Misconceptions Clarified XI; "Did Jesus Go To Hell???"

"Did Jesus Go To Hell???"

Welcome again to Misconceptions Clarified, Episode XI where we are steadily casting down any argument that sets itself up against the knowledge of God according to Paul in 2 Corinthians 10:5. As you probably already know, we live in an era now where there exists so many different interpretations regarding the Bible, regarding Christianity, and regarding the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that it becomes more and more challenging to filter out the truth. However, despite the various interpretations that exist today, this could actually be viewed as an opportunity to do the research and provide some clarity to the body of Christ on certain topics. For instance, this episode is going to deal with the ancient belief of Jesus' descension into hell after his death by crucifixion. Now obviously, the belief that Jesus descended into hell comes from an interpretation of several scriptures found in the Bible. The primary verse leading the charge in this particular doctrine comes from Paul's letter in Ephesians 4:9, "What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions?” In addition, there are other verses such as Psalm 16:10 which says that "He will not abandon my soul to Sheol," and 1 Peter 3:19 where it says he went and preached to the spirits in prison. Others point to Abraham's bosom in Luke 16:19-31 or to the fact that Jesus holds the keys to death and Hades according to Revelation 1:18. And even some refer to Ephesians 4:8 where he ascended on high to lead the captives captive or to Romans 10:6-7 where it says, "Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down.)" These are all great verses of scripture utilized and interpreted to confirm the belief that Jesus descended into hell. 

Moreover, the interpretation of these verses led to the adoption of Jesus' descension into hell in the early church creeds such as the Apostle's Creed, which summarizes the tenets of the Christian faith. In line 7 and 8 of the Apostles Creed it says that he (Jesus) "Was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose. He ascended into heaven." So, this belief that Jesus descended into hell is a long standing tradition that has been recited in the church for many centuries. To challenge a belief of the early church is risky business to say the least! However, part of the mission here at Christian Way Ministries is to take those risks of faith, not because it's our right, or because we want to go against a particular doctrine to gain some kind of attention, but only from the motivation of seeking the truth of God's Word. And from this motivation and from a closer look into the scriptures and into this particular doctrine, we are not entirely convinced to conclude that Jesus did in fact descend into hell according to the scriptures. Here's why.... 

First, it is very important to clarify the different terminology used to describe "hell" in the scriptures. For example, in the Old Testament the Hebrew word used to describe hell is "Sheol," which is defined as the underworld or the place where the wicked are sent, and is also defined as the designation for the abode of the dead, known in today's vernacular as the grave. Nonetheless, the complexity of the Hebrew language presents a significant challenge of interpretation in trying to determine which definition or version of a particular word the author is intending to use. For instance, in Psalm 16:10, King David says that "he will not abandon my soul to Sheol." But, does this mean that God will not abandon his soul to hell where the souls of the wicked are placed? Or, does this mean that God will not abandon his soul to the grave where the dead bodies of both the righteous and the wicked go? Well, the answer is not so clear of the author's intent by just scratching the surface of the scripture, and since it's not entirely clear, many have developed another theory that suggests King David was referring to the souls of the righteous being placed in an intermediate state of rest in hell until the resurrection of Jesus. Hence, the reason why many assume Jesus had to descend into hell in order to set the captives free. 

However, in order to figure out which version of Sheol King David was referring to, it's important to understand the portion in the verse that deals with the soul (nephesh), and since specific words in the Hebrew language can contain several different meanings, the interpreter is faced with trying to figure out which meaning the author is trying to use in the context. For example, if someone says, it's going to take a "minute" to put gas in the tank," it could mean a literal 60 seconds or it can be used in a figurative sense to mean a few minutes because the tank was empty. But, if you are on the outside looking in and don't understand the intent of a "minute" in the context, you might interpret it incorrectly by assuming from your own understanding of what a minute means to you, and not the person. Which is exactly why the author's intent along with the examination of the original language of certain words is so important. And believe it or not, after further investigation into the Hebrew word for soul (nephesh), come to find out, it can also refer to the living being, to the self, to the creature, to the mind, to the heart, and even to the will of a person.

