Questions On Jesus' Death, Burial And Resurrection

Question 1. Was Jesus in Hell for the three days between his crucifixion and resurrection?

Answer No, the Scriptures do not teach that Jesus went to hell, the place of eternal torment. The problem here is a mistranslation in some of the older versions of the Bible. The key verse in Acts 2:27 where Peter is quoting from the 16th Psalm written by David about 1,000 years before Jesus. In the King James version, the verse says,

27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

However, in the New American Standard version, the verse says,

ACT 2:27 Because Thou wilt not abandon my soul to Hades, Nor allow Thy Holy One to undergo decay.

Instead of hell, the word should be translated Hades, for it comes from a Greek word that refers generally to the world of the unseen, where departed spirits go when they leave the body. It is a general term and does not refer to any specific part of the Hadean world. However, it was Jesus Himself, as He was speaking to the thief on the cross, that He would be with Jesus in Paradise, the place in the Hadean world where those who please God are at rest. This is where Jesus went between His death and His resurrection.

LUK 23:39 ¶ And one of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, "Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!"
LUK 23:40 But the other answered, and rebuking him said, "Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?
LUK 23:41 "And we indeed justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong."
LUK 23:42 And he was saying, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!"
LUK 23:43 And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise." Contact Gary

Question 2. What day of the week was Christ crucified on?

Answer Although there is some discussion about this, most Bible students agree that He was crucified on a Friday. The discussion stems from the fact that He said in Matt. 12,

40“For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

If you count 3 days and 3 nights literally from Friday, then He could not have been crucified on Friday. However, the phrase "3 days and 3 nights" is a phrase that the Jews used in a way that was not literal. For example, Queen Esther told Mordecai

16“Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!” 17So Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther commanded him. Chapter 5 1Now it happened on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, across from the king’s house, while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the house. The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

She did not wait until after the 3rd day, but rather *on* the 3rd day she went and conducted her business. There are other examples of the phrase "3 days and 3 nights" being used this way in the Bible. It was not a literal saying.  Contact Michael

Question 3. Why was Christ's Death and Resurrection necessary for the salvation of all people?

Answer Because God is a just God. He gave us law and we transgressed. Consequently, we "all fall short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23.

Because we die to God when we sin, we are incapable of doing anything to save ourselves. Isaiah 59:1-2 tells us that our sin "separates" us from God. Since we are separated, there is nothing that we can do in & of ourselves to overcome that barrier. It took God extending His grace for us to overcome sin. Christ is the personifcation of that grace.

His death was our death for our sakes. Because He died for us and because God chose to raise Him from the dead, Christ has opened a pathway up for us to reach Heaven. Without His death & resurrection, we could have no hope for salvation.  Contact Michael

Ask A Bible Question

Answers To Your Bible Questions

"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971,
  1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission."
(www.Lockman.org)

Top