Jesus in
hell - Where did He go while His body was in the tomb?
Some believe that while Jesus' body was in the tomb, His
spirit was in hell. Scripture does not support that
position when it is taken in context and we look at the
meaning of the word "hell." In the Old Testament, the
place of the dead or the place of departed souls was
called "Sheol." It was to this place that all souls of the
dead went to await resurrection.
In the New Testament, we find the story of Lazarus and the
rich man who both died and went to Hades (Luke 16:19-31).
The King James translates the Greek word "hades" as hell
but most other translations use the Greek word. Hades had
two separated parts. Those who died in faith believing in
God's promise waited for the resurrection in Abraham's
Bosom. Those who died spiritually separated from God wait
in torment for the resurrection unto death, or eternal
separation from God. The rich man was on the torment side
and Lazarus was in Abraham's Bosom, which was called
"paradise" by the LORD Jesus Christ when He addressed the
thief who found faith the day Jesus was crucified (Luke
23:42-43).
We are not given all of the details about where Jesus was
during the time between His burial and resurrection
morning, but we can say that Jesus did not descend into
hell, which is the final abode of the lost. The word
"Hades and Sheol" do not mean hell and so we cannot place
the Spirit of Jesus in hell while His body was in the
tomb. We do know that Jesus did not see the corruption
that man goes through in the grave (Psalm 16:10-11) even
through Jesus said that He would spend three days and
night in the "heart of the earth" (Matthew 12:40).
We know that Jesus did go and "preach unto the spirits in
prison" (1 Peter 3:19). The use of the word "spirits" and
not souls in this passage would seem to indicate that
these were not the unsaved. Rather, it would seem that
these are not human at all. The word used by Peter in this
passage that is translated "prison" means a cage, a
guarding, ward, or imprisonment. Scripture tell us that
unclean spirits are "chained" in prison. "For if God
spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to
hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be
reserved unto judgment" (2 Peter 2:4). The word translated
"hell" here is not the Greek word "hades" but is the Greek
word "tartarus" meaning abyss or the lowest regions. This
could very well be the "gulf" that was fixed between the
place of torment and Abraham's Bosom (Luke 16:26).
Therefore this preaching of Jesus in hell was probably a
message of victory over Satan and those spirits held
prisoner in chains, not in hell itself where souls wait,
but in the abyss beneath. This truth is reinforced by a
passage in Ephesians that also speaks about Christ leading
captivity captive. "Wherefore He saith, When He ascended
up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto
men. (Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also
descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that
descended is the same also that ascended up far above all
heavens, that He might fill all things" (Ephesians
4:8-10). Leading captivity captive seems to refer to Jesus
taking all those that waited in Paradise to heaven to be
with Him. The descending into the "lower parts" then
refers to Jesus' mission of declaring victory to the
prisoners in the abyss.
Although we cannot be completely dogmatic about all of the
events of the three days, we do know that Jesus in hell is
not a Biblical concept. We can say that Jesus' body was
recognizable by the women that came to the tomb so the
facial disfiguration that occurred during His scourging
must have gone and Jesus told the women not to touch Him
because He had not yet "ascended" to the Father (John
20:17). However, that same day at evening Jesus appeared
in the midst of the disciples and invited Thomas to not
only touch Him but to reach into His side (John 20:27). In
this life we look through a glass darkly (1 Corinthians
13:12) and all of the answers to the questions that arise
may not satisfy us completely, but what a comfort to know
that one day we shall know as we are known (1 Corinthians
13:12). |
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Romans 14
1Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don't see
things the way you do. And don't jump all over them every time
they do or say something you don't agree with--even when it seems
that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department.
Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them
gently. 2For instance, a person who has been around for a while
might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table,
while another, with a different background, might assume all
Christians should be vegetarians and eat accordingly. 3But
since both are guests at Christ's table, wouldn't it be terribly
rude if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn't eat?
God, after all, invited them both to the table. 4Do you
have any business crossing people off the guest list or
interfering with God's welcome? If there are corrections to be
made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your
help.
5Or, say, one person thinks that some days should be
set aside as holy and another thinks that each day is pretty much
like any other. There are good reasons either way. So, each person
is free to follow the convictions of conscience. 6What's important in all this is that if you keep a
holy day, keep it for God's sake; if you eat meat, eat it to the
glory of God and thank God for prime rib; if you're a vegetarian,
eat vegetables to the glory of God and thank God for broccoli. 7None
of us are permitted to insist on our own way in these matters. 8It's
God we are answerable to--all the way from life to death and
everything in between--not each other. 9That's why
Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our
Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from
the petty tyrannies of each other.
10So where does that leave you when you criticize a
brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a
sister? I'd say it leaves you looking pretty silly--or worse.
Eventually, we're all going to end up kneeling side by side in the
place of judgment, facing God. Your critical and condescending
ways aren't going to improve your position there one bit. 11Read
it for yourself in Scripture: "As I live and breathe," God says,"every knee will bow before me;
Every tongue will tell the honest truth that I and only I am God."
12So tend to your knitting. You've got your hands full
just taking care of your own life before God. 13Forget about deciding what's right for each other.
Here's what you need to be concerned about: that you don't get in
the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it
already is. 14I'm convinced--Jesus convinced me!-that
everything as it is in itself is holy. We, of course, by the way
we treat it or talk about it, can contaminate it. 15If you confuse others by making a big issue over what
they eat or don't eat, you're no longer a companion with them in
love, are you? These, remember, are persons for whom Christ died.
Would you risk sending them to hell over an item in their diet? 16Don't
you dare let a piece of God-blessed food become an occasion of
soul-poisoning! 17God's kingdom isn't a matter of what you put in your
stomach, for goodness' sake. It's what God does with your life as
he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy. 18Your
task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you'll kill
two birds with one stone: pleasing the God above you and proving
your worth to the people around you. 19So let's agree to use all our energy in getting along
with each other. Help others with encouraging words; 20don't
drag them down by finding fault.
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