Where was Jesus between his Death and Resurrection?

1. Where was Jesus between His death and Resurrection? –29th
August 2017
“After beingmade alive,he went andmade proclamationtothe imprisonedspirits.” (1 Peter 3:19).
We knowfromthe bible thatJesuswascrucifiedandwasresurrected three dayslateraswe can readin
Luke 23: 33-34, “Two other men, both criminals,were alsoled out withhim to be executed. 33
When
they came to the place calledthe Skull,they crucifiedhim there, alongwith the criminals—oneonhis
right,the other on hisleft. 34
Jesussaid, “Father,forgive them, for they do notknow what they are
doing.” Againwe canalso read inLuke 24:1-3, “On the first dayof the week, very early in the morning,
the women took the spices they had prepared andwent to the tomb. 2
They foundthe stone rolled
away fromthe tomb, 3
but when they entered, they didnot findthe body of the Lord Jesus.”
May askus as to what happenedtoJesusbetweenHisdeathandHisresurrection. There isagreatdeal
of confusioninregardstothis question.The conceptthatJesuswenttohell afterHisdeathonthe cross
comesprimarilyfromthe Apostles’Creed.The Apostles'CreedwasbasedonChristiantheological
understandingof the Canonical gospels,the lettersof the New Testamentandtoa lesserextentthe Old
Testament.Itiswidelyusedbyanumberof Christiandenominations,mostvisiblybyliturgical (relating
to formal publicworship) Churchesof Westerntradition,includingthe RomanCatholicChurch,
LutheranismandAnglicanism.Itisalsousedby Presbyterians,andMethodists.The Apostles'Creed
states,“He descendedintohell.”There are alsoa few Scriptureswhich,dependingonhow theyare
translated,describe Jesus afterbeingcrucifiedas goingto“hell.”
In relationtothissubjectwe canlearnfrom 1 Peter3:18–19,” For Christalso sufferedonce for sins,the
righteousfor the unrighteous,to bringyou to God.He was put to death inthe bodybut made alivein
the Spirit. 19
After beingmade alive,he went and made proclamationtothe imprisonedspirits.”The
“spiritsinprison”are mentionedinthe contextof whatJesusdidinthe time betweenHisdeath and
resurrection. The word spiritreferstoChrist’sspirit.The contrastisbetweenHisfleshandspirit,andnot
betweenChrist’sfleshandthe HolySpirit.Christ’sfleshdied,butHisspiritremainedalive.
Whenwe read 1 Peter3:18–22, it describesanecessarylinkbetweenChrist’ssuffering aswe readfrom
verse 18 andHis glorification foundin verse 22.OnlyPetergives some informationaboutwhat
happenedbetweenthese twoevents. The biblesaysthat Jesus“proclamation”tothe imprisoned spirits
inverse 19. However,the Greekwordusedisnotthe usual New Testamentwordforpreachingthe
gospel. KJV states “toheralda message”;where the NIV translatesitas“made proclamation.”Jesus
sufferedanddiedonthe cross,Hisbody beingputtodeath but His spiritwasmade alive.We canlearn
that whenhe died He yieldedittothe Fatheras statedin Luke 23:46, “Jesuscalled out witha loud
voice, “Father,intoyour handsI commit my spirit.” Whenhehadsaidthis, he breathed hislast.”
Accordingto 1 Peter3, sometime betweenJesus’deathandHis resurrectionJesusmade aspecial
proclamationto“the spiritsinprison.”The spiritsmentionedare incorporeal,theyare imprisoned,their
sinwas committedbefore the Flood,and asstatedbelievedthroughthe Apostles'Creed,Jesusvisited
the place of theircaptivitytomake an announcementtothem.Whoexactlythese spiritsare hasbeen
the subjectof some speculationthroughthe years.

