I found this post on another forum. I hope it is o.k. to share this with yoy.
How are we to understand passages like Ephesians 4, which indicates that Jesus descended into the lower parts of the earth and from there led captivity captive? Or I Peter 3:19 or 20, where it says that in the spirit He preached to the souls in Hades, who formerly did not obey in the days of Noah? How do we put all this together?
Much of the misunderstanding is a result of a lack of understanding of what Christ did for us on the cross. A lot of people talk about the fact that He shed His blood for our sins…that He died for our sins… that He hung on the cross. Those are all very biblical statements.
However, when it comes to the fact that He descended into the lower parts of the earth, or as Jesus said in Matthew 12, “I must be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth,” many people misunderstand what this really means. The purpose of today’s Spreading God’s Word posting is to try to clear up some of these misunderstandings.
The big problem that Christ had to face was God’s judicial statement that “the wages of sin is death.” God did not merely have physical death in view here but also a much worse type of death – a spiritual death where we are eternally separated from God in hell. This is the penalty that had to be paid in order for Christ to be our Substitute and Savior.
Mankind is destined for hell because we are all sinners. In order to save us, it was necessary for God not only to find us in our depraved and desperate condition, but He also had to pay the penalty for our sin – and that penalty was the equivalent of Jesus spending an eternity in hell paying for our sins.
Hell will be the destination of all the unsaved on Judgment Day when they stand trial before the Judge of Heaven and Earth. But in another sense, hell also aptly describes a relationship with God. To be under God’s wrath is to be in hell. The Bible describes hell with all kinds of dreadful language; however, ultimately it’s all focusing on the fact that those who are subject to hell are in terrible trouble with God and His wrath is being poured out upon them.
Since God’s wrath was being poured out upon Christ during the atonement, it would be correct to say that Jesus was enduring hell at this time. While large drops like blood were dripping down from His brow in Gethsemane and while He stood in judgment before Pilate, and while He hung on the cross – throughout all of this it was as if He had gone down to hell. This is seen in its terrible climax when He cries out, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”
That’s hell.
Before we are saved we’re slaves of Satan. We are entirely under his jurisdiction and his domain since He is our master. But when God saves us, we are freed from bondage to Satan and we become bondservants of the Lord Jesus Christ. We become His captives and He takes us out of hell. This is what is meant by “He led captivity captive.”
Therefore, when Ephesians 4 declares that Christ descended into the lower parts of the earth, it is indicating that He had to come where those who are destined for hell dwell. He came into our presence and in order to rescue us He had to endure hell for our sins.
Jesus did not go to a physical place called hell. That’s reserved for the unsaved after Judgment Day. The biblical account makes this clear. And when would He have gone there? As he hung on the cross, He was still a complete personality in body and soul until He finally said, “Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit.”
At this moment in His spirit He went to be with the Father. His body, however, was put in the grave where (and this is quite important) it did not see corruption. The decay and corruption of our physical bodies when we die is part of the curse of sin.
Acts 2:31 says, “He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.” The resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof that the payment for sin had been paid in full – the penalty of eternal damnation had been satisfied. Also, the fact that His body did not see corruption is another witness to the victory of the cross.
When Scripture says in Acts 2:31 that Jesus’ soul was not left in hell it is indicating He was no longer suffering God’s wrath as the punishment for all the sins of His people. His suffering – from Gethsemane to the Cross – had finally satisfied God’s wrath. Christ had endured hell on our behalf.
Some may point to 1 Peter 3:18-19 and say, “Doesn’t this say that Jesus in His spirit descended into hell?” Since the Bible never contradicts itself, our answer to this must be no.
1 Peter 3:18-19 “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison”
The word hell isn’t even found in 1 Peter 3 — it’s the word prison. This passage says that Christ spoke to the spirits in prison. Actually, since the Bible serves as its own interpreter, we can look back at 1 Peter Chapter 1 for a further clarification:
1 Peter 1:10-11 God says, “Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace [that should come] unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.”
The spirit of Christ spoke through the Old Testament prophets, including Noah, to the prisoners (the spirits in prison) in their day. Who were the spirits in prison? They were the unsaved of their day…the prisoners of Satan. Some will say, “Wait a minute now! When did the Spirit of Jesus preach to Old Testament people?” Well, actually Christ preached to them throughout the entire Old Testament period. He spoke through Noah; He spoke through Jeremiah; He spoke through Ezekiel; He spoke through Isaiah; He spoke through Abraham; He spoke through Moses; and so on. It’s no different for us today: the spirit of Christ is speaking to the spirits in prison (the unsaved) as we faithfully proclaim the Gospel.
This did not – and does not — require a physical descent of Christ into hell.
Please let us know what you think. Is our understanding of this topic consistent with everything the Bible has to say on this matter? The only thing we desire is Truth.
To God Be The Glory!
