Many Christians believe that Yeshua went to Hell after he died and preached to the Spirits for 3 days, therefore.....
I decided to write this article about this subject because there is a teaching by many big name Televangelists that after our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified that he went to HELL and was tormented by the demons and it was at that specific time that Jesus gained power over the enemy and took the keys of hell and death from Satan. However there is a serious problem with this teaching and that is the Bible does not teach it at all.
Many preachers blatantly stand at the pulpit and teach that ‘Jesus took the keys of hell and death from Satan’ when he went to hell, so what does the Bible say?
Jesus told John when he gave him the Revelation “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” Jesus conquered death Rev 1:18 The word in Greek is Hades, not hell; therefore the keys are used as an emblem of power and authority. Jesus has full control, he always did. The keys are the symbol of authority, as it is often used to honour a person by giving him the keys of the city. Hades here means the unseen world to which death is the portal. Jesus has the keys because of his victory over death.
Also this verse does not tell us that Satan had the Keys or stole them from Adam whilst in the garden of Eden. Satan never had any keys to Hades and Death as Adam never had them in the first place. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God they brought sin and death into the world; as Paul tells us in Romans 5: 12. Therefore Sin is a human condition brought on by the first act of disobedience to Gods direct command. Human babies are not perfect and free from sin as some groups claim, as Sin is in the DNA of every human born from Adam and Eve.
Therefore we need to realize that when a person dies; the scriptures tells us that the body returns to the earth from which it was taken, it will decay and eventually become dust again. This is undisputed because it is common knowledge for all of us. However it is the spiritual part of us that is not seen and that is why many different beliefs in the Church have arisen
The scriptures tell us that the spirit returns to God who gave it. This means that our spirit will return to God at the moment of death to remain in his presence until the resurrection. This is true as long as we are faithful servants of the Lord. Let's read the following verse from the Bible.
Ecclesiastes: 12:7: Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
The Apostle Paul recognised this fact also when he wrote ‘as our spirit is in our body we are absent from God; but once we leave the body we will be present with him’. This is the same teaching as Ecclesiastes and basically says the same thing.
Here is the verse:
2Cor: 5: 6: Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
So where did Jesus go when he died the physical death on the cross? Did our Lord go to Hell for three days after his death, so that he could finish off paying the price for the Sins of all of those who would be saved?
This doctrine is usually formulated from a combination of the following three verses:
Matthew 12:40 says, “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
Acts 2:27: “Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”
1 Peter 3:19-20: “By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.”
Before we analyse these verses let us read some of the things that Jesus said as He was hanging on the cross right before He died:
“And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
“And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ Having said this, He breathed His last”. (Luke 23:46)
“So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit”.( John 19:30)
So Instead of teaching that Jesus suffered on the cross to complete the work of redemption, these teachers claim that what our Lord did on the cross was not sufficient even though he said himself that “It is finished.” Nowhere did our Lord say that He was going to Hell to be tormented by Satan, In fact he said the opposite and that was that His Spirit was received by His Father and not Satan, proven by these words “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” He never said that he was going to Hell for three days.
On the cross Jesus said the opposite; that the same day He would be with the thief in paradise. Either Jesus was lying, or this doctrine that Jesus had to go and suffer in Hell after the cross until His resurrection is twisting three verses of scripture to say something much different than they do.
Jesus totally and completely laid down his own life after he had accomplished everything that the Father sent him to do. Jesus totally fulfilled the Mosaic law and ushered in a New Covenant that encompassed all those who would accept what our Lord did on the cross. He redeemed us, he justified us before the Father and imputed righteousness upon all those who become a part of that New Covenant.
The ransom atonement provided everything that was needed for the saving of our souls. There was nothing more for him to do but wait in the Father's presence until it was time for him to be resurrected on that Glorious Sunday morning that we all grateful for.
So now we come to the big question; How did Jesus preach to the spirits in prison? The answer to this is found in verse 18 and it is how we read the verse and its context.
Take a look before and after the verse to find out what it is talking about:
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit; By whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.” (1 Peter 3:19-20)
Notice that the context does not say that Jesus went to preach in a prison or dungeon. It says that He preached to the spirits in prison by means of the Spirit. Which Spirit is the bible speaking of here? It is speaking of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ preached to the spirits in prison not by going down to Hell, but by means of the Holy Spirit. Also the first part of the verse tells us that Christ suffered ONCE for our sins. Therefore he did not need to go to a fiery Hell to suffer yet again as he did all his suffering ONCE on the cross.
Peter was pointing out that the same Holy Spirit preached to the rebellious spirits back in pre flood times. Jude tells us that the angels forsook their heavenly dwelling place and committed perverted acts with Women during Noah’s day, here is the Biblical account;
“And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; 7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire”.(Jude 6,7)
The Holy Spirit was used in Noah’s day to preach to the disobedient ‘Sons of God’ and to let them know what punishment they would expect in end times. The Bible tells us that these disobedient angels are consigned to a place called Tartarus or pits of dense darkness.
“For if God didn't spare angels when they sinned, but cast them down to Tartarus, and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved for judgment” (2 Peter 2:4)
Most modern Bibles translate this word as Hell; however it is not conclusive that this word means the exact same thing. Some commentators believe that Tartarus is neither Gehenna or Hades/Sheol
Therefore Jesus did not suffer the torments of Hell but rather he went to the grave of mankind known to the Hebrews as Sheol and Greeks as Hades and often translated As Hell. This explains the following verse and also the one in Matthew 12:40 where we read that our Lord was in the heart of the earth for 3 days.
“For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption..” (Act 2:27)
“For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth..” (Mat 12:40)
IN CONCLUSION
It is very obvious that many of the false doctrines that become very prominent are instigated by the one who roams the earth seeking who he can devour. This evil creature has not stopped lying and deceiving as many as he can in these last days and what better way, than by slick professionally presented Television programs with high powered convincing sales personnel.
Always check every doctrine that does not ring right with the Holy Spirit.
Many blessings
David Hall
Revelation 2:10 “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
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