I have been doing a lot of reading and studying on hell. I started out as just reading and studying the Scriptures trying to find where it says something about Christ going to hell to get the “keys of hell and of death” after the crucifixion, but it turned into a study and I wanted to share. I have found that there is really no specific scripture that says Christ went to hell, but you will find in the New Testament where it talks about it:
Matthew 12:40
“For just as Yonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea-monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the depths of the earth.”
Acts 2:27
“My body too will live on in the certain hope that you will not abandon me to Sh’ol or let your Holy One see decay.“
Acts 2:31
“He was speaking in advance about the resurrection of the Messiah, that it was he who was not abandoned in Sh’ol and whose flesh did not see decay.”
There is a great debate over whether Christ actually went to hell, whether hell is a real place and where exactly hell is. I do not believe it is my place to persuade you one way or the other. That is for the Holy Spirit to do. There are a lot of different perspectives you need to look at in order to get a better understanding of Christ going to hell, and if hell is what we think it is, if hell is real and where hell is. I found some very good articles in my searchings about Christ going to hell and why it is biblical that He did go there.
Did Christ Really Go To Hell?
Three Days and Three Nights, Christ In The Underworld
Those articles are full of scripture, and I love that they don’t take the scriptures and turn them around to make it fit what they are saying. They say what the Bible says. Period. I would encourage you to take some time to read and ponder those articles. It is so important that we know the Bible, and scriptures, and that we know what we believe.
Now I believe that Christ did go to hell. Here is why I believe this:
When Christ was on the cross He bore the sins of every person that had lived, that was living and that would live. EVERY PERSON! The cost of those sins is death. The Bible clearly tells us that:
Romans 6:23
“For what one earns from sin is death; but eternal life is what one receives as a free gift from God, in union with the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord.“
If we die in sin, we go to hell:
Jude 1:7
“And S’dom, ‘Amora and the surrounding cities, following a pattern like theirs, committing sexual sins and perversions, lie exposed as a warning of the everlasting fire awaiting those who must undergo punishment.“
That means that since Christ had all the sins of the entire world on Him, He had to go to hell. The payment for my sins is death and hell. Because Christ took all my sins on the cross, He took my place and went to hell for me. If He hadn’t gone to hell my sins would not be paid in full. It is imperative to realize that if Christ didn’t go to hell, our payment for our sins which is death and going to hell would not have been paid to the full amount. Only through Christ going to hell are our sins completely paid! While Christ was in hell, He took from Satan:
Revelation 1:18
“I was dead, but look! – I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys to Death and Sh’ol.“
Christ now has the power of hell and death and that means that through Christ we can overcome death and not go to hell through His salvation.
Titus 2:11
“For God’s grace, which brings deliverance, has appeared to all people.“
That is why I believe that Christ went to hell after His death on the cross. It is strange to think that our Savior, Jesus Christ, died and went to hell, but He had to because when He died He was sin. Now about hell…
On a recent trip to the library, I found the book, “23 Minutes in Hell” by Bill Wiese. I wasn’t going to read it at first. I had checked it out to ask Mama about something with it, but I did end up reading it and I am glad I did. This book ties into what I had been studying about Christ, hell, and such. I really like how Mr. Wiese uses only King James Version scriptures for his material. I LOVE how he uses the scriptures to explain what he is talking about.This book is very eye opening. Not only does this book share Mr. Wiese’s story about his experience in hell, but he goes much further and uses scriptures to answer common questions about hell and why it is important that everyone realize it is a REAL place! I would highly recommend EVERYONE read this book. It always amazes me and I just love it when you read something you have read a 100 times and you learn something new every time you read it. One thing that really struck me while I was reading this book is this:
Matthew 25:41
“Go off into the fire prepared for the Adversary and his angels!“
I know I have read that verse before, but a lightbulb went on in my head when I read that again! Hell was created for satan and his demons ONLY! God did not create hell as a place to send humans. God is a loving, just, caring Father. He loves His creation. He does not want to send His children to a fiery inferno for eternity. We must realize that hell was created for the sole purpose of having Lucifer and his fallen angels live there as punishment for their rebellion to God. God did not create hell to be a place for humans. Reading that scripture and realizing that hell is not a place for humans is so eye opening. He does NOT want any person to go to hell.
2 Peter 3:9
“For it is not his purpose that anyone should be destroyed, but that everyone should turn from his sins.“
It is really a smack in the face of God when people say God is “jealous and proud of it, a petty, unjust, unforgiving control freak, a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser, a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.” -The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. God is the opposite of all those things, except for maybe being jealous.
Exodus 34:14
“Since ADONAI -whose very name is Jealous -is a jealous God.“
We all know why He is jealous. It is not a hateful jealous or a murdering jealous, it is a jealousy against things that take our attention away from Him. God is so very loving.
