How Should Christians Respond To This
This question can have many answers, and opinions will mold those answers. Christians today can struggle with what to do with this statement because they do not live in Greek society. They do not speak Greek. We just dont know what certain words mean in Greek.
Our response should be to take the time to study the Word. Do some research into the Biblical languages. Ask questions of your pastor or fellow person in Christ. This will help you to understand and process something that is truly beyond our human comprehension.
John Jones of the First Presbyterian church states no confessional statement should be affirmed without understanding what it means. Understood properly, the Apostles Creed affirms a very important doctrinal truth.
The Apostles Creed has made a statement that is controversial for some Christians. The key to understanding this statement is to know what the words mean. We must take the time to study before we take a stand on something.
Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice. He was put to death on a cross. He did die and enter a place of the dead. The gloriousness of this is that he did not stay there. He rose again and will return.
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What Is The Did Jesus Go To Hell Bible Verse?
Answer:
In the Bible, there are a few verses that mention Jesus going to hell. In Matthew 12:40, Jesus says, For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. This verse is often interpreted as Jesus going to hell after he died on the cross. In Luke 23:43, Jesus says to the thief on the cross next to him, Today you will be with me in paradise. This is another verse that is often interpreted as Jesus going to hell after he died on the cross.
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Did Jesus Descend To Hell
The events immediately following Jesus death are recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Each account gives a vivid and clear explanation of these events.
In Matthew 27:50-53 we read that Jesus cried out and gave up His spirit. Then the curtain of the sanctuary fell down and the earth shook. Rocks were split and the tombs of the saints opened up.
says Then the curtain of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
Luke 23:44-45 states It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three, because the suns light failed. The curtain of the sanctuary was split down the middle.
Matthews account is the most vivid of the three. In his description, he shares with readers about the earthquake and darkness that was prophesied by Daniel, Elijah, and Zechariah. Even more importantly, Matthew shares that the veil was torn.
The tearing of the veil is mentioned in all three accounts and speaks to the importance of this event. The veil was the separation of the clean and the unclean. It hung in the Temple over the entrance to the Holy of Holies. This place was so holy that no one could enter except the high priest.
In Exodus 26 we learn that on the Day of Atonement, Aaron could enter and place the blood on the atonement seat. The Israelites could not come into the presence of the Lord just anytime. This speaks volumes about the tearing of this veil.
Did Jesus descend to hell?
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Bible Q& a: Where Did Jesus Go When He Died
Colin Smith
Question: I heard Colin Smith on the radio today talking about his book regarding the thief on the cross. Im confused about what Jesus said to him. Ive always been taught that Jesus said, I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me in paradise , and Ive always found that strange because, on that day, Jesus didnt go to heaven. Even after his resurrection, he says to Mary Magdalene, Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ Ive recently heard that lack of punctuation is the culprit and cause for confusion. That it could/should read, I tell you the truth today, you will be with Me in paradise. Thank you for any light you can shed on this particular subject.
Answer: The question that you raise has often been discussed and is part of a wider question about where Jesus was between his death on Good Friday and his glorious resurrection on Easter morning. In that regard, I think that it is important to take seriously the last words of Jesus before he died: Father, into your hands I commit my spirit, . Death is the separation of the soul or spirit from the body and, at the point of his death, the spirit of Jesus was in the hands of the Father. We know that the Father is in heaven. The same was true for the thief, according to the promise of Jesus.
In Christ,
The Gates Of Hell Bible Verse
These are the particular Bible verses that talk about the gates of hell:
Matthew 16:18
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Isaiah 38:10
I said, In the middle of my days I must depart I am consigned to the gates of Sheol for the rest of my years.
If youd like to know more about the expression The Gates of Hellheres a whole post about it.
Note that the term gates of hell doesnt have a literal meaning as in actual gates through which the damned souls of the lost can enter hell at will.
Gates of hell stands for the policy and power of Satan and his demonic army.
Hell doesnt have actual physical gates because theres no way out once you end up there.
The key takeaway here is that the gates of hell will not prevail as we already know that Jesus will crush all evil when He returns.
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How Hot Is Hell Bible Verse
Here are a couple of verses from Scripture related to how hot hell is:
Revelation 21:8
But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.
Revelation 14:10
He also will drink the wine of Gods wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
Isaiah 30:33
For a burning place has long been prepared indeed, for the king it is made ready, its pyre made deep and wide, with fire and wood in abundance the breath of the Lord, like a stream of sulfur, kindles it.
Revelation 20:14-15
Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyones name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
The Bible lets us know that hell burns with fire and sulfur.
The same two elements that God used for destroying the sinful cities Sodom and Gomorrah.
This means one thing hell is one truly HOT place.
Why Do Some People Believe Jesus Did Not Descend Into Hell
People who confess their belief that Jesus did not descend into hell have various arguments to prove their case. The most popular is that Jesus was God in flesh. He made the place we know as hell. He banned Satan from heaven to live in hell forever.
If God created hell and determined its purpose, then how could he go there? Wasnt Jesus holy and in no way could enter this place?
Others have researched this and came to their conclusions based upon what they have learned. They have understood what this statement means. Jesus did descend to hell because this word in Greek means the place of the dead not the place of eternal damnation.
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What Does The Bible Mean When It Says Christ Descended Into Hell
It may be that the Lord did descend into the place of confined demonic spirits to make a glorious proclamation of the fact of the victory accomplished through the cross . But Christ did not go there to redeem anyone nor to release Old Testament saints. As I understand it, Gods redeemed were in Paradise or Abrahams bosom, probably some place in the heavenlies and when the curtain in the temple was rent, signifying the way into the Holy of Holies had been opened, they were allowed immediate access into Gods presence.
