Why Did Jesus Descend Into Hell For 3 Days

Why did Jesus ‘descend into hell’?

People are sometimes referred to as having “gone to hell and back.” The Bible says the same thing about our Savior as does Christianity. According to the Apostles’ Creed, a declaration of faith with origins that may date back to the questions asked of baptismal applicants in the late second century, the statement is found. As a result, it serves as a reminder that the redeeming power of Christ is available to all peoples and all periods, including those who entered and exited human history prior to his death and resurrection.

He is unable to escape from his own home in hell, which heralds the complete victory of the divine conqueror over Satan.

This belief, like many others in the Christian tradition, is not based on the specific teachings of Jesus as recorded in the gospels, but rather on his personal experience as God’s anointed instrument of salvation, as is the case with many others.

This was a question raised by early Christians.

  • According to tradition, they were considered to be residing someplace in hell or an outer chamber of the underworld, having been denied the final rewards of Christ’s redeeming work.
  • An excellent illustration of this may be seen in Luke 16, when an uncaring, affluent man is allocated to the netherworld, while a suffering beggar is granted rest in the “bosom of Abraham” (Luke 16:22).
  • The metaphorical depiction of the hereafter as a pit or chasm appears in numerous places in the New Testament and also in the Hebrew scriptures.
  • It was characterized rather literally with the same images that one would apply to a grave: a place of dust, worms, inaction, and decay, to name a few elements of the description.
  • Yahweh was thought to have power over death by this time (as depicted in the narrative of the dry bones in Ezekiel 37), and therefore Christ Jesus came to be portrayed as the agent who won Yahweh’s final triumph over sheol, even for those who were already in it.

This story first published in the March 2013 edition of United States Catholic (Vol. 78, No. 3, page 46). Do you have a question you’d like to have addressed? Inquire with us at [email protected]! Wikimedia image courtesy of Web Gallery of Art

He Descended Into Hell

  • August13,2019 There have been several inquiries from Catholics concerning our confession of the Apostles’ Creed, which states that “He fell into hell.” Many people are outraged by the very faith that we pretend to have. The Apostles’ Creed has caused much consternation among the devout. Jesus’ ascension into hell has been met with astonishment by some of his followers. Hell is often thought to be the eternal home of sinners and evildoers, where they will spend eternity. Throughout his tale of Lazarus and the wealthy man, Jesus makes it clear that once a person enters Hell, he or she would be unable to return from Hell to Heaven (Lk 16: 26). Many Christians are troubled by this particular article of the Apostles’ Creed. In both the Bible and theology, the phrase “Christ descended into Hell” is supported by biblical evidence and theological reasoning (faith seeking understanding). Jesus Christ was laid to rest in the tomb, and he was thereafter resurrected and plunged into Hell. A number of occasions in the New Testament, it is said that Jesus was “raised from the grave” (Mt 28: 1-20
  • Mk 16: 1-20
  • Lk 24:1-49
  • Jn 20: 1- 21:25
  • 1 Peter 3:19). Prior to his resurrection on the Third Day, the crucified Lord is said to have passed into the realm of the dead, according to this theory. Jesus descended to Hell in order to free souls that had been imprisoned for a long time. The mission of Jesus’ ascension into Hell was to bring about the release of the holy people of the Old Testament. As explained by some theologians, Jesus Christ went into Hell in order to endure the whole intensity of suffering, which is the full consequence of human sin, in order to provide a total atonement for humanity’s guilt. Prior to his Resurrection, Jesus descended into Hell as the Savior, bringing the Good News of redemption to the souls who were imprisoned there at the time of his death. All souls were looking forward to the arrival of the Redeemer. The pure spirits that were waiting in Abraham’s bosom were rescued by Jesus Christ (Ps 89:49
  • 1 Sam 28:19
  • Ezek 32:17-32
  • Lk 16:22- 26). Jesus Christ was the first person ever to be resurrected from the grave, according to the Bible (Rom 8:23
  • 1 Cor 5: 7-8
  • 16: 8). The ascension of Jesus into Hell delivered the Gospel message of redemption to its ultimate and conclusive conclusion. The final element of Jesus’ messianic mission was his ascension into Hell for the aim of bringing about redemption. That is the redemptive work of Christ for all people in all places and at all times. The risen Christ has “the keys of Death and Hades (Hell),” causing “every knee to bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth” in response to the name of Jesus (Rev1:18
  • Phil2:10). I hope that this thought will aid us in our spiritual growth and maturation. Fr. Sev Kuupuo is the Parochial Vicar of the parish.

