Where was Jesus after his death, but before his resurrection?

Answer 1

The Bible does not specifically state what happened to Jesus immediately after He died on the cross. Because of this, there is debate surrounding the answer to the question of where He went and what He did. So, I will present differing views so you might know the scope of the answer and decide for yourself which position is preferable.
Perhaps the best known scripture that appears to deal with this issue is found in 1 Pet. 3:18-20,

"For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 19 in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 20 who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water."

When Jesus was made alive in the spirit, it is not saying that His spirit died and then it became alive again. "Made alive in the spirit" is contrasted with "put to death in the flesh." He first lived as mortal men but "...He began to live a spiritual 'resurrection' life, whereby He has the power to bring us to God."1 Furthermore, some Bibles (NIV, KJV, and NKJV) render the verse as "made alive by the Spirit," referring to the Holy Spirit's work with Christ. “By the Spirit” translates one word, pneumati, which could refer to the third Person of the Trinity as the agent of Christ’s resurrection.2
One view where Jesus was and what He did before His resurrection is that He went to Hades (the place of the dead) and made proclamation to those who were in spiritual prison. The word "proclamation" in Greek is kerusso. It means to proclaim and is a different word than "euaggelizo" which means to preach the gospel. Therefore, it is most probable that Jesus was not preaching the gospel to those in Hades/Spirit prison so they could be saved, but was instead proclaiming the truth to them. After all, the Bible says, "And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment," (Heb. 9:27).
But who were the ones in spiritual prison? Some believe it is the people who were alive at the time of Noah's flood and who were killed in the flood. Others believe it is all humanity who died before the time of the cross. There seems to be support for the former position in 2 Pet. 2:4-5,

"For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly."

Needless to say, this passage also raises many questions and much debate can be found as to its precise meaning. Nevertheless, as far as the other option goes, that Jesus simply presented the facts concerning His work on the cross to those in spiritual prison, we can look to Eph. 4:8-9 for possible support.

"When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men. 9 Now this expression, 'He ascended,' what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things...

Some theologians believe that during the three days between Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, He descended into Abraham's bosom3 (Luke 16:19-31), proclaimed to them the mystery of the gospel, and then led them into heaven to dwell with God. The belief is that they were not permitted to enter into the presence of God in heaven until after the atonement. Once that had happened, Jesus who had died, descended to Abraham's bosom, proclaimed the gospel, and then led its residents into heaven.
So, even though we cannot precisely determine where Jesus was and what He did during those three days, it seems apparent that He presented the gospel message (not to have them get saved) to those in spirit prison and possibly also to those in Abraham's bosom.

Answer 2

He was dead for the better part of three days. Since the Bible says that the dead are incapable of thinking, speaking, or feeling, Jesus was unaware of anything until the time that God resurrected him back to life.
We are told regarding his death--"He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption." Acts 2:31

Answer 3

The word "hell" is found in many Bible translations. In the same verses other translations read "the grave," "the world of the dead," and so forth. Other Bibles simply transliterate the original-language words that are sometimes rendered "hell"; that is, they express them with the letters of our alphabet but leave the words untranslated. What are those words? The Hebrew she'ohl´ and its Greek equivalent hai´des, which refer, not to an individual burial place, but to the common grave of dead mankind; also the Greek ge´en·na, which is used as a symbol of eternal destruction. However, both in Christendom and in many non-Christian religions it is taught that hell is a place inhabited by demons and where the wicked, after death, are punished (and some believe that this is with torment).

so if hell is the grave he was dead for those three days.
imagine how God felt his son whom he was so proud of and was with him for a millennium was suddenly gone.

Answer 4

There is more than one idea about this. Some think He spent the time in hell paying the price for our sins. Some think He was offering salvation to those who had died before the time of Christ.
He, himself, told the thief beside Him on the cross, "Today, you will be with me in Paradise". He told Mary not to touch Him because He hadn't yet ascended to the Father, but He later told Thomas to touch His hands and put his hand into His side. I look forward to asking Him just what was going on during that time.

Answer 5

In the tomb or could be with his Father in Heaven, we don't really know the answer to this. What does it matter though? Jesus Christ is alive!! That is all we need to know now.

Answer 6

There was no ressurection. After his death, if he existed, he was in a tomb or ditch somewhere. Who knows? All we know about Jesus was stuff written about him, mostly made up, decades after he supposedly died.

Answer 7

Starbucks!

Answer 8

3:18 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 by the Spirit:

3:19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;

Answer 9

He went to Hell and preached to all the tortured souls, why we'll never know. They have no hope of getting out.

Answer 10

Maybe having a Guiness in Ireland?