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Christ in Hell Part 1 of 9
By Bro. Cheek | October 4, 2007
Table of contents for Christ in Hell
(image Copyright 2003)
Christ in Hell
Copyright © 2003
by Robert L. Cheek Jr.
Introduction
1 Peter 1:10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
1 Peter 1:11 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.
Peter tells us that the Old Testament prophets searched the Scriptures diligently trying to understand the coming of their Messiah. They did not understand that His coming would be in two separate events. The O.T. Scriptures were silent about the church and the two-thousand years between the sufferings of Christ (first Advent) and the glory that should follow (second Advent). They knew that both His suffering and His glory would take place, but they lacked the understanding of how God would do it.
When we think about the sufferings of Christ, we might think of His mistreatment by the elders of Israel, or the scourging He received from the Roman soldiers. We certainly think of His greatest earthly suffering on the cross of Calvary. But the sufferings of Christ were far greater than anything He suffered in the flesh. Jesus also went to hell and suffered spiritually to make the eternal payment for sin that God required.
In this study, we want to consider the subject of Christ in hell. We want to examine the Scriptures to learn more about the Lord’s spiritual suffering. We will see from the Scriptures that Jesus indeed went to hell for us. The Scriptures are quite clear on the matter.
It is amazing how many people have never been taught about the suffering of Christ in hell. Perhaps the reason they have not heard the teaching is because preachers are not dealing with the subject. Whatever the case, it behooves us who are Bible-believers to present the facts from the Word of God on this subject of Christ in hell, that we not only appreciate more what Jesus did for us, but that we might also share this with others who do not know the price that was paid for their eternal salvation.
Our method of discovery in this study shall be to ask and answer seven important questions pertaining to Christ and His descent into hell. This study shall not attempt to be exhaustive in content. Rather, its goal is to scratch the surface of this Bible fact that those who read might have the desire to dig a little deeper into the things of God.
Some of the conclusions made in this book are admittedly speculative. We have tried to admit speculation when speculation is made. If the reader disagrees with our conclusions, that is perfectly acceptable. The goal was to examine the Scriptures and glean what we could from them about this subject. Speculations only increase our desire to know the truth as much as we can. To that end, we hope we have been at least a little successful.
Topics: Studies |
July 26th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Jesus’s soul was not in hell but the way he felt it with his own flesh was like he was in hell.. as it says in acts 3:31…
July 30th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Eric, I think you are referring to Acts 2:31 which reads,
Acts 2:31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
If the soul of Jesus Christ was not left in hell, it means His soul was there but not left there long enough for His flesh to see corruption (3 days). Please read the rest of this series to understand the Word of God regarding the fact that Jesus Christ did indeed suffer in Hell for the sins of the world.
August 12th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Whoa there! Where is Scripture is it stated that any aspect of Christ went to hell? Acts 2:31 does not - Acts 2:29 clearly reveals that the apostle Peter was speaking of David. Paul repeats this in Acts 13:36 - 37, showing how David - being a shadow of the Christ - saw “corruption”; but not so Christ Jesus.
Christ laid in the grave - hades - not hell (geenna), which is everlasting. The grave was 3 days and could not restrain the power of God. Christ paid the penalty for sin on the cross - He had no need to go to hell.
August 12th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
sbrogden, I would encourage you to read my entire study rather than scanning over initial summary statements at the beginning. I have given more than sufficient proof from the Bible that Jesus did indeed suffer in hell for us and I explain why He did that. Never do I diminish what Christ did on the cross. But His suffering was far more than the cross.
Please note what Peter said in the passage you referred to:
Acts 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
Acts 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Acts 2:24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
Now that we have the context of the passage you quoted, let’s see what it says.
Acts 2:25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
Acts 2:26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:
Acts 2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Acts 2:28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
Peter quoted Psalm 16:8-11, a Psalm David wrote. Then Peter explained the passage.
Acts 2:29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
Therefore David was not speaking about himself. He was speaking of Christ.
Acts 2:30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
David was a prophet and this passage was a prophecy about Jesus Christ.
Acts 2:31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
You claimed Acts 2:31 does not teach that Jesus went to hell. However, Peter said that David was prophesying about Jesus Christ. Speaking of His (Jesus’) resurrection, David prophesied that the soul of Christ was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. The soul and the body are two different things according to the apostle Paul.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
His soul was not in the grave. Souls do not lay in the grave. I continue with the next verse from Peter’s sermon.
Acts 2:32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
Now then, I trust you know that the Bible teaches the soul goes to heaven or hell at death. Looking at my drawing above and comparing Scripture with Scripture you will see that Jesus dismissed His Spirit to the Father, His body went to the tomb, but where did His soul go? His soul went to hell to be the spiritual burnt offering for sin. But praise God, as Peter quotes David, His soul was not left in hell and His body was not left in the tomb.
It isn’t difficult to understand why Jesus had to go to hell. God’s eternal place of punishment is hell and Jesus went there to taste that second death for us. He took our place.
If you are really interested in knowing whether or not Jesus went to hell for our sins, I would ask you to take the time to read my study and look at the Scriptures for yourself. They cannot be more plain regarding the suffering of Christ in hell for us.
Bro. Cheek
September 6th, 2008 at 11:16 am
i believe in you
but Jesus Christ in hell?
What the heck is he doin down there?
You must be kidding pal, thanks for the information.
September 7th, 2008 at 8:49 am
Adree,
Why not take a few minutes and read my study? You will see Bible proof that Jesus did go to hell, you will see why it was necessary that He went to hell and you will see that He is no longer in hell. Please read the study and thank you for your comment.