Did Jesus Actually Descend into Hell?

In the Christian church, there has always been a hot button issue that comes up every so often. This issue is concerned with the question of whether or not Jesus went to hell. There are schools of thinking that believe He did and schools of thought that believe He did not. Scripture does not provide a straightforward response to this topic; nevertheless, with more study, a more complete understanding can be gained. In some parts of the world, Christianity has always been viewed with suspicion, and this is no exception.

The outcome of these conferences was a collection of creeds that served as expressions of religious belief.

The Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed are the two most well-known creeds in the Christian church, and they are both written in Latin.

The image is courtesy of Getty Images/Kesu01.

Where Did The Idea of Jesus Descending to Hell Originate? And Did Jesus Descend to Hell?

The Apostles’ Creed is an enlarged form of the Old Roman Creed, which was in use as early as the second century and was adopted by the Church of Rome. The grounds for the formation of the Apostles’ Creed are not well understood by academics. Historically, early church leaders believed the credo was penned by the apostles themselves, although we don’t know for sure. That Jesus had gone into hell is thought to have been added later, about AD 390, to the Bible. This would have occurred at the same time as a bishop by the name of Apollinarius was giving a lecture.

  • During the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD, this dogma was formally rejected and condemned.
  • It was during the Council of Nicaea in AD 325 that the Nicene Creed was formulated.
  • Constantine desired for the Christian church to have a declaration of faith that would unify all of the denominations under one roof.
  • Apart from the establishment of these creeds, there are scripture passages that are held up as proof that Jesus was crucified and afterwards resurrected.
  • Together with Ephesians 4:9, this passage contributes to the development of the belief that Jesus may have gone into hell following his death on the cross.

Understanding the Language and Meaningof the Apostles Creed

It is vitally crucial to be able to comprehend the language of a paper. A person must be familiar with the language and understand the meaning of the terms in that language. When there is a miscommunication, the entire meaning of a document or statement might be altered. Christians and researchers today must recognize that writings from the early church were written in a variety of languages that can be difficult to decipher and interpret. When it comes to translating Hebrew or Greek into English, we must proceed with caution.

  1. This term literally means “hell,” but it refers to the current version of Hell.
  2. The New Testament has a reference to hell written in the Greek language.
  3. The “abode of the dead” is difficult to translate from Greek to English because it is described by only two words.
  4. This term refers to a place of final punishment or a physical location.
  5. The phrase “he descended into Hell” is included in the Apostles’ Creed, and it is written in the Greek language as “Hades.” The Greek term for death, Hades, alludes to the condition of being dead.
  6. Kenneth West, a theological researcher, describes this in the following remark about 1 Peter 3:18-22.
  7. This is a transformation that has occurred as time has progressed.
  8. More specifically, the term “hell” came to refer to the location where Satan resides.

This was not what hell was like according to the languages of the Bible. Many churches nowadays do not say the Apostle’s Creed, which is a sad state of affairs. The ones who still do so often do so without including this statement. Photo courtesy of Aaron Burden via Unsplash.

Did Jesus Descend to Hell?

