Easter: Jesus Visit Hell
Scriptures: 1 Peter 3:18-20 Luke 16:19-31; 23:39-43
Introduction:
This is part two of my Easter series. In part one last week I focused on Judas and his betrayal of Jesus. My goal in that message was to bring some clarity to the man who was responsible for betraying his Master after walking with Him in ministry for three years. While we will never know the reason Judas chose to betray Christ, we can understand that there is a little bit of Judas in all of us and we too can betray Christ in how we live today. Through his betrayal of Jesus we have been given access to God and we now have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. Everything that we have discussed during the past two weeks in bible study and in my message last week hinges on our understanding that we are not alone in this world because of the work the Holy Spirit is doing within us. He is the reason why we can make different decisions from some of the ones we are making. He is the reason we can be empowered to do things that we never saw ourselves doing. All of this came through the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus.
Jesus was arrested on Thursday and crucified on Friday. When Jesus took His last breath on the cross, He died and went to hell. This morning we will examine and clear up some of the confusion pertaining to what Jesus did between his death and resurrection. I want to first lay the foundation for the existence of hell and Paradise as some Christians are teaching today that hell is not a place where the unsaved will go, but what we experience here on earth. While I agree that some situations may be extremely bad, there is nothing that we can face here on earth that comes close to spending an eternity in hell. I just want to be extremely clear on this point.
I. Hell and Paradise
Depending on what you read, there are different interpretations of hell and hades as some think that they are separate places (that hades is one section of hell.) When you look up the word ‘hades” in the Hebrew or Greek, it refers you to the specific definition of hell. Some believe that hell originally consisted of two sections: hades, where those who died and would be placed into the lake of fire were held; and Paradise, where those who had died in faith prior to Christ’s death and resurrection who believed that a redeemer was coming. While there may be some disagreement as to whether or not hades is a subdivision of hell, what I can tell you for a certainty are that hell/hades exists and that the Old Testament place of Paradise “existed” and was no longer needed after Christ’s death. I will explain why I believe this shortly. Let’s begin our examination of some Scriptures pertaining to hell and Paradise which will aid in our understanding of Jesus’ actions when He went to hell. Let’s begin with the existence of hell. Turn to Psalm 9:17.
Psalm 9:17 records: “The wicked will return to Sheol (hell), even all the nations who forget God.” This verse points out the writer’s understanding that hell was a place where all the wicked (those who did not accept/follow God) would go until the judgment. On Judgment Day these souls would be cast into the lake of fire.
Psalm 16:8-10 records: “I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will dwell securely. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol; neither will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.” These three verses are also cited by Peter in Acts 2:25-28 and Paul cites verse ten in Acts 13:35 as referring to the resurrection of Christ. What is important here is not only did David see himself coming out of hell, but he foretold of Christ’s resurrection and the fact that Christ’s body would not decay in the grave. Jesus also spoke of hell on several occasions. Turn with me Matthew 5:27-29.
Matthew 5:27-29 records: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.” I know some wonder if Jesus really meant this literally and I will not get into that this morning. All I will say is that we examine sin from the viewpoint of the act committed while Jesus spoke to what was within the heart whether you acted on it or not. You can figure out the rest and please thank God for His grace when we truly repent. My point with these verses is that Jesus confirms that there is in fact a hell for the wicked and those who refuse to accept Him. Once a person dies and goes to hell, there are no second chances. Hebrews 9:27 says “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.” Please keep this in mind because it will help clear up some of the confusion around what Jesus did when He went to hell. Let’s quickly examine Paradise.
The word “Paradise” appears three times in the Bible and all are contained in the New Testament. Remember, prior to Jesus’ teachings no one knew what hell was like in the fullness of the term. The common thought was when you died you just slept – hence the term “rest in peace.” However, what we know through Jesus’ teachings is that when a person dies they are not “sleeping” in the sense that they are now aware of their surroundings. Paradise, in the Greek, means a place for future happiness. Turn to Luke 23:43.
Luke 23:39-43 records: “One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, ‘Are You not the Christ?’ Save Yourself and us! But the other answered, and rebuking him said, ‘Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And indeed we are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.’ And he was saying, ‘Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!’ And He said to him, ‘Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” Jesus was crucified between two thieves. The first thief mocked Jesus and asked that Jesus save Himself and him. The second thief rebuked the first one and repented of his sins. He asked Jesus to remember him and Jesus told him that on that day he would be with Him in Paradise. This Paradise was the place where those who had died in faith went prior to Jesus death. This was not the Paradise where God dwells. Turn to 2 Corinthians 12:3-4.