Some try to take the reference in Ephesians 4:8, When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men. to refer to the emptying of Paradise or Abrahams bosom, but such an understanding of this statement is really contrary to its cultural and biblical usage. Behind this is the ancient picture of the Roman triumph where the victorious general in the field of battle road up to the Capitaline Hill on a white horse leading his captives, enemies taken in war, in a triumphant procession. Also in the procession were his troops and the spoils of war which he gave to his soldiers. The Old Testament souls in paradise were not the enemy. This is simply an idiom which means he defeated the enemy and made the enemy his captives. Thus, he was free to give gifts to the church.
Below are definitions of hell and related words:
Resolution In The Context
We must consider how this creed, when recited as part of ones baptismal vows in ancient days, was focused on the Trinitarian aspect during the ritual of water baptism. This was seen as a highly symbolic and representative dying and rising experience. The old life was now dead and the new life was now physically enacted, patterned after Jesus death and dying, and on his rising out of this literal grave experience. Life overcoming death was real all over again. The salvation process visibly sealed with this baptism portrays the same rescued life that Jesus experienced, closing the gap of eternal separation from God, or what we know in the vernacular as hell.
As we continue to ponder this important part of the Apostles Creed, let us also consider a more recent translation that reads, he descended to the dead. The creedal statement that follows focuses on Christs rising on the third day, pointing to the bigger picture of this creedal declaration overall, without a doubt of its intention.
In other words, Jesus experience of the grave was real, just like it will be real for us, but more so, will be our rising for all eternity. We might say that Jesus came from the farthest heights of heaven, only to go to the deepest places of hell on our behalf, making sure that this would never be our permanent residence.
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Did Jesus Preach The Gospel To People In Hell During The Two Days He Was Dead
Does the Bible tell us where Jesus went for the three days between his crucifixion and resurrection? Down through the ages, some Christians have taught that during these two days between Good Friday and Easter morning Jesus went to Hades and preached the gospel to people there.
That is based on 1 Peter 3:18-22:
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison because they formerly did not obey when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared in which a few, that is eight persons, were brought safely through water. 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 resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God with angels, authorities and powers, having been subjected to him.
Now, in my view, there are a lot of problems with interpreting this as saying that Jesus preached the gospel in hell or Hades during these two days. Let me give you a couple of reasons why.
Furthermore, Jesus body lay in the tomb. It could only have been his soul that visited the underworld. However, Jesus cried out on the cross Father, into your hands I commit my spirit, Luke 23:46 with no mention of a sort of detour to Hades or hell.
Where Does The Bible Say Jesus Descended Into Hell
According to 1 Peter 4:6, his ascension into the underworld was announced to the dead, a reference to his ascension into the underworld in the New Testament. The Catechism of the Catholic Church understands Ephesians 4:9, which indicates that Christ descended into the lower regions of the earth, as confirming this view, as well.
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Did Jesus Descend Into Hell
Most Christians are familiar with the Apostles Creed and its claim that Jesus descended into hell. But I am not sure if they know what this phrase really means or how they can square it with the teaching of the Bible. How exactly is it that Jesus descended into hell, and when did this happen? Did it happen on the cross, as John Calvin believed? Or did it happen after Jesus died and before He rose again from the dead, as many others have believed? Was this descensus a literal descent? Or was it merely figurative? And what did it entail? It has been pointed outand rightly sothat the phrase descended into hell occurs nowhere in the Bible. But does this mean that the concept behind the phrase is also not found in the Bible? Where can we turn for help in answering these questions?
Personally, I have been helped by the teaching of Hebrews 13:1112. I think these verses show us the best way of understanding the phrase descended into hell and how the concept is in fact biblical, even if the phrase itself does not occur in Scripture. When we understand these verses in the light of the Old Testament sacrificial system, I think we see that Jesus descended into hell while He was on the cross offering Himself as a propitiatory sacrifice on behalf of His people.
Dr. Guy M. Richard is president and associate professor of systematic theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Atlanta. He is author of several books, including Baptism: Answers to Common Questions.
How Many Days Did Jesus Spend In Hell
This would not have been possible if Jesus had not spent three days in hell prior to his resurrection.Despite the fact that the sentence He fell into hell in the Apostles Creed was well-intentioned, it has become so contentious that some denominations consider it optional or even delete that piece of the creed altogether.Despite the fact that Jesus corpse was in the grave for three days, He did not perish in hell.
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Where In The Bible Does Jesus Go To Hell And Take The Keys Of Death
Question: Where in the Bible does it say that Jesus went to hell and took the keys of death with him?In Acts 1:9, we are told that Jesus was taken up, and a cloud received him, and he was no longer visible to them. Eph.4:9-10 says, .he also descended first into the lower portions of the earth.he who descended is likewise the same as he who ascended Before ascending into heaven, Christ descended into hell.In Acts 2:31, it is verified once more that Jesus was condemned to hell: .spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in pit, nor his flesh saw decay. One of the reasons why Jesus went to hell was because he had to suffer the same suffering as mortal man had to.As stated in 1 Peter 4:16, .for this reason was the gospel proclaimed also to those who are dead, that they may not be judged according to men in the flesh, but could live according to God. He also went to give salvation to all of the righteous individuals who died before his death on the cross.According to 1 Corinthians 15:26, death is the final enemy that must be vanquished. Jesus went to hell, yet he was raised from the dead, thereby defeating death.
Because Jesus overcame death, he now has the keys of death, as stated in Rev.1:18: I am he that liveth, and was dead and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen and I have the keys of hell and death in my possession.
Jesus’ Descent To Hell In The Apostle’s Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into Hell on the third day He rose again from the dead He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.
Garrett Kell provides a Protestant understanding of this issue in his video, Did Jesus Descend into Hell Before he Was Resurrected?
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