Where Did Jesus Go?

Christianity is united around this one truth - Jesus died to set us free from the power of sin. This is common ground for us; no matter what country we live in, no matter what ethnic group we belong to, or denomination of church we attend. If you've been born-again, then you understand what He did for you on the cross, right?

But what happened after He laid His life down? What happened in the three days between the cross and the resurrection? We know that His body was laid in a borrowed tomb...but what happened to His spirit?

For centuries now, it's been taught that Jesus went to Hell for three days - suffering as a sinner.
Pulpits around the world have preached this.
It's been written in book after book.
It was even in the "Apostle's Creed" and is still recited around the world.

But did He actually go to Hell? And what does it matter anyway?

Sheol - What Is It?

Throughout the Old Testament, when a person died (whether they were wicked or righteous) their spirits went into the belly of the earth - to a holding place called Sheol. This place is also called "the belly of the earth" and "the lower parts of the earth."

Psalm 18:5 - “The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.”

Psalm 116:3 - “The pains of death surrounded me, And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow.”

At first glance, it seems like Sheol is actually Hell. In fact some English translations to interpret this word as "Hell" in some passages. But it was not Hell...it was simply a place of the dead. Everyone went into Sheol after their death, both the righteous and the wicked.

But in the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), we find out there are two compartments in Sheol...this place of the dead.

One of these compartments was known as "Abraham's Embrace" or "Paradise". It's where the righteous dead went throughout the Old Testament. (By "righteous", I mean those who heard of God's promise and trusted in it...this has always been only way to be declared righteous.) Paradise was a place of comfort. It was where the saints would stay and wait for the resurrection of the dead.

The other compartment is known as "Hades" or "Hell". It was where the wicked went after their death. It was a place of torment and fire - where a single drop of water would be considered a comfort.

There is one other bit of information we see in the story of the rich man and Lazarus: the two compartments could see each other, and even communicate. There was a gulf between Hades and Paradise that prevented anyone from moving from one side to the other. But evidently, there were occasions when one side could speak to the other. (The rich man saw Lazarus in Paradise, and even had a short conversation with Abraham.)

We know that Jesus went to Sheol when He died...we see that in Psalm 16:10, "For You will not leave My soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption."

We see this again in Ephesians 4:9, where we read that He "descended into the lower parts of the earth."

But now the question is: which one of these compartments did He go down to?

From Jesus' Own Mouth

A lot of believers are convinced that Jesus suffered in Hell. They are sincerely grateful for what they think He did for them...descending into Hell, suffering torment at the hands of the demons there, and then finally defeating Satan there coming back to life. But...as sincere as they are in their gratitude...this simply isn't biblical.

One verse forever settles the debate about where He spent those three days. Look at what Jesus said to the thief on the cross in Luke 23:43, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." How much clearer could He be? Jesus didn't go into Hades....He went to Paradise.

What was He doing there? He was delivering a message to everyone who had died before!

1 Peter 4:6 tells us that "the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they may be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit." So evidently, the righteous men (who had died before the crucifixion) listened to Jesus tell them that the promise was fulfilled, and that their faith in that promise will now save them from death! What a celebration that must've been as David, Noah, Abel, Elijah, and Daniel heard the fulfillment of the promise they had (to the extent of their knowledge) believed.

But 1 Peter 3:19-20 also tells us that the righteous dead weren't the only ones listening to Jesus. "...by Whom [the Spirit] also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient..." 

As we've already seen from the story of the rich man and Lazarus, there were occasions when the two sides of Sheol could communicate with each other. This explains why both the righteous and the wicked dead could hear the message that Jesus was announcing. While Jesus was preaching the Gospel to the righteous dead (those who had died believing the promises of God), He was standing on Paradise's side of the "great gulf". At the same time, the wicked dead (those who had died in unbelief) heard His words as well.

To the one, it was good news...an announcement of the fulfillment of the promises they believed in while they lived.
To the other, it wasn't good at all. They heard the announcement of the promises that they had not believed it....of the mercies of God that they had refused during their lifetime.

Three Days Later, Everything Changed

We will cover the resurrection of Jesus later...but for the sake of this post: What happened to the people who were in Sheol with Jesus?

Ephesians four tells us that Jesus "led captivity captive." This is referencing the imprisonment of the righteous dead in Sheol. When Jesus rose, so did they. Their faith in Jesus brought them out of their holding cells in Paradise. In fact, Matthew 27:52-53 tells us that many people saw some of these righteous men and women walking around after Jesus' resurrection. 

Forty days after He rose from the dead, Jesus ascended into heaven "in a cloud." I believe this wasn't a literal cloud, but it was the spirits of the just men of old who had been perfected by their faith in Jesus. (This group of people is also called a "cloud of witnesses" in Hebrews 12:1.) When He ascended, so did they. Now they're in Heaven, in the very presence of God. From that day forward, Paradise has been empty. Now the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:8, "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." Praise God, we now leave this life and go straight into the presence of our Savior in Heaven!

Unfortunately, Hades (or Hell) is still very much occupied. In fact, it's only gotten more crowded since Jesus' resurrection, as unbelievers still continue to arrive there after their death. Eventually, this place of torment will also be emptied, and the spirits that are trapped there will be judged and thrown into the lake of fire for eternity.

Why Does It Matter?

This may not seem like a crucial issue. And as I said before, many good preachers still believe that Jesus went to Hell. But that teaching strikes at the heart of Jesus’ sacrifice - Wasn't the cross enough? Did Jesus do everything He needed to do on the cross, or did He still have to go to Hell, suffer more torment, and defeat the devil?

Colossians 2:14-15 is clear about where Jesus’ victory over Satan took place, “Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. [the cross]”

It was at the cross! When He bore our sin, when He bore our sickness, when He died in our place - that was the victory He came for! As He breathed His last breath on the cross, He told us that His death was forever enough! Remember what He said - “It is finished!” Everything He was going to do to take care of our sin was done at that moment!