2 Corinthians 12:3-4 records: “And I know how such a man – whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows – was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.” Paul here speaks of a personal and actual experience when he was caught up into Paradise (heaven) and given revelations he could not speak about. Here, Paradise was God’s dwelling place which as I said was different from the Paradise which was a part of hell and where Jesus went during the time between His death and resurrection. Turn to Revelations 2:7.
Revelations 2:7 records: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.” This was the last of what Jesus said to the Church in Ephesus. He speaks of the tree of life being in the Paradise of God which all believers will have access to. Again, this Paradise was within God’s presence while the former was a part of hell. There is one additional Scripture that we need to read before we go to First Peter. Turn to Luke chapter sixteen and we will begin reading at verse nineteen.
“Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead. ” (Luke 16:19-31)
Most of you are familiar with the story of Lazarus and the rich man. Lazarus would lie at the gate of the rich man’s home desiring even the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. The rich man ignored Lazarus and continued to live his life and enjoy his riches. The dogs that came and licked Lazarus wombs had more pity on Lazarus than the rich man. Eventually, both men died. Lazarus went to Abraham bosom (Paradise) and the rich man went to hell. The rich man, in torment in hell, looked up and saw where Lazarus was (with Abraham) and asked Abraham to send Lazarus to him so that Lazarus could dip his finger in water and cool his tongue. Did you notice what the rich man asked Abraham? Even in hell he appears to have thought of Lazarus as beneath him so he asked that Lazarus be allowed to come and dip his finger in water and cool this tongue. He did not ask that Lazarus bring him water so that he could dip his own fingers in the water and cool his on tongue. One could argue possibly that because he was in torment maybe he was bound and could not use his arms and that is why he needed Lazarus to dip his fingers in the water. Regardless, the rich man was in hell and was being tormented. In these verses Jesus taught that 1) there is a conscious existence after death; 2) the reality and torment of hell; 3) there are no second chances after death; and 4) the impossibility of the dead communicating with the living. This is important because of what took place when Jesus descended into hell. Turn now to First Peter chapter three.
II. Jesus Descends Into Hell
Based on what I have shared thus far, it is clear that hell is real and Paradise (from an Old Testament view point) was real. When a person died they went either to hell where they would remain until the judgment day and then be cast into the lake of fire; or to Paradise where they waited until Jesus’ arrived to take them into God’s presence where they would remain for an eternity. When Jesus died, He actually went to both places. Let’s begin reading at verse eighteen.
“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit. In which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.” (1 Peter 3:18-20)
In these verses Peter states that Jesus went to hell and made “a” proclamation to the “spirits” who were now in prison. This was not a sermon that He delivered, but a proclamation. The first thing we need to know is that Jesus did not preach to the “souls” in hell in the literal sense that we think about when we think about preaching. No one who heard what He said was “converted” and delivered out hell being given a second chance. Verse twenty says that He made the proclamation to the “spirits” in prison who had been disobedient during the days of Noah. Remember, God did not have a covenant with anyone prior to the flood. He made a covenant with Abraham after the flood. Those who existed prior to the flood should have known Him because they all came from Adam and Eve’s seed and were aware of their fall in the Garden of Eden. Some believe that these spirits could have been the fallen angels who rebelled with Satan and were kicked out of heaven as knew Christ prior to Him taking on the form of man and coming to earth. We do not know what He told those spirits but it is theorized that He let them know that He was the Christ and He had defeated both Satan and his angels. What I want you to see from these verses is that Christ did not go to hell to preach to the lost and give them a second chance. He made a proclamation to a certain group of spirits who were in prison. After visiting this section of hell, Christ went to the other section (Paradise) where the righteous were being held.
When Christ went to Paradise, He went there to get those who were being held there to take them to the presence of God. These were people who had died in faith believing that a redeemer would come. This Paradise was a holding place for those who died prior to Christ. Let’s read what is recorded in the fourth chapter of Ephesians. “Therefore it says, ‘When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men.’ Now this expression, ‘He ascended’ what does it mean except that He also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.” (Ephesians 4:8-10) Also, Psalm 68:18a says the following: “You have ascended on high, You have led captives Your captives…..” When Christ went to Paradise, He collected all of the souls who had died in faith and took them into God’s presence – the New Testament Paradise. Now when a Christian dies, we are immediately transported to God’s presence to await the final judgment.
The story does not end here. After Jesus went to hell and made His proclamation of victory over Satan and his angels (my thoughts) and released all of those who had died in faith taking them to God’s presence, He re-entered His body to complete the work He had started with His disciples and us. What He did next and the impact will be covered in the final part of this series on next Sunday.
Have a blessed week and may “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