The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke provide accounts of the events that occurred soon after Jesus’ death. Each report provides a vivid and understandable explanation of the events that took place. The Bible tells us that Jesus cried out and surrendered His spirit in Matthew 27:50-53. Then the curtain of the sanctuary came crashing down, and the ground shook violently. The tombs of the saints were revealed when the rocks were divided. As recorded in Mark 15:38, “Then the curtain of the Temple was split in half from top to bottom.” According to Luke 23:44-45, It was now around midday, and because the sun’s light had departed, darkness fell over the entire country until three o’clock.

  1. Daniel, Elijah, and Zechariah all foretold of an earthquake and a period of darkness, which he describes in detail in his narrative of the event.
  2. It is referenced in all three narratives, which demonstrates the significance of this event in human history.
  3. Located in the Temple, it was suspended above and above the entrance to the Holy of Holies.
  4. Aaron was permitted to enter the tent of meeting on the Day of Atonement, according to Exodus 26.
  5. The Israelites were not permitted to enter the presence of the Lord at their leisure.
  6. Is it possible that Jesus went to hell?
  7. It had been decided to make the ultimate sacrifice.
  8. Photograph courtesy of Getty Images/Tanya Sid
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Why Do Some People Think Jesus Descended into Hell?

The concept that Jesus went into hell is still held by many Christians today, although many have called this belief into doubt. Some people are unable to comprehend this notion for whatever reason. Fr. Sev Kuupuo explains why Jesus descended to hell and what the aim of His descent was: “Jesus went to Hell in order to release souls who had been imprisoned for a long period of time.” The mission of Jesus’ ascension into Hell was to bring about the release of the holy people of the Old Testament.

He had to save the holy people of the Old Testament who were waiting for Him in Abraham’s bosom as well as the rest of the world.

In conclusion, those who believe that Jesus descended into hell believe that He did so in order to save souls and to fulfill the sacrifice for our sins on the cross. It is not a notion that He traveled to that location and stayed for a time. Photograph courtesy of Getty Images/Tomertu

Why Do Some People Believe Jesus Did Not Descend into Hell?

Many different reasons are used by those who profess their opinion that Jesus did not descend into hell in order to support their position. The most widely held belief is that Jesus was God manifested in human form. He is the one who created the area we know as hell. He forbade Satan from enteringheavent and living in hell for the rest of his days. After all, if God created hell and decided its purpose, how could he possibly visit it? Wasn’t Jesus a holy figure who had no business being in this place?

They have comprehended the significance of this sentence.

How Should Christians Respond to This?

There are numerous possible responses to this topic, and each answer will be shaped by the individual’s viewpoint. The fact that Christians do not live in Greek culture makes it difficult for them to understand what is meant by this remark. They are unable to communicate in Greek. We just do not understand what some terms in Greek mean. Our answer should be to devote the necessary time to studying the Scriptures. Investigate the Biblical languages in greater depth. Inquire of your pastor or a fellow believer in Christ about anything.

According to John Jones of the First Presbyterian Church, “no confessional declaration should be confirmed unless the affirmer understands what the statement entails.” According to its appropriate interpretation, the Apostles’ Creed expresses a fundamental theological truth.” It has been suggested that the Apostles Creed contains a sentence that is problematic among certain Christians.

Before taking a position on anything, we must first conduct thorough research.

He was executed by hanging on a cross.

The brilliance of this is that he did not remain in that location.

Sources:

Millard J. Erickson’s “Introducing Christian Doctrine” was published in 1992 by Baker Publishing Group in Grand Rapids, Michigan. “The Veil Was Torn in Two,” by Daniel M. Guertner, is available online. Having a strong desire for God. The 19th of April, 2019. (Retrieved on March 4, 2020) . Kenneth S. Wuest’s Word Studies in the Greek New Testament is available online. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1973. Credit for the image: Getty Images/nu1983 The author, Ashley Hooker, works as a freelance writer while also educating her two children, serving alongside her husband as he serves as the pastor of a rural church in West Virginia, and blogging about her Christian faith.

When Hurricanes Katrina and Harvey wreaked havoc on the United States, she traveled to Mississippi and Texas with the North Carolina Baptist Men’s Missionary Society.

