp. ib. exiv.; Num. xxiii. 7-10; Isa. lx. 1-3; etc.).


"Shew me thy ways, O Lord; Teach me thy paths"
Frequently the second line not merely repeats but also reenforces or diversifies the ideaProv. i. 31);

"They shall eat of the fruit of their own way, And be filled with their own devices"(I Sam. xviii. 7; comp. Isa. xiii. 7, lv. 6 et seq.; Ps. xcv. 2).

"Saul hath slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands"

Source: http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=67&letter=P

Therefore, it is correct to say that Ps 16.10 is a parallelism.

As to the Sheol issue, I agree it was seen as an abode of the dead, but not always. Sometimes it just meant the grave.

 

[Allan]

Allan, a parallelism does not have to be more than one sentence. It is just that it has to be at least 2 lines, not 2 sentences.

Therefore, it is correct to say that Ps 16.10 is a parallelism.

Your right.
I remembered the 'lines of text' part from school when I posted and for some reason correlated it as sentences. So yes, it is a parellelism I do agree with you.

However - (imagine that ) that doesn't mean what I said isn't true. The parellel isn't the just one facet and that being only grave (as in buried). Remember that sheol is the place of the dead and when the term grave is used it encompasses the neitherworld (or better does not exclude but includes it). Thus it is synonymous with both the abode of the dead spiritually and physicall.

As I said the problem is in trying to divorce spiritual aspect of sheol from the phycal when they are connected and interrelated to one another. Again "he who is dead is in hades". This is the concept of Sheol.

This is from the site you referenced in your previous posting - "Jewish Encyclopedia" on the word Sheol:

Position and Form.

Hebrew word of uncertain etymology (see Sheol, Critical View), synonym of "bor" (pit), "abaddon" and "shaḥat" (pit or destruction), and perhaps also of "tehom" (abyss).

—Biblical Data:

It connotes the place where those that had died were believed to be congregated. Jacob, refusing to be comforted at the supposed death of Joseph, exclaims: "I shall go down to my son a mourner unto Sheol" (Gen. xxxvii. 36, Hebr.; comp. ib. xlii. 38; xliv. 29, 31). Sheol is underneath the earth (Isa. vii. 11, lvii. 9; Ezek. xxxi. 14; Ps. lxxxvi. 13; Ecclus. [Sirach] li. 6; comp. Enoch, xvii. 6, "toward the setting of the sun"); hence it is designated as (Deut. xxxii. 22; Ps. lxxxvi. 13) or (Ps. lxxxviii. 7; Lam. iii. 55; Ezek. xxvi. 20, xxxii. 24). It is very deep (Prov. ix. 18; Isa. lvii. 9); and it marks the point at the greatest possible distance from heaven (Job xi. 8; Amos ix. 2; Ps. cxxxix. 8). The dead descend or are made to go down into it; the revived ascend or are brought and lifted up from it (I Sam. ii. 6; Job vii. 9; Ps. xxx. 4; Isa. xiv. 11, 15). Sometimes the living are hurled into Sheol before they would naturally have been claimed by it (Prov. i. 12; Num. xvi. 33; Ps. lv. 16, lxiii. 10), in which cases the earth is described as "opening her mouth" (Num. xvi. 30). Sheol is spoken of as a land (Job x. 21, 22); but ordinarily it is a place with gates (ib. xvii. 16, xxxviii. 17; Isa. xxxviii. 10; Ps. ix. 14), and seems to have been viewed as divided into compartments (Prov. vii. 27), with "farthest corners" (Isa. xiv. 15; Ezek. xxxii. 23, Hebr.; R. V. "uttermost parts of the pit"), one beneath the other (see Jew. Encyc. v. 217, s. v. Eschatology). Here the dead meet (Ezek. xxxii.; Isa. xiv.; Job xxx. 23) without distinction of rank or condition—the rich and the poor, the pious and the wicked, the old and the young, the master and the slave—if the description in Job iii. refers, as most likely it does, to Sheol. The dead continue after a fashion their earthly life. Jacob would mourn there (Gen. xxxvii. 35, xlii. 38); David abides there in peace (I Kings ii. 6); the warriors have their weapons with them (Ezek. xxxii. 27), yet they are mere shadows ("rephaim"; Isa. xiv. 9, xxvi. 14; Ps. lxxxviii. 5, A. V. "a man that hath no strength"). The dead merely exist without knowledge or feeling (Job xiv. 13; Eccl. ix. 5). Silence reigns supreme; and oblivion is the lot of them that enter therein (Ps. lxxxviii. 13, xciv. 17; Eccl. ix. 10). Hence it is known also as "Dumah," the abode of silence (Ps. vi. 6, xxx. 10, xciv. 17, cxv. 17); and there God is not praised (ib. cxv. 17; Isa. xxxviii. 15). Still, on certain extraordinary occasions the dwellers in Sheol are credited with the gift of making knowntheir feelings of rejoicing at the downfall of the enemy (Isa. xiv. 9, 10). Sleep is their usual lot (Jer. li. 39; Isa. xxvi. 14; Job xiv. 12). Sheol is a horrible, dreary, dark, disorderly land (Job x. 21, 22); yet it is the appointed house for all the living (ib. xxx. 23). Return from Sheol is not expected (II Sam. xii. 23; Job vii. 9, 10; x. 21; xiv. 7 et seq.; xvi. 22; Ecclus. [Sirach] xxxviii. 21); it is described as man's eternal house (Eccl. xii. 5). It is "dust" (Ps. xxx. 10; hence in the Shemoneh 'Esreh, in benediction No. ii., the dead are described as "sleepers in the dust").

