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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.
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