She also traveled to West Virginia and Vermont to share the Gospel with others. Her desire is to spend her time writing and spreading the love of Christ to everyone she comes into contact with.

He Descended into Hell, or Did He?

The Apostles’ Creed is one of the oldest ancient confessions of the Christian faith. To this day, it is still in use by a large number of Protestant groups as well as the Roman Catholic Church, among others. In spite of this, it has a particular phrase that has sparked much dispute throughout history. The creed is as follows: I believe in God the Father Almighty, the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth, and I believe in the Holy Spirit. I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, as revealed in the Bible.

  1. He was sent into the depths of hell.
  2. He has climbed to the throne of God the Father Almighty and is now sitting at the right hand of the Almighty.
  3. For the sake of my own salvation, I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic (or Universal) Church, the communion of saints, the forgiving of sins, the resurrection of the body, and a hereafter in which we will live forever.
  4. It is the statement “he fell to hell” that has been the source of ongoing debate in the church for centuries.
  5. Is it possible that he truly went to hell?
  6. Let’s take a look at this crucial and intriguing issue in further detail.
  7. When the question “Did Jesus genuinely fall into hell?” is posed, we must first clarify the concepts used in the discussion.

Jesus didn’t go to that place.

As a result, when early Christian writers wrote things like “He went to hell” or “He descended to the dead,” they were referring to this.

His body was laid to rest, and his spirit was transported to the land of the dead.

One such phrase is “the abyss,” which appears in Romans 10:7.

“Paradise,” for example, is a representation of the last resting place of the virtuous dead.

Then there are words like as “Gehenna” and “Hades,” which relate to the location where the unrighteous dead are buried.

(e.g.

What Do You Think of 1 Peter 3?

The text reads as follows: For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order that he might reconcile us to God, having been put to death in the flesh but raised to life in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they had previously refused to obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, namely, eight persons, were brought safely through water.

Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has ascended into heaven and is sitting at the right hand of the Father, with angels, authorities, and powers subjected to him, baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

  • Jesus’ descent is mentioned here, but Peter also speaks about the entire path of Christ’s obedience—his life, death, and resurrection—in this passage.
  • If you take that term to apply to the time period between Christ’s death and resurrection, it refers to the time when Christ went out and “announced” his triumph over Satan, death, and all evil, which was accomplished via his substitutionary death.
  • At one point during the fall, it’s almost as if Jesus is shouting, “Hey everybody, I won!” and proclaiming his victory to everyone there in the land of the dead.
  • In 1 Peter 3, he is preaching it to people who live under the surface of the earth.
  • At the end of both 1 Peter 3 and Philippians 2, we see that he is being recognized as Lord by all people in heaven, on earth, and under earth—that is, the place where the dead are interred.
  • Jesus is known as King there, too.
  • How is Jesus known as King?

In his bookThe Unseen Realm(which I don’t affirm in its totality), author Michael Heiser makes an interesting argument that this place of the dead, really, is the kingdom of the serpent in the Old Testament.

This accords with the Old Testament’s plotline—that Yahweh isn’t just King in Israel, he’s King over everything.

What We Lose if We Dismiss the Descent I believe there are several significant systematic doctrinal reasons why we must affirm Jesus’ descent after his crucifixion.

Apollinarianism suggests that when God the Son incarnated, he only took on a human body, but not a human soul.

He was only in his physical body and the processes by which that body functioned.

That was really the importance of it in the early church.

Additionally, when discussing Jesus’ descent, the early church also emphasized what we previously discussed—that Jesus is King over everything, including the kingdom of death.

Jesus’ descent tells us something about what his atoning work accomplished for our salvation.

He did that because of the work he already accomplished on the cross.

Rather, he was taking what he already accomplished and applying it in the realm of the dead.

Because of his death on the cross, he’s victorious over death itself and the realm of the dead.

That substitution has effects that include his victory over the realm of the dead, and therefore his ability to bring us up from the dead and into new life in him.