God Its Ruler.

God's rulership over it is recognized (Amos ix. 2; Hos. xiii. 14; Deut. xxxii. 22; I Sam. ii. 6 [Isa. vii. 11?]; Prov. xv. 11). Hence He has the power to save the pious therefrom (Ps. xvi. 10, xlix. 16, the text of which latter passage, however, is recognized as corrupt). Yet Sheol is never satiated (Prov. xxx. 20); she "makes wide her soul," i.e., increases her desire (Isa. v. 14) and capacity. In these passages Sheol is personified; it is described also as a pasture for sheep with death as the shepherd (Ps. xlix. 15). From Sheol Samuel is cited by the witch of En-dor (I Sam. xxviii. 3 et seq.). As a rule Sheol will not give up its own. They are held captive with ropes. This seems to be the original idea underlying the phrase (II Sam. xxii. 6; Ps. xviii. 6; R. V., verse 5, "the cords of Sheol") and of the other expression, (Ps. cxvi. 3; R. V. "and the pains of Sheol"); for they certainly imply restraint or capture. Sheol is used as a simile for "jealousy" (Cant. viii. 7). .........

As to the Sheol issue, I agree it was seen as an abode of the dead, but not always. Sometimes it just meant the grave.

Yes, I agree whole heartedly but it did not mean 'just' the grave because the Hebrew language has/had words that meant just that - which were words like "qĕbuwrah"; or "qeber" for example.

These meant simply and 'just' the grave, tomb, or burial/buring place.

So if these words existed then why use the term 'sheol'?

 

[Marcia]

Thanks for all the info on Sheol.

I agree with the meanings but I think this requires more study.

It raises questions like:
Did Jesus mean Sheol when he said to the thief "Today you will be with in Paradise?"

What about other scripture that indicates Jesus went to be with his father when he died (such as "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit").

 

[Allan]

Thanks for all the info on Sheol.

I agree with the meanings but I think this requires more study.

Agreed, but please know that, other than here, I do not debate this subject to this degree. To me the truth is - whatever happened - Christ died and arose triumphant over death and hell of His own accord .

It raises questions like:
Did Jesus mean Sheol when he said to the thief "Today you will be with in Paradise?"

True. And honestly if you take A.T. Robertsons approach it leavs you with Christ being in Sheol (to him it is the spiritual world itself - heaven and hell) and still with the Father. :laugh:

What about other scripture that indicates Jesus went to be with his father when he died (such as "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit").

That one to me isn't a hard one.
The phrase was a common one and simply meant that I put my well being or safety absolutely in your care. Much like if a child is dieing and the parent tells the EMT I'm placing his/her life in your hands.

 

[OldRegular]

Marcia,

Let your heart be at peace. The soul of Jesus Christ went into the presence of God the Father when he died just as the souls of all believers. Scripture is very clear on this regardless of what anyone else says. They do not speak infallibly under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Scripture does.

Ecclesiastes 12:7. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

 

[annsni]

Marcia,

Let your heart be at peace. The soul of Jesus Christ went into the presence of God the Father when he died just as the souls of all believers. Scripture is very clear on this regardless of what anyone else says. They do not speak infallibly under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Scripture does.

Ecclesiastes 12:7. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

Amen! :godisgood:

 

[Me4Him]

Lu 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

1Pe 3:18 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 (souls) in prison; (by sin)

20 Which sometime were disobedient, (sin) 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.

1Pe 4:5 Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick (alive) and the dead.

6 For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, (OT Saints/Abraham's bosom) that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man (OT/NT) cometh unto the Father, but by (through) me.

The way I interpret these verses is to mean that Jesus preached to the "Souls" in Abraham's bosom, since they had never heard of him and no one goes to heaven except through Jesus,

These same "Souls" are the ones Jesus took when he "Ascended".

Heaven wasn't opened until the "wages of sin" was paid, then the "KEYS" to both Heaven/Hell was given to Jesus.

(all Judgment committed to Jesus)

 

[annsni]

Lu 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

1Pe 3:18 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 (souls) in prison; (by sin)

20 Which sometime were disobedient, (sin) 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.

1Pe 4:5 Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick (alive) and the dead.

6 For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, (OT Saints/Abraham's bosom) that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man (OT/NT) cometh unto the Father, but by (through) me.

The way I interpret these verses is to mean that Jesus preached to the "Souls" in Abraham's bosom, since they had never heard of him and no one goes to heaven except through Jesus,

These same "Souls" are the ones Jesus took when he "Ascended".

Heaven wasn't opened until the "wages of sin" was paid, then the "KEYS" to both Heaven/Hell was given to Jesus.

(all Judgment committed to Jesus)

But reading the verses in context gives us a different view.