1 John 4:8-10
“Those who do not love, do not know God; because God is love.
Here is how God showed his love among us: God sent his only Son into the world, so that through him we might have life.
Here is what love is: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the kapparah for our sins.“
He wants NO ONE to go to hell and burn for eternity. He loves us, His creation, so much! So much that He sent His only son to take our place in death and hell. Now think about that: satan is the opposite of God completely, and God created hell for satan and his demons only. God sent His son to earth to take every human being’s place in hell. God’s son went to hell which is the place made for satan. Does that speak volumes to you like it does to me? How that must have pained God to have His son, Jesus, go to a place that He created for the rebellious Lucifer just for us humans. How can people think God doesn’t love us?
Romans 5:8-9
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in that the Messiah died on our behalf while we were still sinners.
Therefore, since we have now come to be considered righteous by means of his bloody sacrificial death, how much more will we be delivered through him from the anger of God’s judgment!“
God sending His son to die for us is Love itself! Through Christ and His blood we are saved from the wrath of going to hell ourselves! It is sad to me that people and even some Christians believe that hell is not a real place. It is so important that you realize hell is real and if you do not accept Christ’s gift of salvation, you will go to hell and will forever live in torment just as the rich man lived in torment:
Luke 16:19-31
“Once there was a rich man who used to dress in the most expensive clothing and spent his days in magnificent luxury.
At his gate had been laid a beggar named El`azar who was covered with sores.
He would have been glad to eat the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table; but instead, even the dogs would come and lick his sores.
In time the beggar died and was carried away by the angels to Avraham’s side; the rich man also died and was buried.
“In Sh’ol, where he was in torment, the rich man looked up and saw Avraham far away with El`azar at his side.
He called out, `Father Avraham, take pity on me, and send El`azar just to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool my tongue, because I’m in agony in this fire!’
However, Avraham said, `Son, remember that when you were alive, you got the good things while he got the bad; but now he gets his conso lation here, while you are the one in agony.
Yet that isn’t all: between you and us a deep rift has been established, so that those who would like to pass from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
“He answered, `Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house, where I have five brothers, to warn them; so that they may be spared having to come to this place of torment too.’
But Avraham said, `They have Moshe and the Prophets; they should listen to them.’
However, he said, `No, father Avraham, they need more. If someone from the dead goes to them, they’ll repent!’
But he replied, `If they won’t listen to Moshe and the Prophets, they won’t be convinced even if someone rises from the dead!’”
Friends, it is so important that we share with everyone that hell is real and that if you do not accept the salvation of Christ, you will go there. We need to be those who testify so that others are not sent into the torment of hell. We need to be the people that the Rich Man wanted sent to his father’s house so his five brothers would not have the same ending as he did.
It is so important that we know the scriptures, so we can confidently share them with those who are lost and do not know them. I was so moved when I read in the latest Voice of the Martyrs newsletter about Shen and Jin, who are teenagers in China, have read the Bible ALL THE WAY through more than 50 times! 50 TIMES! These teenagers live in a country that being a christian is punishable by death and reading the Bible is outlawed and yet they have read all 66 books of the Bible 50 times. They are also risking their lives sharing the Gospel with all those they meet! I am ashamed to say I have never read the Bible through and yet I have grown up as a Christian my whole life.
I believe the time is growing near when it will be imperative that the believers know the word of God and have an understanding of it. It is time for the believers of Christ to get back to being HOT christians and not luke warm. It is time for believers to study their Bibles and ask God to minister to them so they will be equipped. It is time to “Be Defenseless Before the Lord” and seek His will.
I believe that hell is real and that the wages of my sin was death and eternal life in hell. I believe that Christ took my sins upon Himself on the cross and when He died He went to hell and left my sins there and PAID for them in full and I am now free and under His blood to live an everlasting life with Him.
What do you believe?
Love, Prayers and Blessings,
Thanks for stopping by “Daily” at the “Planet”!!
©AmandaDixon2009
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February 18th, 2009 at 8:27 am
Superjob! Superangel!!Wow! God has blessed you with an amazing gift! You have a powerful way of sharing His Word. I am thankful that He has allowed our paths to cross while here on earth! Someday we will meet! In Heaven! I consider it a great priveledge to be your friend! Keep pressing into His Word and sharing it with all of us! I truly needed to be encouraged today. I am finding myself in a season of drought. Going through a bit of a rough time adjusting to the move. I know that God is good and He cares for me! I believe that is why He lead me to your blog today!
I love you!