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Oftentimes, the arguments against this belief are built on Jesus’ words during the crucifixion.

The first is Jesus’ declaration, “It is finished” in John 19:30 just before he died.

He lived the perfect life that we can’t live, and he died the death that we deserve.

In his descent, resurrection and ascension, he applied that work to reality.

Jesus experienced penal substitution and God’s wrath on the cross.

But when he descended, he applied his finished work to the realm of the dead, declaring victory that he already won.

He was saying, “Hey everybody down here, as a result of what I’ve already done, guess what?

In his ascension, it’s the same thing—his rule and his bodily ascension are a result of what he already accomplished.

All these things are not new actions he had to do to save.

A second counter-argument often comes from Luke 23:43, where Jesus says to the thief on the cross, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” As you’ll recall, “paradise” was one of several metaphorical terms that Scripture uses referring to the righteous compartment of the place of the dead.

  1. When the dead are waiting for the resurrection, they’re waiting—to use the Bible’s spatial, metaphorical language—“down” in the place of the dead.
  2. Now, because of Jesus’ resurrection, the nature of paradise has changed.
  3. So today, we talk about goingupto heaven, because that’s where Jesus is, and that’s where the righteous dead are.
  4. Everybody would have acknowledged, “Yes, Jesus wentdownto the place of the dead, to paradise, to the righteous compartment, because he was righteous.” Now, however, because of the resurrection and ascension, things have changed.
  5. Now, Christ has come into the midst of the righteous.
  6. When we die, we talk about going up to heaven, rather than down to the place of the dead, because the nature of the place of the dead has changed.
  7. Emerson and Dr.
  8. Dr.
  9. Clark chair of Christian Leadership, and dean of Theology, Arts, and Humanities at Oklahoma Baptist University.

He is the author of“He Descended to the Dead”: An Evangelical Theology of Holy Saturday(IVP Academic, 2019). (IVP Academic, 2019). Dr. Emerson holds a Ph.D. from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Did Jesus ‘Descend into Hell’ after his death?

Following his crucifixion, did Jesus “Descended into Hell,” as millions of Christians say in The Apostles’ Creed every week during their weekly church services? It is supported by nearly 2,000 years of Christian tradition, as well as a biblical reference in 1 Peter 3:19-20: “After being raised from the dead, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits – to those who had been disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.” (This is the New International Version.) What is referred to as the “harrowing of hell” is what Christ experienced while descending into Hades or hell between his death and resurrection.

During the early centuries of the Christian church, it was thought that after his death, Christ went into hell in order to save the souls of the righteous, such as Adam and Eve.

Ancient paintings from the Eastern Orthodox Church, as well as similar icons that are still in use in Greek and Russian Orthodox churches today, depict Christ standing over the broken gates of hell, angels binding Satan and Satan crushed under the gates of hell, while Christ pulls out two figures representing Adam and Eve who have been imprisoned because of their sin.

The Interrogatory Creed of Hippolytus, written around 215 A.D., is an early version of the Apostles’ Creed that alludes to Christ’s ascension into the world of the dead.

He was raised to life again on the third day, after which he ascended into heaven, where he is now sitting at the right side of the Father, and he will return to judge those who are alive and those who are dead.

2.27 and 31 of Acts as a result of your refusal to abandon me to the world of the dead, as a result of your refusal to allow your holy one to witness deterioration As a foreshadowing of what was to come, he talked of the Messiah’s resurrection, stating that he had not been abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor had his body begun to decay.

