Matthew 12:39-40 “But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. (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.”
In this section we want to discuss the two reasons why, after His death on the cross, the Lord Jesus was taken into Hell. In the above quoted passage of scripture the Lord Jesus confirmed to us that after His death He would be taken into the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. We have already established that the region of Death is located in the heart of the earth and that Satan has dominion over that region. We have also established that the region of death is further subdivided into two separate regions i.e. Paradise and Hades. And so the Lord’s statement raises the question as to which region of death Jesus was taken to?
Acts 2:25-28 “For David says concerning Him: 'I foresaw the Lord always before My face, for He is at My right hand, that I may not be shaken. (26) Therefore My heart rejoiced, and My tongue was glad; moreover My flesh also will rest in hope. (27) For you will not leave My soul in Hades, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. (28) You have made known to Me the ways of life; You will make Me full of joy in Your presence.”
The above quoted passage of scripture answers the question we have asked, i.e. which part of the region of death was the Lord Jesus taken to; for in this passage the Lord plainly tells us that He was taken to Hades while His body lay in the tomb. This passage not only reveals to us that Jesus was taken into Hades however, but it also gives us further insight into why our Lord went there in the first place, and why He was there for three days and three nights. Firstly we see that the reason why Jesus was taken to Hades was because God had decreed that He should be taken there, and we also see that God was the one who would bring Him out from there; for in this passage Jesus stated that God would not leave His soul in Hades. Secondly we see that one of the reasons why Jesus went into Hades for three days and three nights was because God would not allow His body to see corruption. Under normal circumstances the human body begins to decay three days after death, and so we see that Jesus had to be raised from the dead after three days in order to prevent His body from experiencing any decay.
Psalms 71:10-11 “For my enemies speak against me; and those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together, (11) Saying, "God has forsaken him; Pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him.”
We have seen thus far that it was God who had decreed that Jesus was to be taken down into Hades after His death. Obviously it was the devil that carried out God’s decree, for he was the one who had the power of death and who held the keys of Hades. In the above quoted passage of scripture we see that after Jesus incurred spiritual death, that God had forsaken Him, for you will recall the words of the Lord Jesus when He hung on the cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Mark 15:34). And so realising that God had forsaken Jesus and that there was therefore none who could deliver Him from their dominion, Satan and his angels then proceeded to kill Jesus and take Him down into Hades.
2 Samuel 22:5-18 “When the waves of death surrounded me, the floods of ungodliness made me troubled. (6) The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me. … (17) "He sent from above, He took me, He drew me out of many waters. (18) He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me; for they were too strong for me.”
The above quoted passage of scripture gives us a brief glimpse into what it was like for Jesus when He was taken down into Sheol. The point that I want to emphasize from this passage however, is that Jesus stated that the devil and his angels were too strong for Him, because of which He was powerless to prevent them from taking Him down into Hades. And so this passage confirms the truth that Jesus had been made lower than the devil and his angels during that time.
Psalms 88:4-7 “I am counted with those who go down to the pit; I am like a man who has no strength, (5) Adrift among the dead, Like the slain who lie in the grave, Whom You remember no more, and who are cut off from Your hand. (6) You have laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the depths. (7) Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and You have afflicted me with all Your waves.”
So why did God decree that His Son should be taken down into Hades after His death on the cross? As I have already mentioned, there were two reasons why God did that. The first reason was because, prior to the death of Jesus, God had placed the sin of the whole world on His Son, and that sin had to be dealt with. In other words Jesus had to incur the punishment for those sins. And so we see in the above quoted passage of scripture, that God placed Jesus in the lowest pit of Hell where He incurred the wrath of God for the sins of the world. It is important to note that throughout this time, Satan and his angels were fully convinced that Jesus was incurring the wrath of God for His own sin, i.e. His sin of disobedience. After three days and three nights however, Jesus had fully paid the price for all of the sin of the world, which is why the apostle Paul teaches us that Jesus was delivered up because of our offences and was raised up because of our justification (Romans 4:25). And so it was that on the third day, when God’s justice had been fully satisfied and all of the sins of the world had been fully paid for, that God could then reveal the second reason why He had allowed the devil and his angels to take Jesus into Hades.
Colossians 1:18 “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the pre-eminence.”
As we have already mentioned, Satan and his angels had no idea what was really going on, i.e. that Jesus Himself had not sinned and that He was in fact incurring the wrath of God for the sins of the world. And so they fully expected Jesus to be held captive in their domain for all eternity, suffering the eternal wrath of God. Their delusion was shattered on the third day however, when Jesus was made alive once again. In the above quoted passage of scripture the apostle Paul teaches us that Jesus was the firstborn from the dead. It is interesting to note that scripture does not refer to Jesus as being the first to be raised from the dead, but it does refer to Him as being the firstborn from the dead. So what is the difference? To be raised from the dead refers to one’s physical body being made alive once again. And so scripture could not refer to Jesus as being the first raised from the dead because there had been numerous incidents of people being raised from the dead before Jesus was. For example, there were three people who were raised from the dead in the Old Testament and Jesus Himself had raised three people from the dead when He walked on the earth. To be born from the dead however, refers to one’s spirit being made alive once again. And so we see that every saint that is born again is born from the dead, for we were all once dead in trespasses and sins and God has made us alive in spirit once again (Ephesians 2:1). Nevertheless the first one, who was made alive in spirit once again i.e. born from the dead, was the Lord Jesus Christ.
Michael E.B. Maher
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