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February 18th, 2009 at 9:31 am
Great post! Hell is an interesting concept, and we really don’t have a whole lot to go on in the Scriptures, which really makes it almost a free-for-all…
Our Pastor just preached a sermon on this topic last week, and his conclusion was that Christ actually did not go to “Hell”, at least as we think of the word. There are two Greek words for “Hell”, one being “Gehenna”, the other being (in the Hebrew) “Sheol”, and in the Greek “Hades”.
When the word Gehenna is used, this referred to the dump outside of Jerusalem, which was basically a living hell. I don’t have time to personally go into the details on the real Gehenna, but here is what I could find on Wiki:
The southwestern gate of Jerusalem, overlooking the valley, came to be known as “The Gate of the Valley” (Hebrew: שער הגיא). Jeremiah 7:31; 19:2-6; 32:35; the Book of Jeremiah (2:23) speaks of residents worshipping Moloch and committing abominations, foreshadowing the destruction of Jerusalem.
In ancient times, children were sacrificed to the pagan god Molech in Gehenna (either a killing or a simple rite of passing through fire), a practice that was outlawed by King Josiah (2 Kings, 23:10). Biblical commentator Rashi explains that priests would bang on drums (Hebrew: tof, tupim) (Hebrew: תופים) so fathers would not hear the groans of children being sacrificed. Hence the name Topheth.
Fires were kept burning and the valley became the garbage dump of the city. The dead bodies of criminals, and the carcasses of animals were also thrown there.
This is Gehenna.
Contrast this with Sheol/Hades, which is the actual word used in the text that refers to Christ going to hell. Sheol was the place that was understood to be the “holding tank”, if you will, for the dead, before they were moved either to heaven or hell. Sheol is not an evil place, it is merely the place that people go when they die. I wish I had the time to go into a concordance and pull up some other examples of where and in what context these two different words/concepts are used, but I don’t right now. However, if you want me to, I can later on today. I also should stop writing, as this has almost become a post in and of itself…
What exactly is wrong with the laptop?
Jeremys last article is Do I have to like Democrats?
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February 18th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Wow! That was AWESOME Amanda! Everyone should read that article! I had never really thought about it. But it is something we need to consider and ponder. Thanks for posting it!
- Hannah
http://tinyurl.com/missylousblog
http://tinyurl.com/daneliondesigns
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February 18th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Hey Amanda!
Great post… I’ve been pondering things like this also… I recently read part of the A.D. Chronicles by Bodie and Brock Thoene, and they’re all about Jesus’ ministry, etc. And it really got me thinking.
BTW, did you get the earrings yet? I’m rather worried, none of the people I sent them to have told me that they got them yet.
Blessings!
Julia
Julias last article is A Newsy Little Post #3
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February 18th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Well thought out study. I also read 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper, skeptically, but there was much in it that was quite convincing. I had not realized until recently in Sunday school, when someone brought it up, that some people do not believe in hell, using the reason that a ‘loving God’ would not burn someone forever. Of course I think it’s pretty loving that He died on the cross!
Theresas last article is Be It Ever So Humble…
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February 18th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Absolutely wonderful!! I had been waiting on this article. It’s one that I’ll read a couple times to make sure I didn’t miss anything. ((hugs))
Lesleys last article is Want some freebies?
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February 18th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Hey Amanda!
Oh good! I am so glad you got the earrings!!
And even happier that you like them! 
Blessings!
Julia
Julias last article is Please Cast Your Vote
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February 18th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
Great post girl!
I believe Jesus went to hell for us.
Now, I didn’t always believe that. I knew the verses you quoted but one thing didn’t make sense to me. On the cross Jesus said to the thief, “Today thou shalt be with me in paradise”(Luke 23:43). That “Today” confused me badly for a long time because I couldn’t understand how Jesus could be in Heaven and Hell at the same time. Then, this winter I read Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis (strongly recommended) and he made everything clear for me. I already believed God was outside of time, but I hadn’t realized the full implications of that belief. So, although Lewis didn’t address Jesus and Hell specifically in his book, it all made sense to me when I read his chapter on time.
I do not believe in a “holding place”, “soul sleep”, “Purgatory” or any other intermediate place or state of being. There is none mentioned in the bible and we don’t need one if there’s no time outside of our universe.
I believe God is jealous. I believe love is jealous, but not the wrongful jealousy concerning things that do not belong to it. My pastor illustrates it this way, if a wife discovered her husband was cheating on her but she didn’t care at all we’d be pretty sure she didn’t love him. I guess I would say it’s the jealousy Caleb had for his wife in Fireproof.
Now did I make any sense or does I sound like random rambling?
Heather
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February 18th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Well miss Amanda, i think this was a reaelly good post…But there are things i will disogree with you on.
1. to say that Christ had to go to Hell to get the key so He could hold the power over Hell and death, is to say that He didnt at one time, and thats not true.