  1. 10 He who descended is also he who soared far beyond all the heavens, in order that he may fill all things with himself.) 17th chapter of Revelation When I first saw him, I collapsed at his feet, like if I were dead.
  2. What exactly is Hell?
  3. Damnation, according to historian Alan Bernstein, author of the book “The Formation of Hell,” has a rich cultural past that predates the Christian doctrine of hell.
  4. While in Babylonia, Jews were introduced to Zoroastrianism, which holds that there is an unending battle between good and evil, with virtue ultimately triumphing.
  5. Between around 300 B.C.
  6. Translations from Hebrew to Greek were made by using the phrases Tartarus, Hades, and Gehenna in place of the Hebrew ones.
  7. Historically, the name Gehenna was used to refer to a ravine outside of Jerusalem that served as a waste dump.
  8. As a waste dump, it was almost certainly a frequent source of fire as trash was burnt, further stressing the idea of the fires of everlasting damnation as the source of all evil.

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3 Reasons Why Christ’s Descent into Hell Is Good News

The ascension of Christ into hell is one of the most bizarre things that Christians have ever confessed. Both the Apostles’ Creed and the Athanasian Creed, two of the three ecumenical creeds professed by Anglicans, contain the phrase. Beginning with Augustine and continuing through Thomas Aquinas and John Calvin, the great majority of theologians have come to the conclusion that the fall into hell is implicitly taught in Scripture. Those who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord contend that acknowledging him as Lord also involves confessing that he has fallen into hell for our benefit.

The fall into hell, on the other hand, is a vital element of our tale because it reveals something very fundamental about Jesus.

The drama of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is about to unfold in front of our eyes.

As we go with Jesus into his incarnation existence before the Father, I’d want us to contemplate three reasons why Christ’s descend into hell should be treasured as very excellent news for us during this season of Advent and Christmas.

1. It tells us that God has not forgotten us.

Holy Saturday is traditionally supposed to be the day on which the devil descends into hell. Between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, there is a day known as Holy Saturday. On Friday, Jesus is put to death. On Sunday, Jesus is resurrected. On Saturday, his body will be laid to rest in the tomb, while his spirit will be sent into hell. What is he up to in hell these days? It is said that on Holy Saturday, Jesus entered the underworld to preach his triumph over death and Hades as well as to free the righteous dead from the Old Testament, according to early church authors (such as Ignatius, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, and Irenaeus).

  1. This is referred to as “the agonizing torment of hell.” He goes on a rampage across hell, reclaiming those whom the devil attempted to take away from him.
  2. Coffee is spitting out of my cup, my children are squabbling, and I’m running late for work.
  3. However, I do not believe that the tale of Holy Saturday is completely out of date for us in modern times.
  4. When Jesus was teaching and describing Limbo (the holding area in hell for God’s saints), the parable was not initially about a fantastical voyage to the underworld.

Ancient minds expressed God’s desire to save his people from death by telling a dramatic story of Jesus going down in power to the realm of bondage, raising a victory cry of triumph (the “preaching to the spirits in prison,” 1 Peter 3:19), and then leading the oppressed in a proud march out of hell in front of their tyrants (Matt.

  • In order to bring you to God, Christ also suffered for sins once and for all, sacrificing the righteous for the unjust.
  • In some Limbo tales, Jesus is shown as bringing down the gates of hell with a processional cross in his hands (like the ones in Anglican church services).
  • If his shout from the cross, “It is finished!” resounded down into the depths of hell, it would have put devils to flight, freed God’s children from slavery, and brought their messianic hopes to fruition.
  • It wasn’t about making a second offer of redemption to the condemned; that was never the point.
  • Jesus did not only die for God’s people on earth after his arrival; he did it for all of God’s people throughout history.
  • The atonement provided by the cross is sufficient for everyone involved in God’s story.

Christ’s tragic experience in Limbo demonstrates to us that God has not forgotten about the dead. He recalls his own who have perished and is determined to bring them back to safety.

2. It underscores the reality of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

When referring to Jesus’ death, many Anglicans (and Christians) prefer the phrase “he descended to the dead” rather than “he fell into hell.” It makes me a little uncomfortable to equate Jesus with hell. Assuming he is the Son of God, it appears to be insulting or offensive to imply that Christ went to hell. When it comes to Christ’s descend, some who favor the term “dead” over “hell” would claim that the original word borrowed from the Bible (hades, among others) and used in the Creeds (inferos) does not correspond to the lake of fire that we imagine today.

