With the advent of Easter, or I should say "Resurrection Day," John Piper discusses whether or not Jesus went to hell in between His death and resurrection. From the DesiringGod blog, Piper writes:The Apostles’ Creed says, “[He] was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the dead.” There are many meanings given to this phrase. I simply want to ponder the traditional interpretation that Christ went to the place of the dead to preach the gospel to Old Testament saints that he might set them free for the full experience of heaven. This is the view of the Catholic Catechism and many Protestants as well. I don’t think this is what the New Testament teaches.
Piper mentions two passages from 1 Peter from where this idea is derived, specifically 1 Peter 3:18-20 which reads, "... being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah..." Piper explains:
With regard to 1 Peter 3:19, I take these words to mean that Christ, through the voice of Noah, went and preached to that generation, whose spirits are now “in prison,” that is, in hell. In other words, Peter does not say that Christ preached to them while they were in prison. He says he preached to them once, during the days of Noah, and now they are in prison.
Before stating his solution to remove the phrase "descended into hell" from the Apostles' Creed, Piper summarizes his interpretation.
I would say, therefore, that there is no textual basis in the New Testament for claiming that between Good Friday and Easter Christ was preaching to souls imprisoned in hell or Hades. There is textual basis for saying that he would be with the repentant thief in Paradise “today” (Luke 23:43), and one does not get the impression that he means a defective place from which the thief must then be delivered by more preaching.
To read the entire post, click here.
Piper commented more on the idea of Jesus' descent to the netherworld on an edition of "Ask Pastor John." There, he deals with the Ephesians 4:9 verse that says Christ "descended into the lower parts of the earth" and explains the phrase as meaning the earth, which is the lower parts. To read or listen to Piper's explanation, click here.
1 comment:
I will have to respectfully disagree with Mr. Piper.
This is not necessarily a reflection on Mr. Piper but many of today’s evangelical scholars do not believe in a real hell; Billy Graham being one of them.
I believe Jesus did go to hell, and the main reason is because the Bible clearly says He did.
Acts 2:25
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:
27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
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.
Jesus preached to them while He was in Hell.
1 Peter 3:19-20
19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
These ‘spirits in prison’ were most certainly the evil spirits who had sinned in the days of Noah by trying to corrupt and control humankind and thus destroying the line of the promised seed. (Gen 6:1-4, 12)
20 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.
God waited patiently while Noah preached for probably 120 years and yet only 8 were saved. Meaning, possibly that Noah’s brothers and sisters, mother and father, aunts and uncles died in the flood.
It is hard to imagine (for me) that Noah could preach for years to his own family and they would not believe him.
Hell is a place of torment and throughout the Bible is consistently a place of eternal, fiery, and judgment for the damned.
Jesus’ soul went to hell not his body.
Isa 53:10-11
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
The above scripture is a good word picture for the doctrine of the propitiation.
Our sins create a need for judgment in front of an all Holy God. So God’s judgment was poured out on the Son.
Propitiation means a satisfaction for the wrath of God against the sinner.
God is thus satisfied because the debt was paid in the judgment that was poured out upon His own Son.
People go to hell to suffer. But no where in the Bible does it say Jesus suffered, but it does say He preached.
All the references to His payment for sin, point to the cross. (1 Peter 2:24; 3:18)(2 Cor 5:21).
Jesus did not suffer in hell because when He got there He was not a sinner.
I believe He suffered hell on the cross.
1 Peter 2:24
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree,
1 Peter 3:18
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:
His suffering for our sins is connected to being put to death in the flesh, which happened on the cross, not in hell.
And on the cross he said: “It is finished”.
The debt was paid.
Aside from preaching what else did He do there, or why did He go?
Heb 9:26-28
26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
He bore our sins. When you bare something you carry it. Similar to the goat bearing the sins of the people in the O.T. Jesus carried our sins to hell and left them there.
Another thing He did in Hell was to conquer death. There is no mention in the Bible of anyone coming out of Hell. All those in the Bible that were resurrected were believers. Jesus went to hell and came out again.
Col 2:14-15
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
Jesus made a show of them openly. He proclaimed He was the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And thus took the keys of death and hell.
Rev 1:18
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.
Heb 2:14-15
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
If he did go to hell how long did he stay? I would contend not long.
But some will use the argument that Jesus told the thief he would be with him in paradise today. This does not mean Jesus did not go to hell first.
Remember that Jesus died before the other two on the cross.
Let’s look at the order of events.
Luke 23:43
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
John 19:32-33
32 Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.
33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:
Jesus was already dead when they came to break their legs.
Luke 23:44
44 And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.
We know that Jesus died sometime after the 9th hour of the day and before the 12th hour. We know they were trying to get Him in the grave before 6 pm (12th hour)that night. He got ahead of the thieves because they were still alive.
So Jesus was not in hell very long. It would not take Him long to proclaim victory over death. Then He would be back in time to be with the repentant thief in paradise.
BigDog
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