Jesus has always had 100% power over life death heaven and earth and Hell.
this also would be saying that Lucifer is the realer over hell, and thats not tue. God Rules over Hell, and will throw Lucifer anf the fallen, and all who dont know Jesus into it.
2. This would also mean that hell has been made already and that there is no need the the Judgment that Christ will bring when he returns. The Bible dose not say the Hell (the place of everlasting fire, where all evil will be cast into) has been made yet. Jesus tell us about hell in stirys but it’s not saying that it’s there now. Saying so would be saying that Lucifer can go in and out of hell, therefor God not being able to keep him there. Or that God is letting him run free even though his place of punishment is here.
3.do you know how the word Hell started? when it was started, and what it was talaking about at first?
well outside of Jerusalem they had a compast were all the suoers led, all the garbage was dumped and if someone died and had no tomb thats where they were thrown. it was Hot, smelly and dead! it was used as a thret…”i will make you spend the day in hell if you do this one more time.” to them this ment they would be forsed to spend the day in this compost, and to them that was more then gross, God had told the Jews not to be close to dead bodys, and to never touch them (with the ecestion of perparing the dead for the tomb). most of the time (if you look at the origanle Langes) when it talks about hell in the Bible it is refering to this place. yes manny times it is talking about the place that God will send Lucifer and the fallen, and all thoughs who do not know Christ Jesus. but that hell has not be created yet…
this was a great post Miss Amanda, please dont think i dont think it is. i loved the rest…but i cant agree with Christ going to hell, or getting the key.
God’s Name Be Praysed In All Things
Brett
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February 19th, 2009 at 12:28 am
Sorry, but this comment’s only purpose is to allow me to check the “Notify me of followup comments” box.
I forgot earlier and I want to see what others say.
Heather
Heathers last article is What’s in a Name?
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February 19th, 2009 at 10:42 am
You certainly did a lot of research for this post. Good job!
To the KING be all the glory!
Rebekah
Rebekahs last article is Protected: Looking Up… And Down
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February 19th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Hi Amanda! Thanks for your comments at my blog. How do you get you picture and status update for Facebook on your sidebar?
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February 19th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Great study! I’ll have to read 23 Minutes in Hell someday. I like the fact that he uses the King James.
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February 19th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
This is such an interesting topic. Thanks for sharing! It’s really hard for me to imagine the Spotless Lamb of God, actually going to Hell…I just can’t see it!
I agree, it is very important that Christians share with others that there is a punishment for sin, and that punishment IS indeed, Hell itself. But the Good News is that they DON’T have to go there because they have been bought with a price! Praise God!
Hollys last article is 1 year blogging! …and a little about love
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February 20th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
You did a great job with your study about hell and Christ going to hell. I really learned a lot. Many others could benefit from reading this post. Thanks so much sharing!!
PS – If I am not mistaken aren’t you related to Miss Jocelyn from A Pondering Heart? If so or not, nice to meet you.
PSS – From looking at your favorite movies list, I can tell that you like to watch movies. I like to watch movies, too. I must admit out of all the movies you listed so far, I’ve seen 37 of them.
Once again, nice to meet. And have a blessed weekend!!
Toias last article is Quench Your Thirst Thursday ~ Your Love Is Extravagant
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February 21st, 2009 at 8:23 pm
It is not God who rejects man, it is man who rejects God. And eternity without God is hell, because all good things come from Him.
Anyway, I will have to look for that book. “90 Minutes in Heaven” by Don Piper is good. I applaud those Chinese teens. I’ve only read the Bible once!
-Maria
Maria Paulines last article is Another World
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February 23rd, 2009 at 9:41 pm
Great post Miss Amanda!
I agree with you hundred percent.
I had never really thought that someone would not believe in hell, so it was interesting to read this post.
~Autumn
Miss Autumns last article is New shoes!!!!:)
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February 25th, 2009 at 3:48 am
Oh wow, that was great! Very well-written, in my opinion.
I know some “christians” who do not believe in hell, and it’s so sad to me that they won’t understand and accept all that Jesus did for us, for THEM. I wish I could get them to read this, but I don’t think I can.
Love you!
~Nikki
Nikkis last article is The Novelist Has Writer’s Block
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February 25th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Wow, Amanda…that’s a pretty extensive study…and a fascinating one.
Thanks for joining us for the Pearls and Diamonds giveaway! I wish we could have given a copy of “Emotional Purity” to everyone! And I SUPER recommend it–you might be able to find it through a library and it’s not too pricey from Amazon.
Blessings,
Abigail @ Pearls and Diamonds
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March 4th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
This was really, really good! I’ve studied this before, and LOVED having such a thorough refresher. GO GIRL! We are on the same page. (((((HUGS))))) sandi
(((((HUGS))))) sandis last article is Prayer Monday
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