  • They are just referring to the fact that Jesus was buried in a tomb.
  • First and foremost, death is constantly depicted in the Bible as something more than a simple biological truth.
  • According to the Bible, to die means to be abandoned by God and to be separated from God’s presence.
  • This is why “descending into hell” implies something more than simply dying and being buried in the grave.
  • Is it really necessary for a faith that is highly sparing with its language to repeat something that was been stated clearly the first time?
  • That would be both redundant and unclear at the same time.
  • Secondly, according to early creeds, “he resurrected from the dead.” Scholars today tell us that the term “the dead” is a slang term for “the site where the dead are buried.” That location was referred to be the underworld in ancient times.
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These witnesses testified to his resurrection from the grave.

Traditionally, dying meant that one’s spirit was exiled to the underworld, according to ancient beliefs.

The argument is that there is no way out of the underworld once you’ve entered there.

As an example, consider the words of the apostolic witness: “On the third day, Christ rose from the grave.” Jesus has ascended from the depths of the black abyss of no return!

This is a first of its kind.

‘He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh become corrupted,’ says the author.

In order to distinguish between resurrection and resuscitation, it is necessary to use the word “hell” as a qualifier.

This is something that people do all of the time.

However, this is not what we are expressing when we commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We are not claiming that Jesus’ body was raised from the dead at the graves.

We are claiming that Jesus was raised from the dead on both the physical and spiritual levels. We are stating that Jesus went to hell, the place where there is no return, and came out of hell with a whole new life to share with us.

3. It reminds us that no darkness has escaped being touched by Christ’s healing light.

At their root, the first creedal affirmations of Christ’s fall into hell proclaimed adherence to a fundamental truth: that when Jesus Christ died for us and our salvation, he was genuinely dead. Early Christians used the phrase “Christ went into hell” to emphasize the seriousness of Christ’s death, which they believed was a good method to do so. Not only did he look to be dead, but he also suffered the same fate as all people who die east of the Garden of Eden. He perished and was sent into the depths of hell.

  1. For starters, it was an underworld where spirits went once they died.
  2. Sheol is the name given to it in the Old Testament.
  3. A more accurate description would be “dark, shadowy holding cell.” When humans die, they are left wandering in this desolate wasteland, both good and terrible.
  4. This is referred to as gehenna in the New Testament.
  5. It served as a symbol of God’s justice.
  6. Both.
  7. People began to think of hell not as a shadowy underworld or as a future retribution of fire, but rather as a domain of dread that awaits those who die immediately after they die in battle.

The place of punishment is where sinners go after they die, and it is where they are punished.

The exact opposite occurred.

When Christians acknowledged that “he sank into hell,” they were aware of what they were saying.

And the Church felt it was vital to point out that Jesus went there during his death as well.

It follows that when we repeat the fall into hell, we are making a profound statement.

His fate was no different from that of any other human being living east of the Garden of Eden.

With his body made of our own bone and our own flesh, Christ sank into every dark and dreadful nook and cranny of humanity’s predicament.

There is no darkness we have endured, not even the terror of God’s vengeance, that Jesus has not experienced, according to the descend into hell.

Any dread we have experienced, he has experienced as well. Even when faced with dread, he placed his faith in God. His faith is powerful enough to carry us through when we fall short.

The descent into hell is good news.

At first glance, reciting the story of Christ’s ascension into hell seems weird. Christians, on the other hand, believe it. Because we believe in Jesus, we have faith in this. A unique aspect of his unwavering respect and love for his people is expressed through his ascent into the depths of hell. We might infer from this that God does not forget people who have passed away. It teaches us that Jesus truly died and rose from the dead to bring us fresh life from a place where no one else has ever returned before.