2. In the NewTestament,the word spiritsisused to describe angelsordemons,nothumanbeings.In 1
Peter3:20, Peterreferstopeople as“souls.”We mustbearin mindthat nowhere inthe Bible are we
toldthat Jesusvisitedhell. Acts2:31 saysin the New AmericanStandardBible thatJesuswenttoHades,
but Hadesisnot hell. Hades isa termthat refers,broadly,tothe realmof the dead,a temporaryplace
where the deadawaitresurrection. Whenwe read Revelation20 inthe NASBandthe NIV makesaclear
distinctionbetweenthe Hadesandthe lake of fire.The lake of fire isthe permanent,final place of
judgmentforthe lost souls…Hell.But Hadesisa temporaryplace for boththe lostand the Old
Testamentsaints. We can understandthiswhenwe read Revelation 20:12–15, “And I saw the dead,
great and small,standingbeforethe throne, and bookswere opened.Another book was opened,
whichis the book of life.The deadwere judgedaccordingto what they had done as recorded in the
books.13
The sea gave up the dead that were in it, anddeath andHades gaveup the deadthat were in
them, andeach personwas judgedaccordingto what they had done. 14
Thendeath and Hades were
thrown intothe lakeof fire. The lakeof fire is the second death. 15
Anyone whosename was not found
written in the book oflife was throwninto the lake of fire.”
Goingon what the bible tellsus,our Lord yieldedHisspirittothe Father,diedphysically,andentered
paradise asstatedin Luke 23:43, “Jesusanswered him, “Truly I tell you,today youwill be withme in
paradise.” Atsome time betweenHis deathandresurrection,Jesusalsovisitedaplace where He
deliveredamessage tospiritbeings. Thesebeingswere somehow relatedtothe periodbefore the flood
inNoah’stime:“…tothosewho were disobedientlongagowhen Godwaited patientlyin the daysof
Noahwhile the ark was beingbuilt.In it only a few people,eight inall, were saved throughwater.”(1
Peter 3:20). But Peterdoesnottell uswhatJesusproclaimedtothe imprisonedspirits,butitcouldnot
be a message of redemptionsince itwasnotthe angelsasstatedin Hebrews 2:16, “Forsurely it is not
angelshe helps, butAbraham’sdescendants.”
Broadlyspeakingitwasprobablya declarationof victoryoverSatanandhis hosts:“Andhaving
disarmedthe powers and authorities,he made a publicspectacleof them, triumphingoverthem by
the cross”(Colossians 2:15).We getanotherclue regardingJesus’activitiesinthe time betweenHis
deathand resurrection whenwe read Ephesians 4:8–10 Thisis why it says: “Whenhe ascendedon
high,he took many captivesand gavegifts to hispeople.”9
(Whatdoes“heascended” mean except
that he alsodescended to the lower,earthly regions? 10
He whodescended is the very one who
ascended higherthan all the heavens, inorder to fill the whole universe). Here Paul is QuotingPsalm
68:18, where he saysaboutChrist,“whenhe ascendedonhigh,he tookmanycaptives.”The reference
seemstobe that, inparadise,Jesusgatheredall the redeemedwhowere there andtookthemtotheir
permanentdwellinginheaven.
All thisisto say,the Bible isn’tentirelyclear asto whatexactlyChristdidforthe three daysbetweenHis
deathand resurrection. Fromwhatwe can tell,though,He comfortedthe departedsaintsandbrought
themto theireternal home,andHe proclaimedHisvictoryoverthe fallenangelswhoare keptinprison.
What we can knowfor sure is thatJesuswas notgivinganyone a secondchance for salvation.All of us
face judgmentafterdeathnota secondchance…The onlychance we receive isoursalvation - the free
giftof God andto have thisit isonlymade possible tothose whohave faithinJesusChristas ones
saviourandsteadfastlyworktowardsretainthis giftof God.
The bible clearlytellsusthatHisworkof redemptionforhumanitywasaccomplishedandthusfinished
as he said onthe cross: “Whenhe had received the drink,Jesus said, “Itis finished.” Withthat,he

3. bowed hishead andgave up his spirit.”(John19:30).Therefore,importantly asChristians we needto
knowthat whateverone maysay on the contrary, Jesuswas notsufferinginhell “Afterbeingmade
alive,he went andmade proclamationtothe imprisonedspirits.”(1Peter3:19).