Jesus going to hell?

[Deus Vult!]

I hear there is people who believe Jesus went to hell..

I’ve been corrected by one individual who said hell was another word for grave.

but isn’t it Jesus death..

Jesus said to the thief on the cross “today you will be with me in paradise”

what is your understanding on this?

Great topic. This is from the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
CHAPTER TWO
I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST, THE ONLY SON OF GOD

ARTICLE 5
"HE DESCENDED INTO HELL. ON THE THIRD DAY HE ROSE AGAIN"

633 Scripture calls the abode of the dead, to which the dead Christ went down, "hell" - Sheol in Hebrew or Hades in Greek - because those who are there are deprived of the vision of God.480 Such is the case for all the dead, whether evil or righteous, while they await the Redeemer: which does not mean that their lot is identical, as Jesus shows through the parable of the poor man Lazarus who was received into "Abraham's bosom":481 "It is precisely these holy souls, who awaited their Savior in Abraham's bosom, whom Christ the Lord delivered when he descended into hell."482 Jesus did not descend into hell to deliver the damned, nor to destroy the hell of damnation, but to free the just who had gone before him.

This is strong evidence for a place of "Purging" that is not eternal damnation and yet is not Heaven. In the New Testament there is one verse that refers to this place using the word "Tartarus", which to the Hellenistic world would have been very easy for them to understand as the equivalent of "Sheol." What Catholics would call today as Purgatory.

In Greek mythology, Tartarus (/ˈtɑːrtərəs/; Ancient Greek: Τάρταρος, Tartaros) is the deep abyss that is used as a dungeon of torment and suffering for the wicked and as the prison for the Titans.

Of course Matthew 5:26 illustrated this place for those who heard the Lord preach his "Sermon on the Mount." It reads: …25 Reconcile quickly with your adversary, while you are still on the way to court. Otherwise he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

 

[Charlie24]

Thank you for sharing, Charlie. i will not quibble regarding what i stated is my belief, based on what is written in God's Word. For me, it is literal, just as "life" and "death" is literal, based on that fact that we are born and we then surely die and return to the dust from whence we came, which is quite literal. So is ALL that is written of in God's Word regarding the spiritual realm, which we are blind to and/or oblivious to. Nevertheless, it still rages, unbeknownst to most of us.

I will take God at His Word regarding the "keys". You are free to do the same. Or not. Regardless, it is ultimately between you and the living God, isn't it?

Peace, brother.

Carry on.

You may very well be right! Jesus could be holding those literal keys in His hand right now.

 

[brinny]

You may very well be right! Jesus could be holding those literal keys in His hand right now.

Why not? He's got the whole world in His hands, so to speak, and you and me, doesn't He?

Orange you glad He does?

 

[Charlie24]

Why not? He's got the whole world in His hands, so to speak, and you and me, doesn't He?

Orange you glad He does?

There's no reason why He's not.

I guess I was trying to place the emphasis on the power represented by the keys.

 

[Deus Vult!]

I've heard people cite 1 Peter 3:18-20 (to teach that Jesus went to hell) which states - For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.

I understand this to mean that Jesus "made proclamation" to the spirits in prison. The word translated "proclaimed" means "to publicly declare" or "to herald." Jesus proclaimed His victory to the spirits in prison. Hell has absolutely no power over Jesus.

So what are you implying? That all Jesus did there for 3 days was essentially brag over His triumph on the cross?
It says in Ephesians 4:8-98 "Therefore God says, ‘When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.’ 9 But this, ‘He ascended’ —didn't he also first descend into the lower parts of the earth?"
And so it should be clear here that Jesus' proclaiming the good news in the "lower parts of the earth" in fact "led captivity captive". Those souls that had not yet received Heaven, and yet were not doomed, were the souls that Jesus set free.
Furthermore, in response There were many that were received into Heaven before the Christ's triumph on the cross. How else could the prophets Moses and Elijah appear next to Jesus in front of the Saints Peter, Andrew, and John before he was crucified and resurrected?
God is God of the living not of the Dead.

 

[Tone]

There's no reason why He's not.

I guess I was trying to place the emphasis on the power represented by the keys.

In jail or prison the Inmate who is the gang boss,if you will, is said to "Have the keys"...even though,in all actuality, it is the custody staff that holds the literal keys.