  • At the end of the day, the slide into hell teaches us that God would rather merge himself with our body and suffer our fate than stay untouched and uninterested in eternity.
  • Christ’s ascension into hell informs us that God has decreed that, in the absence of humanity, paradise is as good as hell in his eyes.
  • He has made his way down.
  • He is now investigating Christ’s journey into hell in the context of John Calvin’s theology.
  • He also serves as the conference’s director for the 2019 Theology and Trauma Conference.
  • a link to the page’s load

What does the Apostles’ Creed mean when it says that Jesus descended into hell?

2 Minutes to Read In many Christian communities, the Apostles’ Creed is utilized as a fundamental part of their worship services. This is one of the most perplexing sentences contained inside the creed: “descended into hell.” First and foremost, we must examine the religion in the context of its historical development. Although we now know that the Apostles’ Creed was not penned by the apostles, it is known as the Apostles’ Creed because it was the early Christian community’s attempt to provide a synthesis of apostolic teaching at the time it was written.

  • There is a first mention of the “descent into hell” section, which is a part of the Creed, perhaps around the middle of the third century.
  • It is motivated by theological as well as scriptural considerations.
  • As a result, in a way, Jesus has entered heaven.
  • His soul, it seemed, is in a better place.
  • Or does he end up in hell?
  • According to this passage, Jesus went to hell at some time after his death, which is commonly thought to be between his death and resurrection, and this text has been cited as the primary proof text for this claim.
  • Some believe that this was a vital part of Christ’s passion, whereas others disagree.
  • His mission in hell is one of triumph, resulting in the liberation of Old Testament saints.
  • In his letter, Peter does not reveal who the lost souls in jail are or where the prison is located.

Do you have a question regarding the Bible or theology that you’d want answered? When you contact Ligonier, you will receive a live answer from one of our highly qualified representatives.

Did Jesus Descend into Hell?

Is It True That Jesus Descended Into Hell? No. The question mainly comes from the King James translation of Acts 2:27, 31 (which quotes Psalm 16:8-11), which states that Christ’s soul “was not abandoned in hell.” The answer is usually affirmative. The phrase “Christ descended into hell” (as found in the Apostles’ Creed) is the source of the notion, which is more widely accepted (descendit ad inferna). When we say ‘hell,’ we don’t always mean the endless punishment hell of Gehenna, but rather the land of the dead or the underworld in both circumstances (OT Sheol, NT Hades).

11:23; 16:18; Lk.

1:18; 6:8; 20:13, 14); it is usually rendered hell in English translations, with the exception of 1 Cor.

There is some confusion because Hades, like the Hebrew Sheol, can refer to the unseen spirit world, the final resting place of all the departed, both righteous and wicked; whereas hell, at least in NT usage, refers to the state and place of eternal damnation, NT Gehenna, which occurs twelve times in the Greek Testament and is so translated in English versions, viz., Mt.

  • 10:7; Eph.
  • There have been other New Testament texts that have been linked to the descend, which have been understood as Christ’s teaching to the dead and the proclamation of his victory over death, claiming those who had anticipated his arrival (cf.
  • 3:19; 4:6; Mt.
  • 12:23).

Despite the fact that the Alexandrian fathers included the pagan dead among those who Christ delivered from Hades, the prevailing view, which eventually became the orthodox medieval view, was that only believers from the pre-Christian period were recipients and beneficiaries of Christ’s preaching while in Hades.

During his ascension, Christ’s victory over the devil and death was powerfully described in the passion plays that were immensely famous in the Medieval West, and it was graphically depicted in medieval art and drama.

According to three various interpretations, the importance of the descent in the Apostles’ Creed is as follows: 1) It is synonymous with “buried,” which refers to the status of being in a state of death and under the authority of death until the resurrection (Westminster divines).

The “harrowing of hell” is a real event that took place after Christ’s crucifixion, during which Christ appeared to the souls of the dead, freeing all believers from the powers of evil and death (Luther and the Formula of Concord).

—Bruce Corley, president of B.H Carroll Theological Institute, in a statement

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