So, when David says that he will not abandon my soul to Sheol, one has to figure out which meaning the author was trying to use for soul. In addition, notice also that in Genesis 1:21, the Hebrew word for soul (nephesh) is also used to describe every living creature (nephesh) that moves. Hence, we have the same Hebrew word (nephesh) used in 2 different contexts, written by 2 different authors in 2 different periods of history. Which means that the interpreter has to plug and play the different variations of soul (nephesh) along with Sheol in the context in order to gain the best possible interpretation of the author's intent. And unfortunately, this plug and play process is one of the reasons why there exists various interpretations for not only Psalm 16:10, but also for other passages throughout the Bible. Nevertheless, if one translates soul as the "living being" or the "self" in Psalm 16:10 and the "physical grave" for Sheol, it now translates that "he will not abandon my body, or my self to the grave." The New International Version of the Bible simply says, "because you will not abandon me to the grave." This makes for a better fit, especially when King David refers to the physical body in the very same verse that "the Holy One (Jesus' body) will not see decay," which is a messianic reference to how Jesus' physical body will not be abandoned to the grave, and likewise a futuristic hope of how our physical bodies will not be abandoned to the grave, but will receive a new and glorious body when the time comes. The consistency of this interpretation not only makes greater sense, but flows better, and it doesn't provide any room for the advancement of other theories such as the soul of the righteous going to an intermediate department in Sheol as some have suggested. 

Moreover, notice that there's a science to interpreting the ancient scriptures known as "hermeneutics" for those who are eager to go deeper into God's word. Reading the English translation of the Bible alone will give a person everything they need for their own salvation and how to be more like Christ. Nevertheless, when it comes to the more complicated doctrines like Jesus' descension into hell, a person must apply the four rules of engagement for biblical interpretation in order to gain a greater understanding, which includes: 1). Examining the original languages i.e. Hebrew and Greek. 2). Interpreting the verse in its context i.e. immediate context, context of the chapter, context of the whole book, and even the context of the whole Bible, along with the historical context. Additionally, part of understanding the context includes knowing the genre of a particular verse or book in scripture i.e. narrative, prophecy, wisdom, etc. 3). Knowing the author's intent or which definition the author is most likely trying to use for a particular word. 4). And scripture interpreting scripture. Are there any other verses in the Bible that confirm or correlate with another verse of scripture. And a bonus rule one can use to aid in their biblical interpretation is to investigate what the early church fathers had to say about a particular doctrine, since they were the closest to the situation. Now, this is not to say that the early church fathers got it right all the time, but knowing what they believed about one of these more difficult arguments will add some perspective. If a person applies all of these rules for biblical interpretation, the greater and the more sound the interpretation will be. 

So, now that this episode has established a greater understanding of the word Sheol in Psalm 16:10, the Greek word for hell (hades) in the New Testament is also defined as the place where the bodies of the dead go to, and it's also known as the place where the soul of the wicked go to as well. Essentially, Sheol and Hades contain the exact same meaning. However, 9 of the 11 instances the word Hades is used in the New Testament refers to the place where the souls of the wicked go, not the grave nor the "invented" holding place where the souls of the righteous go. On the other hand, the Greek word for grave (mnemeion) was more commonly used throughout the New Testament to refer to the actual place the bodies of the dead go to but, since Peter is quoting King David in Acts 2, it makes sense that he would use Hades instead of grave (mnemeion) because of its close association with the word Sheol in Hebrew. Therefore, for the purposes of interpretational clarity, since Peter is referring to the physical resurrection of Christ in the context of Acts 2:14-37, it's consistent to interpret his soul in verse 31 to his physical life just like it was interpreted in Psalm 16:10, that "He will not abandon his physical life to the physical grave, in order to fulfill the prophecies of a physical resurrection." Make sense... 

The only other word for hell used in the New Testament is Gehanna, which describes the activity in hell; a place of torment, a place of everlasting punishment, a place of fire, and a place of eternal separation from God. Gehanna is also used to describe a physical place south of Jerusalem known as the Valley of Hinnom mentioned in Joshua 15:8 where the filth and dead animals were cast out and burned. Outside of these terms, (Gehanna, Hades, Sheol, and mnemeion) to describe the grave and hell, the abyss is the only other place mentioned in the book of Revelation that's associated with hell where the evil spirits are detained in the bottomless pit. 

