Question
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.”
By Gary Hunt