 

[FineLinen]

"Who shall render an account unto him who is holding in readiness to judge living and dead; for, unto this end, even unto the dead, was the glad-message delivered,—in order that they might be judged, indeed, according to men in flesh, but might live according to God in spirit." -Rotherham Emphasized-

Dead=

nekros= a corpse (from nekus)=

Breathed his last/ lifeless.

Deceased/ departed.

Destitute of life/ without life.

Inanimate.

Disobedient= apeitheo=

Not to allow one’s self to be persuaded.

To refuse or withhold belief & obedience.

To refuse belief and obedience.

Not to comply with.

Live= zao=

To be alive with resurrection life.

.

 

[brinny]

There's no reason why He's not.

I guess I was trying to place the emphasis on the power represented by the keys.

It is written that now, in our present state, we see as through a glass darkly.

This of course includes our very finite "understanding" as well. We are flawed and finite. That is why we are admonished to lean not on our own understanding, but to lean on GOD'S instead, and, in all our ways to acknowledge Him.

A prerequisite of course is to take quite literally this verse which is an absolute treasure, for herein lie the "keys" to wisdom of the God-given kind, and that is this verse:

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding." ~Pr 9:10

Fearing the Lord of course is to "believe" Him as Abram, re-named Abraham did, for THAT is why God called Abraham His "friend". It was because He "believed" Him.

Of course this ties right in to "faith", but that is another subject.

It's been thought-provoking engaging in this thread with you.

Thank you and God bless you.

 

[PuerAzaelis]

John 5:25 ESV
“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

 

[Danthemailman]

So what are you implying? That all Jesus did there for 3 days was essentially brag over His triumph on the cross?
It says in Ephesians 4:8-98 "Therefore God says, ‘When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.’ 9 But this, ‘He ascended’ —didn't he also first descend into the lower parts of the earth?"
And so it should be clear here that Jesus' proclaiming the good news in the "lower parts of the earth" in fact "led captivity captive". Those souls that had not yet received Heaven, and yet were not doomed, were the souls that Jesus set free.
Furthermore, in response There were many that were received into Heaven before the Christ's triumph on the cross. How else could the prophets Moses and Elijah appear next to Jesus in front of the Saints Peter, Andrew, and John before he was crucified and resurrected?
God is God of the living not of the Dead.

I’m not implying that’s the only thing Jesus did for 3 days between His death and resurrection. This article from GotQuestions.org sums it up nicely. - Where was Jesus for the three days between His death and resurrection? | GotQuestions.org

 

[Deus Vult!]

I’m not implying that’s the only thing Jesus did for 3 days between His death and resurrection. This article on gotquestions sums it up nicely. - Where was Jesus for the three days between His death and resurrection? | GotQuestions.org

My apologies then. I thought the thread was following the OP's questions that were outlined in the body of the post, not only the title of the thread; the body of his post was not concerned with only where the Lord was post crucifixion, but what He did there also.
You did not really answer either of his questions but you did reference the Scripture stating that he went to hell and preached the Gospel there.
To be more straight forward then: I would like to ask you, what did Jesus accomplish specifically in the dimension He immediately went to post crucifixion?

 

[Blade]

For me I have to stick to whats written in the word not what man says. Christ tells Mary "Touch me not for I am not yet ascended to my Father:" God made a place for Satan and his angels that was never meant for man.
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek. He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound" Isa 61:1

You think GOD was only talking about here on earth what we see hear and feel? This is not the real realm. In heavenly places there are fallen angels. There are demons that are on this earth. There are fallen angels so evil they had to but in chains. On and on. Simply saying one does not believe .. praise GOD that changes nothing. Something had the keys.. Christ that knew no sin and died and rose. Is the reason He got them back. Death is real. We that know Christ will never "taste" death.

What mattes is..do you know Christ are lord? Hell or not.. a yeah do you know Jesus as your lord is what matters. Not if I believe in hell or not. For to NOT know Him.. that darkness is JUST as real as the light. And there will be NO LIGHT if you don't know Him

 

[Hawkins]

We may have to go back to the ancient Jewish concepts first. By default everyone will descend to Hades or sheol (hell can be used as an equivalent) after death. That's how Jesus descended to Hades, the same way everyone does. In Jewish mainstream concept back then, it seems that Hades is zoned. Humans souls are detained in a certain area, while fallen angels are chained in another where is a darker place called pit or Abyss. Some of the Jews also developed the concept of paradise where the good souls will stay to distinguish from the wicked souls.