With that being said, notice how Paul uses neither of these terms in regards to Jesus' descension into hell in Ephesians 4:9. Why is that? Again, 9 out of the 11 references Hades is used in the New Testament refers to the place in hell where the souls of the wicked go, and the reference in Acts 2 is used to refer to the grave simply because Peter was quoting King David. But, notice also that Paul avoids using the Greek word mnemeion for grave. Why is that? Well, since Hades was normally associated with the abode where the souls of the wicked go after death, and since mnemeion was strictly used to refer to the grave or to a tomb, Paul avoids this terminology at the end of Ephesians 4:9 and instead says, that Jesus descended to the "lower earthly regions" to refer to a combination of his death, his burial, and in a sense to his incarnation. Not that Jesus' soul descended down to the place where the souls of the wicked go to in hell. This explains why Paul avoids using words like Hades, Gehenna, or even mnemeion (grave) in his description of Jesus' decsension to the lower earthly regions. Furthermore, in Luke 23:43, Jesus tells one of the criminals on the cross, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise." And 3 verses later, right before Jesus dies on the cross, he calls out with a loud voice and says, "Father into your hands I commit my Spirit." Now, there's no denying that when Jesus commits his Spirit to the Father, that the Father was in no other place but in paradise, also known as heaven itself. 

In regards to the passage in Luke 16 of Lazarus and the Rich Man, many consider Abraham's bosom to be that intermediate place where the souls of the righteous go, mainly the souls of the Old Testament Saints prior to the resurrection of Christ. However, one must take into consideration that Jesus was speaking in parable to his disciples to describe in general two destinations where the soul of the righteous and the wicked go after death where a great chasm exists. Meaning, once physical death occurs in our fleshly bodies, that's it! The soul will go to one of the two places, either to heaven or to hell where the soul will not be able to cross from one side to the other. To suggest that there's another place in hell, or to say that there's an intermediate place between heaven or hell, or to say that a person goes to a place called purgatory, or to say that paradise is the place the souls of the Old Testament saints went to until Jesus rescued them would be adding or taking away from the scriptures. Abraham's bosom is just a figurative illustration of where his soul rests and according to the Greek language, all it means is "Abraham's side," not this intermediate place of rest many suggest his bosom to be. Abraham's bosom doesn't give any evidence for an intermediate place nor does it give any weight to Jesus' decsension into hell. Furthermore, let's not forget that before the resurrection of Christ, Abraham was credited righteous in Genesis 15:6, Enoch walked with God and was taken away by God in Genesis 5:24, and 2 Kings 2:11 says that Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. None of these references suggest an intermediate place of rest in Sheol or Hades, or any other place except the place where God resides in heaven.

The only other passage mentioned to advance this particular doctrine is 1 Peter 3:18-19 which says, "He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built." Now, according to this particular passage there is literally nothing that says Jesus' soul descended into hell. It says, that Jesus was made alive by the Spirit, through whom he (the Spirit) went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed. The question that remains to be answered is how the Spirit went about making this proclamation of the Gospel to the spirits in prison. Did the Spirit have to actually descend into hell to make such a proclamation? Certainly not. Some scholars suggest that the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ was so powerful in itself that His victory over death by crucifixion made that proclamation at that moment over the powers of evil sealing their condemnation forever. Meaning, Jesus nor the Spirit had to actually descend into hell to preach to the spirits in prison because the Lord's resurrection was so powerful in itself that it not only preached to the evil spirits in prison from where the resurrection occurred, but the resurrection still preaches to the living beings in the twenty-first century! Praise the Lord! That's how powerful the resurrection of Jesus was and is today. In Matthew 28:4, the resurrection was so powerful that the Roman guards who were executioners by employment were so afraid that they shook and became like dead men. Wow!

Therefore, when it comes to whether or not Jesus descended into hell, there's not enough evidence from the scriptures to suggest that He did. Now, this is not to say definitively that Jesus did not descend into hell, and that a person needs to believe one way or the other to be saved. No! We at Christian Way Ministries wants to provide clarity on some of these difficult doctrines and to challenge the body of Christ to go deeper into the scriptures by examining the original languages, and so forth. Even if that means challenging some of the longstanding traditions of the church just to make sure we are not adding or taking away from the Word of God according to Deuteronomy 4:2 and Revelation 22:18. And for those who are on the fence or have doubts about the doctrine of hell, please know that according to the scriptures, hell is indeed a real place of eternal separation from God. Which means, that if you haven't received the free gift of salvation which comes by grace alone, your soul and eternity is headed towards hell if you don't repent and accept Christ into your heart. Jesus said to the church of Laodicea in Revelation 3:20, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." All you have to do is open the door of your heart so that Jesus can come in to your life! And all you have to do is confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead and you shall be saved (from spending eternity away from God, Romans 10:9). 

God bless all the Lord's people!  

For more information, please visit the links below:

https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/apostles_creed.cfm

http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=10&article=851