When God had placed the sin of the world upon Jesus Christ and Jesus was made sin on the cross, Jesus descended into hell (Hades), where Jesus stayed for three days and three nights. But what did Jesus do in hell? What does the Bible say about Jesus’ stay in hell?
The sign of the Son of man to the generation of fallen man
Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17)
For as Jonas 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 (Matthew 12:40)
And when the people were gathered thick together, He began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation (Luke 11:29-30)
Jesus spoke many times about His sufferings, death, and resurrection. Jesus mentioned a.o. that the sign of the Son of man would be as the sign of Jona. Because as Jona was a sign unto the Ninevites, Jesus would be a sign to the generation of fallen man.
Jesus compared His death, His time in hell (Hades), which is in the heart of the earth, and the resurrection from the dead, with Jona, who was swallowed by a great fish due to his disobedience to God, and was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights, and while Jona was in the belly of the fish, which Jona described as hell, Jona prayed unto God. God heard the prayer of Jonah and spake unto the fish and the fish obeyed the words of God and vomited out Jonah upon the dry land (Jonah 1,2).
“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up”
Then answered the Jews and said unto Him, What sign shewest Thou unto us, seeing that Thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up (John 2:18-19)
Another example of the sign of the Son of man, wherewith Jesus announced His death and resurrection from the dead, was the destruction and rise of the temple in three days.
This all came to pass and is not only a sign for the people of Israel, but for the whole of humanity.
Jesus was made a little lower than the angels
Thou madest Him a little lower than the angels; Thou crownedst Him with glory and honour, and didst set Him over the works of Thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under His feet. For in that He put all in subjection under Him, He left nothing that is not put under Him. But now we see not yet all things put under Him. But we see Jesus, Who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man (Hebrews 2:7-9)
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; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted (Hebrews 2:14-18)
When Adam became disobedient to the words of God and sinned, man fell from his position and Adam was placed beneath the angels, and the devil and death reigned over mankind.
In order to release the prisoners of death and restore (heal) the fallen state of man and the peace between man and God, Jesus also had to be made lower than the angels in the hierarchy.
Therefore Jesus had to become equal to the state of Adam (fallen man), in order to be placed beneath the angels and enter hell and suffer death.
Therefore Jesus was made sin by God, so that He became equal to the state of fallen man and enter hell legally (a.o. Isaiah 53, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 2:24).
Only by becoming subject to the authority of the devil and death, Jesus could overcome the devil (fallen archangel), who had the power over death and (fallen) man, and release the prisoners, by the power of God.
And so Jesus entered dead and descended into hell; the kingdom of death and tasted the death for everyone.
Jesus prayed and preached to the spirits in prison
The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: Thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Psalms 16:5-11)
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 (made alive) by the Spirit: 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 (1 Peter 3:18-20)
The Word says, that Jesus prayed, which was prophesied by David, and preached to the spirits in prison, which sometime were disobedient, when the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah.
Jesus spoiled principalities and powers and made a shew of them openly and triumphed over them
Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a Man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. 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: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, He would raise up Christ to sit on His throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in hell, neither His flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses (Acts 2:23-32)
Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities (Acts 3:26)
The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins (Acts 5:30-31)
And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: Him God raised up the third day, and shewed Him openly; Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with Him after He rose from the dead (Acts 10:39-41)
And having spoiled (disarmed) principalities and powers, He made a shew (spectacle) of them openly, triumphing over them in it (Colossians 2:15)
When Jesus died en entered hell, Jesus fully trusted His Father and knew that His soul wouldn’t be left in hell and that His flesh wouldn’t see corruption. And His faith in God didn’t fail Him (a.o. Acts 13:33-34, Romans 4:24; 6:4; 8:11, 1 Corinthians 15:15, 2 Corinthians 4:14, Ephesians 2:46, 1 Peter 1:21).
By faith in God and His power, Jesus accomplished His mission and spoiled (disarmed) the principalities and powers, and made a shew of them openly, and triumphed over them. Jesus overcame the devil and death and rose from the dead in all His glory as Victor with the keys of death and hell (Hades (Revelation 1:18)).
The deliverance of the saints from hell
And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many (Mattheus 27:51-53)
Jesus wasn’t the only one, who rose from the dead. The Word says, that after the resurrection of Jesus, the graves were opened and that many bodies of the saints, who slept, came out of the graves and went to the holy city and appeared to many.
Jesus ascended up on high and led captivity captive
Thou hast ascended on high, Thou hast led captivity captive: Thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them (Psalms 68:19)
But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things. (Ephesians 4:7-10))
But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:46)
When Jesus ascended to heaven, He led them with Him, where they, and all the captives, who are born again in Christ and are delivered from the power of darkness and entered into the Kingdom of God, where Jesus Christ is King and reigns, wait for the Day of Judgment.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