Bro. Cheek
February 15th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
Amen!whether they like it brother,just tell it what it is..good post
April 2nd, 2009 at 7:14 am
jesus went to the grave for 3 days and 3 nights. jesus rose from the grave after 3 days.jesus has the keys to hades (the grave) you don,t have a soul,you are a soul. the idea that the soul is a seperate entiy has no ,no biblical basis.Genesis say we became a soul. so we are a soul according to the bible,not tradition.
April 2nd, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Mike,
Let me quote two verses for you.
Revelation 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
First of all, I should mention that you have incorrectly called the grave hades. They are different places. Second, man has a soul AND man is a soul. But man is also flesh and spirit. There is a distinction made in the Scriptures that enables me to say that man HAS a soul.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, the Bible does teach that the soul is a separate entity. I hope this helps you see these important distinctions.
Bro. Cheek
April 10th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
DEAR BROTHER: I AGREE WITH YOU,JESUS WENT TO HELL FOR US. HE WAS MADE SIN FOR US AND SIN BELONGS IN HELL. THE WORD SAYS THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH,SPIRITUAL DEATH IS TO GO TO HELL. JESUS WAS NOT A SINNER ,SO HELL COULD NOT CLAIM HIM AS ITS OWN.HE HAD TO PAY IN FULL ,WE WERE HEADED FOR HELL AND HE WENT IN OUR PLACE.
April 3rd, 2010 at 12:57 pm
Dear Pastor, i am a young christian and will be teaching Easter lesson and will ask the question pertaining to Jesus been in hell and i know that when i tell them that i believe in Jesus been in hell it will cause a little murmuring and people are going to speak all kind of things about me but i will stand up for what i believe in, and reading your study open my eyes a lot more to the controversy about Jesus been in Hell. By the way i’m from Jamaica.
April 4th, 2010 at 12:07 am
Thankyou, so much for this information. I believed that Jesus went to hell for us,just had never read some of the scripture you posted. I now better understand.Could you e- mail me information about some history, other than the Bible it’s self that Jesus is documented else where. For a non believer.They think that the Bible is not sufficent evidence. They realize I believe it but they dont. Thankyou Abi~
June 7th, 2010 at 7:12 am
He became me on the cross, he was me in hell, i was in him in the reserection, and i am seated with him at the right hand of the father, and as he is so are we in this world. come soon lord Jesus
June 17th, 2010 at 8:50 am
Jesus completed his work on the cross, so there was no need to go to hell. He, being infinite and holy, accomplished in a finite period of time what we, being finite and sinful, could never do in an eternity– he suffered (atoned) for the sins of all mankind. The veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom while he was still on the cross, indicating that the wall of separation between God and Man had been removed by God himself. It was already accomplished at the crucifixion, not three days later at the resurrection. Jesus also declared, “It is finished” while still on the cross, utttering “tetelestai”: payed in full. Nothing more needed to be done. Finally, if the debt had not been paid, then why would Jesus commit his spirit into the hands of the Father? The idea that Jesus was in three places at once leads to other theological problems that space does not allow here for exploring. Suffice it to say that the thought of his exulting in the presence of the Father while at the same time suffering in a hell prepared for the devil and his angels does not make sense. Final note: in saying Jesus went to hell you are in agreement with the Catholic church, which is also in error on this point. Sorry, brother, I cannot go with you on this, but I do appreciate other teaching you have on the site. Thanks!
June 18th, 2010 at 7:04 am
I appreciate your careful listing of reasons why you think Jesus did not go to hell, but they do not line up with what the Scriptures teach as a whole. Any subject can be taught from the Bible from a private interpretation of isolated passages, but when all the verses about a subject are taken together, what the Bible actually teaches becomes plain. Such is the case with this subject. The Scriptures taken together prove He did in fact go to hell in our place.
Neither you nor I are the final authority on these matters. I will not digress into each of your objections because I believe I have dealt with all of them within the body of this study using Scriptures that are rightly divided and plainly conclusive. I will just mention here that Paul considered the death, burial, and resurrection necessary for salvation and all part of the Gospel he preached. I hope you took the time to read the study to see the Scriptures used. If so, I thank you for that. If not, I encourage you to do so.
Bro. Cheek
August 13th, 2010 at 3:06 am
Greetings,
I disagree that Jesus went to Hell to suffer for us. Hell in the bible is described as Gehenna or the lake of fire. The term Hades should not be translated as ‘hell’. Hades is comprised of 2 compartments with a gulf in the middle to seperate, 1 compartment is Abrahams bosom (place of comfort) the other compartment is a place of suffering (Luke 16). Jesus obviously went into Abrahams bosom and not the suffering part for Jesus said Himself:
Luk 23:43 And Jesus said to him, Truly I say to you, Today you will be with Me in Paradise.
August 13th, 2010 at 3:01 pm
Corey,
The Lord did indeed journey to Abraham’s bosom. But he visited the other compartment first. Luke 23:43 merely proves that Jesus did not stay very long in hell, which I obviously must agree with. But I have dealt with that in my book, which is contained in these lessons. Have you taken the opportunity to read this series to the end? If you had, you would have seen more than enough evidence from the Scriptures that prove beyond any doubt that Jesus suffered in Hell in our place.
I never can understand why people have such a time with this fact. You may freely disagree with me, but the Bible does not support your conclusion. In fact, the King James Bible translates Hades as hell in Luke 16, the very passage you have quoted. Furthermore, here is yet another verse that also contains the Greek word hades:
Ac 2:31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
This verse claims that the soul of Christ was not left in hell. So I think perhaps your issue is with the King James Bible and not me.
Bro. Cheek