Did Christ Go To Hell?

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Introduction: There is much controversy over this question. What does the Bible say?

1.) Did Christ go to hell? Yes. The Bible clearly says so (Acts 2:25, 27, 31).

2.) Biblically speaking, what is hell? 

1. It is a place of torment clearly distinguished from the abode of the Old Testament saints. (Luke 16:22-23,28)
2. Throughout the King James Bible, hell is consistently a place of eternal, fiery, judgment for the damned. The Bible does not teach that it had two compartments.
3. The Hebrew word, sheol, refers to the place of the dead and is not perfectly synonymous with hell. It is variously and correctly translated as pit, hell, or grave. Job 14:13 translated “sheol” as “grave”. However, when the King James Bible refers to hell, it is always the fiery place of torment.
4. The Greek word, hades, is consistently translated hell with one exception. The Greeks may have used hades to refer to the abode of the dead but the New Testament used it to refer to hell.
5. The English use of “hell” in the King James Bible is clear and consistent. It is the place of eternal judgment for the lost.

3.)   Did Christ suffer our hell? Yes

A.   The suffering of His soul satisfied the wrath of God. (Isaiah 53:10-11)

B.   This is the meaning of propitiation. (1John 2:2; 4:10)

4.)   Did Christ suffer in hell? No

A. All references to His payment for sin, point to the cross. (1Peter 2:24;3:18) (2Corinthians 5:21)

B. This is the meaning of “It is finished” (John 19:30)

5.)   Why then did Christ go to hell?

A.   He bore our sins. (Hebrews9:26-28)

• Where did He take them?

B.   He descended into hell. (Acts 2:27)

• What better place to leave our sins?

C.  He preached to disobedient spirits. (1Peter 3:18-20)

• Note: Does not sound like He was suffering.

D.  He took the keys of death and hell. (Revelation 1:18; Hebrews 2:14-15)

• He conquered death by passing through it victorious: the same with hell.

E.   He moved quickly to paradise. (Luke 23:43)

F.   He ascended with the Old Testament saints (Ephesians 4:8-10)

• Perhaps at this time, hell enlarged herself. (Isaiah 5:14)

G.  He triumphed over the powers of Satan. (Colossians 2:12-15)

H.   He sprinkled His blood on the heavenly mercy seat. (Hebrews 9:12,24; John 20:17; Revelation 11:19)

Conclusion: What is your response to what He did for you?