There's also a set aside location called Lake of Fire with unquenchable fire. It is a place reserved for use after the final judgment. There's never a location functions as a purgatory.

By extending the concept of paradise, there could be yet another location for human souls before Noah to stay. They are set aside due to the lack of a coverage from any covenants. The first covenant was granted to Noah, thus we can tell the righteous from the wicked by using a covenant in place. As for those before Noah, they are theoretically all dead, if without being covered by a covenant.

Peter's verse is more about how the gospel can reach this zone (for humans before Noah), it thus implies that somehow (no more details provided) that the band of humans before Noah can be covered by the New Covenant, the same covenant covering today's humans.

 

[ViaCrucis]

I hear there is people who believe Jesus went to hell..

I’ve been corrected by one individual who said hell was another word for grave.

but isn’t it Jesus death..

Jesus said to the thief on the cross “today you will be with me in paradise”

what is your understanding on this?

Yes, Jesus went to "hell", and you were told correctly that this refers to the grave, not a place of punishment in this context.

The trouble is that in English the word "hell" is used to refer to a number of different concepts, and that can get confusing. It's not confusing when, say, we look at Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.

In Hebrew there is a word, she'ol, it means "grave" or "pit" and is the word used in the Old Testament to refer to the place of the dead. After David loses his infant child, he says that he will not see him again until they are reunited in she'ol. In the Old Testament period the idea of She'ol is pretty simple--it's simply the place of the dead, a place of waiting until the resurrection for both the righteous and the wicked.

By the time of Jesus Jewish thought had come to think of she'ol as consisting of two parts, the abode for the righteous dead called Gan-Eden (literally: "Garden of Eden"), rendered in Greek as paradeisos ("paradise"), also called "Abraham's Bosom"; and the abode of the wicked dead called Ge-Hinnom (literally: "Valley of Hinnom"), rendered in Greek as gehenna. Similarly, the concept of she'ol is rendered in Greek as hades.

A lot of times in English, especially in older translations, She'ol/Hades and Gehenna are all translated as "hell". Hence the potential confusion.

So now when we look at, for example, the Apostles' Creed which says, "He descended into hell" this is actually "descendit ad inferos" in Latin, meaning "descended into the depths" or "descended into the lower regions". Inferos simply means the nether world, the place of the dead.

It means Jesus died and descended to the place of the dead. Christ's descent into hades and the harrowing of hell are Christian doctrines about Christ's descent and setting free of the captives, by defeating the very power of sin, death, hell, and the devil.

This is why traditional Icons of the Resurrection show Christ in Hades having trampled down the gates of Hades, with death and the devil crushed underneath them and bound; while the Lord pulls Adam and Eve out of their coffins to be free from death. While He does this He is surrounded by all the saints of the past, Abraham, David, Solomon, etc. Here is Christ's defeat of hell and His victory over it which is for you and me, that we might have life in Him.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[His student]

I hear there is people who believe Jesus went to hell. I’ve been corrected by one individual who said hell was another word for grave. but isn’t it Jesus death. Jesus said to the thief on the cross “today you will be with me in paradise” what is your understanding on this?

Many theologians have taught that Hades or Sheol had two compartments before the work of Christ was finished.

One is "torments" which still exists. The other was "paradise" where souls went for a time because they could not enter the presence of God without the work of Jesus being finally done.

Jesus emptied paradise and we can now go into the presence of God directly based on our status in Christ. "Absent from the body - present with the Lord" as the scripture says.

Jesus went to Paradise and not to Torments while in the grave IMO. But He may well have gone to Torments to "preach to the spirits now in prison" as well somewhere along the way to be seated with God as He is now.

That's always made sense to me - even though there can be and is some intramural discussion and debate of the subject among Christians of good faith.

 

[Shrewd Manager]

When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. (Rev 1:7-8)

"But no one can enter the strong man's house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house. (Mk 3:27)

There goes our Lord, home invading and repossessing distressed goods from the devil. Aka liberating the captives and raising the dead.

So yes, what Jesus opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

I hear there is people who believe Jesus went to hell..

I’ve been corrected by one individual who said hell was another word for grave.

but isn’t it Jesus death..

Jesus said to the thief on the cross “today you will be with me in paradise”

what is your understanding on this?

that Yeshua went to "hell" (the realm of the dead) is a very old belief, coming from extra-biblical sources such as the Gospel of Bartholomew, Nicodemus and the Acts of Peter and Paul. Also in biblical passages such as 1 Peter 4:6.